Summary and Paraphrase

Which of the following statements about SUMMARISING is true?

• A summary is a thought that is true but is not in the passage.

• A summary is what the passage is mostly about.

• A summary is specific, detailed information contained in the passage.

• A summary is always found in the first sentence of the passage.

Orchids can be so difficult to grow that even professional horticulturalists have trouble keeping them alive. And yet orchids are the largest family of flowering plants in existence, comprising 30,000 different species and more than 200,000 hybrid varieties. Much of this presence has to do with the orchid’s ability to thrive in different environments, particularly in the tropics. Nevertheless, orchid-lovers who live in colder climates shouldn’t be discouraged. With proper equipment and care, many species of orchids can thrive in home environments.

The summary of this passage is:

• Horticulturists who wish to grow orchids will have greater success doing so in tropical environments rather than in cold climates.

• Despite the difficulty in cultivating them, orchids belong to a large family, of which some species can grow well in various locations when cared for correctly.

• Despite the difficulty in cultivating them, orchids can flourish when grown by horticulturists who have the correct equipment.

• While there are numerous types of orchids, they cannot be grown outside of homes in the tropics, though many horticulturists attempt to do so.

Tomorrow is Johana's birthday. She is excited because she gets to pick where she will eat dinner. Will it be Mexican food at the Big Enchilada House? Or will it be fried chicken at the Chicken Shack, or a big cheeseburger at Al's Hamburger Palace. She just couldn't decide. Then there was always the Pizza Shop with that great pepperoni pizza. How would she ever decide? Maybe she would just flip a coin.

The summary of this passage is:

• Johana has many restaurants to choose from for her birthday.

• Johana loves Mexican food.

• The Pizza Shop has the best pizza in town.

• Johana will choose a place by flipping a coin.

It started when they got to the bears. Farhan felt tired and his stomach hurt. He dragged himself over to see the elephants, which were eating from a stack of hay. Normally, the elephants were his favorite. Without much interest, Farhan followed his classmates to the camels, which were busy swatting flies with their tails. Farhan knew he should be having fun at the zoo, but he just felt terrible and all he wanted to do was lie down and rest. Even the lions and tigers did not interest him now.

The summary of this passage is:

• Farhan's favorite animals were the elephants.

• The camels were swatting flies with their tails.

• It was really hot at the zoo.

• Farhan didn't enjoy the zoo because he felt really bad.

For the walls, Hanim thought she would use a bright yellow paint. She would pick a border that had mostly bright red and green colors, and maybe a little bit of blue. She already had found some curtains that were sky blue with streaks of red, blue and yellow that she thought would go great with the walls. Finally, she had picked a carpet that was mostly blue with specks of red and yellow. Hanim couldn't wait till she was done decorating her room. It was really going to look awesome.

The summary of this passage is:

• Hanim likes bright colors.

• Hanim was going to paint her room.

• Hanim was picking out colors and materials to decorate her room.

• Yellow is a good color to paint your walls.

San Francisco is located on the coast of California in an area often called the Bay Area. The weather is generally very mild, seldom getting really cold or really hot. Its mild climate is one reason many people live there. It seldom snows in San Francisco and generally does not get below freezing during the winter. Even in the middle of summer, temperatures may be in the mid 80s with a cool breeze from the bay keeping the weather very comfortable.

The summary of this passage is:

• San Francisco has many neat things to do.

• It seldom snows in California.

• Many people choose to live in California.

• The weather in San Francisco is generally very mild.

Right now Johan was playing right field. He really wanted to play third base. Earlier this year, coach had put him in left field and second base in a game, but never at third base. Once in practice, coach let him play third base, but he kept missing ground balls. When he did stop one, he made a bad throw to first base. Maybe if he kept practicing, Johan would be good enough to play third base. That was his dream.

The summary of this passage is:

• Johan really wanted to play third base.

• Johan was the best player on his team.

• Johan had trouble catching ground balls.

• Johan was too lazy to practise.

Choose the sentence that BEST paraphrases this sentence:

A high school student usually has reading assignments.

• A high school student always has homework assignments.

• It is common for students in high school to have reading assignments.

• Usually school aged students have reading assignments.

• Most school students have high school reading to do.

Which is the best paraphrase of the following sentence?
Dragonflies have six legs, but they can’t walk. 

• Dragonflies have six legs but cannot walk, and I think that this is odd.
• Dragonflies have six legs.
• Although Dragonflies have six legs, they cannot walk at all.
•  Even though they have six legs, dragonflies can’t walk. 

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.9

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RI.4.9

“Are schools going to frisk a kindergartner or search the backpack of a second grader to see if they’re hiding candy with peanuts inside”?  
Which of the following statements best paraphrases the quote?    

• Schools will get X-Ray machines to check for peanuts.
•  It is unlikely that schools will make all students get searched for peanuts. 
• Schools are only going to check backpacks for peanuts. 
•  Schools are only going to check kindergarten students.

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3