Paraphrase Practice

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.

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 of the following statement:
“According to the study, 72% of all children and 89% of adolescents have at least one device in their sleep environment.”

• The study claims that 72 percent of children have at least one device in their sleep environment, and so do 89 percent of adolescents.
• The study concluded that a minimum of one device is present in most young people’s sleeping environments.
• The study found that more than half of children and adolescents have at least one device in their sleep environment.
• According to the study, children and adolescents need to minimize the devices in their sleep environment.

How are paraphrasing and summarizing different from one another?

• Both are reworded; however, a summary is a condensed version of the original, while paraphrasing maintains the source's length.
• Both are reworded; however, a paraphrase is a condensed version of the original, while summarizing maintains the source's length.
• A summary does not have to change sentence structure and order of ideas while a paraphrase does.
• A summary does not need to be cited while a paraphrase does.

Read the sentence below. Then, answer the question. 

Every day, Mount St. Helens emits steam and, although there have been no eruptions since 1985, volcanologists are monitoring its activity.
Which choice below best paraphrases the passage?

• Scientists still observe Mount St. Helens, which last erupted in 1985. The volcano gives off steam daily.
• Mount St. Helens emits steam every day, even though there have been no eruptions since 1985.
• Mount St. Helens may erupt at any moment—it's spewing out steam every day!
• Every day, Mount St. Helens emits steam. Volcanologists are monitoring its activity.