Topic, Topic Sentence and Main idea

1. People often refer to taxes in terms of their being much too high in reality,
they are probably even higher than you think, because in addition to the
federal income tax we are now studying, there are many other Federal, State,
and local taxes, including sales taxes, and others. These are just some of the
most obvious ones.
The topic is: Taxes.
The topic sentence is: People often refer to taxes in terms of their being
much too high in reality, they are probably even higher than you think.
The main idea is: Taxes are more expensive than people thought.
2. The fact that electronic computers are now used for data processing has led
the general public to believe that it is a mysterious, complicated science and
that the computers are giant brains. Both of these ideas are false. A computer
is basically just a high-speed adding machine that performs the functions it is
told to. If the input data are varied even little, the computer is unable to operate
until it is programmed to accept the variations. The business operations it
performs are impressive only because of the extremely high speed of
manipulation, but most of these operations have been used for decades.
Unlike man, the computer performs repetitive calculations without getting tired
or bored.
The topic is: Electronic computers.
The topic sentence is: A computer is basically just a high-speed adding
machine that performs the functions it is told to.
The main idea is: Computers are the best invention that man can use.
3. The Louisiana Purchase proved to be one of the shrewdest business pacts
in the entire history of the United States. The purchase doubled in the area of
the country and provided territory from which fourteen new states were created
either wholly or in part. It also gave us control over the mouth of the Mississippi

River and opened up the way to foreign trade. Prior to the purchase, the
waterway had been blocked by the Spanish, probably with the approval of
Napoleon. The land that was bought was rich in timber, minerals, and natural
resources of many kinds. Finally, the cost of the transaction was unbelievably
low; the total of $15 million amounted to about four cents an acre.
The topic is: The Louisiana Purchase.
The topic sentence is: The Louisiana Purchase proved to be one of the
shrewdest business pacts in the entire history of the United States.
The main idea is: The Louisiana Purchase was one of the business that most
benefit United States economy.
4. There is a common belief that while the dog is mans best friend, the coyote
is his worst enemy. The bad reputation of the coyote traces back his fondness
for small animals; he hunts at night and is particulary destructive to sheep,
young pigs, and poultry. Yet it is sometimes wise to encourage coyotes.
Provided valuable farm animals are protected, the coyote will often free the
property of other animals, like rabbits, which are ruinous to crops and certain
trees. He is especially beneficial in keeping down the rodent population. Where
coyotes have been allowed to do their work without molestation, ranchers and
fruit growers have found them so valuable that they would no more shoot them
than they would shoot their dogs.
The topic is: The Coyote.
The topic sentence is: The bad reputation of the coyote traces back his
fondness for small animals; he hunts at night and is particulary destructive to
sheep, young pigs, and poultry.
The main idea is: People think that the Coyote is one of the most dangerous
animals because they regularly destroy their prey.
5. In earlier days those who had overseas business which they believed
should be discussed personally, look ship and set out across the briny deep.
Once aboard they transacted their affairs, engaging in commercial and social

matters or conduction government business. Today ships and passengers

continue to sail the seven seas, and airplanes soar overhead. But above them
all, words speed through the sky telephone conversations quickly bring
together in the most personal fashion people who are separated by thousands
of miles.
The topic is: Telephone.
The topic sentence is: Telephone conversations quickly bring together in the
most personal fashion people who are separated by thousands of miles.
The main idea is: currently the telephone is the fastest way to communicate.
6. The attitudes of Americans toward gambling are amazingly contradictory.
You may find, for example, that horse racing is legal in your state, but that you
cannot legally play poker for money on your front porch: bookies may be
prosecuted by state law, but they are supposed to purchase a federal license
nonetheless; one church condemns gambling, while another raises money by
sponsoring Bingo games. Gambling laws are inconsistent from state to state or
even from town to town and are very difficult to enforce.
The topic is: Gambling.
The topic sentence is: The attitudes of Americans toward gambling are
amazingly contradictory.
The main idea is: Americans dont agree because in some places it is legal a
gamble but in other places they are not legal.
7. Benjamin Franklin invented many things that made life easier in the late
1700s. He invented the lightning rod that saved many homes from fires. He
also invented the Franklin stove. The stove could heat a room better than a
fireplace and saved people a lot of fuel. He also invented a special kind of
glasses called bifocals. This new kind of glasses helped to read better.
The topic is: Benjamin Franklins inventions.
The topic sentence is: Benjamin Franklin invented many things that made life
easier in the late 1700s.

