For each of the following paragraphs, choose the topic sentence that best fits the rest of the paragraph.

Paragraph 1:
________________________________________. Residents have been directed to use the new plastic bins as their primary recycling containers. These new containers will make picking up recyclables faster and easier.
1.
a. The city has distributed standardized recycling containers to all households.
b. Recycling has become a way of life for most people.
c. While most Americans recycle, they also use more resources than residents of other countries.
d. Even small cities have begun recycling to pick up used glass, plastic, and paper.

Paragraph 2:
____________________________________. Telecommuters produce, on average, 20% more than if they were to work in an office. Their flexible schedule allows them to balance both their family and work responsibilities.

2.
a. People who work in offices make up a large part of the U.S. work force.
b. Office workers who telecommute from their own homes are more productive and have greater flexibility.
c. Many companies now offer their employees benefits that were not available just a few years ago.
d. One of the biggest problems in corporate America is the lack of skilled office workers.

Paragraph 3:
___________________________________. No search of a person's home or personal effects may be conducted without a written search warrant. This means that a judge must justify a search before it can be conducted.

3.
a. There is an old saying that a person's home is his or her castle.
b. Much of the U.S. legal system was based on the old British system.
c. The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution protects citizens against unreasonable searches.
d. ''Personal effects'' is a term that refers to the belongings of a person.

Paragraph 4:
___________________________________ You must imitate as closely as possible the parents' methods of feeding. First, hold the beak open using thumb and forefinger. Then, introduce food into the beak with tweezers or an eyedropper.

4.
a. Recently, I read an article about baby birds.
b. Hand-rearing wounded or orphaned baby birds requires skill.
c. Baby birds are very special creatures, and they are also very small.
d. I have been told that you should not touch a baby bird that has fallen out of its nest.

Paragraph 5:
__________________________________. All waves, though, have common characteristics that govern their height. The height of a wave is determined by its speed, the distance it travels, and the length of time the wind blows.

5.
a. Currents, unlike waves, are caused by steady winds or temperature fluctuations.
b. Tsunamis used to be called tidal waves.
c. Ocean waves can vary from tiny ripples to powerful, raging swells.
d. A breaker is when a wave gets top-heavy and tips over.

Paragraph 6:
___________________________________. When people respect the law too much, they will follow it blindly. They will say that the majority has decided on this law and therefore I must obey it. They will not stop to consider whether or not the law is fair.

6.
a. Some people say there is too little respect for the law, but I say there is too much respect for it.
b. Sometimes a judge will decide that a law is unfair.
c. I believe that the majority of the people in this country do not understand what it means to have respect for other people.
d. Most of the laws passed at the end of the twentieth century are fair laws.

Paragraph 7:
The term "overdose" is difficult to define. A single aspirin may cause hemorrhage in one person,
while an injection of cocaine may merely make another high. ___________________________________ Aspects such as age, weight, and general health are vitally important.

7.
a. Drugs are an increasingly profound problem in society, one that most law enforcement
officials simply aren't equipped to deal with.
b. Therefore, when dealing with an unconscious victim suspected of having overdosed, one must weigh certain factors carefully.
c. The 911 system, now available almost everywhere, is an invaluable tool in getting help to the victim of overdose.
d. Both aspirin and cocaine can look like harmless white powder, yet they are very different from one another in effect.

Paragraph 8:
The term "spices" is a pleasant one, whether it connotes fine French cuisine or a down-home,
cinnamon-flavored apple pie.___________________________ Individuals have traveled the
world seeking exotic spices for profit and, in searching, have changed the course of history Indeed, to gain control of lands harboring new spices, nations have actually gone to war.

8.
a. The taste and aroma of spices are the main elements that make food such a source of fascination and pleasure.
b. The term might equally bring to mind Indian curry made thousands of miles away and those delicious barbecued ribs sold down on the corner.
c. It is exciting to find a good cookbook and experiment with spices from other lands—indeed, it is one way to travel around the globe!
d. The history of spices, however, is another matter altogether, often exciting, at times filled with danger and intrigue.

Paragraph 9:
______________________________________ Although these mechanical alarms are fairly
recent, the idea of a security system is not new. The oldest alarm system was probably a few
strategically placed dogs that discouraged intruders with a loud warning cry.

9.
a. Anyone who lives in a large, modern city has heard the familiar sound of electronic security alarms.
b. Everyone knows that a large, barking dog will scare away strangers, even the mail carrier.
c. Why spend money on an alarm system when you can get the same service from an animal?
d. Without a good alarm system, your place of business could be vandalized.

Paragraph 10:

_______________________________________.According to scholars, these patterns almost
certainly represent the labyrinth that held the Minotaur, a monster with the head of a bull and the
body of a man. Legend has it that, in ancient times, King Minos built the labyrinth in order to
imprison the Minotaur, which loved to dine on human flesh.

10.
a. Patterned corridors are commonplace in many architectural structures.
b. In the palace at Knossos, on the isle of Crete, there is a corridor leading to the outside that
is decorated with coils and spiral patterns.
c. Archeologists contend that patterns on the walls and corridors of ancient architectural structures are usually meaningful.
d. Scholars who have studied the palace at Knossos, on the isle of Crete, are at a loss to explain the meaning of the coils and spirals on its corridor walls.

Answers:
1. a. This is the best Choice because it is the only one that refers to recycling containers, which is the main focus of this paragraph. The other Choices are statements about recycling in general.
2. b. This is the only Choice that mentions telecommuting, which is the main focus of this paragraph. The other Choices are too general.
3. c. This Choice refers to "unreasonable searches," which is the main focus of this paragraph. Choice a can be ruled out because this idea is not developed by the other two sentences. Choices b and d are also far from the topic of unreasonable searches.
4. b. This Choice clearly fits with the main focus of the paragraph, which is the skill that is needed to hand-rear orphaned baby birds. Choice a is too vague to be a topic sentence. Choices c and d introduce other topics.
5. c. The main focus of the paragraph is the height of a wave. This is the only Choice that introduces that topic.
6. a. The paragraph expresses the writer's opinion about respect for the law. Choices b and d can be ruled out because they are irrelevant to the main topic. Choice c can also be eliminated because it discusses respect for other people, not respect for the law.
7. b. This Choice mentions factors to be weighed, leading directly into the next sentence about age, weight, and general health.

8. d. "Changing the course of history" and nations going to war implies that the subject of the paragraph is history; these phrases also connote danger and intrigue.
9. a. This is the only Choice that is in keeping with the main focus of the paragraph. Although dogs are mentioned in the paragraph, Choices b and c can be ruled out because Sentences 2 and 3 do not logically follow either Choice.
10. b. This Choice focuses the paragraph by speaking of a particular patterned corridor, as is described in the rest of the paragraph. Choices a and c only speak of patterned corridors in general. Choice d is contradicted in the passage.