Reading Passage
What is the topic sentence of paragraph 1 of the passage?
"However, the popularity of formal handwriting is in decline."
"Fewer American school systems are requiring it to be taught in
second and third grades, which is traditionally when students learn
cursive."
"Cursive is an art that is centuries old, but might the book of its
history soon be closed?"
"In fact, during the seventeen hundreds, penmanship schools were
established to educate master scribes."
Question ID: 166064
The Clash over Cursive
by Rebecca Lebowitz
1 Cursive is an art that is centuries old, but might the book of its history soon be closed?
Cursive handwriting is beautiful. The graceful curves and elegant loops of cursive script
have long been taught in school. In fact, during the seventeen hundreds, penmanship
schools were established to educate master scribes. However, the popularity of formal
handwriting is in decline. Fewer American school systems are requiring it to be taught
in second and third grades which is traditionally when students learn cursive. Some
people support this trend, encouraging educators to teach more relevant skills, while
others believe that the disappearance of cursive would be a devastating loss. So, should
cursive writing continue to be taught in American schools?
2 Those in favor of teaching cursive see it as a link to the past. When students learn how
to read and write cursive, they are able to read letters and important historical
documents written in script. Older generations were taught to write using cursive almost
exclusively. Without cursive lessons, young people might lose a link to the past, for
example, the ability to read the Declaration of Independence and John Hancock's iconic
signature at its end. Some even say that certain details in cursive express emotions in a