Open and read a short passage about a famous eight-legged
marine creature, The Octopus. You'll
find it linked to the book icon on the right. Then
we'll work through a multiple choice question on
summarizing. Keep the passage open as we work through
this example. This time don't read the answers
before reading the passage. We'll use
a different strategy with this question.
Which of these is the best summary of this passage?
Think:
What are the key words in this
question? "best
and summary" You
should recognize the question is asking about identifying
main ideas in the passage, rather than opinions or supporting
details.
Does the title reveal
anything special about the article?
The title is clear. This article is about the octopus.
Are there subtitles? No,
there are no subtitles in this article, but I could
read the first sentence of each paragraph to get an
idea of the main ideas.
Are there pictures to help
support important ideas?
Yes. There is a picture of an octopus. The caption
gives information about it's appearance and how it
captures prey.
Let's think about this question and the
possible answers in a little different way by
creating an outline.
First, start by reading the
first sentence of each paragraph.
Now read the entire passage, one paragraph at a time. Think as you read:What is the main idea
of this paragraph? What is it about?
Begin an outline by jotting down what each paragraph
is about. For example, look at the second paragraph.
You've
noticed these details and decide paragraph two is about
where they live and how they act:
lives on bottom of temperate
waters
size varies from few inches
to 30 feet
fairly shy in pursuing
prey - not like seen in horror movies
frightened, expel inky
cloud to escape
shelters in caves and rock crevices
Under each paragraph IDEA, list other details in
the paragraph, like you noticed for paragraph two
above. You
will have a fairly complete outline if you complete
this activity. It will be a KEY to the summary of
the passage.
Now look for an answer choice that highlights the main
ideas, does not include opinions, and does not focus
on
supporting details.
You can use notebook paper to write your outline, or
you can type it here:
Check your outline.
Remember the question? Which of these is the
best summary of this passage?
Multiple Choice Answers:
Yes
No
Maybe
Answers
A.
The bag-shaped, eight-legged octopus is the
most fantastic of the mollusk family. They attack
their prey with poisonous bites like in the horror
movies. They live in dark caves and squirt ink
to protect themselves. They are smart because
they get out of their aquariums at night.
B.
The author tells us that the octopus is an invertebrate
without a protective shell. People should not
be afraid of the octopus because they are mostly
shy, hide in caves, and use ink to protect themselves.
They have lots of baby octopuses. They like to
eat fish, but watch out because their bite is
poisonous.
C.
The author describes how the octopus looks and
what it eats. She says they are shy except when
hunting their prey. They are very protective because
the mom stays with her eggs until they are born.
Aquariums have to put Astroturf on their tanks
to keep them from escaping.
D.
The author describes the appearance of the invertebrate
octopus. She explains what they eat, where they
live in the ocean, how they catch their prey and
how they reproduce. Some octopus live in aquariums.
By observing their behavior in captivity, we know
they are also smart as some mammals, and may be
curious.
Which is the best summary?
Remember a summary statement does not include opinions.
Which of these answers includes an opinion?
A summary should not focus on supporting details? Which
answers use supporting details, rather than main ideas?
Which answer choice does all of these things?
states the main ideas of a text passage.
is clear and concise (brief).
focuses only on information
(main ideas) from the text.
usually follows the sequence of events in the
text.
does not include opinions of
the reader; it avoids interpretation or judgement.
Just the facts will do!
Let's work with one more short answer example before we
move to the practice items.
