Summarizing Texts
Picture this: a herd of elephants flies past you at sixty miles per hour, followed by a streak of tigers, a pride of lions, and a bunch of clowns. What do you see? It must be a circus train! One of the first uses of the circus train is credited to W.C. Coup. He partnered with P.T. Barnum in 1871 to expand the reach of their newly combined shows using locomotives. Before circus trains, these operators had to lug around all of their animals, performers, and equipment with a team of more than 600 horses. Since there were no highways, these voyages were rough and took a long time. Circuses would stop at many small towns between the large venues. Performing at many of these small towns was not very profitable. Because of these limitations, circuses could not grow as large as the imaginations of the operators. After they began using circus trains, Barnum and Coup only brought their show to large cities. These performances were much more profitable and the profits went toward creating an even bigger and better circus. Multiple rings were added and the show went on. Today, Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus still rely on the circus train to transport their astounding show, but now they use two.
Summarize this passage in 2 to 3 sentences.
Circuses used to have a difficult time travelling and had to stop at many small towns along the way. Trains allowed circuses to travel easily from large city to large city.
Mt. Rushmore is in the Black Hills of South Dakota. It is famous for the carvings of four presidents’ heads. They are Washington, Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Lincoln. Each head is about sixty feet high. That is as tall as ten adults standing on top of each other! An artist named Gutzon Borglum did the carving to bring visitors to the area. He began work in 1927. He died in 1941 before he could finish. Four hundred workers and his son finished the job later that year. The four presidents were supposed to be carved from head to waist. However, there was not enough money to finish the work. Today, over 3 million people visit the mountain each year. The Lakota Indians have never been happy about the carving. The land where the mountain sits was taken from them after the Great Sioux War of 1876. Today, the Lakota are making another carving just seventeen miles away. It will be of Chief Crazy Horse. When done, it will be the world’s biggest outdoor sculpture.
Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A) Many people have tried to climb Mt. Rushmore.
B) Crazy Horse was a chief of the Lakota tribe.
C) Mr. Rushmore also has a visitor center and museum.
D) The artist first wanted to carve Buffalo Bill.
B) Crazy Horse was a chief of the Lakota tribe. The last paragraph talks about the Lakota Indians. The reader can infer that they chose Chief Crazy Horse because he was a Lakota chief.
Ask anyone and he or she can tell you how much a penny is worth. One cent, right? Not quite. In 2012, it cost more than two cents to make a penny. In fact, it cost 11 cents to make a nickel, too. Why does the government keep manufacturing these coins, then? After all, why keep making them when most people do not use change these days? The penny and nickel both show a remarkable figure from U.S. history. Abraham Lincoln is on the penny, and Thomas Jefferson is on the nickel. They were both special presidents. Some people think it is essential to honor these men. We must remember all they did for our country. This is why we should keep the nickel and penny.
In this passage, the word "remarkable" means that Lincoln and Jefferson were...
A) presidents people learn a lot about
B) special and important presidents
C) normal and uninteresting presidents
D) presidents that gave a lot of speeches
B) special and important presidents The 2nd paragraph says that Lincoln and Jefferson were "special presidents". This tells the reader that "remarkable" most likely means "special". This context clue restates the word "remarkable" to show the reader what the word means.
Look around you. Chances are you will probably see someone wearing headphones. Whether they’re listening to music, talking on the phone, or watching a video, headphones help people listen to what they love most. How do these small, plastic cords work? Everything we hear is made up of sound waves. These waves vibrate(1) in the air. As the waves move into your ear, your eardrum vibrates and turns the waves into music, words, and other sounds. Headphones use sound waves just like your ear. The waves travel up the cords from the phone, music player, etc. They move through a magnet and into a coil. This coil vibrates the same way as your eardrum. The sound waves from the coil move into the speakers and into your ear. (1) move very quickly
Choose the best title for this passage.
A) "Headphones and Kids Today"
B) "Sound Waves and Your Ears"
C) "Headphones: What's That Sound?"
