Paragraphs and Topic Sentences

Part I: Review the four paragraphs below. There is one paragraph matching each of the following types: summary, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Once you have read each paragraph, complete the following chart to identify the paragraph types. Underline the topic sentence in each paragraph.

Paragraph Type of Paragraph

1. Alice Doe’s article discussed overlooked tax deductions. It talked about some of the most commonly missed deductions. Whereas her use of statistics seemed to bolster her arguments, it would have been nice to see her elaborate more about the specific deductions missed. She could have talked about what recourse, if any, a filer would have once he or she realized there was an overlooked deduction. She also should have focused more on why the deductions were overlooked, as that would have made the article more effective.

2. Alice Doe informs us of ways that we can reduce our yearly tax obligations. Based on studies she cited, there were cases in which some tax filers were unaware of various deductions they were eligible to claim. In some cases, those deductions would have saved the tax filers hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Some of the common missed deductions, according to Alice Doe, were the mortgage deduction, the energy efficiency deduction, and the charitable donation deduction.

3. In “Unclaimed Deductions,” Alice Doe wrote about the most commonly overlooked deductions when filing a 1040 tax return. She provided information about the total number of missed deductions. In a separate article, “The Challenges of Estimating Tax Revenue,” Phyllis Phoenix talked about a number of reasons why estimated tax revenue may be a challenge. She did not discuss the points made by Doe. It is possible that much of the difference between tax revenue received and estimated tax revenue may be explained by looking at the additional revenue generated by overlooked deductions.

4. When reading Alice Doe’s article, “Unclaimed Deductions,” there are a few key points made that are worthy of further consideration. The first point is that the rules for deductions change from year to year. This leads to the second point, that those changes are not always as effectively communicated as they could be. These two points lead us to better understand why there are many unclaimed tax deductions each year