GRE care: Reading Comprehension Questions and answer Part - 5 [Topic Sentence]
Topic Sentence
In the last section, you learned what a main idea is. Often, writers express their main idea in a clearly defined sentence known as a topic sentence. Topic sentences are usually found at the beginning of a para¬graph in order to immediately establish the main idea. But this is not always the case—topic sentences can be found anywhere in a paragraph, and sometimes, the author chooses not to use one at all. Still, looking for the topic sentence is a good skill to have when ferreting out the meaning of a reading passage.
Question 111 to 130:
For the following three questions, choose the topic sentence that best fits the paragraph.
111. The term spices is a pleasant one, whether it connotes fine French cuisine or a down-home,
cinnamon-flavored apple pie. .
In the past, individuals traveled the world seek-ing 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.
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 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, and at times, it can be filled with danger and intrigue.
112. It weighs less than three pounds and is hardly more interesting to look at than an overly ripecauliflower.
It has created poetry and music, planned and executed horrific wars, and devised intricate scientific theories. It thinks and dreams, plots and schemes, and easily holds more informa¬tion than all the libraries on Earth.
a. The human brain is made of gelatinous matter and contains no nerve endings.
b. The science of neurology has found a way to map the most important areas of the human brain.
c. Nevertheless, the human brain is the most mysterious and complex object on Earth.
d. However, scientists say that each person uses only 10% of his or her brain over the course of a lifetime!
113. Gary is a distinguished looking man with a touch of gray at the temples. Even in his early 50s, he still turns heads. He enjoys spending most of his time admiring his profile in the mirror. In fact, he considers his good looks to be his second-most important asset. The first, however, is money. He is lucky in this area, too, having been born into a wealthy family.
. He loves the power his wealth
has given him. He could buy whatever he desires, whether that be people, places, or things. Gary checks that mirror often and feels great delight with what he sees.
a. Gary’s gray hair is his worst characteristic.
b. Conceit is the beginning and the end of Gary’s character; conceit of person and situation.
c. Gary feels blessed to be wealthy and the joy consumes his every thought.
d. The only objects of Gary’s respect are others who hold positions in society above him.
For the following questions, a topic sentence is given. Try choosing the sentence that best develops or supports it.
114. Life on Earth is ancient and, even at its first
appearance, unimaginably complex.
a. Scientists place its beginnings at some three billion years ago, when they hypothe¬size that the first molecule floated up out of the ooze with the unique ability to replicate itself.
b. The most complex life form is, of course, the mammal—and the most complex mammal is humankind.
c. It is unknown exactly where life started, where the first molecule was “born” that had the ability to replicate itself.
d. Darwin’s theory of evolution was one attempt to explain what essentially remains a great mystery.
115. Cosmetic plastic surgery is one of the fastest-
growing segments of U.S. medicine.
a. Cosmetic plastic surgery can have danger-ous side effects, some of which can be fatal.
b. Americans are eager to make their bodies as perfect as possible and to minimize the visi-ble signs of aging.
c. The price of cosmetic plastic surgery is also on the rise.
d. This increase in cosmetic plastic surgery says something quite disturbing about our culture.
116. One scientific theory of the origin of the universe is the much misunderstood big bang theory.
a. Physicists now believe they can construct what happened in the universe during the first three minutes of its beginning.
b. Many scientists believe that, during microwave experiments, we can actually “hear” echoes of the big bang.
c. The popular notion is that the big bang was a huge explosion in space, but this is far too simple a description.
d. The big bang theory, if accepted, convinces us that the universe was not always as it
is now.
117. Before we learn how to truly love someone else, we must learn how to love the face in the mirror.
a. Don’t be shy about meeting members of the opposite sex.
b. No one can really love you the way you can love yourself.
c. Love is not something that lasts unless one is very lucky.
d. Learning to accept ourselves for who we are will teach us how to accept another person.
118. The Greek ideal of the hero most closely
resembles today’s free-agent superstar.
a. A superstar is an athlete who commands a great salary based on his individual skills.
b. The Greek warrior’s focus was on grasping at immortality, and he did this by ensuring that his name would live on, long after
he died.
c. The Greek hero valued self-interest above loyalty to a cause, his king, or to his army, just as the free-agent superstar values his contract salary above any special team, coach, or the game.
d. The Greek hero was impressive in his per-formance on the battlefield as well as in the sports arena.
