What is the primary rhetorical function of a topic sentence at the start of a body paragraph?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. To declare the central claim of that paragraph and link to the main thesis
- Step 1: In academic writing, a topic sentence introduces the paragraph's controlling idea.
- Step 2: It connects backward to the essay's overarching thesis while framing the supporting evidence that follows in the paragraph.
Answer
To declare the central claim of that paragraph and link to the main thesis.
Why not the others: Raw data tables belong in appendices or bodies; unresolved rhetorical questions are informal; bibliography belongs at the end.
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