IXL | Choose the topic sentence that best captures the main idea

Read the details below.

Images of the Martian surface show dry canyons and river beds, sometimes marked with patterns of fossilized ripples.
The Mars Curiosity rover collected extensive surface samples of clay that must have formed in the presence of water.
Scientists believe that the dips in an ice-covered area of Mars indicate that a liquid lake may exist below the surface.

Choose the best topic sentence to introduce a paragraph containing these details.

Research examining the surface of Mars has led scientists to believe the planet once contained, and may still contain, liquid water.

Soil samples from the surface of Mars provide strong evidence that liquid water once existed on the planet.

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Learn with an example

question

Read the details below.

A New York City dance troupe features performers who use highly customized wheelchairs to perform dynamic routines.
The blind Turkish painter Eşref Armağan creates award-winning paintings of vivid landscapes and fantastical scenes with the help of a braille stylus.
By sawing the legs off his piano to better feel the music's vibrations through the floor, Ludwig van Beethoven was able to compose his Ninth Symphony even after losing his hearing.

Choose the best topic sentence to introduce a paragraph containing these details.

Individuals with disabilities have found many creative ways to produce compelling works of art in a variety of media.

Artists with disabilities can achieve tremendous financial success by applying their talents in creative and unique ways.

key idea

A topic sentence states the main, or central, idea of a paragraph and lets the reader know what the paragraph will be about. The rest of the paragraph provides evidence to help support this idea.

When writing a paragraph, be sure to craft a topic sentence that accurately signals what the paragraph will cover. Your topic sentence should not be too broad, too narrow, off topic, or introduce a new detail.

solution

First decide what the details have in common. In this case, they are all about how artists with disabilities create works of art.

This sentence best introduces the details:

green checkmark, Individuals with disabilities have found creative ways to produce compelling works of art in a variety of media.

This sentence would not be a good topic sentence to introduce the details:

red X symbol, Artists with disabilities can achieve tremendous financial success by applying their talents in creative and unique ways.

This sentence is off topic. It discusses disabled artists' potential for earning money rather than their creative methods for producing art.

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