Paraphrase Better

When you put the words of others into your own words, you are doing what?

• plagiarizing
• writing
• cheating
• paraphrasing

Paraphrasing, or restating ideas in your own words, helps you check your understanding of what you hear and read. Read the passage. Which sentence  best restates the ideas in the passage?
 "Although television was not widely used in American homes until the 1950s, small, experimental television images were broadcast in the 1920s."

• Television was not widely used in American homes until the 1950s.
• Television became popular in the 1950s, but the first televisions were used thirty years earlier.
• Television became popular in the 1920s, and again in the 1950s.

Choose the sentence that BEST paraphrases this sentence:

A high school student usually has summer reading assignments.

• A high school student always has homework assignments in the summer.
• It is common for students in high school to have summer reading assignments.
• Usually school aged students have summer reading assignments.
• Most summer 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. 

Choose the best paraphrase of the following statement:
“According to the National Sleep Foundation, kids ages 6 to 13 should be getting between nine and 11 hours of sleep per night.”

• Researchers at The National Sleep Foundation believe kids ages 6 to 13 do not get enough sleep.
• According to the National Sleep Foundation, kids need lots of sleep.
• The National Sleep Foundation suggests nine to 11 hours of sleep each night for children between the ages of 6 and 13.
• The National Sleep Foundation believes kids who are between 6 and 13 should be getting between nine and 11 hours of at night.

Which of the following statements about SUMMARIZING is true?

• The Summary is a thought that is true but is not in the passage.
• The Summary is what the passage is mostly about.
•  The Summary is specific, detailed information contained in the passage.
• The Summary is always found in the first sentence of the passage.

"Just a whiff can trigger a problem in some people with severe allergies."
Which of the following statements best paraphrases the quote? 

• Just a whiff can trigger a problem in some people with severe allergies. 
•  Just a quick smell can be deadly. 
• Just a quick smell can cause someone to have a serious allergic reaction. 
• Allergies are all related to smell.

Which of the following statements best describes how to paraphrase information?    

• Copy the sentence and then put it in quotations.
• Copy the sentence, put it in quotations, and cite the source.
•  Determine key words in the sentence and replace one of two of them with words that have similar meanings. 
• Determine key words in the sentence and replace most of them with words that have similar meanings.  Rewrite the sentence in your own words.

Is the passage below an accurate paraphrase that helps clarify the meaning of the original text? Select Yes or No.
Original Text: Toward the end of the 1800s, the Industrial Revolution caused a change in many people's employment. When agricultural work in rural areas became harder to find, many left to seek industrial work in urban areas.
Paraphrase: The Industrial Revolution in the late 1800s changed what jobs were available. People left farms in the country to work in factories in the cities.

• Yes
• No

Choose the best paraphrase:
“Plumber Caught Dancing On The Job Has All The Fly Moves”
 Original source: “The video of Topen’s dancing has racked up more than 400,000 views since it was posted on YouTube last week, and the plumber says he’s already been approached in public for his autograph.”

• The video has racked up more than 400,000 views since posted on YouTube last week, and the plumber has even been approached for his autograph.
• Even though the YouTube video of the dancing plumber was only posted last week, it has already had more than 400,000 views. Topen has become an almost instant celebrity as strangers have even asked him for autographs (“Plumber Caught Dancing On The Job Has All The Fly Moves”).