Lab Activity 24: Locating the Main Idea <IMG SRC="/wps/media/objects/786/805726/tbskils_small.gif" ALT="tbskils

Chapter 5: Locating Stated Main Ideas
Lab Activity 24: Locating the Main Idea

Objective
To locate topic sentences in textbook excerpts.

Step 2: Read the following paragraphs from the textbook Joining Together: Group Theory and Group Skills. For each paragraph, decide which sentence is the topic sentence and enter its number in the space provided. Your instructor will tell you whether to write your answers in your book or to submit your answers online for electronic grading.


		5. ¹Although trust exists in relationships, not in people, there has been some attempt to measure individual differences in willingness to trust others. ²Rotter (1971) developed the Interpersonal Trust Scale to distinguish between people who have a tendency to trust others and those who tend to distrust. ³A high truster tends to say, " I will trust a person until I have clear evidence that he of she cannot be trusted." ⁴A low truster tends to say, "I will not trust a person until there is clear evidence that her or she can be trusted." ⁵High trusters tend to be more trustworthy than will low trusters. ⁶High trusters, compared with low trusters, are (a) more likely to give others a second chance, respect the rights of others, and be liked and sought out as friends (by both low- and high-trust people), and (b) less likely to lie and be unhappy, conflicted, or maladjusted. —Johnson & Johnson, p. 138. Topic Sentence:

		6. ¹Communication is the basis for all human interaction and for all group functioning. ²Every group must take in and use information. ³The very existence of a group depends on communication, on exchanging information and transmitting meaning. ⁴All cooperative action is contingent upon effective communication, and our daily lives are filled with one communication experience after another. ⁵Through communication, members of groups reach some understanding of one another, build trust, coordinate their actions, plan strategies for goal accomplishment, agree upon a division of labor, conduct all group activities—even exchange insults. ⁶It is through communication that the members interact, and effective communication is a prerequisite for every aspect of group functioning. —Johnson & Johnson, p. 142 Topic sentence:

		7. ¹Two persons seeing each other have a continuous effect on each other's perceptions and expectations of what the other is going to do. ²Interpersonal communication, then, can be defined broadly as any verbal or nonverbal behavior that is perceived by another person. ³Communication, in other words, is much more than just the exchange of words. ⁴All behavior conveys some message and is, therefore, a form of communication. ⁵Interpersonal communication, however, is more commonly defined as a message sent by a person to a receiver (or receivers) with the conscious intent of affecting the receiver's behavior. ⁶A person sends the message "How are you?" to evoke the response "Fine." ⁷A teacher shakes his head to get two students to stop throwing erasers at him. ⁸Under this more limited definition, any signal aimed at influencing the receiver's behavior in any way is communication. —Johnson & Johnson, p. 142 Topic sentence:

		8. ¹How do you tell when communication is working effectively and when it is not? ²What is effective communication? ³What is ineffective communication? ⁴Effective communication exists between two persons when the receiver interprets the sender's message in the same way the sender intended it. ⁵If John tries to communicate to Jane that it is a wonderful day and he is feeling great by saying "Hi" with a warm smile, and if Jane interprets John's "Hi" as meaning John thinks it is a beautiful day and he is feeling well, then effective communication has taken place. ⁶If Jane interprets John's "Hi" as meaning he wants to stop and talk with her, then ineffective communication has taken place. —Johnson & Johnson, p. 143 Topic sentence:

		9. ¹Groups that display a highly cooperative orientation—groups whose members are good listeners, more accepting of the ideas of others, and less possessive of their own—generally demonstrate greater sending and receiving skills. ²Achievement will be higher in a cooperative group than in a competitive one, more attentiveness will be paid to members' ideas, and a friendlier climate will prevail. ³A cooperative orientation leads to increased cohesiveness and greater group productivity. ⁴One sound means of improving the communication among group members is to increase their cooperativeness and decrease their competitiveness. —Johnson & Johnson, p. 143 Topic sentence:

		10. ¹Physical factors can also block effective communication within a group. ²Group members should pay attention to the acoustics of the room in which they are meeting; how members are seated; the duration of the meeting; the ventilation, temperature, and lighting in the room; and what time of day it is. ³All these are potential physical barriers to effective communication among members. ⁴Once noted, of course, they can usually be changed or compensated for. —Johnson & Johnson, p. 143 Topic sentence: