Summary Strategy: Complete TOEFL Success

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Complete TOEFL Success
Introduction
Summary Test
Reading
Step 1 Reading
Summary Strategy back to top
Step 2 Reading
Vocabulary Test
Summaries are the last questions that you’ll attack and most students struggle with them the
Detail Test most. We should discuss a few things about this question.
Negative Detail Test
Inference Test First, TOEFL preparation books often present two kinds of summary questions: one asks you to
Pronoun Test choose 3 answer choices among 6 that complete a paragraph that summarizes the reading.
Plug-in Test
Here’s an example.
Paraphrase Test
An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the
Purpose Test
summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the
Summary Test
passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not
Improve Again
presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.
Step 3 Reading
Bonus Reading The unusual characteristics of the cave paintings at Lascaux have given rise to various
Listening explanations as to the role they played in the lives of the cave dwellers.
Speaking
This is the only kind of summary question that we have ever seen on the TOEFL. The strategy
Writing
to answer these questions quickly and accurately is intricate (which means complex), so pay
Vocabulary
careful attention and review these steps often. They will only help improve your score once you
master them.
1) First, review the structure of the reading on your own. Explain to yourself how it is
organized to remind you of the important information.
2) Read the question carefully and see if the sentence in bold gives you a clue as to what
the answer choices might be.
If it states something about 3 theories, it’s easy to know that you must choose 3
answer choices among the 6 that describe 3 theories mentioned in the reading.
3) Read your first answer choice to understand what it states and find its key words.
4) Scan through the reading until you find the key words or synonyms of them and read
the sentences they are found in.
5) Determine whether that answer choice is a summary, detail, or wrong answer. Use
the following method to do so.
(1) If an answer choice is a summary, the answer choice restates information

found within the topic sentence of the paragraph, the first sentence. That’s a good
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choice.
(2) If the answer choice deals with a sentence that is not the first, it is a detail. It is
therefore not a good choice. You must choose answers that summarize important
points in the passage and not just minor points mentioned in one sentence that is
not the topic sentence.
(3) If the answer choice describes content that is not found in the reading or is
wrong according to the reading, of course, eliminate it.
6) After your analysis, you should be left with 3 summary answer choices. They will be
your answer.
7) If you are left with 4 summary answer choices, read the sentence in bold in the
question and eliminate the answer choice that doesn’t directly deal with the topic
sentence.
8) If you are left with 2 summary answer choices and 2 detail answer choices, read the
sentence in bold in the question and eliminate one of the detail answer choices that deals
with the topic sentence least.
However, books teach a second kind that divides the essay into two topics and asks you to
match different answer choices to the appropriate topic. Here’s an example.
Select the appropriate phrases from the answer choices and match them to the type of
organism to which they relate. TWO of the answer choices will NOT be used. This question is
worth 4 points.
For reasons that we won’t go into, this question is incredibly rare and easy strategy wise, so we
will not focus on it.
1) Read an answer choice and identify the key words.

