Summarizing Part 2

Author Sandra Cisneros was born in Chicago, Illinois. When she was growing up, her parents encouraged her to get a good education. Her mother made sure that she and her brothers had access to educational material. Her father always stressed the fact that it was important for them to study hard. She began writing poetry in high school. She went on to earn a master's degree in English in 1976. Cisneros continued writing poetry and stories after she graduated from college. A book of her poetry titled Bad Boys was published in 1980. She published her most popular book, The House on Mango Street, in 1984. She based many of the stories in The House on Mango Street on her own experiences. Since 1984, The House on Mango Street has sold more than two-million copies. Cisneros currently lives in San Antonio, Texas.

Which detail is important and should be included in the summary of this passage?

• Cisneros received her master's degree in 1976.

• Cisneros began writing when she was in college.

• The House on Mango Street is Cisneros' best book.

• Bad Boys, a book of poetry, was published in 1984.

Insects are small, six-legged animals. There are many different insects, like bees, ants, wasps, butterflies, cockroaches, ladybugs, fireflies, and termites. Other insects include houseflies, dragonflies, mosquitoes, grasshoppers, lice, crickets, fleas, and moths. The list goes on and on. In fact, it would take over 6,000 pages to print the scientific names of all insects on paper.

Over 1.5 million species of animals have been named by scientists. Approximately 1 million of these are insects. Scientists discover 7,000 to 10,000 new species of insects each year. Some scientists believe that 1 million to 10 million species of insects are still undiscovered.

Insects live almost everywhere on Earth. They live in tropical jungles and cold snowy regions. They can be found high on mountains and in deserts below sea level. From caves to the sky, insects can be seen crawling or flying. The only place where few insects are found is the ocean.

Which statement should be included in this passage's summary?

• Other insects include houseflies, dragonflies, mosquitoes, and grasshoppers.

• They can be found high on mountains and in deserts that are below sea level.

• Scientists discover 7,000 to 10,000 new species of insects every year.

• It would take over 6,000 pages to print the name of every insect on paper.

The Road Crew

by Bryan Ellett

Seth watched out the front window as a crew of about 10 people worked hard to destroy parts of the street in front of his house. There was a large sign down at the end of the street describing the construction project underway. It said, “Road Resurfacing. Expected completion: Fall 2009.” The sign did not explain what Seth was watching out his front window. To Seth, it appeared that the destruction was somewhat random.

One man sat in the seat of a large piece of construction equipment that Seth’s dad told him was called a backhoe. This giant piece of metal machinery had a scoop with jagged metal teeth at the end of a long arm, and the operator was controlling the arm and scoop with two joysticks. He would raise the arm high in the air, with the teeth of the scoop pointing downward. Then, he would bring the arm down quickly and with great force, using the teeth of the scoop to crush the concrete that it landed on. Already, this gentleman had ripped out the entire portion of sloped concrete that connected the driveway of Seth’s house with the road. Several workers came along and hauled away the large pieces of concrete left behind.

Another worker was in charge of a large circular saw. He would wheel the saw to a particular piece of the road and fire it up. The spinning of the saw, even before it began cutting, created a high whining sound. Then, he would lower the saw into the concrete and cut long sections of the road. The piece of the road Seth watched him cut was about eight feet long and two feet wide. Seth could tell that the saw operator was working extremely hard.

Seth stepped into his front yard and looked up and down the street. Nothing made sense. Several other houses had the front portion of their driveway ripped out just as Seth’s had been. But there were several more houses whose driveways were untouched. There were slices of road cut out here and there, but Seth could see no pattern to the places that were cut up. He could even see one worker filling in a recently cut piece of the roadway with fresh cement. Was there any point to what they were doing, or were they just breaking things and putting them back together to kill time? Seth had no way to know, so he just went back to the window to watch. It might not make sense, but, for Seth, destruction was fun to watch.

Which detail would be most important to include in a summary of the second paragraph?

• The backhoe destroyed part of Seth's driveway.

• The backhoe had a metal scoop and a long arm.