The main idea is: Benjamin Franklins inventions have facilitated human
development.
8. Teeth can tell you what kinds of food a mammal eats. Plants eaters
(herbivores) like deer have large, fiat molars for grinding plants. Animals that
eat both plants and meat (omnivores) have strong canines and molars for
tearing and grinding foods. Animals that are meat eaters (carnivores) have
canine teeth for cutting and tearing.
The topic is: Animals teeth.
The topic sentence is: Teeth can tell you what kinds of food a mammal eats.
The main idea is: You can identify whether a mammal is a carnivore,
herbivore or omnivore seeing their teeth.
9. The whitefoot makes its nest almost anywhere. It likes a home that is warm
and dry. Like hollow tree or empty birds nest. But most of the time the
whitefoot runs along the ground looking for food. It eats seeds, nuts, leaves,
bark, and insects. It sleeps by day and looks for food at nightits long
whiskers and big ears help it find its way in the dark.
The topic is: The Whitefoot.
The topic sentence is: But most of the time the Whitefoot runs along the
ground looking for food.
The main idea is: The Whitefoot is a species of animal that is almost all the
time looking for food and places its nest where it wants.
10. In the 1870s, the Welsh explorer Henry Morton Stanley navigated the
Congo River under the sponsorship of King Leopold of Belgium. Wherever he
stopped, he made treaties with the African chiefs he encountered. As a result,
when Stanley returned to Europe, King Leopold was able to take possession of
an area eighty times the size of Belgium. Leopold promptly called the area the
Belgium Congo and turned it into his own private goldmine, almost destroying
the Congo in the process. Under Leopolds rule, the Congolese were faced
with impossibly high taxes and forced into slave labor. Agents of the Belgian

government would give each Congolese family a basket to fill with rubber. If
members of the family did not return the basket with the required number of
pounds of rubber, their home would be burned to the ground. Anyone who
rebelled would be put in prison. Meanwhile, Leopold grew enormously rich,
squandering his blood money on yachts, mansions, and mistresses. To keep
the Belgian people quiet, he also expended enormous sums on public works.
Nevertheless, public opinion against Leopold and his vicious ways grew
stronger. Ultimately he was forced to give up his stranglehold on the Congo,
but not before millions of people had been imprisoned and thousands had
died.
The topic is: King Leopolds Belgium Congo.
The topic sentence is: King Leopold was able to take possession of an area
eighty times the size of Belgium. Leopold promptly called the area the Belgium
Congo and turned it into his own private goldmine, almost destroying the
Congo in the process.
The main idea is: The King Leopold became owner of the Congo and
exploited so that some of their wealth depended on the gold mine and the
exploitation of slaves.
11. A new blood test for Alzheimers appears to detect the disease as many as
10 years before clinical diagnosis is possible -- far sooner than other tests in
development. The test, described publicly for the first time yesterday, could soon
be used to identify and treat patients with Alzheimers earlier in their disease
progression. Those people could participate in clinical trials to help find new
treatments. Already, the test distinguishes between patients and healthy elderly
with 100 percent accuracy.
The topic is: A new blood test for Alzheimers.
The topic sentence is: The test, described publicly for the first time yesterday,
could soon be used to identify and treat patients with Alzheimers earlier in
their disease progression.

The main idea is: This new test may be helpful for people who are likely to
suffer Alzheimers with some symptoms.
12. The best medical advice for surviving Ebola right now might fit in one word:
drink. With targeted drugs and vaccines at least months away, doctors and
public health experts are learning from Ebola survivors what simple steps helped
them beat the infection. Turns out drinking 4 liters (1 gallon) or more of
rehydration solution a day -- a challenge for anyone and especially those
wracked by relentless bouts of vomiting -- is crucial.
The topic is: Ebola
The topic sentence is: The best medical advice for surviving Ebola right now
might fit in one word: drink
The main idea is: To combat Ebola the best thing to do is hydrating as much
as you can according to medical studies.
13. The title of Karen Friedmans more recent book isnt exactly subtle. Shut
Up And Say Something: Business Communication Strategies to Overcome
Challenges and Influence Listeners lays out her no-nonsense philosophy
about how to best get your point across, drawn from her 39 years of
experience as a professional communicator. As a TV news reporter, she
worked at local stations in cities from Milwaukee to Huntsville, Ala. For the last
19 years, shes headed up Karen Friedman Enterprises, a communication
coaching firm in Philadelphia.
The topic is: Karen Friedmans book
The topic sentence is: The title of Karen Friedmans more recent book isnt
exactly subtle.
The main idea is: Karen's book that deals with communication at work was
baptized by her under a slightly sharp title.
14. You have to hand it to Rockstar: it just made GTA new again. When GTA 5
launched last year, the developer gave us the most fully-realized and detailed

world it had ever built, and yet it was hard to not feel something missing. Not
only was its story mode badly written and mostly boring, its odd brand of
comedy was tired at best and it once again found itself doing a whole bunch of
random stuff with very little at its center. That bizarre anarchy that had seemed
so intriguing and dangerous when GTA 3 first came felt just, somehow, lame.
Well, the game is coming out for PS4 and Xbox One, and this time you can
play in first person mode. What fresh hell is this?
The topic is: Rockstars GTA 5
The topic sentence is: Not only was its story mode badly written and mostly
boring, its odd brand of comedy was tired at best and it once again found itself
doing a whole bunch of random stuff with very little at its center.
The main idea is: The game has its faults in not having an exciting story with
little regularity and direction at the time of developing.
15. Many job seekers focus so hard on answering interview questions well that
they forget something very important: You are there to ask questions, too.
Asking the right questions at an interview is important for two reasons: First,
when done correctly, the questions you ask confirm your qualifications as a
candidate for the position. Second, you are interviewing the employer just as
much as the employer is interviewing you. This is your opportunity to find out if
this is an organization where you want to work.
The topic is: Job seekers.
The topic sentence is: Many job seekers focus so hard on
answering interview questions well that they forget something very important:
You are there to ask questions, too.
The main idea is: It is important in an interview not only answer questions but
also to make a few of them , just to make more dynamic and direct the
interview.