TASK A: Developing topic sentence

Write good topic sentences to begin each of the following paragraphs. Remember to
include both a topic and a controlling idea.

Everyday Americans use words that come from other cultures without even realizing it.
Topic sentence: ____________________________________________________________

Americans relaxing at home, for example, may put on kimonos, which is a Japanese word.
Americans who live in a warm climate may take an afternoon siesta on an outdoor patio
without even realising that these are Spanish words. In their gardens, they may enjoy the
fragrance of jasmine flowers, a word that came into English from Persian. They may even
relax on a chaise longue, while sipping a drink made with vodka, words of French and
Russian origin, respectively.

European universities are quite different from American universities.

In European universities, students are not required to attend classes. In fact, professors in
Germany generally do not know the names of the students enrolled in their courses. In the
United States, however, students are required to attend all classes and may be penalized if
they do not. Furthermore, in the European system, there is usually just one comprehensive
examination at the end of the students' entire four or five years of study. In the American
system, on the other hand, there are usually numerous quizzes, texts, and homework
assignments, and there is almost always a final examination in each course at the end of the
semester.

People often use the most abundant local material to build their houses.
Topic sentence: _________________________________________________________
For example, the Eskimos, living in a treeless region of snow and ice, sometimes build
temporary homes out of thick blocks of ice. People who live in deserts, on the other hand,
use the most available material, mud or clay, which provides good insulation from the heat.
In Northern Europe, Russia and other areas of the world where forests are plentiful, people
usually construct their homes out of wood. In the islands of the South Pacific, where there is
a plentiful supply of bamboo and palm, people use these tough, fibrous plants to build their
home.
5.2 Identifying supporting details
TASK A: Choose the right answer

1) I use the details in the text to help me determine the implied main idea.
Details are...
a. the author's purpose
b. the author's point of view
c. the who, what, when, where, why and how of the text

2) What do supporting details do?

3) White-sided dolphins are fun to watch. They can jump high over the water.
They can tumble in the air. They are very quick learners. They can learn new tricks easily.
You can see them do tricks at places like Sea World. They are often the stars of the show.
They like to show off for people.
White-sided dolphins are often the stars of the show.
What detail from the passage helps support this idea?
a. They have to stay at Sea World.
b. They learn new tricks easily.
c. They do not work with people.
d. They live in the water.

4) Read the passage. Choose the sentence that does not belong.
The park is a wonderful place for a picnic. People sell tasty snacks. There are picnic tables
and grills. I have a pet hamster. The park has a lot of fun things that we enjoy doing.
The park has a lot of fun things that we enjoy doing.
a. People sell tasty snacks.
b. I have a pet hamster.
c. There are picnic tables and grills.
5) Those people who like going fishing know how important the bait is. Some people
choose worms or night crawlers as bait. Others are fond of using minnows, which are very
small fish that larger fish would be attracted to. Some people do not like to use live bait.
They prefer to use artificial bait, like lures and spinners. Fish are often attracted to the
colours and movement of the artificial bait.

Which supporting detail from the text DOES NOT support the main idea that there are many
different things that can be used as bait?
a. Those people who like going fishing know how important the bait is.
b. Some people choose worms or night crawlers as bait.
c. Others are fond of using minnows, which are very small fish that larger fish would be
attracted to.
d. Fishing can be a difficult task.

6) A tundra is a place with very low temperatures and very little rain. Winters in the
tundra are long and extremely cold. Summers are short, mild, and cool.
Some animals living in the tundra are prepared for the cold weather. For instance, foxes,
reindeer, caribou, and grizzly bears all have thick fur. Their fur protects them from the cold.
There are very few plants in the tundra. Most of the soil in the tundra is frozen. Plants can
only grow in the thin top layer of soil. Only small, low-growing types, such as grasses and
small bushes grow there. Trees cannot grow in the tundra because their roots cannot grow
deep enough into the soil.

Which sentence from the passage best supports the idea that animals are ready to live in
the tundra?
a. Plants can only grow in the thin top layer of soil.
b. Winters in the tundra are long and extremely cold.
c. A tundra is a place with very low temperatures and very little rain.
d. For instance, foxes, reindeer, caribou, and grizzly bears all have thick fur.