• The arm was raised with the scoop teeth pointing down.

• The operator used two joysticks to control the arm.

The "chew" in chewing gum originates in the tropical rain forest. Workmen make an incision in the bark of certain trees and use cups to collect the milky latex that oozes out. Latex from the rubber tree is used to make bubble gum. The latex gives the gum the strength and elasticity needed to blow large bubbles that will not break.

Which of the following best summarizes the passage above?

• Certain trees have this milky latex substance in them. It comes from underneath the bark.

• Workmen usually cut into the bark of a tree to get the latex. Then, the latex is used in gum.

• There are many kinds of trees in the tropical rain forests. One kind of tree is the rubber tree.

• Latex makes bubble gum chewy. The latex comes from rubber trees in the rain forest.

The earliest known villages in ancient Egypt date back over 5,000 years. These villages became part of two kingdoms. One of these kingdoms controlled the villages on the Nile Delta. The other controlled the villages south of the delta. The delta area was known as Lower Egypt. The southern region was known as Upper Egypt.

Egyptian civilization began about 3100 B.C. King Menes, a king from Upper Egypt, conquered Lower Egypt. He then united the country and formed the world's first national government. King Menes founded Memphis as the capital. (This is near present-day Cairo.)

King Menes also created the first Egyptian dynasty. A dynasty is a series of rulers in the same family. Over 30 dynasties ruled ancient Egypt. The first two dynasties ruled for about 400 years. During this period, the Egyptians developed irrigation systems, plows, and a system of writing. The years of the third and fourth dynasties were known as the Old Kingdom, or the Pyramid Age. As the name suggests, this period was best known for the building of the great pyramids. By the time of the fifth dynasty, the king’s power began to weaken. High priests and government officials fought for power. Most of the next five dynasties had weak rulers.

Which statement best summarizes this passage?

• King Menes was the first king of Egypt. He combined the kingdoms of Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt into one kingdom. He formed the world's first national government and founded the capital city of Memphis, Egypt.

• Egypt's history goes back 5,000 years, to early villages. These villages later became two kingdoms, which became one kingdom. The kingdom of Ancient Egypt was ruled by many dynasties in its long history.

• The crowning achievement of ancient Egypt was the great pyramids, which were built during the Pyramid Age. The rulers of Egypt at this time were from the third and fourth dynasties, or the "Old Kingdom."

• Ancient Egypt began 5,000 years ago, when early villages became part of two kingdoms. These kingdoms controlled different parts of the Nile River. The kingdoms were known as Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt.

Jules Verne was a French author. Many people refer to him as the "Father of Science Fiction" because he was a pioneer in the genre of science fiction. H.G. Wells has also been called the "Father of Science Fiction." Among the novels Verne wrote are Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, which predicted the submarine as a means of underwater travel, and From the Earth to the Moon, which predicted space travel.

Verne became interested in machines after spending childhood summers watching ships moving up and down the Loire River. Shortly after that, he became interested in traveling while studying at a boarding school. Verne began writing stories about traveling while he was in law school. His tales were often fantastic and filled with unrealistic situations. However, he used his knowledge of science and geography to make these tales more believable. He sent his stories to publishing companies, but found that they were repeatedly rejected. Among the criticisms he received was that his work was "too scientific."

In the 1860s, Verne met Pierre-Jules Hetzel, a publisher and editor. Hetzel served as editor and publisher of Verne's best-known works. These works include Journey to the Center of the Earth, Around the World in Eighty Days, and Five Weeks in a Balloon. Verne's books have been translated over four thousand times. As such, they have been able to influence generations of scientists, explorers, writers, and filmmakers from around the world. His works have sparked the imaginations of dreamers and inventors for well over one hundred years.

Which of the following best summarizes the passage?

• Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and From the Earth to the Moon are important science fiction books. Both were written by Jules Verne. Verne predicted much of today's technology in the books he wrote in the 19th century.

• Jules Verne was a pioneer of the genre of science fiction. He began writing when he was in college. His works include From the Earth to the Moon and Journey to the Center of the Earth. His books influence people over 100 years later.

