Which practice supports paragraph unity?

• A. Increasing the number of examples regardless of relevance.
• B. Using many transitional phrases between unrelated ideas.
• C. Writing long sentences to fill length.
• D. Ensuring every sentence relates to the main idea and the topic sentence of the paragraph.

Answer: (D)

Paragraph unity means that every sentence stays on topic and supports the paragraph’s main idea. The topic sentence introduces that idea, and all following sentences provide details, evidence, or explanation that relate to it. When unity is strong, the reader can see how each part contributes to the whole, and the paragraph feels complete and cohesive.

The best choice does exactly that: every sentence relates to the main idea and the topic sentence, keeping the paragraph focused and easy to follow.

The other options don’t help with unity. Increasing the number of examples regardless of relevance adds material that doesn’t support the main idea and pulls attention away from the point. Using many transitional phrases between unrelated ideas might seem like it would smooth things, but if the ideas aren’t connected, the transitions don’t create real coherence and the paragraph becomes disjointed. Writing long sentences to fill length can lead to rambling and blur the main point, even if some sentences touch on the idea. The key is keeping every part tied to the main idea for a clear, unified paragraph.