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WorksheetsParaphrasing and summarizing
Total questions: 21
Worksheet time: 2hrs 9mins
How can you avoid plagiarism?
A. Cite all of your sources.
B. Copy and paste others’ work.
C. Select an appropriate topic.
D. Have a peer revise your paper.
When should you paraphrase information?
A. when the original language and sentence structure matches your style
B. when the original language is difficult to understand
C. when the original source is written by a respected expert
D. when the original source makes a point in a particularly brilliant or witty way
Which of the following is included in a summary?
A. key points
B. personal opinions
C. background information
D. minor examples
PARAPHRASING means . . .
writing down exactly what a passage says
putting information
into your own words
What are the characteristics of A GOOD PARAPHRASE
A good paraphrase must be correct. Right people, right place, right time, right amount It has the same meaning as the original phrase, sentence, or paragraph.
A paraphrase must include your own words. Use words that you understand, that you yourself use. You won’t be able to change every word, but you should always try to use as many synonyms as you can.
A good paraphrase must make sense. Right information, right order Use good complete sentences, other people must be able to understand what you’ve said.
All of the Above
To express someone else’s ideas in our own words means . . .
Paraphrasing
Quoting
Summarizing
What is the best summary of the following passage?
The Elk River flows from the far northern part of the state all the way to the southern tip. All kinds of animals rely on it for drinking water, people eat the fish they catch in it, and farmers in the state depend on it for irrigating their crops. Since there is very little rain in this state, the Elk River gives animals and humans the water they need to stay alive. Even though the river is not nearly the biggest in the nation, it is very important to the people and animals that live near it.
The Elk River is a small river.
The Elk River starts in the northern part of the state.
The Elk River is very important to people and animals.
People catch fish in the Elk River.
For the walls, Jenny 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. And finally, she had picked a carpet that was mostly blue with specks of red and yellow. Jenny couldn't wait till she was done decorating her room. It was really going to look awesome.
The Summary of this passage is:
Jenny likes bright colors.
Jenny was going to paint her room.
Jenny was picking out colors and materials to decorate her room.
Yellow is a good color to paint your walls.
Read the excerpt below.
Which sentence best restates the ideas?
"Although television was not widely used in American homes until the 1950's, small, experimental television images were broadcast in the 1920's."
Television was not widely used in American homes until the 1950's.
Television became popular in the 1950's, but the first televisions were used thirty years earlier.
Television became popular in the 1920's, and again in the 1950's.
Which is the best paraphrases for this sentence?
"A handshake does not mean the same thing around the world."
A handshake means something different around the world.
Internationally, a greeting by shaking hands is not the same.
A handshake does not mean the same thing around the world.
Read the passage below and choose the best paraphrase/summary:
Thanks to the efforts of volunteers, people in Sauri, Kenya, have much better lives today than in years past. Their hospital now has a generator and running water, and it provides free medications for diseases that are widespread in the community. Cases of malaria have declined as people have been given mosquito nets for beds.
Their hospital now has a generator and running water, and it provides free medications for diseases that are widespread in the community.
Cases of malaria have declined as people have been given mosquito nets for beds.
Thanks to the efforts of volunteers, people in Sauri, Kenya, have much better lives today than in years past. Their hospital now has a generator and running water, and it provides free medications for diseases that are widespread in the community.
Life in Sauri has recently improved.The hospital offers electricity and plumbing, and Free medicine and mosquito nets help prevent common diseases and malaria.
Read the passage below and choose the best paraphrase/summary:
The storm that blew through Wichita, Kansas, last night dropped buckets of rain before turning more severe. Between 9 PM and 1 AM, Wichita Airport reported six inches of rain. Reports from residents in surrounding counties recorded the rainfall up as high as eight inches in the same time period. Reports of tornados were not correct. However, very strong winds were experienced all over the area.
Around 11 PM, some residents on the western edge of the city reported large hail. The hail was originally reported to be the size of dimes or nickels. Within an hour, reports were received describing hail the size of golf balls or tennis balls. Millions of dollars in damage are expected to be announced. This includes hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses at several local car dealerships.
The severe storm last night in Wichita, Kansas, brought hail that caused millions of dollars in damage and reports of tornadoes that were not correct.
Last night's severe storm caused millions of dollars in damage including hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage at local car dealerships.
The severe storm that struck Wichita, Kansas, last night dropped between six and eight inches of rain and caused millions of dollars in damage.
A severe storm in Wichita, Kansas, last night brought strong wind, rain, and hail that caused millions of dollars in damage.
