Paragraph Development Practice Exercises
Review the following study guide for paragraph development help:
Paragraph Development Study Guide
Practice Set 1
For each of the following paragraphs, choose the topic sentence that best fits the rest of the paragraph.
1. _____. 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.
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.
2. _____. 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.
e. Currents, unlike waves, are caused by steady winds or temperature fluctuations.
f. Tsunamis used to be called tidal waves.
g. Ocean waves can vary from tiny ripples to powerful, raging swells.
h. A breaker is when a wave gets top-heavy and tips over.
3. _____. 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.
i. Some people say there is too little respect for the law, but I say there is too much respect for it.
j. Sometimes, a judge will decide that a law is unfair.
k. I believe that the majority of the people in this country do not understand what it means to have respect for other people.
l. Most of the laws passed at the end of the twentieth century are fair laws.
4. Gary was a very distinguished looking man with a touch of gray at the temples. Even in his...