2) Find the key words or synonyms of them in the reading.
3) Read the sentence with your key word and determine what topic it belongs to.
4) Match that answer choice to the appropriate topic.
Reading Practice
Cave Paintings in Lascaux
The Lascaux Grotto, in Southwest France, is a series of narrow cave chambers that was
discovered by children playing in the 1940s. ❒ These caves contained an amazing find for
historians – prehistoric paintings of animals on the walls. ❒ These massive animals are
sometimes portrayed as following one after another in a long line, but on other occasions, they
are sideways on the wall and some even upside down. Paintings are mostly done in reds,
yellow, and brown, and feature such beasts as wild horses, bulls, reindeer, bison, and
mammoths. ❒ Scientists analyzed the substance of the “paint” and discovered that the colors
came from ocher and other iron oxides that had been ground into a fine powder. ❒ This
powder then appears to have been brushed or smeared onto the cave walls in some cases, while
in other cases the artists of these paintings seem to have blown or sprayed the material onto the
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rock surface. In these cases, scientists surmise that tubes made from hollow bone may have
been used as tools for the spraying because hollow bones marked with pigment were
discovered close by.
The location of these particular paintings has become a source of mystery to the scientific
community. ❒ Unlike rock paintings found in other parts of the world, these were not located
near the entrance to the cave or completely out in the open. ❒ Instead, they are deep within
the caverns, quite a distance from the opening to the grotto and any natural light. ❒ In
addition, it seems likely that the drawers of these paintings did not necessarily want them to be
seen by others, as inhabitants of caves usually lived relatively close to the entrances. ❒ The odd
location of these particular paintings has led to various theories as to why so many generations
of artists chose to keep their work so well hidden.
❒ Three opinions have been given by the scientific community as to the perplexing origins and
meaning of these paintings. ❒ The most straightforward of these explanations is that the
paintings are simply a record of the migrations of herds of local animals. ❒ And since some
paintings are drawn directly over others, scientists theorize that the utility of each painting was
over when the migration it depicted had ended. ❒ However, this theory fails to address the
puzzling location of these paintings within the caves, unless it was simply that the cave dwellers
chose to commemorate the migrations with ceremonies held in secret.
A second theory holds that these paintings were tied to hunting and they played a vital role in a
special preparation ceremony for the hunters. ❒ The theory states that the paintings were part
of a ritual used to prepare the hunters psychologically for the challenges they were about to
face. ❒ The fact that in several of the paintings the animals are portrayed as wounded by
arrows or spears gives particular credence to this theory. ❒ And the overpainting is explained
by the fact that the hunters had no use for the paintings after the hunt itself, and thus felt free
to cover them up in preparation for their next foray into the field. ❒
A third opinion on the paintings offers the possibility that the animals portrayed on the walls
may have assumed some sort of mythical meaning to the cave dwellers, either as ancient
ancestors or as protectors of the members of the tribe. Supporters of this theory point to two
different pieces of evidence. First, there are the strange and cryptic geometric shapes painted
near the animals. Second, there is the remarkable absence of men in any of the paintings. In the
few cases that humans are depicted, they are very crudely drawn with long and rigid bodies.
❒Some of the men are shown lying face down while others have the heads of birds and other
animals. ❒This suggests to advocates of the theory that the people in the picture might be
portrayed in a trance state. ❒However, there is no definitive proof for this theory and it could
just as easily be that these bird-headed men are simply wearing masks for hunting.❒
While these theories continue to compete for primacy in the scientific community, and there is
still heavy debate. It is possible that there will never be a satisfactory answer to this intriguing
question. However, it is clear that the Lascaux paintings represent a great artistic achievement
for the time that will continue to engage researchers, whatever their significance may be.
1) Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below.
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Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most
important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they
express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage.
The cave paintings at Lascaux represent a major artistic

