Which of the numbered sentences in the paragraph below is the topic sentence of this paragraph?

Question

(1) South Africa’s common law system has its roots in Roman, Dutch, and English law. (2) Eurocentric common law is often deemed to be more applicable in South African courts than is customary law, as somehow superior to and more relevant than customary law. (3) Despite this, it is often claimed that common law and customary law are on equal footing in the South African legal system.


1


3


2

Answer 1

The topic sentence of the paragraph is (1) South Africa’s common law system has its roots in Roman, Dutch, and English law. This sentence introduces the main idea of the paragraph, setting the stage for the discussion about the relationship between common law and customary law in South Africa.