Reading Comprehension • Saddleback Educational Publishing ©2002 3 Watson, Irvine, CA 92618•Phone (888)SDL-BACK•www.sdlback.com
Directions: Underline the topic sentence in each paragraph. Rewrite the topic sentence
on the line below.Muhammad Ali brought to the sport of boxing a combination of
size, speed, strength, and stamina. As if that were not enough to
make him a success, Ali also had a lively personality that few others
in sports or entertainment came close to matching. Ali is considered
to be the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. He rose to fame
during the civil rights movement. Muhammad Ali won many boxing
titles and matches. It made him the world’s most famous athlete in the
1970s and an honored and admired figure throughout the U.S.
Topic Sentence:______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Buffalo Bill was a famous American from the Old West. His real
name was William Frederick Cody. Buffalo Bill was an American
guide, scout, and showman. He also was a rider for the Pony
Express when it was established in 1860, and at the beginning of
the American Civil War, Buffalo Bill was a scout and guide for the
Union army. In 1863, he enlisted in the Seventh Kansas Cavalry
as an army scout. At the close of the war he contracted with the
Kansas Pacific Railroad to feed buffalo meat to the workers on the
line. That’s how he earned his nickname.
Topic Sentence:______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________81
Na m e : _______________________________________ Date: _____________________Ask yourself, “What’s it all about?” The topic
sentence will always tell you.