Summarizing Info Text

 The orchid family is one of the largest families of flowering plants. There are twice as many species of orchids as species of birds. There are four times as many species of orchids as species of mammals. Charles Darwin wrote a book about orchids in 1862. The book studied the way in which orchids evolved to attract birds and insects. It is suggested that for every different type of bird or insect, there was an orchid that matched in appearance. This in-depth study on orchids helped Darwin develop his ideas on evolution. Orchids can survive almost anywhere—even underground. The only place they cannot survive is in glacial regions, like Antarctica. They grow best in tropical regions that are hot and humid. Some scientists believe that orchids have been around since the time of the dinosaurs.

Which of the following is the best summary of this passage?

• Orchids can survive almost anywhere except for Antarctica. They grow in the tropics and even underground. They survive best in regions with hot, humid weather

• The orchid family is a very large family of flowering plants. Orchids have evolved since the dinosaur years and can survive almost anywhere.

• There are far more species of orchids than there are species of birds or mammals. They have evolved to look like different species of birds and insects.

• There are far more species of orchids than there are species of birds or mammals. They have evolved to look like different species of birds and insects.

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 The Pulitzer Prize is considered one of the nation’s highest honors. The award recognizes excellence in newspaper journalism, literature, and music composition. It was named after founder and newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer. Columbia University has supervised the awards since his death. There are 21 categories. Winners are announced each April. They receive $10,000 and a certificate.    

Harper Lee won a Pulitzer for fiction for her novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Robert Frost won one for poetry. President John F. Kennedy is the only president to win a Pulitzer. He won for his biography of eight U.S. Senators, Profiles in Courage.

Which is the best summary of this passage?

• The Pulitzer Prize is one of the nation's highest awards in journalism, literature, and music. Twenty-one winners receive $10,000 and a certificate each year.

• The Pulitzer Prize was named after newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer. Winners receive $10,000 and a certificate each year.

• Harper Lee won a Pulitzer Prize for her novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Robert Frost won one for poetry. Winners get $10,000 and a certificate every April.

• Winners are announced each April. John F. Kennedy won a Pulitzer for Profiles in Courage. He is the only president to win.

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Cesar Chavez

     Cesar Chavez was born on March 31, 1927, in Yuma, Arizona, on a small farm. He is best known as a Mexican American labor activist who helped found the United Farm Workers of America (UFW). The UFW became the first successful farm workers union in history.     

When Chavez was ten years old, his family lost their farm during the Great Depression. He and his family moved to California and became migrant workers, moving from place to place to find work. At the age of seventeen, Chavez joined the Navy and served two years. He returned to farming when he came home. He wanted to make sure that people were treated fairly regardless of ethnicity or economic background.     

As the president of UFW, Chavez helped farm workers gain rights to fair pay, health care, retirement benefits, and better living conditions. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mohandas Gandhi influenced Chavez and his philosophy of non-violence. In 1993, Cesar Chavez passed away. In 1994, President Clinton awarded Chavez the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his service. This medal is the highest honor a nonmilitary person can receive.

Which one of these details is most important to include in a summary of this article?

• Cesar Chavez was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

• Chavez's family lost their farm in the Great Depression and moved.

• Cesar Chavez returned to farming when he got home.

• Chavez's family moved from place to place for work.

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Read the excerpt from a passage.

Jesse Owens ultimately chose to attend Ohio State University. To pay his way through college, and to support himself and his wife, Owens took up a number of jobs. Some of these included working as an elevator operator, a page, and a waiter.

Which sentence best paraphrases the excerpt?

• In order to afford Ohio State University and provide for his family, Owens worked at three different jobs.

• In order to afford Ohio State University and provide for his family, Owens worked at three different jobs.

• While enrolled at Ohio State University, Owens worked different jobs to pay his tuition and support his family.

• As a married college student, Owens sometimes worked as an elevator operator, page, and waiter.

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 Lobsters are easy to cook, a fact that people do not share. They can be broiled or grilled. They are also delicious when boiled or steamed. Boiling is probably the simplest method. Just make sure a large stockpot is available. Place the lobsters inside of the pot while the water is still cool and allow it to heat up. If you drop them into a pot of boiling water, they may try to climb back out. The cooked lobsters need only melted butter as an accessory.

Which statement best summarizes this passage?

• Cooked lobsters do not need a lot of different spices. They only need butter.

• People do not like to share how they cook lobsters. Some people boil them.

• Lobsters are very easy to cook. They can be cooked in several different ways.

• Boiling is the easiest way to cook lobsters. You only need a large stockpot.

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 On Monday, Mike Lummus withdrew from this city's race for mayor. Lummus is a retired police officer. He made this decision after he found out that opponent Gary Nelon shares his goals. Lummus and Nelon want to heal the city's political wounds. They also want to encourage citizens to be more active in government. Nelon is chairman of First Ohio Bancorp.

Which of these provides the best summary of the paragraph?

• Mike Lummus will have to find another way to keep himself busy now that he is not running for mayor. Mike Lummus is a retired police officer.

• Mike Lummus decided not to run for mayor. He withdrew after finding out that his opponent, Gary Nelon, shares his same goals for the city.

