Why is it important to examine the structure of a paragraph (topic sentence and supporting details) when answering questions?

• A. It helps locate evidence and understand how the author builds the argument or narrative
• B. It makes the paragraph longer
• C. It reveals the author’s age
• D. It determines the font style used

Answer: (A)

Examining paragraph structure gives you a map to meaning. The topic sentence usually states the main idea, and the sentences that follow provide details, evidence, examples, or reasons that support that idea. When you pay attention to how those pieces fit together, you can see what the author is arguing or describing and where to find the specific information that answers a question. This makes it easier to determine what the author is claiming, why it matters, and which parts of the paragraph back up those claims.

Others aspects like paragraph length, the author’s age, or font style don’t impact how the ideas are constructed or how you verify details, so they don’t help you answer questions about the text.