Summarizing

Mary walked quietly through the house so that she would not wake her parents. Before entering the kitchen, she stood and listened. She wanted to make sure that nobody had heard her and woken up. She slowly opened the cabinet door, trying to make sure that it didn’t squeak. As Mary reached into the cabinet, something warm and furry touched her hand. Mary ran from the kitchen screaming loudly. Her father ran in to see what had happened. He started laughing when he saw their cat Purr Purr sitting quietly in the kitchen cabinet wagging her tail.

Choose the best summary of the above text.

• A. Mary went to the kitchen. She stopped and listened. She opened the cabinet. She screamed. Her dad laughed.

• A. Mary went to the kitchen. She stopped and listened. She opened the cabinet. She screamed. Her dad laughed.

• C. The cat hid in the cabinet and scared Mary when she reached into it.

• D. Mary walked into the kitchen after listening to make sure that nobody heard her. She opened the cabinet slowly and felt something touch her. She ran away screaming. She didn’t know that it was her cat Purr Purr.

I was so scared when I first learned that I would be having my tooth pulled. I didn’t sleep at all the night before the procedure. I was terrified that it would hurt more than I could tolerate. I was shaking when I sat in the dentist's chair. He promised me that it would not hurt, but I certainly had my doubts. The dentist gave me some medicine. When I awoke, my tooth was gone, and I didn’t remember a thing.

Choose the best summary of the above text.

• A. The writer was scared about having to have a tooth pulled and thought it would hurt. The dentist gave her medicine, and she didn’t feel it when her tooth was pulled

• B. The writer was scared. She got her tooth pulled. The dentist gave her medicine.

• C. The dentist gave the writer some medicine so that it wouldn’t hurt when her tooth was pulled.

• D. The writer was scared about having her tooth pulled. She didn’t sleep the night before. She was terrified. She was shaking. The dentist gave her medicine. She didn’t feel a thing when he pulled her tooth.

Huckleberry Hound ran through the yard and into the field next to his house. Suddenly, he put his nose to the ground and started sniffing as he walked. Yep, he definitely smelled a rabbit. He raised his head and howled loudly to let the other dogs know what he had found. Then, he shot after the rabbit like a bolt of lightning. He chased the rabbit for what seemed like hours, but he never caught it. He returned to his yard with his head hanging and his tail tucked between his legs.

Choose the best summary of the above text.

• A. Huckleberry Hound smelled a rabbit. He chased it for a long time, but never caught it

• B. Huckleberry Hound smelled a rabbit. He ran across the yard to the field. He howled so the other dogs would know he found a rabbit. He shot after the rabbit and chased it for a long time. He didn’t catch the rabbit. He went home with his head hung down.

• C. Huckleberry Hound chased a rabbit.

• D. Huckleberry Hound smelled a rabbit. He put his nose to the ground and followed its trail. He definitely smelled a rabbit. He chased it for a long time. He let the other dogs know he had found a rabbit. He didn’t catch the rabbit.

I had been craving chocolate ice cream all day. Finally, the school was over and I could get a huge chocolate ice cream cone. The line was long, but it was worth the wait. The first taste of my ice cream cone was delicious. Then, the worst thing imaginable happened. I bumped into the person behind me and dropped my ice cream cone and it fell on the floor.

Summarize the above text using one sentence.

• A. I craved ice cream all day, but when I finally got a cone I dropped it on the floor.

• B. I craved ice cream all day, but I dropped it.

• C. I bought chocolate ice cream, and I bumped into someone and dropped it.

• D. The first taste of ice cream was great because I had been craving it all day.

Opal walked into the store not wanting to do what she had planned. She knew when she took the makeup without paying for it that it was wrong. She felt so guilty. She knew she couldn’t keep the makeup. So, gathering it all of her courage, she walked over to the security officer and confessed what she had done.

Summarize the above text using only one sentence.

• A. Opal was ashamed of what she did, so she returned it.

• B. Opal stole some makeup; however, she returned it because she felt guilty.

• C. Opal walked to the store, and she returned the make-up.

• D. Opal walked to the store, and gathered up her courage because she had stole some makeup.

