Summarizing 12/10

By the start of the Bronze Age, people in Britain had learned to use horses for moving from one place to another. Then, around 1000 BCE, they learned to make carts with wheels. The wheel was one of the most important inventions of the Bronze Age, and it is used even today. Some farmers traveled on horseback or used wooden carts with wheels that were pulled by horses or oxen. They used these carts to plant crops in their fields faster.

What is the best summary for this passage?

• People were using horses in the Bronze Age, and the wheel was the greatest invention of that time. Farmers could travel on horseback and made carts, which made it easier to get around.

• Horses were being used before the Bronze Age. The cart and wheels were both very important inventions during the Bronze Age. The farmers were able to plant crops faster and used horses and carts to travel.

• Farmers needed a way to plant their crops more quickly, which made the invention of the wheel important in about 1000 BCE. They made carts to help farmers get around and plant their crops.

• The invention of the wheel in about 1000 BCE was very important and adding carts to the wheels was a great advance. The use of horses or oxen and carts helped farmers travel and plant their fields faster.

Fats are found in animals and plants. Foods that you eat every day are made of fats. Butter is made mostly of animal fat. Margarine is made mostly from plant fat. Fats that are liquid at room temperature are called oils. Oils are used on salads and can be used to fry food.

Fat is stored under the skin of humans and many animals. Fat helps keep people and animals warm. It also helps protect areas around eyeballs and other body parts. In plants, most of the fat is stored in the seeds. The fat provides food to the seed when it first begins to grow.

Is it possible to have too much fat? Of course! Doctors say that people should be careful about how much fat they eat. Most foods have a little fat, but a person can get sick if he or she eats a large amount of food with too much fat.

Which is the best summary of the selection?

• Fat helps keep people and animals warm and protects their bodies. In plants, most of the fat is stored in the seeds.

• Doctors say that people should not eat too much fat in their food. However, most foods have a little fat in them.

• Fat, which is found in animals and plants, is important to living things. Eating too much fat can make a person sick.

• Fats that are liquid at room temperature are called oils. Fat helps seeds get food when they first start growing.

To create glass in a factory, sand is mixed with some waste, recycled glass. Recycled glass helps save raw materials. To this mixture of sand and recycled glass, soda ash (also known as sodium carbonate) and limestone are added. This mixture is then heated in a furnace. These materials play different roles in the glass-making process. The soda ash helps lower the melting temperature of sand, which helps the factory save energy. But glass created using soda ash easily dissolves in water. The added limestone prevents glass from dissolving. Through this process, ordinary glass is created.

What is the best summary of this passage?

• To make glass, recycled glass is used to help save raw materials. Sand, soda ash, and limestone are added to the mixture and heated in a furnace. Each ingredient plays an important role in making glass.

• Recycled glass is used to make glass to help save raw materials. Soda ash helps lower the melting temperature, and limestone prevents the glass from dissolving. Sand is also added to the mixture.

• To make glass, recycled glass, sand, soda ash, and limestone are mixed together and heated in a furnace. Soda ash helps lower the melting temperature, while limestone prevents the glass from dissolving.

• Soda ash is used to make glass because it lowers the temperature, while limestone prevents the glass from dissolving. The other ingredients used to make glass are sand and recycled glass.

Mount Everest is the tallest mountain on earth. It is in Asia. The mountain is very cold, which makes it hard for people to climb. In 1953, two men reached the top of Mount Everest for the first time.

Sir Edmund Hillary was a man who enjoyed climbing mountains. He joined 11 people who planned to climb to the top of Mount Everest. A mountain climber from Nepal was also a member of the team. The team trained for months so they could climb the mountain.

The climbers wore oxygen tanks to help them breathe on the mountain. They also set up camps along the way to rest. After many weeks, the team was close to the top of Mount Everest. The team leader chose a team of two men to reach the top. The first team chosen did not reach the mountain's peak. They had to climb back down the mountain after having problems with their oxygen tanks.

