Part two
Unit 1. PRACTICE WITH TOPICS
The topic of a passage may be phrased in different ways:
T
he
main topic of the passage
The subject of
The primary topic of
The main theme in
T
he
passage deals with
is
mainly about
is primarily concerned with
Locating Topics
Exercise 1.1. Read the following passages. Point out the word or words that give the “topic” of each passage. If the topic is implied, then write the topic the way you see it, giving the suggestive phrases.
Example:
“Gilbert and Sullivan are best known for a series of operas which they collaborated on. Gilbert’s humorous plots and paradoxes combined with Sullivan’s music have made their operas unforgettable. Written in the 19th century, those operas maintain heir popularity today.”
You should point out “Gilbert and Sullivan” and “operas” because the passage is mainly about the operas that Gilbert and Sullivan wrote. As the topic is stated rather than implied, you don’t need to write anything yourself.
The Japanese macaque is an endangered monkey. It inhabits an area farther north than any other primate except for humans. The Japanese call this animal the snow monkey because it can be found in the snowy regions of Japan. Ironically, some troops of macaques have been relocated in Texas to ensure their survival.
Originally, robots were found only in science movies and books. Today, they have become science fact as technology has turned them into a feasible means of increasing productivity. The robot industries may still be in their infancy, but their products are no longer being ridiculed as an impossibility.
By nine ‘clock in the morning, the streets are lined with people. Somewhere in the distance, a band is heard playing a marching song. Shopkeepers are locking their doors and joining the crowds. Everyone is craning their necks to see how long it will be before the first float reaches them.
Parsley, a good source of iron and vitamins A, C, and E, is a common herb of the Mediterranean are. The ancient Greeks considered it sacred and therefore did not eat it. The Romans served it as a garnish and to improve the taste of food.
For thousands of years, desert dwellers have sheltered themselves in extremely functional building of one of the most readily available, dependable, and inexpensive materials we know of. This ideal insulator, which absorbs heat during the day and slowly releases it at night, is mud.
Before the World War II, Hay-on-Wye was a bustling little market town on the border of Wales and England. However, it became a dying town when Welsh agriculture declined, forcing many farmers off their land and to factory jobs in England. Today, Hay is flourishing again because of a flamboyant gentleman who has turned the town into the world'’ largest secondhand bookstore.
The Queens Children’s Psychiatric Centre on the eastern outskirts of New York is recruiting elderly men and women to work as foster grandparents for the children in the hospital. Even though these grandparents have no experience or training in dealing with emotionally disturbed children, they have lots of experience in being parents. It has been found that both foster grandparents and foster grandchildren benefit immensely from this relationship.
The koto is a traditional Japanese instrument originating in China. It is made by stretching 13 strings of tightly coiled silk over an arched body of paulownia wood. The player plucks the string to make the gentle zither-like tones.
Parents are allowed at the starting gate only for the 6-and-under and the 5-and-under classes. Most of the bicycle racers in the 17-and-over expert classes have sponsors. Some of the racers even have an income.
Human beings are capable of thinking in two basic ways. Convergent thinking neatly and systematically tend toward an answer. Divergent thinking tends away from a center, perhaps in several directions at once, seeking avenues of inquiry rather than a particular destination. Scientists, on the whole, engage in convergent thinking, but it is divergent thinking that breaks with the past and leads to unpredictable conclusions.