D) "Using Headphones and a Music Player"
C) "Headphones: What's That Sound?"
You have probably been told how important it is to spell correctly a million times. But why does it matter? Computers check your spelling for you, right? Well, not always. Just ask 12-year-old Thomas Hurley. Thomas was a player on a game show. When it came to the last question, he wrote down his answer. He even bet $3,000 that he was right. The question was, “Abraham Lincoln called this document, which took effect in 1863, ‘a fit and necessary war measure.’” Thomas was sure his answer was right. Well, he was right . . . sort of. The correct answer was, “What is the Emancipation Proclamation(1)?” However, Thomas wrote, “Emanciptation Proclamation” instead. He lost all $3,000 just for including an extra “t” in the word “emancipation.” We cannot always count on computers to check our spelling. Next time you do not want to check your spelling, remember Thomas Hurley! (1) a document signed by Abraham Lincoln that freed all the slaves in the United States
According to the passage, Thomas lost the $3,000 because he _______
A) did not use a computer to check his answer
B) was too confident his answer was right
C) did not understand the question
D) spelled his answer incorrectly
D) spelled his answer incorrectly
How do you say "Holy cow" in French? The fastest thing in France may just be the fastest ground transportation in the world. The TGV is France's national high speed rail service. On April 3rd, 2007, a TGV test train set a record for the fastest wheeled train, reaching 357.2 miles per hour. In mid 2011, TGV trains operated at the highest speed in passenger train service in the world, regularly reaching 200 miles per hour. But what you may find most shocking is that TGV trains run on electric power not petrol. Now if you'll excuse me; I have a record to catch.
Summarize this passage in 1 to 3 sentences.
The TGV is a French train that set a record for the fastest wheeled train and the fastest passenger train service.
Come One, Come All, to the Benson Elementary School Fourth Grade Picnic! Yes, it is that time again! Students, teachers, and families are invited to attend this popular June event. Place: Jefferson Lake Campground Date and time: Saturday, June 6th, 2:00 PM What to bring: One salad or other picnic food to share. Soda and bottled water will be provided. Feel free to bring swimsuits and towels. Parents, please note: There will be no lifeguard on duty. Also, be sure to bring warmer clothes if you plan to stay until evening. Hope to see you there!
What can the reader infer from the line, “There will be no lifeguard on duty”?
A) The lake is much too cold for swimming in June.
B) Only very strong swimmers should be allowed in the lake.
C) Parents will need to watch the kids who go swimming.
D) No one is allowed to go swimming in Jefferson Lake.
C) Parents will need to watch the kids who go swimming. The author warns parents that there will be no lifeguard at the lake. This is another way of saying that parents will need to watch over their own children as they swim.
Ask anyone and he or she can tell you how much a penny is worth. One cent, right? Not quite. In 2012, it cost more than two cents to make a penny. In fact, it cost 11 cents to make a nickel, too. Why does the government keep manufacturing these coins, then? After all, why keep making them when most people do not use change these days? The penny and nickel both show a remarkable figure from U.S. history. Abraham Lincoln is on the penny, and Thomas Jefferson is on the nickel. They were both special presidents. Some people think it is essential to honor these men. We must remember all they did for our country. This is why we should keep the nickel and penny.
Which word from the passage is most like the word "manufacturing"?