119. There is no instruction by the old bird in the
movements of flight; no conscious imitation
by the young.
a. The most obvious way in which birds differ from humans in behavior is that they can do all that they have to do, without ever being taught.
b. More extraordinary than the fact that a bird is able to fly untaught, is that it is able to build a nest untaught.
c. Young birds frequently make their first flights with their parents out of sight.
d. Young birds brought up in artificial envi-ronments will build the proper kind of nest for their species when the time comes.
120. Parents play an important role in their chil¬dren’s academic success.
a. Video games have a negative impact on children’s academic success.
b. Studies show that children of parents who regularly assist with homework and show an active interest in their child’s studies bring home better grades.
c. Studies show that watching less television and spending less time playing video games help children get better grades.
d. Children who are avid readers get much better grades than their peers.
121. In special cases, needy people who have nowhere else to go are permitted to enter the United States as refugees.
a. Other people, however, enter the United States illegally.
b. The total number of newcomers was over one million.
c. United States immigration laws put limits on the number of people permitted to enter the United States.
d. As many as 12 million people may be living in
the United States illegally.
122. The Puritans established a wide variety of punishments to enforce their strict laws.
a. The Puritans believed that some lawbreak¬ers should be shamed in public by the use of stocks and the pillory.
b. Disobedient children would feel the sting of the whip.
c. The Eighth Amendment of the Bill of Rights prohibits cruel and unusual punishment.
d. Today, many of the punishments used by the Puritans seem cruel and excessive.
123. More and more people are eating organically
grown fruits and vegetables.
a. Organic food is usually more expensive than non-organic food.
b. A wide variety of organic chocolate prod¬ucts are now available in stores.
c. Raw foods are enjoying increasing popular-ity, now that people are discovering how a raw-foods diet leaves you feeling and looking great.
d. Fresh organic produce contains more vita-mins, minerals, and enzymes than non- organic produce.
124. In Oklahoma, a girl is forbidden to take a bite
from her date’s hamburger.
a. It’s illegal for teenagers to take a bath dur¬ing the winter in Clinton, Indiana.
b. Youngsters may not spin Yo-Yos on Sunday in Memphis, Tennessee.
c. It may be hard to believe, but these types of strange laws are still on the books!
d. It is illegal to parade an elephant down Main Street in Austin, Texas.
125. The hairs themselves are very sensitive.
a. A cat’s whiskers are among the most perfect organs of touch.
b. The roots contain highly sensitive nerve endings.
c. Serving as feelers, they aid the cat’s ability to move in the dark.
d. This is most important for a cat that does its prowling at night.
126. French explorers probably taught the Inuit
Eskimos how to play dominoes.
a. It was known in 181 a.d. in China.
b. Also, it was played during the 1700s in Italy.
c. The game of dominoes has been popular for centuries.
d. From Italy, it was then introduced to the rest of the world.
127. People are now living longer than ever before
for many different reasons.
a. Some people in the Soviet Union’s Caucasus Mountains live to be over 100 years of age.
b. No one seems to understand this phenomenon.
c. Advances in medical science have done wonders for longevity.
d. The people in this region do not seem to gain anything from medical science.
128. For 16 years, he spread violence and death
throughout the west.
a. Jesse was gunned down on April 3,1882.
b. He left a trail of train and bank robberies.
c. His crimes were committed during the late 1860s.
d. Jesse Woodson James was the most leg¬endary of all American outlaws.
For the final two questions, choose the sentence that does NOT support the given topic sentence.
129. In ancient Greece, honor was not just the domain of the warrior.
a. A great orator [speaker], who could sway the public with his logic and wit, was greatly respected.
b. A revered poet’s name lived on long after he died.
c. Great wealth was characteristic of the truly great kings.
d. A warrior’s quest for the esteem of his peers would bring him great prizes, which would secure a long-lasting reputation.
