Read each paragraph and answer the questions that follow by choosing the letter of the correct response.

Question

(1) The fact that Japan is so often included in comparisons among Western countries reflects the fact that the degree of wealth accumulation, industrialization, and modernization that has occurred in that country makes it appear to be part of the Western world. (2) In fact, however, Japanese industrial might masks the fact that Japanese culture is both highly peculiar to that society, and different from Western culture in many ways. (3)_For instance, Japanese culture stresses group norms, the suppression of individualism, suspicion of outsiders, harmony, and conflict avoidance. (4) Japan practices a kind of modified capitalism in which the government is highly involved in industrial development and social welfare. (5) Another related perspective is that in Japan there is an emphasis on informal local-based group formation (such as within schools or workplaces) along with a strong emphasis on security and rules within those settings. (6) These elements produce a high level of self-control and consequently a built- in crime-control mechanism. (7) This is in contrast to countries in the Western world such as the United States that emphasize that individual freedoms are superior to the group and where rules are more limited and permissive. (8) The result is a weakening of crime prevention in Western-type nations and the emphasis on punishment rather than prevention.

The topic sentence of this paragraph is
a. sentence 1.
b. sentence 2.
c. sentence 3.
d. sentence 4.

Answer 1

a. sentence 1.