The nervous system is made up of the brain, the spinal cord, and thousands of nerves. The brain controls the nervous system. The spinal cord is the link between the brain and other parts of the body. It sends and receives the messages from the brain and the nerves. The nerves are bundles of fibers that carry the messages throughout the body.

Summarize the information presented in the above passage.

• A. The spinal cord links and sends messages between the brain, which controls the nervous system and the nerves, which carry messages throughout the body.

• B. The nervous system is made of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves.

• C. The spinal cord links the brain and the nerves. The nerves carry messages to the rest of the body. The nervous system is made of the brain, the spinal cord, and thousands of nerves.

• D. The brain controls the nervous system. The spinal cord links and sends messages between the brain and spinal cord.

Unlike other whales that live in small, close-knit groups called pods, blue whales live and travel alone or with one other whale. While traveling through the ocean, they surface to breathe air into their lungs through blowholes. They emerge from the ocean, spewing water out of their blowhole, roll, and reenter the water with a grand splash of their large tail. They make loud, deep, and rumbling low-frequency sounds that travel great distances, which allow them to communicate with other whales as far as 100 miles away. Their cries can be felt as much as heard. Their resonating call makes them the loudest animal on Earth. If you ever have the opportunity to see or hear a blue whale, it will be an experience you will not soon forget.

What information should NOT be included in a summary about a blue whale’s call?

• A. They make loud, deep, and rumbling low-frequency sounds that travel great distances, which allow them to communicate with other whales as far as 100 miles away.

• B. Their cries can be felt as well as heard.

• C. Their resonating call makes them the loudest animals on Earth.

• D. If you ever have the opportunity to see or hear a blue whale, it will be an experience you will not soon forget.

In the United States today, we are starting to see more and more of a problem with children who are overweight. Doctors and even the President's wife are trying to do something about it. They are recommending healthier foods and that children get daily exercise by going outside and doing things instead of sitting in front of the tv. They have suggested that children get at least an hour of exercise a day by doing things like jumping rope or cycling or anything else that makes their heart beat faster. This kind of exercise is known as aerobic exercise. Something else they recommend is for children to do exercises that strengthen the bones and muscles. There are lots of ways children can do this. One way is running.

Summarize the above paragraph using only one sentence.

• A. Doctors want people to exercise.

• B. Doctors want people to do aerobic exercise.

• C. Doctors want people to do 60 minutes of jumping and activities like that each day.

• D. Doctors think it's important that children get sixty minutes of moderate or vigorous physical activity each day as it's good for their bones and muscles.

In the United States today, we are starting to see more and more of a problem with children who are overweight. Doctors and even the President's wife are trying to do something about it. They are recommending healthier foods and that children get daily exercise by going outside and doing things instead of sitting in front of the tv. They have suggested that children get at least an hour of exercise a day by doing things like jumping rope or cycling or anything else that makes their heart beat faster. This kind of exercise is known as aerobic exercise. Something else they recommend is for children to do exercises that strengthen the bones and muscles. There are lots of ways children can do this. One way is running.

Which information should NOT be included in the summary for the above text?

• A. Kids should engage in sixty minutes of moderate or vigorous physical activity each day.

• B. The majority of that activity should be aerobic.

• C. Children shouldn't sit in front of the tv.

• D. None of the above

Do you like frogs? Do you know what a spring peeper is?

Spring peepers are tiny, little tree frogs that live in wooded areas near ponds. Although these little frogs are tiny, only about an inch big, they make a very loud sound. They are found mostly in the central and eastern parts of the United States. So, when the weather begins to get warmer after winter, these little frogs start to sing. Their "peep," which is why they are called spring peepers, can be heard for miles around. They live near ponds so they can lay their eggs in the water.

When the weather starts getting colder again, the spring peepers start to go into hiding. They hibernate under logs or any other place they can find in the forest to protect them from the cold. For example, sometimes they hide under fallen leaves or even in a small hole in the ground.

Which information should definitely be included in a summary of the above text?

• A. Spring peepers are small tree frogs.

• B. In the central and eastern parts of the United States.

• C. Peepers hibernate in the winter.

• D. These frogs live on land.