A) make
B) change
C) coins
D) worth
A) make
Look around you. Chances are you will probably see someone wearing headphones. Whether they’re listening to music, talking on the phone, or watching a video, headphones help people listen to what they love most. How do these small, plastic cords work? Everything we hear is made up of sound waves. These waves vibrate1 in the air. As the waves move into your ear, your eardrum vibrates and turns the waves into music, words, and other sounds. Headphones use sound waves just like your ear. The waves travel up the cords from the phone, music player, etc. They move through a magnet and into a coil. This coil vibrates the same way as your eardrum. The sound waves from the coil move into the speakers and into your ear. 1 move very quickly
Paragraph 2 is mainly about __________
A) how headphones use sound waves to create sounds
B) how the human eardrum uses sound waves for hearing
C) the fact that most people use headphones to listen to music
D) the fact that headphones are usually made with plastic cords
A) how headphones use sound waves to create sounds
You have probably been told how important it is to spell correctly a million times. But why does it matter? Computers check your spelling for you, right? Well, not always. Just ask 12-year-old Thomas Hurley. Thomas was a player on a game show. When it came to the last question, he wrote down his answer. He even bet $3,000 that he was right. The question was, “Abraham Lincoln called this document, which took effect in 1863, ‘a fit and necessary war measure.’” Thomas was sure his answer was right. Well, he was right . . . sort of. The correct answer was, “What is the Emancipation Proclamation(1)?” However, Thomas wrote, “Emanciptation Proclamation” instead. He lost all $3,000 just for including an extra “t” in the word “emancipation.” We cannot always count on computers to check our spelling. Next time you do not want to check your spelling, remember Thomas Hurley! (1) a document signed by Abraham Lincoln that freed all the slaves in the United States
What evidence supports the idea that readers should learn from Thomas Hurley's mistake?
A) When it came to the last question, he wrote down his answer.
B) We cannot always count on computers to check our spelling.
C) Next time you do not want to check your spelling, remember Thomas Hurley!
D) Computer check your spelling for you, right?
C) Next time you do not want to check your spelling, remember Thomas Hurley!
Giddy-up, cowboys and girls! In the Southwest during early half of the 1800s, cows were only worth 2 or 3 dollars a piece. They roamed wild, grazed off of the open range, and were abundant. Midway through the century though, railroads were built and the nation was connected. People could suddenly ship cows in freight trains to the Northeast, where the Yankees had a growing taste for beef. Out of the blue, the same cows that were once worth a couple of bucks were now worth between twenty and forty dollars each, if you could get them to the train station. It became pretty lucrative to wrangle up a drove of cattle and herd them to the nearest train town, but it was at least as dangerous as it was profitable. Cowboys were threatened at every turn. They faced cattle rustlers, stampedes and extreme weather, but kept pushing those steers to the train station. By the turn of the century, barbed wire killed the open range and some may say the cowboy too, but it was the train that birthed him.
Summarize this passage.
Cows were not worth a lot of money until they could be easily transported to the East after the invention of the train. Many people then became cowboys despite the dangers they faced.
Come One, Come All, to the Benson Elementary School Fourth Grade Picnic! Yes, it is that time again! Students, teachers, and families are invited to attend this popular June event. Place: Jefferson Lake Campground Date and time: Saturday, June 6th, 2:00 PM What to bring: One salad or other picnic food to share. Soda and bottled water will be provided. Feel free to bring swimsuits and towels. Parents, please note: There will be no lifeguard on duty. Also, be sure to bring warmer clothes if you plan to stay until evening. Hope to see you there!
The quote "Yes, it is that time again!" tells the reader that...
A) last year's picnic was on the same week day but later B) this is the first 4th grade picnic the school has had C) the author is reminding readers that school is almost out. D) the picnic happens every year around this time
D) the picnic happens every year around this time
Mr. Wu’s restaurant did not make much money at first. Then the word began to spread about the wonderful food at “Mr. Wu’s Place.” This brought about a boom in business. Now, Mr. Wu needed more staff to help with the growing number of customers!
Based on the text, boom most likely means
A) the recipe for perfect food
B) the perfect way to do business
C) a time of growth and success
D) a way to spread the word
C) a time of growth and success
Andromeda, the “Naked Eye” Galaxy Humans can see further than you might think, without any help from a telescope. We can see the moon, which is 240,000 miles away. We can also see stars that are so far away that we measure the distance in light years. A light year is the time the light from an object takes to reach our eyes. The furthest thing we can see is the Andromeda Galaxy. A galaxy is a star system, like the Milky Way—our home galaxy. Andromeda is 150 billion billion miles away. An easier way to say this is that it is 250 million light years away. That is, it took 250 million years for its light to reach us. Imagine this: when the light left the galaxy, dinosaurs were roaming our Earth! If you want to see Andromeda for yourself, first get a star map from a site like skymaps.com. Then, on a dark, clear night, find the Andromeda constellation in the northern sky. Look just above it, and you will see a fuzzy patch. That is the Andromeda Galaxy! You are looking at the furthest thing the naked eye can see!
