Which of the following statements is correct?
a. a topic sentence should state what you want to say about the overall topic.
b. the thesis statement belongs at the bottom of the pyramidal writing structure, while topic sentences belong at the top.
c. a topic sentence is typically placed at the end of the first paragraph.
d. supporting sentences should "prop up" a topic sentence, while topic sentences should relate to the thesis statement.

In the world state, children are encouraged to engage in erotic play. in our society, they are discouraged. why is the world state society different?

What caused the american civil war? there were many reasons for a civil war to happen in america, and political issues and disagreements began soon after the american revolution ended in 1782. between the years 1800 and 1860, arguments between the north and south grew more intense. one of the main quarrels was about taxes paid on goods brought into this country from foreign countries. this tax was called a tariff. southerners felt these tariffs were unfair and aimed toward them because they imported a wider variety of goods than most northern people. taxes were also placed on many southern goods that were shipped to foreign countries, an expense that was not always applied to northern goods of equal value. an awkward economic structure allowed states and private transportation companies to do this, which also affected southern banks that found themselves paying higher interest rates on loans made with banks in the north. the situation grew worse after several “panics,” including one in 1857 that affected more northern banks than southern. southern financiers found themselves burdened with high payments just to save northern banks that had suffered financial losses through poor investment. which sentence from the selection states a major detail that supports the main idea? a there were many reasons for a civil war to happen in america, and political issues and disagreements began soon after the american revolution ended in 1782. b taxes were also placed on many southern goods that were shipped to foreign countries, an expense that was not always applied to northern goods of equal value. c the situation grew worse after several "panics," including one in 1857 that affected more northern banks than southern. d this tax was called a tariff. e between the years 1800 and 1860, arguments between the north and south grew more intense.

When i was young enough to still spend a long time buttoning my shoes in the morning, i'd listen toward the hall: daddy upstairs was shaving, in the bathroom, and mother downstairs was frying the bacon. they would begin whispering back and forth to each other up and down the stairwell. my father would whistle his phrase, my mother would try to whistle, then hum hers backi drew my buttonhook in and out and listened to it -know it was "the merry widow." the difference was, their song almost floated with laughter. how different from the record, which growled from the beginning, as if the victrola were only slowly being wound up. they kept it running between them, up and down the stairs where i was now just about ready to run clattering down and show them my shoes. what is the effect of the parallelism used in the above excerpt? it establishes the rhythm of a duet to echo the song. it expresses the same ideas. it mirrors opposite ideas. it is a paradox.