TACHS: Paragraph openings: choose the sentence that covers it all
Pick a first sentence that announces what the whole paragraph is about and fits every sentence that follows.
When the first sentence of a paragraph is missing, how do I choose the best one?
Short answer
Skip the blank, read the rest, and sum up the problem, the change and the result in your own words. Choose the opening that covers all three without adding anything the paragraph does not say.
Know first: Finding the main idea of a paragraph
Step 1 of 5
An opening sentence covers the whole paragraph
An opening sentence, often called a topic sentence, tells the reader what the paragraph will show. Every later sentence should help explain or prove it.
A good opening is broad enough to cover all the details and narrow enough that the paragraph actually supports it. Many paragraphs in these questions describe a problem, a change and a result, and the best opening names all three in one sentence.
| Kind of choice | What goes wrong |
|---|---|
| Too narrow | It repeats one detail, so it cannot introduce the rest. |
| Off course | It names a person, plan or topic the paragraph never mentions. |
| Contradicts | It says something a later sentence shows is false. |
| Overstates | It claims more than the paragraph shows, often with always, every or never. |
Step 2 of 5
Summarize first, then match
Worked example: A safer bus line
Which sentence best fills sentence 1 and introduces the whole paragraph?
(1) [Opening sentence]
(2) Every morning, students waiting for the late bus crowded the narrow sidewalk in front of the school.
(3) Some stood in the street to watch for the bus.
(4) The student council proposed painting a waiting zone on the wide blacktop by the gym.
(5) A teacher stood near the zone during the first week to remind students where to wait.
(6) By the end of the month, no one was standing in the street.
- AThe student council painted a mural on the gym wall.
- BA new waiting area made the morning bus line safer.
- CEvery school should hire more bus drivers.
- DA teacher stood near the waiting zone during the first week.
- 1
Summarize
Problem: students crowded the sidewalk and stood in the street. Change: a painted waiting zone. Result: no one stood in the street.
- 2
Match
B names the change (a new waiting area) and the result (a safer bus line). It fits every sentence.
- 3
See why the other choices are there
A sounds related but describes a mural, which the paragraph never mentions. C overstates and shifts to bus drivers. D repeats sentence 5, a single detail that cannot introduce the problem or the result.
Answer
B. A new waiting area made the morning bus line safer.
Find the wrong step
A student chooses an opening for a paragraph about a class that started a book swap shelf, which led to more students reading during free time.
- 1
Skips the blank and reads sentences 2 through 6.
- 2
Sums up: a swap shelf was set up, and more students read during free time.
- 3
Picks Students brought in books they had finished reading, because it repeats the most words from the paragraph.
What went wrong
Sharing words is not the same as covering the paragraph. This choice is one detail and leaves out the result.
- 4
Checks the choice against sentence 6.
The fix
Pick the choice that matches the summary, such as A book swap shelf got more students reading during free time.
Step 3 of 5
Test each choice against your summary
Check yourself · Question 1
Which sentence best fills sentence 1 and introduces the whole paragraph?
(1) [Opening sentence]
(2) Our cafeteria used to throw fruit peels and leftover salad into the regular trash.
(3) Two science classes set up a compost bin behind the school.
(4) Students sorted food scraps into a green bucket at each lunch table.
(5) By spring, the bin had produced rich soil for the school's flower beds.
Answer: C
The paragraph moves from wasted scraps, to a compost bin, to new soil. C covers all three.
Trap answer: Students sorted scraps into green buckets at lunch.
Too narrow
- Why it looks right
- It is clearly true and uses the paragraph's own words, so it feels safe.
- Why it's wrong
- It describes one step. It says nothing about the trash problem or the soil, so it cannot introduce them.
- The right answer
- A compost project turned cafeteria scraps into soil for the school.
Check yourself · Question 2
Which sentence best fills sentence 1 and introduces the whole paragraph?
(1) [Opening sentence]
(2) Rosa's grandmother had always kept the family recipes in her head.
(3) Rosa asked her to cook one dish each Sunday while Rosa wrote down every step.
(4) Rosa measured each handful of flour and pinch of salt with cups and spoons.
(5) After six months, the family had a notebook of forty recipes to share.
Answer: A
The paragraph is about turning remembered recipes into written, measured ones. A covers the method and the result.
Common mistake
Reading the answer choices before the paragraph.
- Why it's tempting
- It seems faster to know what you are looking for.
- Do this instead
- Choices written to sound good on their own will pull you in. Write your summary first, then compare.
Step 4 of 5
What to remember
Remember
- Read sentence 2 to the end and sum up the problem, the change and the result.
- The best opening covers every sentence without adding claims the paragraph does not support.
- Cross out choices that are too narrow, off course, contradictory or overstated.
Step 5 of 5
Practice on a real question
Use what you just learned on this question, then check the explanation.
Try another one
In your own words
In the practice question, what were the problem, the change and the result, and which choice named only one of them?