What is the deductive order in a paragraph?

A paragraph that uses the deductive order of organization states the main idea in the first sentence. The body sentences of the paragraph are statements that support the main idea. Another name for this organization is general-to-specific order.

The first sentence in such a paragraph is also known as the topic sentence. The supporting sentences that follow it give specific details providing reasons and evidence that the topic sentence is true. The writer's stance on the topic is clear from the beginning of the paragraph. An alternate organization is inductive order, in which background information is provided at the beginning, and the conclusion states the main idea.