130. In Moby Dick, Herman Melville wrote that the whale men were “enveloped in whale lines,” that each man relied on the others during moments of danger.
a. The small boats that pursued the whales left the whaling ship far behind; each man in a boat had to depend on the others to stay alive.
b. Once the whale was harpooned, the whale line unraveled so fast that water had to be poured on it to keep it from smoking.
c. The whale line was the rope, dozens of yards long, that attached to the harpoon; it was raveled under the seats of all the men metaphorically connecting each man to the next.
d. One wrong move and the line would snap a man right out of the boat; thus, his life depended on whether the crew would cut the whale loose to save him, or leave him in the ocean during the heat of the hunt.
Answer to the question number 111 to 130
111. d. The mention that searching for spices has
changed the course of history, and that for spices, nations have . . . gone to war, implies that the subject of the paragraph is history. These phrases also connote danger and intrigue.
112. c. The mention of all the amazing things the brain
is capable of is directly relevant to its being mysterious and complex. The other choices are less relevant.
113. b. Choice b addresses both of Gary’s vanities: his
person and his situation. Choice a deals only with one of Gary’s physical characteristics. Choice c deals only with his vanity of position. Choice d is not supported in the passage.
114. a. This choice refers both to age and complexity;
b and c refer only to complexity. Answer d is less relevant to the topic sentence (which doesn’t mention Darwin or theories) than the other choices.
115. b. This choice is the only one that supports and
develops the topic sentence. The other choices all say something about cosmetic plastic surgery, but they do not support the topic sen-tence, which states that cosmetic plastic surgery is one of the fastest-growing segments of U.S. medicine.
116. c. The topic sentence speaks of the big-bang theory
being much misunderstood, and c addresses this, whereas the other choices do not.
117. d. Only this choice deals with learning how to
accept oneself and then relates it to another person. Choices a and c are both irrelevant to the topic sentence. Choice b states the exact opposite of the topic sentence.
118. c. Choice c is the only entry that presents the sim¬
ilar traits of both the hero and the superstar. Choice a only defines a superstar. Choice b defines the hero. Choice d introduces irrele¬vant material—the sports arena, with no men¬tion of the superstar.
119. a. This choice is a comparison between man and
bird. Neither one needs instruction to do what is important to its life. Choices b, c, and d do not support this topic sentence.
120. b. This choice is the only one that talks about how
parents make a difference in their children’s academic success. The other choices don’t men-tion parents at all.
121. c. The main idea is that the United States limits
immigration numbers. Choices a, b, and d show the effects and statistics that result from this actio but do not support the topic sentence.
122. d. The topic sentence refers to punishment used in
early America. Choice a gives a reason for the use of punishment in early America. Choices b and c state why we don’t have such punish¬ment today and compares historical punish¬ment with today’s sensibility.
123. d. Choice d gives us a reason why more people
are eating organic, so it supports the statement made in the topic sentence. Choices a and b are about organic products, but they don’t provide logical reasons for the increasing pop¬ularity of organic foods. Choice c is about another topic completely.
124. c. This choice introduces the idea that some laws
are strange. Choices a, b, and d are examples of strange laws.
125. a. This topic sentence states the importance of a
cat’s whiskers. Choices b, c, and d give other details that do not directly support the topic sentence.
126. c. This choice states the popularity of the game.
Choices a and b state the game’s origin. Choice d explains how its popularity spread.
127. c. This sentence gives a reason for longevity that
was introduced in the topic sentence. Choices a,
b, and d are about longevity but do not give any reasons.
128. a. Choice a pronounces an end to 16 years of vio¬
lence. Choice b, c and d are facts about James’s life.
129. c. Great wealth is not an indicator of honor. Each
of the other choices describes the honor that is received. Choice a says, greatly respected, choice b—a revered poet, and choice d—long-lasting reputation.
130. b. The topic sentence presents the idea that all
the men are connected by whale lines, each man relies on the others for his safety. Choice a states this idea explicitly: Each man “had to depend on the others to stay alive.” Choice c presents the idea as metaphorical, each man is connected to the next. Choice d offers an exam¬ple of how a man can be thrown overboard and must rely on his crew to cut their whale loose and come back and get him. Only choice b does not make any connection to the men.