• Mike Lummus retired from the police department so that he could run for city mayor. Then, he decided not to run for mayor after all.

• Mike Lummus and Gary Nelon want to heal the city's political wounds. Lummus is a retired police officer, and Nelon is a chairman of First Ohio Bancorp.

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The beagle is a small hound first bred to hunt small game. The beagle has a high energy level and a keen sense of smell. These traits, along with its single-mindedness, make it a great rabbit hunter. These same characteristics make the beagle unique and a bit of a challenge. If you are looking for a mellow, very obedient dog, you should look elsewhere! Some breeds of dogs are designed to work closely with you, take direction easily, and follow commands. Beagles are designed to follow their instincts and work alone. As a result, they can be spirited and mischievous. They will follow their noses with complete abandon. It could take them into the woods or onto your kitchen counters. Expect to spend a lot of time and effort in housebreaking, training, and socializing a beagle if you choose to get one.

Which of the following best summarizes the passage above?

• Beagles have many unique traits: a good sense of smell, a high energy level, and they like to work alone. These traits mean that they are challenging, spirited, and hard-to-train pets.

• Beagles are hard dogs to train. You have to spend a lot of time and effort to get them correctly trained. You also have to work on housebreaking them because they are used to being outside a lot.

• Beagles are small hounds that were bred to hunt small game. They used their excellent sense of smell to find the animals their owners were hunting. Now, they climb on people's kitchen counters.

• Beagles like to follow their noses, literally. They have a very good sense of smell. A beagle will follow its nose wherever it takes the dog. It could lead the beagle into the woods or onto the kitchen counter.

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Students at Dessau Middle School can have fun with math at their first Olympic Math Game Night. It is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday in the school gym. Students will compete in math-related games with the encouragement of their parents. Pizza will be available in the cafeteria. The Austin Astronomical Society will bring its telescopes for stargazing in the parking lot.     The event is designed to take away some of the fear of math in preparation for the April 16 state-wide math test. It is free and open to parents and students at Dessau Middle School. For more information, call the school at 989-5891. Ask for teacher Marsha McNeill.

Which is the best way to summarize this passage?

• Teachers at Dessau Middle School really care about how their students do on the state-wide math test. That is why they want to get parents involved in homework.

• Dessau Middle School is offering a night of fun math-related activities on Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. They will help ease students' fears about taking the state math test.

• Students at Dessau Middle School will enjoy math-related games, pizza, and stargazing on Thursday night. The Austin Astronomical Society will bring the telescopes.

• Students at Dessau Middle School will take a state-wide math test on April 16. For more information, call teacher Marsha McNeill at Dessau Middle School by Thursday.

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The people who organize races like the Motorola Marathon have started to take cheating very seriously. Many race organizers use a combination of methods to prevent cheating and to catch cheaters. One way is to attach a small computerized chip to a competitor's shoe. The chip is lightweight and a little bigger than a quarter. The chip tracks a runner's time at different points on the course. This determines whether he or she ran the entire distance. Computer chips alone will not expose all cheaters, however. Race officials also used video cameras at secret locations to watch runners. They also scatter volunteers throughout the course. The volunteers watch the runners and write down their numbers and times. Sometimes race officials can catch a cheater just by looking at him or her. Irregular sweat patterns in clothing, a lack of salt stains on a runner's face, and inappropriate clothes are telltale signs of cheating. Those who dare to cheat better have the course memorized and be prepared to identify runners they saw along the way. Race officials can be pretty nosy if they have suspicions.

Which of these is the best summary of the passage?

• Computer chips play a big part in catching runners who cheat in big races like the Motorola Marathon. The computer chip is very lightweight. It is about the size of a quarter and fits onto a running shoe easily.

• Cheating has become a serious problem for big race organizers. Race officials in the Motorola Marathon are starting to take cheating very seriously. They do not want to reward people who do not run the marathon.

• Race officials have discovered that runners who win races all have similar sweat patterns, salt stains on their faces, and similar running clothes and shoes. Cheaters do not usually follow these race patterns.

• Race officials have started to use many methods for catching runners who do not fairly complete the entire race. The methods range from high-tech chips to a simple glance at a runner's clothing and sweat stains.

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The charango is a small stringed instrument that originated in 18th-century Peru. It belongs to the lute family along with the violin, banjo, mandolin, and guitar. The charango is most similar in size and sound to Hawaii's ukulele. The ukulele has only four strings whereas the charango has 10 strings. The additional strings give it a fuller sound. Originally, the charango was made from the shell of an armadillo. Today, however, the instrument is usually made of wood. It is commonly played in South American countries such as Peru, Argentina, and Bolivia. However, the popularity of the charango extends beyond South America. The Gipsy Kings, a popular Spanish-language band from France, often uses the charango.

Which detail from the passage would be most important to include in the summary?

• It is commonly played in South American countries such as Peru, Argentina, and Bolivia.

• It belongs to the lute family along with the violin, banjo, mandolin, and guitar.

• The Gipsy Kings, a popular Spanish-language band from France, often uses the charango.

• The charango is a small stringed instrument that originated in 18th-century Peru.

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