achievement, but their unusual nature has led to different theories
about their purpose.
a) One theory suggests that the men in the pictures were actually in trances.
b) One theory holds that the animals in the paintings were mythical representations of
importance to the cave dwellers.
c) According to one popular theory, the paintings might have been part of a ritual that
the tribe’s hunters used to prepare themselves for going out to hunt.
d) Not every theory is able to explain why the paintings were done one on top of the
other in some cases.
e) In one theory, the paintings may simply have been a way for the tribe to document
the migratory patterns of the herds of animals they encountered.
f) The theory that has the most straightforward appeal involves the use of ocher and
other materials to create the colors.
The Lascaux cave paintings are a major find in prehistoric art, but their
unique characteristics have led to a controversy regarding their origins.
a) It may have been that these paintings were merely a way for the tribe to keep track of
the movements of animals that passed by the cave.
b) Perhaps the cave paintings had a mythical significance to the cave dwellers, and they
represented either ancestors or protectors of the tribe.
c) A possible explanation for the paintings is that they were drawn as part of a ritualistic
preparation to motivate hunters to prepare for the challenges that faced them.
d) The paintings at Lascaux differ from others in the world, both in their content and
their location.
e) The controversy remains unresolved, but this has not dampened interest in the
paintings, and in fact the mystery surrounding them makes them all the more intriguing.
f) A possible explanation for the men in the paintings is that they are wearing hunting
masks or ceremonial head dresses.
The unusual characteristics of the cave paintings at Lascaux have given
4 of 10 6/19/2012 6:17 AM
rise to various explanations as to the role they played in the lives of the
cave dwellers.
a) According to one theory, the overpainting occurred when the painting was no longer
needed by the tribe.
b) It is a possibility that the tribe needed the information in the paintings to plan the
next season’s hunting.
c) Some suggest that these paintings were in fact used as a way to psychologically
prepare hunters for their work.
d) The paintings’ unusual location has caused some to speculate that the paintings may
have been part of some sort of secret ceremony.
e) It could be that the paintings were used by the tribe to keep a record of the migration
of the animals in the paintings.
f) There is a possibility that the animals depicted in the paintings had a mythical
significance to the tribe, either as ancestors or as protectors.
Power Review
At this point, you should see the pattern in choosing the right answer. The strategy is intricate
(which means complex), so it takes practice to master it, but once you do, you’ll find these
answers rather quickly. Take a moment to make sure that you’ve memorized the strategy.
1) First, review the structure of the reading on your own. Explain to yourself how it is
organized to remind you of the important information.
2) Read the question carefully and see if the sentence in bold gives you a clue as to what
the answer choices might be.
If it states something about 3 theories, it’s easy to know that you must choose 3 answer
choices among the 6 that describe 3 theories mentioned in the reading.
3) Read your first answer choice to understand what it states and find its key words.
4) Scan through the reading until you find the key words or synonyms of them and read
the sentences they are found in.
5) Determine whether that answer choice is a summary, detail, or wrong answer. Use
the following method to do so.
(1) If an answer choice is a summary, the answer choice restates information
found within the topic sentence of the paragraph, the first sentence. That’s a good
choice. It’s also a good choice if it doesn’t discuss points in the first sentence but in
two or more found within the paragraph.
(2) If the answer choice deals with one sentence that is not the first, it is a detail. It
is therefore not a good choice. You must choose answers that summarize important
points in the passage and not just minor points mentioned in one sentence that is
not the topic sentence.
(3) If the answer choice describes content that is not found in the reading or is
wrong according to the reading, of course, eliminate it.
6) After your analysis, you should be left with 3 summary answer choices. They will be
your answer.
7) If you are left with 4 summary answer choices, read the sentence in bold in the
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question and eliminate the answer choice that doesn’t directly deal with the topic
sentence.
8) If you are left with 2 summary answer choices and 2 detail answer choices, read the
sentence in bold in the question and eliminate one of the detail answer choices that deals
with the sentence in bold in the question least.
Answer Key
Question 1
This is a summary question. We know this because it asks us to choose three answer
choices that complete a paragraph that summarizes the reading entirely. We remember
our strategy and follow it closely.
1) First, we try to remember the major themes in the reading. This reading stands
as one that should be very easy for us to choose the correct answers for. We know
from the title that this is about the cave paintings in Lascaux and we know from the
first paragraph and the second paragraph that we are focusing on why animals
appear in the paintings. We know that the next three paragraphs deal with three
opinions for why animals were in the paintings. The final paragraph summarizes
the idea that we will never know exactly why animals were painted as they were.
This essay is very structured. Now, we start to analyze each answer choice according
to our strategy.
2) We read the main sentence in the question for clues that usually aren't helpful:
the cave paintings at Lascaux represent a major artistic achievement,
but their unusual nature has led to different theories about their
purpose. This means that our answer choices will likely reflect the different
origins proposed within the article.
A: We should remember reading this and have an idea that is true. We double
check and find this information about trances in paragraph 5. However, this
appears in the middle of the paragraph, so we know that this is a detail and
therefore not a very good answer.
B: It has information that we should also remember reading. We find a
reference to mythical representations of importance to the cave dwellers in
paragraph 5. This information actually comes from the first sentence of
paragraph 5, so we know this answer represents the main idea of the
paragraph. We also know that A discussed information from paragraph 5. We
cannot choose two answers that are about the same paragraph, and since B is
better than A, we can eliminate A as an answer choice.
C: We find reference to paintings being part of the ritual to prepare hunters
for the hunt in paragraph 4. We see this information in both the first and
second sentences of the paragraph. We therefore know that this is a great
answer because it deals with the topic sentence of the paragraph.
D: We remember reading that one painting was done on top of another
in paragraph 3, but we do not read this information in any other paragraph
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that deals with the theory for why the animals were in the paintings.
Therefore, answer choice D is correct. Only one theory was able to explain
partially why one painting was done over another (paragraph 3), but the other
two do not (paragraph 4 and 5). However, this deals with only a minor point.
Remember that the focus of these theories is why animals were in the
paintings. This is a little bit tricky, but it is off topic and not related to the
major idea of the reading. We also understand this because this answer choice
though it seems to deal with many paragraphs does not deal with the content
of the main sentence.
E: We should remember reading about this theory about migratory patterns
from paragraph 3. This information comes from the second, third, and fourth
sentences of the paragraph. The first sentence is just a general outline stating
that we will learn about all three theories. As a result, E is a good answer.
F: We read these keywords about a straightforward theory in paragraph 3 and
we read about ocher and other materials in paragraph 1. They have absolutely
no relationship and this is a common wrong answer for the TOEFL. We have
keywords from different parts of the passage that make the answer look
correct, but they create a false meaning that is not at all explained in the
reading.
6) Our answers are therefore B, C, and E. This was a medium to easy difficulty
summary question.
Question 2
1) First, we try to remember the major themes in the reading, which we already
did in analyzing the previous summary question.
2) We now review the main sentence in bold for clues: the Lascaux cave
paintings are a major find in prehistoric art, but their unique
characteristics have led to a controversy regarding their origins. This
means that our answer choices will likely reflect the different origins proposed
within the article.
A: Keep track of the movement of animals is a synonym for

