SUMMARY WRITING

Summary: a brief account of the

main points of a bigger article.

Some passages are given below. After each passage, you have a small task to do. You should select the
sentence which is the best summary of the passage.

Passage: 1

Is it an ant, you wonder, or a termite? Ants look like termites, but they are quite different and can be
easily distinguished. In contrast to termites, ants are usually dark in colour, are hard bodied, and have a
separation between the chest and the lower part of the body. Termites are light in colour and shed their
wings. Flying ants do not shed their wings. Furthermore, ants and termites belong to different orders.

Select the best summary of the paragraph.

a. Termites are lighter in colour and lose their wings at certain stage of development.
b. Ants are dark in colour, hard bodied and belong to a type different from termites.
c. Ants and termites are both insects and have many things in common.
d. Although ants resemble termites, they have differences that can be seen easily.
Passage 2

Do you like to listen to music alone in a room? But in Africa, music is always a public act. Almost
everyone a community participates in it. Usually it is performed outdoors. Indeed, there are musical
programmes performed by social and professional groups at ceremonies and feasts. At the same time,
there are also musical events that people spontaneously make. African music is not a written tradition. It
is like folklore and history, handed orally from people to people. Thus, whether organized or
spontaneous, African music is an event of a society or community, not of simply individuals.

Select the best summary of the paragraph.

a. In Africa, music is usually performed outdoors.

b. In essence, African music is a social activity.
c. Africa has no written tradition of music.
d. Music making is spontaneous in Africa.
Passage 3

Some decades ago, it was usual to see circus with wild animals as performers. But now, the situation is
not like that. Using animals for human entertainment is not accepted or encouraged these days.
Governments, people and environmentalists consider it as likely to, cause cruelty against animals.
Therefore, more and more laws are passed in order control use of animals in circus and other
entertainments. Even traditional l zoos are fast disappearing. Instead, wild parks are reserved. There
animals live in their natural habitats.

The best summary of the paragraph is

a. The awareness against cruelty to animals has resulted in strict regulations and controlling of
using animals for our fun.
b. Circus is not encouraged these days.
c. Wild places are reserved for animals to live in their natural habitats.
d. Governments are controlling the use of animals for human purposes.
Passage 4

Many researches are carried out to develop effective electric vehicles. The aim is to make working
models of vehicles that run without carbon fuels like petrol and diesel. Electric vehicles are nature
friendly. As they do not depend on carbon, they don’t contribute to global warming. If the researches
become successful, electric vehicles will be our future mode of transport. We need not fear that we will
run out of fuel. So they have power to survive for long duration of time. However, the present day
electric vehicles are not yet powerful enough to replace petrol or diesel ones. To achieve this goal,
electric vehicles are to be faster and with longer battery capacity.

The best summary of the paragraph is:

a. Electric vehicles are not powerful enough to replace petrol or diesel vehicles.
b. Electric vehicles can be the future transport system as it is more sustainable and nature friendly.
c. Electric vehicles should have longer battery capacity and speed.
d. Petrol and diesel vehicle are bad for the earth and the nature.
Passage 5

Paperless world is a wonderful dream. If digital technology reaches all people, this dream is not
impossible to achieve. All documents can be made and kept as soft copies. Students and teachers can do
their activities using their smart phones, tabs or computers. Instead of paper currency, we can do all
economic activities using electronic means. If people live without paper, we can save enormous number
of trees, because paper industry uses a lot of wood. Also it will reduce water pollution. Digital
transactions are healthier as well.

The best summary of the paragraph is:

a. Paper industry causes destruction of trees.

b. It is healthy to do our activities using digital technology.
c. Papers make water polluted and people sick.
d. Replacing paper by digital methods is ecofriendly, convenient and healthy.