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Question

Difficulty: MediumEstablishing Introductions and Thesis Statements

The following is a draft of an essay about the history of writing tools.

[1]
In the mid-sixteenth century, a massive storm in Borrowdale, England, uprooted several trees, revealing a dark, metallic substance beneath their roots. Local shepherds quickly found that this mineral, which they initially mistook for coal or lead, was excellent for marking their sheep. This substance was actually high-purity graphite, the only such deposit ever found in solid form. Although they did not yet realize it, the locals had uncovered the key ingredient for the modern pencil.

[2]
______[Blank]______. Before this discovery, writing required ink and quills, which were messy and slow, or lead rods, which left faint lines. The solid graphite from Borrowdale, however, could be easily cut into sticks and wrapped in string or wood. Suddenly, artists, merchants, and scholars had access to a portable, dry, and erasable writing tool that could keep pace with their thoughts.

Which of the following choices, if inserted in the blank, would best introduce the second paragraph by establishing its main focus?

  1. A
    The widespread use of these new writing tools, which soon spread across Europe, were driven by the growing merchant class.
  2. The discovery in Borrowdale soon sparked a major technological shift in the production of writing instruments.Answer
  3. C
    Writing with quills and ink was a slow and messy process, the new graphite sticks offered a clean alternative.
  4. D
    Although the local shepherds did not know how valuable the graphite would become to writers around the world.

Answer

The option stating that the discovery in Borrowdale soon sparked a major technological shift in the production of writing instruments is the correct answer because it is grammatically correct and establishes the paragraph's focus on the transition from traditional writing tools to graphite tools.
The correct option is grammatically correct and provides an effective introduction to the paragraph. It establishes the paragraph's main focus—the transition and technological shift in writing instruments—before the subsequent sentences compare quills, ink, and lead rods to the newly introduced graphite sticks.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the second paragraph to determine its primary focus.
The paragraph describes how writing tools evolved from messy, slow ink and quills to portable, dry graphite sticks.
Understanding the paragraph's topic is necessary to select an introductory sentence that establishes its focus.
2
Evaluate the choices for grammatical correctness and thematic relevance.
The option mentioning the major technological shift in writing instruments is grammatically sound and introduces the topic of writing tools. The other options contain grammatical errors such as subject-verb agreement mismatch, a comma splice, or a sentence fragment.
An effective topic sentence must be both grammatically correct and logically connected to the supporting details of the paragraph.
3
Select the correct option based on the analysis.
The option introducing the technological shift in writing instruments is selected as the correct answer.
It successfully performs the rhetorical function of a topic sentence without introducing grammatical errors.

Key Concept

Establishing Paragraph Topic Sentences
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Topics

Establishing Introductions and Thesis Statements

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