Faculty of Letters andHumanities Reading comprehension S1

English Department Prof. M.HARRAQI

SUMMARY (PRECIS)

Summarizing is a post reading activity that requires both comprehension and expression
skills. It is an exercise in which you are required to (1) reduce the text to its main idea and
the most essential arguments that are connected to it, and (2), reproduce what you have
decoded in as few words as possible. A summary therefore helps you understand the text by
shrinking it to its key points. A summary usually does not exceed 1/4 of the original text. Note
that there are instances when you are required to limit your summary to a given number of words
(50, 75 or 100 words -/+ 10%). Writing a good summary necessitates practice. The following tips
might help you write a good summary:
 Read the passage carefully.
 While reading, try to highlight the key points (arguments/words/terms) in each
paragraph.
 You must identify the main idea and the key points.
 Delete all unnecessary clauses and phrases from the main sentences.
 Present the essential ideas concisely and adequately.
 Your summary should be coherent and organized in a logical way.
 The ideas need to be reformulated in your own words. No "copy and paste"
phrases.

There are many techniques you can for a summary depending on the nature of the text. For
example, to summarize a story, students may use the “Somebody Wanted But So Then”.
Each word represents a key question related to the story's essential elements:
 Somebody: Who is the story about?
 Wanted: What does the main charater want?
 But: Identify a problem that the main character encountered.
 So: How does the main character solve the problem?
 Then: Tell how the story ends.
OR , the “First Then Finally” technique helps students summarize events in
chronological order. The three words represent the beginning, main action, and conclusion of
a story, respectively:
• First: What happened first? Include the main character and main event/action.
• Then: What key details took place during the event/action?
• Finally: What were the results of the event/action?

To learn more about these techniques and other ones, check the following links:
 https://www.thoughtco.com/summarizing-strategies-for-students-4582332
 https://www.summarizing.biz/all-summarizing-strategies/
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 PRACTICE
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Writing a good summary depends on how successful you are in understanding the main idea, that is,
the message which the writer is trying to get across. In order to identify the main idea, you need to
ask yourself the following question: What is the purpose (goal) of the author behind writing this
passage?
A- A- Read the following paragraphs and carefully determine what the main idea is for
each. From the five choices, select the ONE statement that best supports the author’s point
of view.
1. Critical reading is a demanding process. To read critically, you must slow down your
reading and, with pencil in hand, perform specific operations on the text. Mark up the text
with your reactions, conclusions, and questions. When you read, become an active
participant.
The statement that best summarizes the author’s view is
a. critical reading is a slow, dull, but essential process.
b. the best critical reading happens at critical times in a person’s life.
c. critical reading requires thoughtful and careful attention.
d. readers should get in the habit of questioning the truth of what they read.
e. critical reading should take place at the same time each day

2. Human technology developed from the first stone tools about two and a half million years
ago. In the beginning, the rate of development was slow. Hundreds of thousands of years
passed without much change. Today, new technologies are reported daily on television and
in newspapers.
The statement that best summarizes the author’s view is
a. stone tools were not really technology.
b. stone tools were in use for two and a half million years.
c. there is no way to know when stone tools first came into use.
d. In today’s world, new technologies are constantly being developed.
e. none of the latest technologies are as significant as the development of stone tools.

3. Reality TV shows will have an adverse effect on traditional dramas and comedies. As
Reality TV increases in popularity, network executives will begin canceling more
traditional programs and replacing them with the latest in Reality TV.
The statement that best summarizes the author’s view is
a. Reality TV is low quality.
b. Reality TV shows get the highest ratings.
c. more and more people love to watch and participate in Reality TV.
d. as Reality TV gets more popular, more traditional television shows may be threatened.
e. network executives make hasty and unwise decisions
4. Use of electronic mail (e-mail) has been widespread for more than a decade. E-mail
simplifies the flow of ideas, connects people from distant offices, eliminates the need for
meetings, and often boosts productivity. However, e-mail should be carefully managed to avoid
unclear and inappropriate communication. E-mail messages should be concise and limited to one
topic. When complex issues need to be addressed, phone calls are still best.
The main idea of the paragraph is that e-mail
a. is not always the easiest way to connect people from distant offices.
b. is effective for certain kinds of messages but only if managed wisely.
c. has changed considerably since it first began a decade ago.
d. causes people to be unproductive when it is used incorrectly.
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Which of the following would be the most appropriate title for the passage?

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a. Appropriate Use of E-Mail
b. E-Mail’s Popularity
c. E-Mail: The Ideal Form of Communication
d. Why Phone Calls Are Better Than E-Mail

B- Read the passages below and do the related tasks.

A. Lucy would never get her room clean. It looked like a tornado had hit it. She couldn’t
believe how much damage her friends had done. They pull everything out and didn’t put
anything back. Glue was spilled all over her rug, and fingernail polish was spilled on her
new bedspread. They had even wiped their chocolate covered fingers on her curtains. Wow!
What a mess.
adapted from www.teach-nology.com
1. The main idea of the paragraph is:
a. There is glue on the rug. b. Lucy’s friends are messy.
c. A tornado hit the house. d. Lucy’s friends ate chocolate.

2. Copy in the box below the key words which helped decide on your choice

B. Martha and Mary were identical twin sisters in our high school class. They didn’t dress
identically, but they did share and exchange clothes, so it could be difficult to tell them apart
without observing their behavior or conversing with them. As identical as they looked, they
had quite different personalities. While both were soft-spoken, Martha would sometimes
volunteer information or an experience relevant to the subject in class, while Mary never did.
Martha was more social and outgoing. She both enjoyed and was serious about acting, and
appeared in several school plays. Mary was more retiring, preferring reading, knitting, and
listening to music. While they were very pretty, the twins did not date, but for different
reasons. Martha had such high standards that no boy in high school was acceptable, and she
preferred to wait for the greater variety of choices she would find in college. Mary, on the
other hand, was too shy to talk to boys much in high school. College life helped her gain
social confidence.
https://www.coursehero.com/file/p4efkk1g/What-point-is-the-writer-making-in-this-paragraph-A-
Propose-changes-in-the-way/

1. What is the primary purpose of this passage?

a. To compare and contrast the personalities of twin sisters
b. To record the developmental growth of identical twins
c. To describe vividly so readers feel they know both sisters
d. To support the argument that nature outweighs nurture

2. Copy in the box below the key words which helped you make your choice.

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 C.Planets in the Solar System
There are eight planets in the Solar System, and each one is very different. Some planets, like
Jupiter and Saturn are very large. Others, like Mercury and Mars are smaller. Jupiter has
moons that are larger than Mercury. The planets also have different atmospheres. Uranus,
Jupiter and Saturn have atmospheres of hydrogen and helium. The atmosphere on Venus is
made up of carbon dioxide. Earth has a nitrogen and oxygen atmosphere. Neptune’s
atmosphere is mostly hydrogen. The planets also have different temperatures. Uranus is the
coldest and Venus is the hottest.
https://www.hasdk12.org/cms/lib/PA01001366/Centricity/Domain/1178/planets-main-idea.pdf

1. Write the main idea of the paragraph in your own words.

2. Write the supporting ideas for the main idea.

a.
b.
c.

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