1. Unity and support

2. Choose the best topic sentence
______________________________. Over-the-counter herbal supplements seem perfectly harmless to many consumers, who may take them just about as seriously as the flavorings a cook adds to a pot of spaghetti sauce. The promotion of herbal supplements as “natural” adds to the perception that these supplements cannot do any harm. The perception is incorrect. Some herbal supplements can cause serious complications when taken in combination with prescription drugs. Consumers should seek competent medical advice before using over-the- counter herbal supplements.
A) Many people wrongly assume that they don't need to tell their doctor about any herbal supplements they are taking.
 B) In this paragraph, I will explain why herbal supplements might be dangerous in some situations.

3. Choose the best topic sentence
______________________________. Angry teenage boys frequently turn to violence. In contrast, teenage girls seldom attack each other physically. But experts say that verbal abuse—a common tool for teenage girls who want to assert their superiority over other girls—is just as much a sign of hostility as is a physical beating. Girls who are angry at other girls may use cruel teasing, gossip, or put-downs to make their victims feel worthless and friendless. Anyone who has ever been on the receiving end of girl-girl bullying knows that it feels like an act of aggression.
A) Teenage girls do not behave violently as often as teenage boys do.
B) Teenage girls act out aggression and hostility just as often as boys do, but girls choose different methods.

4. Choose the best topic sentence
______________________________. Some reasons are good ones. A parent might have stayed up late with a sick child. A student might have had to study for a final exam, do homework, or write the first draft of a paper. Perhaps tax returns were due, a family emergency arose, or the boss needed someone to fill in on the late shift. Other reasons, such as the desire to watch late reruns of American Idol or to visit endless chat rooms online, are not as defensible. Nevertheless, whether their reasons are good or bad, sleep deprivation continues for most Americans.
 A) Almost everyone has a reason for not getting enough sleep.
 B) Getting a good night's rest helps people have more fun as well as improving their parenting, on-the-job, and study skills.

5. Choose the best supporting idea
MAIN IDEA: Fear has motivated many American consumers to find out more about where their food comes from before it reaches the supermarket.
A) When American consumers worry about the safety of their meat and vegetables, they will try to learn more about the sources of their groceries.
B) Until the first confirmed case of mad cow disease in the United States, few Americans were aware of—or cared— how many different animals might be a part of a single hamburger; afterward, consumer concerns about meat safety increased sharply.

6. Choose the best supporting idea
MAIN IDEA: The eighteenth-century writer Samuel Johnson probably suffered from some form of obsessive- compulsive disorder.
 A) Observers who knew Dr. Johnson wrote about his peculiar need to touch every lamppost that he passed as he walked.
B) James Boswell, Dr. Johnson's biographer, took extensive notes on his subject's witty conversations, revealing much about Johnson's philosophical views.

7. Choose the best supporting idea
MAIN IDEA: The least expensive way to make a dramatic difference in the look of a room is to paint it.
A) Painting a room changes its appearance without costing a lot of money.
B) Special skills are not required for most paint jobs, so most residents can paint a room themselves and spend very little money to make the change.

8. Choose the best supporting idea
MAIN IDEA: At the customer-service call center where I work, customer satisfaction is not my boss's highest priority.
A) My boss always promotes the workers who spend the least time taking each call, whether or not their customers' questions have been answered.
B) Many callers on the customer-service lines treat me and my fellow employees rudely.

9. Write a topic sentence Example topic sentence:
________________________. Hypochondria, a conviction of physical illness that continues even when a doctor assures the patient that nothing is wrong, has been considered a men's disorder; however, it is equally likely to strike men and women. It is not imaginary, as is commonly believed—doctors agree that if a patient experiences symptoms, they are real symptoms, even if they have no physiological cause. And hypochondria is not harmless. It causes its victims considerable anxiety and suffering. In addition, treatment of its endless symptoms costs time and money and strains the health-care system.
Example topic sentence:
Many widespread beliefs about hypochondria are false.

10. Write a topic sentence Example topic sentence:
________________________. First, the registrar's office had lost my admissions form, which I mailed in plenty of time to meet the deadline, so I was told to come back and enroll the following semester. When I protested, I was finally allowed to enroll, but only after all of the other students had chosen their courses. All of the classes I needed to meet requirements for graduation and for my major were full. I spoke to several professors about letting me come to class anyway, but I had very little luck. One English professor said that I could join his freshman composition class if one of the enrolled students failed to show up. After a week, he told me that several students were not attending and I could come to his class—but that I had to make up all of the first week's work or have my grade docked before I even began. If I hadn't worked so hard to go to college, I would have dropped out in disgust right then and there.
Example topic sentence:
The beginning of my first semester in college was such a disaster that I almost quit school.