Jada's problem and solution essay includes the following thesis statement:
The damage to crops and spread of invasive seeds that affect farmers throughout the United States because of the European Starling could be solved with special nets, machines that frighten the species, and a chemical deterrent called Starlicide.
Which of the following would be the topic sentence for Jada's first body paragraph?
Due to the skyrocketing numbers of European Starlings across the United States, damage to crops and the spread of invasive seeds are increasing.
In effect, the invasion of European Starlings is severely affecting farmers and their crops.
To minimize the damage from the invasion of European Starlings, farmers are resorting to a number of different solutions.
To conclude, it is evident that the invasion of European Starlings is damaging crops and farmers' livelihoods.
Due to the skyrocketing numbers of European Starlings across the United States, damage to crops and the spread of invasive seeds are increasing.
The topic sentence for Jada's first body paragraph would be:
Due to the skyrocketing numbers of European Starlings across the United States, damage to crops and the spread of invasive seeds are increasing.
To determine the correct topic sentence, we need to identify the main idea that will be discussed in the first body paragraph. In the thesis statement, it is mentioned that the damage to crops and the spread of invasive seeds are problems caused by the European Starling. Therefore, the topic sentence should introduce the idea of the increasing damage to crops and the spread of invasive seeds due to the escalating numbers of European Starlings in the United States. The provided option "Due to the skyrocketing numbers of European Starlings across the United States, damage to crops and the spread of invasive seeds are increasing" accurately captures this idea and would serve as an appropriate topic sentence for the first body paragraph.