Read the passage below and choose the best paraphrase/summary:
Bathing has been a part of religious ceremonies for thousands of years. However, bathing has not always been a common practice in the United States. Some early-19th century Americans believed that taking a bath was bad for their health. At the same time, other people were beginning to learn about the benefits of bathing. As they learned that bathing could help prevent the spread of disease, they demanded more clean water. Cities across the country heard this demand and began building water and sewer systems. Cities made water and sewer services available to the people who could pay for them. Because of this, most water and sewer lines were located in wealthy neighborhoods. By the middle of the century, many wealthy people had indoor plumbing. It would be many years before indoor plumbing was made available to people in poorer neighborhoods.
Bathing has been a part of religious ceremonies for thousands of years. People started to demand more clean water after they began learning about the benefits of bathing during the 19th century. Water and sewer lines were built in American cities.
There was a time when people did not bathe regularly. People did not know that bathing could prevent diseases from spreading. Then, people started to demand clean water. Cities had to build water and sewer systems in the richest neighborhoods first.
Bathing has not always been a common practice in the United States. In the 19th century, people found out that bathing helps prevent the spread of disease. Cities built water and sewer systems. Wealthy people had better access to indoor plumbing.
About two hundred years ago, people used to think that bathing was bad for their health. Cities across the country started to build water and sewer systems to prevent the spread of disease. It was many years before poorer neighborhoods got plumbing.
Read the passage below and choose the best paraphrase/summary:
Many places will have record levels of pollen this spring. This is just one reason Americans are expected to spend $4.7 billion this year on prescription allergy medicines. The top three medications are Claritin, Allegra, and Zyrtec. A new study finds that almost two-thirds of those people who take these drugs do not need them.
"It is very obvious to anyone in the allergy field that many patients are being misdiagnosed," said Dr. Beth Corn. Corn is an allergist at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York.
Americans are expected to spend billions of dollars on allergy medication. Many of these people taking the medicine do not actually need it.
Dr. Beth Corn is an allergist in New York. She works at Mount Sinai Medical Center. She often gives her patients Zyrtec, Allegra, and Claritin.
Americans could spend well over $4 billion this year on different allergy medications. Zyrtec, Claritin, and Allegra are three kinds of medication.
Record amounts of pollen aggravate the allergies of people each year. Some people take Claritin, while others take Allegra to ease their allergies.
Read the passage below and choose the best paraphrase/summary:
Jet lag is a problem suffered by many flight attendants, pilots, and frequent flyers. When people travel rapidly across numerous time zones, as they do when flying long distances, they sometimes develop a condition called jet lag. These long trips disturb normal body rhythms. After a trip, travelers may have trouble falling asleep at night and staying awake during the day. Experts advise travelers flying eastbound to go to bed later than usual before traveling and those flying west to go to bed earlier than usual. These changes should help minimize the effects of jet lag.
Flight attendants, pilots, and frequent flyers often suffer jet lag. Experts have many tips for travelers that will help prevent jet lag.
Jet lag is a problem for people who fly a lot. To prevent jet lag, people can change the time they go to sleep before they take a trip.
People who suffer jet lag have trouble falling asleep and staying awake. This is because people's body rhythms get thrown off by travel.
Long-distance travel is unsafe because of a condition known as jet lag. Jet lag happens when people travel across many time zones.
Read the passage below and choose the best paraphrase/summary:
Small newspaper seeks writers. Writers must work well under pressure and focus on details. Good writing skills are necessary. Related experience preferred. Must be flexible with hours. May need to work overtime, nights, and weekends. Call 555-1234 for information.
Most newspapers want flexible workers. They want people who are able to work nights, weekends, and even overtime.
A small newspaper is looking to hire writers. They would like someone who can work under pressure and have flexible hours.
Writers at newspapers work long hours. They often have to work at night or on weekends. They also have to deal with stress.
You need experience to get a good job. For example, in order to get a writing job, it is helpful to have some writing experience.
Read the passage below and choose the best paraphrase/summary:
Have you always wanted to own your own boat but thought you couldn't afford to? Now there's a way to purchase a small skiff for less than retail price. All you need is time, patience, and skill in working with carpentry tools. For $175 you can obtain a kit to build your own eight-foot rowboat. The kit contains complete instructions, precut wooden parts, metal fittings, sandpaper, sealant, and paint. The only decision left up to you is choosing the color of the hull; everything else has been provided. For purchasing information, log on to our Web site.
Some people think that boats are really expensive. Only large boats cost a lot of money; small ones do not.
You can buy a small boat for under $200. Most people think that boats cost thousands of dollars.
You can build a small, inexpensive rowboat from a kit. The kit has all of the pieces and paint that you need.
People can actually buy a rowboat on the Internet. You can find out more information on the Web site.
Summarizing is defined as...
rewriting a text in your own words.
shortening a text with important information only.
sharing your opinion about a text.
Whether you are paraphrasing, summarizing, or quoting, you should ALWAYS
Keep most of the words the same as the original
Cite the source
Use quotation marks
Deserts cover one fifth of the surface of the Earth.
Brazil is the largest country in South America and Suriname is the smallest.