The 2nd paragraph mentions dinosaurs so that readers can understand _________
A) how big Andromeda is compared to other galaxies
B) how long it takes light from Andromeda to reach us
C) how far away our moon is from the Earth
D) how one can find the Andromeda in the night skys
B) how long it takes light from Andromeda to reach us
The coast of Greece is famous for its sandy beaches, caves, cliffs, and blue water. It is the longest coastline in all of Europe. It stretches for about 8,500 miles. Although the mainland has many beautiful lakes and mountains, Greece is also well known for its thousands of islands. Long ago, most of the country was covered in trees. Over time, many of these forests were cut down. The wood was used for lumber and for firewood. Forests were also cut to make room for farmers to raise crops. If you were to go to Greece today, you would see very few forests. In an effort to save and protect the country’s natural areas, Greece started setting aside land for parks. In 1938, the first of ten national parks was founded. It is called Mt. Olympus National Park. Greece also has marine (water) parks. These marine parks do many important things. One of them is protecting two sea animals that were going extinct (dying out). The two animals are the monk seal and the loggerhead turtle. These parks make sure that the natural wonders of Greece will be there for visitors from all over the world to enjoy.
According to the passage, forests in Greece were cut down...
A) to make national parks
B) because the trees were weak
C) to make room for visitors
D) for lumber and firewood
D) for lumber and firewood
Electric trolley cars or trams were once the chief mode of public transportation in the United States. Though they required tracks and electric cables to run, these trolley cars were clean and comfortable. In 1922, auto manufacturer General Motors created a special unit to replace electric trolleys with cars, trucks, and buses. Over the next decade, this group successfully lobbied for laws and regulations that made operating trams more difficult and less profitable. In 1936 General Motors created several front companies for the purpose of purchasing and dismantling the trolley car system. They received substantial investments from Firestone Tire, Standard Oil of California, Phillips Petroleum, and other parties invested in the automotive industry. Some people suspect that these parties wanted to replace trolley cars with buses to make public transportation less desirable, which would then increase automobile sales. The decline of the tram system in North America could be attributed to many things—labor strikes, the Great Depression, regulations that were unfavorable to operators—but perhaps the primary cause was having a group of powerful men from rival sectors of the auto industry working together to ensure its destruction. Fill it up, please.
Summarize this passage.
This passage is about how many large companies that served the automotive market conspired to dismantle the electric trolley car system and replace them with less desirable buses.
Chinese Workers on the Railway The Transcontinental Railway was the first railroad to cross the United States. It was built in the 1860s. The western half was called the Central Pacific. It went from Sacramento, California, to Ogden, Utah. At that time, many Chinese people went to California to find work. Many were hired to build the Central Pacific Railway. This was because they had already built other railways. The workers were paid just $28 a month to work on the Central Pacific. That was very little money even in the 1860s. The work was very hard. The workers had to lay down railway ties over mountain passes. They also had to make tunnels through the rock, so they had to put dynamite in very steep places. Sometimes that meant the workers had to be lowered by rope from cliffs to place the dynamite. When they were not working, they lived in tents nearby. These tents did not protect them much from the harsh winters. Many workers got sick or died. At last, in 1868, the railway reached Ogden. Two-thirds of the 4,000 workers were Chinese. They helped to build America’s greatest railway.
What most likely happened once the railway was built?
A) Many of the Chinese workers settled down in California and Utah.
B) Most of the Chinese workers went back home to their families in China.
C) The bosses apologized for giving the Chinese bad pay for the job.
D) The bosses built better and stronger tents for the Chinese workers.
A) Many of the Chinese workers settled down in California and Utah. The passage says that these Chinese came to the United States to find work. Once this long project was over, it makes the most sense that they would make their home here rather than go back to China. Many of them, in fact, sent home for their families to join them.