Three days later, Sir Edmund Hillary and his partner finally set out to finish climbing the mountain. The pair climbed for seven hours in the snow before finally standing on the highest point on earth.

After he returned home, Sir Edmund Hillary wanted to help the people of Nepal. He built hospitals and schools there. Sir Edmund Hillary also asked the government to make laws that would protect forests in the country.

What is the best summary for this passage?

• After returning from his climb of Mt. Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary decided he wanted to help people. He loved climbing mountains, but he also loved the forests. He convinced the government of Nepal to protect them.

• Sir Edmund Hillary and his partner were the first to reach the top of Mount Everest in 1953. Hillary joined a group who prepared well for the journey through rough conditions. After returning home, he decided to help the people of Nepal.

• After seven hours in the snow, Sir Edmund Hillary and his partner finally made it to the peak of Mount Everest. This is the highest point on earth, and because of this, the mountain is very cold and lacks oxygen.

• Sir Edmund Hillary joined a group who worked hard to prepare for the journey through rough conditions. The group worked for months to train for the climb. The first team did not make the climb.

During the War of 1812, the British set fire to the U.S. Capitol. They also burned the 3,000 books in the Library of Congress. Thomas Jefferson helped create the library when he was president. He chose books and hired the first two librarians. By the time the war started, he was retired. He had a library of books at his home. It was known as the finest private library in the country.

He offered to sell Congress his 6,487 books for $23,950. He hoped to build a new Library of Congress. Congress was excited to get the books for such a low price. His books covered many topics. The library once had books on only history or law. Jefferson's books covered art, science, and more. He also had books in French, Spanish, and Latin. He thought Congress should read about all subjects.

What is the best summary of this passage?

• Thomas Jefferson liked to read books that were written in many different languages. He thought Congress should read about all subjects, like art, science, and more.

• During the War of 1812, the books of the Library of Congress were burned. Thomas Jefferson sold his large collection of books to help build a new Library of Congress.

• The British started the War of 1812 when they burned the U.S. Capitol building. After he was President, Jefferson offered to sell Congress his 6,487 books for $23,950.

• Thomas Jefferson hired the first two librarians to work at the Library of Congress. He said, "I cannot live without books." He made a library so all Americans could read.

If you put some pieces of an eggshell into a cup and pour over them a little vinegar, you will see them melt gradually. Then, small bubbles of gas will rise into the air. But if you take a long and narrow strip of the shell and heat one end of it, after a short time, that end will become softer. It will also glow brightly. This happens because the shell is converted into lime. Lime is the substance builders use to make cement. This bright glow is really a light, which is always produced when a piece of lime is heated.

What is the best summary of this passage?

• When vinegar is added to an eggshell, it starts to melt. Applying heat to the eggshell also makes it softer. It glows just like lime does. Lime is used to make cement.

• When heat is applied to eggshells, they glow brightly and turn into lime. Lime is also used to make cement. When heat is applied to lime, it also glows brightly.

• Vinegar can be poured on eggshells to make them melt slowly. Bubbles of gas come out as they melt. Lime is made when heat is applied to an eggshell. Lime is used to make cement.

• Vinegar will make an eggshell melt gradually. Eggshells will soften and glow when heat is applied because the eggshell turns into lime.

This week, some Golden Retriever puppies will celebrate their age. At five months old they are ready for puppy training. Our camera will take you live to a class with these puppies. The owners are first-time trainers. An expert will teach the pets (and the owners!) how to "sit" and "come." Join us on Channel 47. Learn great tips on how to train a good pet.

Which of these best summarizes the passage?

• "Candid Canines" will be on television this week. It is on at 7:30 p.m. on Channel 47. Tonight, "Candid Canines" will show Golden Retrievers who are five months old.

• "Candid Canines" will show a live puppy-training class tonight at 7:30 p.m. on Channel 47. Learn tips. You will watch an expert help owners train pets to "sit" and "come."

• "Candid Canines" will be on television tonight at 7:30 p.m. The owners will be first-time trainers. The puppies will be five months old. The show will be on Channel 47.

