Summary Writing

When some people think about Texas, they think of cowboys on the open range-herding cattle up a dusty trail. However, Texas has much more than open prairie with large herds of cows. There are the mountains of West Texas, the piney hills of east Texas, and the emerald waters off the coast of Padre Island. Texas also has large coastal harbors with numerous sailboats, powerboats, inland lakes, rivers, swamps of southeast Texas with alligators and other exotic wildlife.
The Summary of this passage is:

• There are a lot of cows in Texas.

• There are many different, varied parts of Texas.

•  Texas is one of the biggest states in the United States.

•  There are alligators in the swampland of southeast Texas.

A summary should be written in your own words.

• True

• False

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.

San Francisco is located on the coast of California in an area often called the Bay Area. The weather is generally very mild, seldom getting really cold or really hot. Its mild climate is one reason many people live there. It seldom snows in San Francisco and generally does not get below freezing during the winter. Even in the middle of summer, temperatures may be in the mid 80s with a cool breeze from the bay keeping the weather very comfortable.
The Summary of this passage is:
 

• San Francisco has many neat things to do.

•  It seldom snows in California.

•  Many people choose to live in California.

•  The weather in San Francisco is generally very mild.

_____ includes only main ideas.

• A paraphrase

• A summary

So, what is the summary prompt of this exercise?

• Solo dining

• What is solo dining

• How restaurants are changing to make people who are eating out feel more welcome.

• When eating out in a restaurant, customers have traditionally booked a table for two.

Which best describes a summary?

• a really long detailed piece of writing

• the entire text told in your own words

• the main ideas and important details of a text

• facts and opinions

Which one of the following is NOT a part of a summary?

• using your own words

• the summary is shorter than the text

• exact words from the text

• including main ideas only

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 specific, detailed information contained in the passage.

• The summary is always found in the first sentence of the passage.

• The summary is what the passage is mostly about.

What is the primary purpose of writing a summary?

• To provide a detailed analysis of the text

• To rewrite the text in your own words

• To highlight the main ideas and key points

• To express personal opinions about the text