migrations, which we should remember reading about in paragraph 3. This
information appears in the second, third, and fourth lines, so we know it
represents an excellent summary of the paragraph and is therefore a good
answer.
B: We should remember reading about mythical significance in paragraph
3. This information appears in the first sentence of the paragraph, so we know
it represents a good answer choice.
C: The information about the paintings being a ritualistic preparation to
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motivate hunters to prepare for the challenges that face them comes
from paragraph 4. We know that this information appears in the first sentence
and in the second sentence, so we know that C is a great answer.
D: This information about the Lascaux paintings being different from others
appears in the second sentence of the second paragraph only. Therefore this
answer is a detail answer choice.
E: This information about the controversy that still remains about the
paintings appears in paragraph 6. It represents the information in the first
and second sentences, so it is a strong answer choice.
F: We remember reading about the possibility that the men in the
paintings were wearing hunting masks or head dresses in paragraph
5. This information appears in the last sentence of the paragraph and is
therefore a detail. F represents detail answers in summary questions that are
usually wrong answers that we want to avoid.
6) We have 4 answer choices that reflect summary answer choices: A, B, C, and E.

7) In order to make the choice, we refer back to the main sentence of the question:
The Lascaux cave paintings are a major find in prehistoric art, but their
unique characteristics have led to a controversy regarding their origins.
We find that it asks us to find sentences that deal with the paintings origins. So, we
must avoid answers that don't deal with the origins of the paintings. Which answer
doesn't deal with the possible origins or reasons for the paintings? E. Therefore, our
answers are A, B, and C.
Question 3
1) First, we try to remember the major themes in the reading, which we already
did in analyzing the previous summary question.
2) We now review the main sentence in bold for clues: the unusual
characteristics of the cave paintings at Lascaux have given rise to
various explanations as to the role they played in the lives of the cave
dwellers. We know that we’re choosing answers that deal with the various
explanations of the role of paintings to the cave dwellers. We now analyze each
answer according to our strategy.
A: Overpainting occurred when the painting was no longer needed

by the tribe is information that appears in paragraph 3. This information
appears in the middle of the paragraph and makes it a detail answer choice
that we will likely not choose.
b: We read about paintings used for hunting purposes in paragraph 4.
However, we do not read that the information in the paintings were used to
plan the next season’s hunting. We read nothing about the paintings
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contributing to a plan. B is wrong. This is a common way for the TOEFL to

create a wrong answer. It provides key words that you read and the general
concept that may sound correct but upon closer examination is false because
there's a word in the answer choice that is nowhere to be found in the reading.
Don't be tricked by this.
C: Again, we read about hunters using the paintings, but this time we
read that they were used to prepare hunters psychologically, which we
should remember is correct and in the first and second sentence of paragraph
4. C represents a good answer.
D: We should remember reading about the unusual location leading
people to believe that the paintings were used for a secret
ceremony in paragraph 3 in the last sentence. It states that the puzzling
location might be explained by the fact that they were used in secret
ceremonies. This is not the main idea sentence (the first sentence in case you
forgot) and therefore D looks like a common answer choice to avoid in the
summary questions, a detail answer.
E: We should remember reading that a theory dealt with the idea that the
paintings were used to record the migration of animals in paragraph
3. We read this in the second, third, and fourth sentences of the paragraph.
That makes E a good summary of the paragraph and therefore a good answer.
F: This answer choice states that the paintings had a mythical
significance possibly related to ancestors or protectors of the tribe,
which represents the information in paragraph 5. This information appears in
the first sentence and so we know that F is a good answer.
6) The answer choices here are easy: C, E, and F.
Final Words
Congratulations! You did something extraordinary. You attacked or reading with such detail
that you were able to go in depth an answer 50 questions related to 700 words. The Golan the
purpose of this remember is to have you read the reading so much that the content becomes so
easy that you recognize that you have the ability to choose the right answer as long as you
develop your vocabulary and reading comprehension. Also, since the information was so clear,
the strategy should have become more comfortable and you should have really been able to see
the power. The only thing stopping you from scoring high should now be complex sentences
with vocabulary words that are difficult to understand. Even then, you should still follow our
strategy to be able to guess towards the right choice when you have very difficult questions by
following our keyword analysis. Remember that we are always working to make and enhance
our programs. We we consider them excellent compared to others and we want to make them
excellent by far. We want to be the best TOEFL preparation program on the planet and we are
working hard to do so. This cannot be done without your contribution by letting us know what
was complex and difficult to understand what you're having trouble with, and what we can do
to help. So, don't hesitate to send us an e-mail about any of the questions that you found
difficult we reply almost instantaneously. Good luck with your studies and keep on reading!
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(1) If an answer choice is a summary, the answer choice restates information

1) Read an answer choice and identify the key words.

Cave Paintings in Lascaux

The cave paintings at Lascaux represent a major artistic

A: Keep track of the movement of animals is a synonym for

6) We have 4 answer choices that reflect summary answer choices: A, B, C, and E.

A: Overpainting occurred when the painting was no longer needed

contributing to a plan. B is wrong. This is a common way for the TOEFL to

6) The answer choices here are easy: C, E, and F.

Please type the characters into the box below.

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