• "Candid Canines" is a television show. It will be on tonight at 7:30 p.m. on Channel 47. Watch it if you are interested in Golden Retriever puppies and their owners.

One fine day, he set out on a journey to the unknown world. After traveling for several weeks, when the crew had given up all hope, certain signs of land were seen. This gave them courage. The men noticed birds flying, a branch of a floating thornbush full of red berries, and a walking stick. The men now felt sure that they were approaching the shore. On October 12, 1492, Columbus saw a beautiful island with many trees growing on it. That was his first sight of the New World. When he, along with the crew, landed, they fell on their knees and kissed the ground out of joy.

What is the best summary of this passage?

• Columbus set out on a long journey to an unknown land and had almost lost hope before seeing signs of land. On October 12, 1492, Columbus and his crew landed in the New World.

• Columbus had a very long and difficult journey to the new world, but found hope when he saw signs of land. When they finally landed, he was so overjoyed that he fell to his knees and kissed the ground.

• Columbus set out on a difficult journey to an unknown world. They saw birds flying and a branch floating in the water. They landed on October 12, 1492 and kissed the ground.

• Columbus had almost given up hope of landing in an unknown world when he saw birds and branches. He finally landed in the New World and fell on his knees and kissed the ground with joy.

The jaguar is the only "big cat" that is found in the Americas. The "big cat" group includes tigers, lions, and leopards. The jaguar is the third largest cat after the tiger and the lion. These cats can be found in countries like Mexico, Paraguay, Argentina, and in South America. The jaguar mostly lives and hunts alone.

Jaguars look a lot like leopards. But they act more like tigers. Jaguars live in rain forests, and they also like to swim. These cats range from a little over 5 feet tall to 6 feet tall. A jaguar's rosettes (spots) are larger, darker, have thicker lines, and are fewer in number than those of a leopard.

What is the best summary of this passage?

• The jaguar is a big cat that is over five to six feet tall and lives in countries like Mexico, Paraguay, Argentina, and in South America.

• The jaguar is the third largest cat after the tiger and the lion, and it lives in rain forests, where it hunts alone.

• The jaguar is the only big cat found in the Americas that looks like a leopard but acts like a tiger. A jaguar's spots are different than a leopard's, and it lives and hunts alone.

• The jaguar's rosettes or spots are fewer in number, larger, darker, and have thicker lines compared to those of a leopard's. It lives in rain forests, likes to swim, and is about 6 feet tall.

Joan of Arc was born in Domrémy, France, in 1412 to a farmer. She was a poor girl from France who claimed an angel told her to save her country. Her first vision was in 1424 when she was only 12 years old. After the English burned her village, she left to find the dauphin (the prince of France). She explained to the dauphin that he should give her an army to free the country from both England and Burgundy. At first, the dauphin thought she was crazy. Nevertheless, she was able to convince him of her loyalty. After he placed Joan in command of the army, her generals did not trust her. They wrongly felt that because she was a woman, she could not lead men in a battle. However, Joan soon changed their minds. Even though Joan could not read or write, she was a talented military planner. Joan led an army to the city of Orléans, forcing the English to retreat. In the next few battles, the French army crushed the English army. The people of France loved Joan. She did everything she said she would do. Joan became so popular among the nobles that the dauphin became worried. He thought she might get so popular that she would lead the people against him. Although Joan would never do this, the dauphin turned on her. He secretly let the English capture her. Although the dauphin betrayed Joan, she never lost her love of France. Today, Joan of Arc is a saint and a French national hero.

Which statement summarizes this piece?

• Joan of Arc, a talented military planner, leads the French army to victory by defeating the English army and becomes a loved and popular national hero.

• A poor girl from France has a vision where an angel tells her to save her country and so she makes herself a leader and battles the English army.

• Joan of Arc saves her country, but the nobles in the French army betray her and get her captured by the English army.

• The dauphin, prince of France, seeks help from a poor farmer's daughter and battles the English army with her help.