If a topic sentence doesn't relate directly to the thesis statement, the topic sentence a. is essential. b. is irrelevant and should therefore be revised or deleted. c. should explain why.

The basketball crashed against the backboard, and point guard sheena lunged for it. as she snatched the ball out of mid-air, the crowd cheered, chanting encouragement for her team, the monarchs. so far, the game had been a disaster. with 15 seconds left to go in the final quarter, the monarchs were 2 points shy of victory. what main idea do the details in the passage suggest? the point guard sheena was not a very good player. the monarchs had never lost a basketball game. the monarchs were worried about losing. the crowd was not supporting the monarchs.