Summarize Text

Julie watched the ants as they carried small crumbs down the trail to the anthill. She thinks ants are very hard working and industrious little creatures. They always seemed busy, and you never saw an ant just laying around doing nothing. They were carrying food, building tunnels, or defending the anthill. One thing you could say about ants is that they sure aren't lazy.
The Summary of this passage is:
 

• Ants carry many things.

• Some ants may bite you.

• Ants are hard workers.

• Some ants help take care of the queen.

What is the purpose of summarizing?

• To condense a text into a longer version

• To expand on the main ideas of a text

• To distill the main points of a text

• To confuse readers with unnecessary details

You should only include the main events or ideas from the passage when writing a summary.

• True

• False

Tomorrow is Jill's birthday. She is excited because she gets to pick where she will eat dinner. Will it be Mexican food at the Big Enchilada House? Or will it be fried chicken at the Chicken Shack, or a big cheeseburger at Al's Hamburger Palace. She just couldn't decide. Then there was always the Pizza Shop with that great pepperoni pizza. How would she ever decide? Maybe she would just flip a coin. The Summary of this passage is:

• Jill has many restaurants to choose from for her birthday.

• Jill loves Mexican food.

• The Pizza Shop has the best pizza in town.

• Jill will choose a place by flipping a coin.

What is a summary?

• A brief statement in your own words about the text. 

• When you state 

  just the facts and leave out your thoughts, feelings, and opinions.

• The main focus of the text.  

• The 

  details and facts 

  that 

  support and develop the central idea.

In a book club meeting, Mason is asked to summarize the book he read. Why is it important for Mason to include the author's purpose in his summary?

• To express his own viewpoint

• To make his summary longer

• To accurately represent the book's intent

• To critique the author's writing style

What is the best summary of the selection? p. 66-69

• A group of men invite Bud and Bugs to have dinner. In exchange, they will have to help clean up after the meal. The boys, who are considering riding the rails, sit and talk with the men.

• Bud and Bugs search for Hooperville and meet a group of men living in a cardboard camp that offer them food because Bud is so thin. The boys are made to feel welcome. They are asked to help out at the campsite.

• A group of men living in a cardboard city entertain Bud and Bugs. They tell them stories about finding their ways home. They explain that a lot of cities are in trouble right now.

• Bud and Bugs search for a place called Hooperville and find a cardboard city filled with many different types of people. They are invited to share a meal. It exchange, they are asked to help out.

You should write your summary...

• in a secret language that you made up.

• in one draft without revising

• in your own words in complete sentences.

An objective summary includes

• Who? What? when? Where? Why? and facts

• Opinions

• Long version of the story and main ideas

• just the main idea

What is the main purpose of summarizing a text?

• A) To provide a detailed analysis of the text

• B) To condense the text into a shorter version

• C) To rewrite the text in a different style

• D) To add personal opinions to the text