Relevance and Purpose
Decide whether a sentence belongs by asking what the paragraph is for.
The rules
- State the paragraph's main point in your own words before reading the choices.
- A sentence belongs if it supports or develops that point. If it drifts, delete it.
- For "add this sentence?" questions, check both parts: the yes/no and the reason. The reason must be true about the passage.
- For "what would be lost" questions, name what the sentence does and choose that.
Watch out: Picking Yes because the fact is interesting. Interesting is not the same as relevant.
Worked example
A paragraph is about how bees communicate. Should a sentence about honey prices be added?
- The paragraph's point is bee communication.
- Honey prices are a different topic.
- So the sentence should not be added.
Answer: No, because it moves away from how bees communicate.
Try it yourself
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