Question

Identify the best topic sentence for the following paragraph:
In European universities, students do not need to attend classes. As a matter of fact, German professors usually do not even know the names of their students. On the contrary, in the United States, students must attend every class and may be penalized for not doing so. Additionally, in the European system, students usually only have to appear for one comprehensive examination after their four or five years of study. On the other hand, in the American system, each semester ends with an exam and there are numerous assignments, quizzes, and tests throughout the semester. (a) Students prefer to study in Europe rather than America
(b) University systems can vary considerably from country to country
(c)There is considerable debate as to which is better: the European education system or the American Education system.
(d)The American education system is more rigorous than the European education system.

Answer 1

Hint: In this question read the paragraph carefully and try to understand what is the exact motive behind those sentences and then write the topic accordingly.

Complete answer: Let us go through the given options and look for the one which best expresses the motive of the given paragraph: Option(a) ‘Students prefer to study in Europe rather than America’ is the incorrect answer to this question because in this option there is a direct comparison between the European education system and the American education system whereas in the paragraph no comparison is done between these two.
Option(b) ‘University systems can vary considerably from country to country’ would be the correct answer because it states that the “University system can vary considerably from country to country.” which is exactly what is told in the paragraph. There is mention of two different education systems and how they work. Therefore, this is the correct option.
Option(c) ‘There is considerable debate as to which is better: the European education system or the American Education system’ is also an incorrect option. Because of the similar reason as Option A. There is no debate happening in the paragraph hence giving this a title “There is considerable debate as to which is better the European education system or the American Education System.” would be incorrect.
Option(d) ‘The American education system is more rigorous than the European education system’ on the other hand is also incorrect because of the same reason as Option A. Because there is no direct comparison in the two European and American education systems we can’t say which is more rigorous and hence the title “The American education system is more rigorous than the European education system” is incorrect.
Therefore, option b is the correct answer.

Note: Always Try to understand the context of the paragraph and differentiate whether there is a comparison being made or is it just stating some facts.