IDENTIFYING AND PARAPHRASING TOPIC SENTENCES

question 121

Short Answer

IDENTIFYING AND PARAPHRASING TOPIC SENTENCES
Directions:  For each passage, select the letter of the correct topic and write the number of the topic sentence in the blank. Then select the letter of the best paraphrase.
¹ It was once assumed that the loss of brain cells made older people have trouble learning new facts, theories, or skills.² But thanks to more up-to-date scanning machinery, that model of the aging brain has changed.³ Older brains, it seems, actually have some advantages.⁴One key advantage of the aging brain is greater ease at bilateralization .⁵ In other words, as the years pile up, the human brain gets better at using both sides, or hemispheres.⁷This discovery was made through the use of PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scans.⁸Pet scans measure changes in blood flow as regions of the brain are activated.⁹ In study after study, Pet scans showed that young and middle-aged people reacted differently to new learning experiences.¹⁰ Called upon to learn word pairs, for instance, younger subjects showed activity in the left side of the brain.¹¹For recall later on, they used the right side.¹² Older adults also began by showing activity in their left hemisphere.¹³ But when it came time to recall the word pairs, the older adults switched back and forth between hemispheres.¹⁴ In the end, they learned the lists of words just as quickly as subjects much younger.¹⁵The main difference was they used both sides of their brain to do it.
Topic  
a.the aging brain
b.the brain
c.new brain scan technology
Topic Sentence _____
Paraphrase  
a.In some ways, aging may actually add to, rather than diminish, the brain's capability.
b.New scanning technology has revolutionized the way we view the brain.
c.Pet scans have given us new insight into how people learn most effectively.

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Definitions:

Deviation Bar Graphs

Graphical representations that use bars to show the variability or deviation of data points from an average value.

Positive And Negative Values

Refers to the desirable or undesirable characteristics or attitudes that an individual or society holds.

Limit

The maximum extent, quantity, or degree of something that is permissible or possible.

Segments

Various parts or sections into which something is divided, often used in marketing to denote different target market groups.