4 worked answers · short steps first, explanations when you need them
Summarising
Textbook pages
Question Summarising — soybean passage
Write a concise summary of the passage about soybeans, their uses, nutritional value and soymilk.
Steps only
Keep the plant, its main uses and health-related information.
Leave out repeated examples and minor details.
Join the points into a short paragraph in your own words.
Answer
Soybeans grow in many conditions and are used in foods and other products. They provide protein and nutrients, and lactose-free soy milk is an option for some people who avoid ordinary milk.
Question Summarising — shortening
How can the soybean summary be reduced further while keeping its main ideas?
Steps only
Remove examples that are not needed to understand the main point.
Combine related facts into one sentence.
Keep the key ideas about uses, nutrition and soy milk.
Answer
Combine the soybean’s uses, nutritional value and lactose-free milk into a few connected sentences.
Question Summarising — Green Sahara
Summarise the passage “Green Sahara: The Great Desert Where Hippos Once Wallowed.”
Steps only
Keep the contrast between the Sahara’s past and present.
Explain the monsoon shift that caused the land to dry.
Include the effects on people and the landscape.
Answer
The Sahara was once much greener because monsoon rains reached farther north. Later the monsoon shifted south, rainfall and vegetation declined, and the region gradually became the desert it is today.
Question Summarising — method
What steps help make a summary accurate and brief?
Steps only
Mark the ideas that are necessary to the passage’s meaning.
Remove repeated points and examples.
Paraphrase the remaining ideas and connect them logically.
Answer
Select the main ideas, remove minor detail, and connect the key points in your own words.