The topic of an essay is the general subject of the text/ essay. It means the 'subject' that the writer wants to talk about in the essay.
In the given essay prompt, the main idea is to write an essay about how the late 1800s and the present age differ. The explanation of these life differences between the two ages/ periods will be discussed in detail in the essay, which is what the prompt demands.
Thus, the topic of the essay will be <u>"life in the late 1800s and today"</u>.
