Understand Purpose, Audience, Organization, and Development in Writing

Recognize Effective Thesis Statements, Topic Sentences, and Supporting Details

Most paragraphs combine explanations and examples to inform readers fully and clearly about the topic sentence. Sometimes your examples also need explanation to show their purpose in the paragraph.

In each list of paragraph sentences below, identify the topic sentence, a supporting explanation, and a supporting example. Click to check your answers.

• The American Red Cross helps people in crisis situations.

• For example, it brings clothes to families who have lost everything in fires.

• Throughout the year it collects clothes to be ready.

• The Red Cross also sets up shelters for families during floods and hurricanes.

• To do this, it needs financial contributions.

• These and many other efforts combined to ease life for people in trouble.

In each list of paragraph sentences below, identify the topic sentence, a supporting explanation, and a supporting example. Click to check your answers.

• T. Thomas Fortune used his journalistic talents to become an early civil rights leader.

• In 1883, Fortune founded the New York Age.

• This became a leading black journal of opinion in the United States.

• Fourtune was a forceful black journalist in the early 1900's.

• He coined the phrase "Afro-American," to be used instead of "Negro."

• He used his writing skill to attack the practice of separate schools for the races in New York City.