Old Mrs. Willoughby spent the afternoon rummaging through boxes in her attic, hoping to find photos of her parents to show her grandkids.
Based on the clues in this sentence, what is most likely the meaning of “rummaging"?
A) finding something of value
B) putting things in neat piles
C) looking through a pile of things
D) wanting to find something
C) looking through a pile of things
Andromeda, the “Naked Eye” Galaxy Humans can see further than you might think, without any help from a telescope. We can see the moon, which is 240,000 miles away. We can also see stars that are so far away that we measure the distance in light years. A light year is the time the light from an object takes to reach our eyes. The furthest thing we can see is the Andromeda Galaxy. A galaxy is a star system, like the Milky Way—our home galaxy. Andromeda is 150 billion billion miles away. An easier way to say this is that it is 250 million light years away. That is, it took 250 million years for its light to reach us. Imagine this: when the light left the galaxy, dinosaurs were roaming our Earth! If you want to see Andromeda for yourself, first get a star map from a site like skymaps.com. Then, on a dark, clear night, find the Andromeda constellation in the northern sky. Look just above it, and you will see a fuzzy patch. That is the Andromeda Galaxy! You are looking at the furthest thing the naked eye can see!
A detail that supports the main idea of the passage is the Andromeda Galaxy's _______
A) distance from the moon
B) size compared to the moon
C) size compared to the Milky Way
D) distance from the Earth
D) distance from the Earth
The coast of Greece is famous for its sandy beaches, caves, cliffs, and blue water. It is the longest coastline in all of Europe. It stretches for about 8,500 miles. Although the mainland has many beautiful lakes and mountains, Greece is also well known for its thousands of islands. Long ago, most of the country was covered in trees. Over time, many of these forests were cut down. The wood was used for lumber and for firewood. Forests were also cut to make room for farmers to raise crops. If you were to go to Greece today, you would see very few forests. In an effort to save and protect the country’s natural areas, Greece started setting aside land for parks. In 1938, the first of ten national parks was founded. It is called Mt. Olympus National Park. Greece also has marine (water) parks. These marine parks do many important things. One of them is protecting two sea animals that were going extinct (dying out). The two animals are the monk seal and the loggerhead turtle. These parks make sure that the natural wonders of Greece will be there for visitors from all over the world to enjoy.
Which sentence from the passage supports the idea that Greece has Europe's longest coastline?
A) Greece also has (marine) water parks.
B) It stretches for about 8,500 miles.
C) The wood was used for lumber and for firewood. D) Long ago, most of the country was covered in trees.
B) It stretches for about 8,500 miles.
Ninjas used many different tools and weapons to get the job done: throwing stars, bows, acid-spurting tubes to name a few, but the favorite weapon of most ninjas was probably the katana. The katana is a long, curved sword with a single blade and a long grip to accommodate two hands. This sword was often carried in a sheath or scabbard on the ninja’s back. Though the sword was primarily used for fighting and killing, the scabbard served a number of purposes too. The ninja could remove the sword, angle the scabbard against a wall, and use it to climb to a higher place. Or, while stealthy negotiating their way through a dark place (such as an enemy’s residence at night), ninjas may have used the scabbard as a walking stick, feeling or probing their way around objects so as not to knock into anything and alert the enemy. Perhaps the ninja’s most sinister use of the scabbard was to put a mixture of red pepper, dirt, and iron shavings at the top of the scabbard, so that when the ninja drew his sword, his opponent would be blinded. I wonder what a ninja could have done with a Swiss Army knife.
Summarize the passage.
The katana was a powerful fighting sword, but the scabbard had additional uses as a climbing tool, a probing tool, and a blinding weapon.
