one of the clearest ways to explain something is to give an example. This is especially true when a subject is unfamiliar. Suppose, for instance, that your younger brother asks you to explain what anthropology is. You might give him examples of the topic you study, such as apes and early humans, and the development of modern humans. Through examples, your brother would get a fairly good idea of what anthropology is all about. When organizing a paragraph, a writer often states the main idea first and then follows it with one or more examples. The preceding paragraph takes this approach. The main idea in the topic sentence is supported by the example about explaining anthropology to a younger brother. In some paragraphs, of course, a writer might use several examples. And in a longer piece of writing, a separate paragraph may be used for each example.