Question

Read the implied thesis statement:

Communication skills are crucial for giving and receiving information in your personal life and in the workplace.

Which of the following could be a topic sentence for a paragraph in this essay?


Some people like to use fancy words or terms when they are speaking, which doesn't lend itself to being understood.


In Steven Covey's book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, the fifth habit is to "seek first to understand then to be understood."


One way you can avoid interrupting others is by writing down thoughts as you think of them instead of stopping the other person while they are speaking.


Using active listening techniques is an effective way to improve your communication skills.

Answer 1

"Using active listening techniques is an effective way to improve your communication skills."

Reason: a topic sentence should state the main idea of the paragraph and link to the thesis. Option 4 clearly presents a single supporting point about improving communication. The others are either too specific (3), an example or quotation rather than a main idea (2), or focused on a narrower issue (1).