• Jules Verne did not want to be a lawyer, so he became an author. His writing partner was another Frenchman named Pierre-Jules Hetzel. Together, they wrote books such as Around the World in Eighty Days and Five Weeks in a Balloon.

• The novels Journey to the Center of the Earth and Around the World in Eighty Days were written by Jules Verne. They were edited and published by Pierre-Jule Hetzel. They are the most influential science fiction books ever written.

Two of America’s most famous fires happened within two years of each other. They were on opposite sides of the country. The fires occurred in Baltimore and San Francisco.

The Great Baltimore Fire broke out on February 7, 1904. The fire started in the downtown area of the city. It burned for two days and spread out over 140 acres. It destroyed almost every major downtown building. No homes or lives were lost, amazingly. The total damage for the fire was over $100 million.

On April 18, 1906, San Francisco suffered one of the worst disasters in United States history. First, an earthquake hit. Then, fires broke out as stoves and gas lamps overturned, electrical wires broke, and gas lines exploded. Firefighters could not battle the flames because the city’s water lines had been damaged. Fires blazed for three days. Firefighters finally had to use dynamite on entire blocks of buildings to stop the flames from spreading.

At least 3,000 people died in the San Francisco fire. About 250,000 people lost their homes. Most of the city was in ruins, including over 28,000 buildings. The property damage was more than $500 million.

Which is the best summary of this article?

• America has had many famous fires in its history, from Baltimore to San Francisco. The great fire in San Francisco was started by an earthquake. Firefighters had to use dynamite to level entire city blocks to stop the spreading flames.

• The Baltimore fire happened on February 7, 1904. It burned most of the downtown area of the city, including major buildings. The San Francisco fire happened on April 18, 1906 after a huge earthquake hit the California city.

• The Baltimore fire and the San Francisco fire happened within two years of each other. Both fires ruined many buildings and cost over $100 million in damages, but the San Francisco fire was far worse than the Baltimore fire.

• Within two years, the United States suffered two major fires. They occurred on opposite ends of the country, from Maryland to California. The fire in Baltimore did $100 million in damages, but no one died, and no homes were lost.

The first drive-in movie theater was opened in 1933 by inventor Richard M. Hollingshead, Jr. He realized that parents would like to be able to watch movies with their kids without having to worry about how loud they were. Also, they would not have to hire a babysitter. Though the first drive-in lasted only three years, the idea soon caught on. Drive-ins popped up all over the country.

The number of drive-ins grew rapidly after World War II. The popularity of drive-in theaters peaked in the late 1950s and early 1960s. At one point, there were around 4,000 drive-in theaters operating in the United States. Early theaters used speakers behind and around the screen to project sound. Later, single speakers attached to wires were hung in one window of each car. Some drive-ins had playground equipment for children between the screen and the first row of cars. One thing that all drive-ins had was a snack bar at the back of the parking area. The price of admission was per person, so often teenagers would crawl into the trunk until the car was inside for a free show. Teenagers also enjoyed the privacy of the drive-in for dating!

When land costs rose and VHS movie rentals made watching movies at home possible, most drive-ins closed down. The drive-in was dead. But in the early 21st century, a drive-in revival began. Vacant parking lots were reclaimed and movies were shown on the sides of buildings. Speakers were no longer necessary because the sound could be transmitted to the car stereo. Many middle-aged people just enjoyed being able to relive the part of their lives that occurred in drive-ins. Today, there is a drive-in near most major cities and in many rural areas, as well.

Which sentence would be most important to include in a summary of this passage?

• "Many middle-aged people just enjoyed being able to relive the part of their lives that occurred in drive-ins."

• "Vacant parking lots were reclaimed and movies were shown on the sides of buildings."

• "The first drive-in movie theater was opened in 1933 by inventor Richard M. Hollingshead, Jr."

• Though the first drive-in lasted only three years, the idea soon caught on."