Chinese Workers on the Railway The Transcontinental Railway was the first railroad to cross the United States. It was built in the 1860s. The western half was called the Central Pacific. It went from Sacramento, California, to Ogden, Utah. At that time, many Chinese people went to California to find work. Many were hired to build the Central Pacific Railway. This was because they had already built other railways. The workers were paid just $28 a month to work on the Central Pacific. That was very little money even in the 1860s. The work was very hard. The workers had to lay down railway ties over mountain passes. They also had to make tunnels through the rock, so they had to put dynamite in very steep places. Sometimes that meant the workers had to be lowered by rope from cliffs to place the dynamite. When they were not working, they lived in tents nearby. These tents did not protect them much from the harsh winters. Many workers got sick or died. At last, in 1868, the railway reached Ogden. Two-thirds of the 4,000 workers were Chinese. They helped to build America’s greatest railway.
The reader can tell from the passage that...
A) the railway was finished ahead of schedule
B) most of the railway workers had gone to school
C) railway workers could get rich in a short time
D) the work on the railway was very dangerous
D) the work on the railway was very dangerous
One day in 1955, an African American woman named Rosa Parks waited to board a city bus. Once she was on the bus, she sat down in the front section. Only white people were allowed to use the front part of the bus. Soon, the bus was full. When a white man got on the bus, the driver insisted that Rosa Parks give up her seat and let the man sit down. She did not feel it was fair of the driver to make her get up. She chose not to move and was taken to jail because she broke the rule. Soon, many people began to speak up in protest against this rule. They said they did not like a rule that said people were not equal. They said people should all be treated the same way. The rule was finally changed, partly because of the brave decision Rosa Parks made.
In other words, the driver ________.
A) allowed Rosa Parks to get up
B) begged Rosa Parks to get up
C) asked Rosa Parkes to get up
D) told Rosa Parks to get up
D) told Rosa Parks to get up
Andromeda, the “Naked Eye” Galaxy Humans can see further than you might think, without any help from a telescope. We can see the moon, which is 240,000 miles away. We can also see stars that are so far away that we measure the distance in light years. A light year is the time the light from an object takes to reach our eyes. The furthest thing we can see is the Andromeda Galaxy. A galaxy is a star system, like the Milky Way—our home galaxy. Andromeda is 150 billion billion miles away. An easier way to say this is that it is 250 million light years away. That is, it took 250 million years for its light to reach us. Imagine this: when the light left the galaxy, dinosaurs were roaming our Earth! If you want to see Andromeda for yourself, first get a star map from a site like skymaps.com. Then, on a dark, clear night, find the Andromeda constellation in the northern sky. Look just above it, and you will see a fuzzy patch. That is the Andromeda Galaxy! You are looking at the furthest thing the naked eye can see!
Which statement best expresses the main idea of this passage?
A) The Andromeda Galaxy is the furthest thing the naked eye can see.
B) It is simpler to talk about distant objects in terms of light years than miles
C) The light we see from Andromeda left when dinosaurs roamed the Earth
D) Andromeda and the Milky Way are both galaxies, or star systems.
A) The Andromeda Galaxy is the furthest thing the naked eye can see.
The coast of Greece is famous for its sandy beaches, caves, cliffs, and blue water. It is the longest coastline in all of Europe. It stretches for about 8,500 miles. Although the mainland has many beautiful lakes and mountains, Greece is also well known for its thousands of islands. Long ago, most of the country was covered in trees. Over time, many of these forests were cut down. The wood was used for lumber and for firewood. Forests were also cut to make room for farmers to raise crops. If you were to go to Greece today, you would see very few forests. In an effort to save and protect the country’s natural areas, Greece started setting aside land for parks. In 1938, the first of ten national parks was founded. It is called Mt. Olympus National Park. Greece also has marine (water) parks. These marine parks do many important things. One of them is protecting two sea animals that were going extinct (dying out). The two animals are the monk seal and the loggerhead turtle. These parks make sure that the natural wonders of Greece will be there for visitors from all over the world to enjoy.
Which of these is a reason that the people in Greece created marine parks?
A) to protect sea animals that are dying out
B) to make sure forests do not disappear
C) to offer a place for people to hunt sea animals
D) to clear more land for farmers to plant crops
A) to protect sea animals that are dying out