How can you revise a topic sentence to better reflect a claim and its significance?

• A. Make it longer and more detailed without changing claim.
• B. Make it specific, arguable, and connected to the text, showing why the evidence matters to the thesis.
• C. Copy the original topic sentence without revision.
• D. Only include the quotation marks around key terms.

Answer: (B)

The idea behind revising a topic sentence is to make it clearly state a claim and show why it matters to the thesis. The best revision makes the topic sentence specific, arguable, and connected to the text, so it explains why the evidence matters for the overall argument. This approach gives the paragraph a clear focus: it signals what you’re arguing, why that argument is debatable, and how the chosen evidence from the text will support the thesis. Without specificity and a link to the text, the sentence can feel vague or merely restate the claim. By tying the claim to the text and its significance to the thesis, the paragraph stays purposeful and persuasive.