Question

main ideas: test a
the following paragraphs have main ideas that may appear at various places within the paragraph. identify the topic - sentence of each paragraph by filling in the correct sentence number in the space provided.

1. although most viewers think

eality tv\ is a 21st - century phenomenon, the truth is that it actually began around seventy years ago. one show popular in the 1940s and 1950s was candid camera, which put people into unusual situations and filmed them without their knowledge. then the host would say, \smile! youre on candid camera.\ originally broadcast in 1948, candid camera is considered the first reality show. other 1940s shows, like ted macks original amateur hour and arthur godfreys talent scouts, featured amateur contestants and real - time audience voting. these programs are the ancestors of american idol and its countless spinoffs.

1. actors are nervous before a play. politicians are nervous before they give a campaign speech. athletes are nervous before a big game. surveys show that 76 percent of experienced speakers, such as novelists and lecturers, have stage fright before taking the floor. in other words, it is perfectly normal to be nervous at the start of a speech. your body is responding as it normally would to any stressful situation - by producing more adrenaline. this sudden shot of adrenaline is what makes your heart race, your hands shake, your knees knock, and your skin perspire.
2. if you walk down just about any city street in america, you will encounter countless billboards, posters, bumper stickers, and bus and cab displays, each with a separate advertising appeal. your kitchen cupboard is probably full of product packages and labels, each containing at least one sales message. go to the racetrack, and you will see two - hundred - mile - an - hour race cars carrying advertising worth $75 million per year. go to a tennis tournament, a jazz festival, or a golf match, and you will find corporate sponsors, such as the makers of cigarettes, sodas, or blue jeans. go to a movie, and you will find that marketers have paid a handsome sum to have your favorite stars use their products in the film. almost anywhere you go, you will encounter advertisements of all types and sizes reminding you to buy an endless stream of products.
3. the pattern of life for most europeans between 1600 and 1800 centered on the struggle to stay alive. at least once a decade, climatic conditions - usually a long period of summer rainfall - would produce a devastatingly bad harvest, which in turn would result in widespread malnutrition, often leading to serious illness and death. a family might survive for a time by eating less, but eventually, with its meager stocks exhausted and the cost of grain high, the human costs would mount. the substitution of grass, nuts, and tree bark for grain on which the peasants depended almost entirely for nourishment was inadequate to sustain healthy life.
4. in almost every society in the world, couples have become engaged in some way before marrying. engagement serves a variety of functions for the couple. it provides a clear indication that marriage is about to occur. due to the exclusive nature of the relationship, personal and interpersonal testing can continue with less threat from competitive forces. a more thorough awareness of shared and nonshared values, marital - role expectations, and future aspirations can be examined. engagement provides the final opportunity prior to the legal union for each person to understand himself or herself in relation to the other. it is likely that many couples view an engagement as a kind of trial marriage, including sexual intimacy, the sharing of certain financial obligations, and, in some instances, living together.

Explanation:

1. The first - sentence introduces the main idea that reality TV is not a 21st - century invention but has a long history. The following sentences provide examples of early reality - like shows.
2. The first sentence states that different people (actors, politicians, athletes, speakers) are nervous in certain situations, and the rest of the paragraph elaborates on this nervousness and its physical manifestations.
3. The first sentence indicates that in America, one will encounter various advertisements everywhere, and the subsequent sentences give specific examples of where these advertisements can be found.
4. The first sentence presents the main idea that the life of most Europeans between 1600 and 1800 centered on the struggle to stay alive, and the following sentences explain the reasons for this struggle such as bad harvests and inadequate food substitutes.
5. The first sentence claims that in almost every society, couples get engaged before marriage, and the rest of the paragraph details the functions and significance of engagement.

Answer:

1. Although most viewers think "reality TV" is a 21st - century phenomenon, the truth is that it actually began around seventy years ago.
2. Actors are nervous before a play.
3. If you walk down just about any city street in America, you will encounter countless billboards, posters, bumper stickers, and bus and cab displays, each with a separate advertising appeal.
4. The pattern of life for most Europeans between 1600 and 1800 centered on the struggle to stay alive.
5. In almost every society in the world, couples have become engaged in some way before marrying.