UNIT 4

COMPREHENSION SKILLS
(Summarizing and Critical Reading)

In this unit, you will:

 learn about summarizing.

1. Summarizing
Another key strategy for learning and remembering the ideas in a text is to
summarize what you have read. This means rewriting the important parts in a much shorter
form, using some words from the text and some of your own words. Summarizing is
especially useful for:
• Reviewing and memorizing information in textbooks for exams;
• Preparing information or ideas from different sources so you can include them in a
report or paper.
a. Summarizing a Passage
When summarizing a passage, the first step is to write a one-sentence summary of
each paragraph. Then you can combine the sentences to write a summary of the whole
passage.
Step 1. Summarizing a paragraph
• Write a single, complete sentence that is much shorter than the paragraph.
• Include the main idea and supporting facts and ideas.
• In the summary sentence, follow the same pattern of organization as in the paragraph.
• Do not add any facts, ideas, or opinions that are not in the paragraph.
Note: The topic sentence or main idea sentence can sometimes serve as the summary
sentence, but it often needs to be changed to include important details found in the
paragraph.
Example:
Read the paragraph and mark the text to show the main idea, the pattern of
organization, and the supporting facts and ideas. Then read the summary sentence
that contains the most important ideas in the paragraph.

Step 2. Summarizing a whole passage

• Read the passage all the way to the end and mark the overall thesis and the supporting
points.
• Determine the overall pattern of organization.
• Write a one-sentence summary of each paragraph.
• Write a short paragraph by combining the summary sentences of the paragraphs (with
any necessary changes to connect them).
• The main idea of the summary paragraph should be similar to the thesis of the whole
passage and the pattern of organization should be the same as the overall pattern of
the passage.
Note: Only the most important ideas and supporting points of the original passage should
be included in a summary paragraph. It should not include minor details or your own
opinions or ideas. Above all, it should be much shorter than the original.
b. Summarizing Long Passage
When you summarize a long passage (more than four or five paragraphs), you need to add
an additional step:
• Read the passage all the way to the end and mark the main points (including the thesis
and the supporting points).
• Determine the overall pattern of organization.
• Divide the passage into parts. Each part should match a supporting point and may
include several paragraphs. (In textbooks, the chapters are usually already divided into
subsections or parts.)
• Write a summary sentence for each part.
• Write a paragraph that combines the summary sentences (with any necessary changes
to connect them).
• The main idea of the summary paragraph should be the same as the thesis of the
original passage, and the pattern of organization should be the same.
c. Summarizing a Textbook Chapter
Summarizing a textbook section or chapter is easier in some ways than summarizing
an article or essay because the passages are usually already divided up into sections and
subsections.
In a textbook, the introduction to a chapter or chapter section usually contains a
statement of purpose that functions like a thesis statement, and explains what the passage
will be about and how it will be organized. The headings of the chapter or section usually
correspond to the topics mentioned in the statement of purpose.
While textbook sections are often organized in a listing pattern, each subsection can
have a different pattern of organization. It is easier to understand and summarize the
subsections if you first identify their patterns.
Note: Textbook passages may contain complex ideas that do not fit easily into a one-
sentence summary. You should be as concise as possible to aim for one sentence, but may
use two sentences if necessary.
2. Critical Reading
One way to help you become responsible critical readers is to apply the following
critical reading framework:
• Making observations about a text.
• Establishing connections among observations.
• Making inferences based on observations and connections.
• Drawing conclusions from the inferences.
• Considering values the text embodies and possibly endorses.
The following are questions to develop the ability to read critically:
• Where is this material from? Is this a valid source of information?
• Who is the writer? Is he or she qualified to write about this topic?
• Can I trust the information here?
• What is the writer's purpose in writing this?
• What is the writer's point of view about the topic?
• How does this information compare to what I already know?
• Based on what I already know and believe, do I agree?
Evaluating Text
In addition to evaluating the sources of reading materials, you need to look closely
at the text itself. In the following exercises, you will read a variety of texts to identify and
evaluate different aspects.
• Purpose—the reason the writer wrote the text
• Point of view—the writer's position on a particular subject
• Possible bias—how a writer might purposely present ideas or events in ways that favor a
particular political or religious belief
Determining the purpose
To evaluate a piece of writing, you need to ask not only who wrote it, but also why it
was written—the writer's purpose. The three main purposes for writing are:
• To inform—the author presents facts and explains ideas to the reader.
• To persuade—the author uses facts and opinions to argue for or against some idea.
• To entertain—the author tries to amuse or interest the reader with humor, suspense,
and stories.
A piece of writing can often fulfill more than one purpose. It can, in fact, be
informative, persuasive, and entertaining all at once. However, the writer usually has one
primary purpose in writing it.
How can you tell what the writer's purpose is?
• Look at the information in the passage. Does it contain a lot of facts? If it does, the
purpose may be to inform or to persuade.
• Look at the language in the passage.
 If it is neutral and objective, the purpose is probably simply to inform the reader.
 If it includes terms that are strongly positive, negative, or emotional, the purpose is
probably to persuade the reader.
 If it includes situations or descriptions that are funny, surprising, or intriguing, the
writer probably wants to entertain the reader.
Recognizing point of view
Every writer has a point of view—or way of thinking—about the topic of their
writing which has developed out of their particular experiences and background. When
you read critically, you need to identify the writer's point of view and consider how it
affects the facts or arguments that are presented. You can identify the point of view by
looking at the main idea or thesis of a passage and then examining the kind of support
that the writer gives for it.
Recognizing Bias

Bias is similar to point of view but taken a step further. A biased writer expresses a one
sided opinion or prejudice about a person, group, or idea. He or she chooses words that
can influence the reader's feelings about the person, group, or idea.
Biased writing may include some of these characteristics:

• It presents only one side of an argument.

• It includes only facts or examples that support the writer's opinion.

• It ridicules other opinions or views.

Bias may be present in many different kinds of writing, including news reporting, political
commentary, and even in textbooks. It may involve political or religious opinions, racial or
national groups, or other groups, people, or ideas. It is important to recognize bias in
writing so that you, the reader, can make a fair judgment about the validity of the writer's
ideas.
Example:
The article you will read reflects different opinions about banning smokers from the
workplace. Read the articles and answer the questions.

1. What is the writer’s purpose – to inform, persuade, or entertain? How can you tell?
Mark the words and phrases that helped you to decide.
The writer’s purpose is to inform. The article presents both sides, the tone and
language is neutral, and it ends with a quotation that gives a neutral summary of the
issue.

2. What is the main point of the article?

3. Is the writer for, against, or neutral about the smoking ban? How can you tell?
The writer is mostly neutral since the article presents both sides of the issue.

4. Does the writer seem biased? How can you tell?