Family-Friendly Summer Movies

Summer movies are very exciting. Some people compare them to Fourth of July fireworks. Many summer movies are family-friendly. Here are just a few of those movies and their descriptions.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is rated PG. It stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint. Gary Oldman joins the cast as Sirius Black. This movie follows Harry’s third year at Hogwarts. The actors have claimed that this is the darkest Harry Potter movie yet. In the movie, Sirius Black has escaped from prison and is looking for Harry.

Around the World in 80 Days is also rated PG. It is based on a book written by Jules Verne. The movie stars Jackie Chan, Kathy Bates, and John Cleese. It is about an inventor who bets that he can travel around the world in 80 days. He uses many wacky modes of transportation. Some of these include a hot-air balloon, elephants, boats, and trains.

Two Brothers is a dramatic movie. It stars Guy Pearce. It is a story of two tiger cubs, one shy and one bold. The cubs become separated when they are taken into captivity. One is used as a circus performer. The other is used for sport.

Finally, Spider-Man 2 broke many box office records. It is rated PG-13. It reunites Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and James Franco. It is an action-packed sequel. Spider-Man faces off against Dr. Octavius. The doctor has four extra steel arms.

What is the best way to summarize the paragraph that talks about Spider-Man 2?

• Spider-Man 2 is rated PG-13. It is the highest rated movie out of the movies in the article. This is because it is more violent.

• Spider-Man 2 stars Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and James Franco. It broke many box office records when it came out.

• Spider-Man 2 is a sequel of the first movie, Spider-Man. The original also broke many box office records and was PG-13.

• Spider-Man 2 stars Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and James Franco. In this movie, Spider-Man battles villain Dr. Octavius.

Bad Chocolate

by Bryan Ellett

It was Tabitha's turn to give her presentation on one of the countries in Africa to our social studies class. The assignment was for each student to pick a country, research it, and then give a short speech on something that was interesting to the student. Tabitha walked up to the dry-erase board, grabbed the red marker, and wrote in large letters at the top of the board, “Republic of Côte D’Ivoire.” She said, “In English, we usually call this country the Ivory Coast. In my research, I found it interesting that the Ivory Coast produces 43% of the world’s cocoa. This means that most of the chocolate in the world comes from the Ivory Coast.” Like most kids, we all enjoy chocolate, so several of us in the class made happy sounds and began to listen more closely.

“I know,” Tabitha said. “I thought that was great, too! But the story is not all happy. A study in 2002 found that almost 300,000 children are forced to work on African cocoa plantations as slaves. Usually, they are working in very unsafe conditions and are not given enough to eat. Here in the United States, we have laws against child labor. In the Ivory Coast, the same laws do not exist.” I was getting a little uncomfortable, hearing about this terrible problem. Everyone around me seemed a little uneasy, too. And then Tabitha brought out the worst fact of all. “Unfortunately,” she said, “most of the chocolate we eat comes from these plantations I’m talking about.”

The class murmured unhappily. “How terrible!” I yelled. “Isn’t there anything we can do to stop it?” Tabitha looked at me and smiled.

“Yes!” she cried. “I was worried too, but then I found out that it is really easy to help fix this problem. All we have to do is make sure that the chocolate we buy has this symbol on it.” She held up a poster with an outline of a person holding two baskets. Above the drawing, it said “Fair Trade Certified.” “If you make sure that all the chocolate you eat has this symbol on it, then you are helping the problem. If enough of us stop buying chocolate that is not Fair Trade Certified, then the people doing these terrible things will not be able to make any money. We can all help!” Everyone clapped and Tabitha handed around samples of Fair Trade Certified chocolate. It tasted great!

Which of these is the best summary of the second paragraph?

• We learned that a study in 2002 found that almost 300,000 children worked as slaves in the production of chocolate in Africa.

• We became uncomfortable as Tabitha explained that most chocolate is produced by child slaves in unsafe conditions in Africa.

• Tabitha told us that the laws in the United States against child slavery do not exist for chocolate production in the Ivory Coast.

• Tabitha explained that most of the chocolate in the world is produced by child slaves working in unsafe conditions in Africa.