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LS 1 ENGLISH (SUMMARIZING)
Name: _________________________________________________________________

For items 1-12, please read the module on pages 9-12 then write the topic sentence and what the paragraph is about in
your own words.

Ants in an ant colony have different jobs. Some ants dig holes for the nest. Others go outside the colony to
gather food. Ant maids keep the nests clean. In the nest, the babysitter ants take care of the baby ants. The soldier
ants protect the nests from enemies.
1. What is the topic sentence?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

2. The paragraph is about __________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________.

You begin with some wood shavings or small dry twigs. On top of that, place some larger twigs or thin
branches. When you begin to pile up the heavier wooden pieces, use crisscross pattern. That leaves plenty of air
space for fire to come through. It’s not really hard to build campfire.

3. What is the topic sentence?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

4. The paragraph is about __________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________.

You throw a ball in the air as fast as you can. It reaches a point where it seems to pause for a moment then
comes down. Shoot a bullet straight up. It will travel much faster than the ball but it too will come down. Whatever
goes up must come down. An airplane may climb to a height of 17 miles and then travel far. Yet it does not stay up
forever. Like everything else, it must come down.

5. What is the topic sentence?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

6. The paragraph is about __________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________.

. So many little things can start big fires. The sun’s rays shining through a broken pop bottle can start a blaze.
Or a barn full of green hay may suddenly burst into flames. And you know what happen often when a campfire isn’t
carefully stamped out.
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7. What is the topic sentence?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

8. The paragraph is about __________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________.

Everything that we eat came from that store. The clothes that we wore were taken from the goods in the
store. Our playhouse was a big box that used to hold canned goods. And our small allowance for school comes from
the money of the store. The general store that my mother ran in our village is truly the mainspring of our lives.

9. What is the topic sentence?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

10. The paragraph is about _________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________.

Lightning strikes a tall tree in the field. It strikes the metal tip of an umbrella. It strikes a tall building. Lightning
always strikes tall objects. If you’re playing in a playground or a park where there are no tall objects, better go inside
a building before the lightning strikes you.

11. What is the topic sentence?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

12. The paragraph is about _________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________.

For items 13-22, please read the module on pages 13-16. Write the topic sentence, detail sentences, and the paragraph
summary.

There are two ways to dry flowers so that they will keep their shapes and last long time after they have been
picked. One method is by hanging them upside down for a few weeks. This method is simple and needs no special
materials. Another way to dry and preserve flowers is to press them. This method flattens the flowers so they ca be
used as decorations for artworks.

Topic sentence:
13. ___________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________.
Detail sentences:
14.
15.
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16. Paragraph summary:

_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

There are several ways to make your writing “draw a picture”. One is to be descriptive. If you are particular
with words, your “drawing’ will look like a stick figure to the one reading your paper. Another way is by comparing
your topic to something else. Comparisons give us a better idea of the picture being drawn. Another way is to color
your words by using idioms. An idiom does not mean exactly what it says.

Finally, use lots of adjectives in your writing. Adjectives describe the size, shape, color, feeling and number
of an object.

Topic sentence:
17. ____________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________.
Detail sentences:
18.
19.
20.
21.
22. Paragraph summary:
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

For items 23-39, please read the module on pages 17-22. Read the selection and then complete the outline on the next
page.

The Charm of Hawaii

Honolulu, the capital of the Hawaiian Islands, welcomes visitors warmly. Each arriving ocean liner is greeted
by a group of islanders wearing necklaces of flowers called leis. The Royal Hawaiian Band fills the air with music. A
Hawaiian woman sings the haunting song “Song of the Islands”.

The group of islands called Hawaii is a wonderland of color. The flowers are of varied shades of red, yellow,
pink and orange. The sky is always blue. The sea has shades of green and blue. The trees and shrubs are deep
green.

Hawaii is the sweetest land on earth. Almost three-fourths of the land that is cultivated is planted with
sugarcane. The islands furnish about nine-tenths of the world’s supply of pineapples.

The traveler to Hawaii can eat all kinds of strange and exciting food. He/She can enjoy fresh fish. There are
also baked breadfruits and coconut puddings. And their mangoes, papayas and pineapples are the sweetest in the
world.
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________________________________________________________________
23. Title of Selection
A. Main idea of the first paragraph:
24. ______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Detail sentences:
25. ______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
26. ______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
27. ______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
B. Main idea of the second paragraph:
28. ______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Detail sentences:
29. ______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
30. ______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
31. ______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
32. ______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
C. Main idea of the third paragraph:
33. ______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Detail sentences:
34. ______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
35. ______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
D. Main idea of the fourth paragraph:
36. ______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Detail sentences:
37. ______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
38. ______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
39. ______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

For items 40-48, please read the module on pages 23-26. Read and number (1-8) the sentences below accordingly to
form a sensible paragraph. Let the connectives guide you. Then tell what the paragraph is about.

_____ 40. Next, empty half of the water out of the bowl.
_____ 41. Third, take a clean piece of cloth and wipe the sides of the bowl to scrape away the green algae.
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_____ 42. First, scoop the fish into another container.

_____ 43. Then, fill the aquarium halfway with freshwater and rinse.
_____ 44. Fourth, empty the dirty water into the sink.
_____ 45. Finally, put the fish back into the aquarium and give them few fish pellets to calm them down.
_____ 46. It is easy to clean an aquarium.
_____ 47. Fifth, throw away the water and refill the aquarium with clean freshwater.
48. The paragraph is about _________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________.

For items 49-56, please read the module on page 27. Choose the letter of the correct answer inside the box then write it
on the space before the number.

a. Setting b. Characters c. Plot d. Beginning or initial event e. Internal response

f. Attempt/s g. Outcome h. Consequence

_____ 49. The body of the story

_____ 50. A direct result of the attempt
_____ 51. Actors in the story
_____ 52. The main character’s response to the initial event including the formation of a goal or a decision to pursue
some course of action.
_____ 53. A direct or an implied statement that tells when and where the story happened
_____ 54. An effort/s to achieve the main character’s goal
_____ 55. An action, a change of behavior or a state of affairs that results from the outcome of the main character’s
attempt/s
_____ 56. An action, idea, or a situation that sets the story’s plot in motion
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Answer Key (SUMMARIZING)

1. Ants in an ant colony have different jobs.

2. what different kinds of ants do

3. It’s not really hard to build a campfire.

4. how to build a campfire

5. Whatever goes must come down.

6. the fact that whatever goes up comes down

7. So many little things can start big fires.

8. things that can start a fire

9. The general store that my mother ran in our village is truly the mainspring of our lives.

10. the store that serves as the mainspring of the life of the writer and his/her family

11. Lightning always strikes tall objects.

12. things that lightning can strike

13. There are two ways to dry flowers.

14-15. a. One method is by hanging them upside down for a few weeks.
b. Another is to press them.

16. Two ways of drying flowers are by hanging them upside down for a few weeks and by pressing them.

17. There are several ways to make your writing “draw a picture”.

18-21. a. Be descriptive
b. Compare your topic with something else.
c. Color your words by using idioms.
d. Use lots of adjectives.

22. One can make his writing “draw a picture” by being descriptive, comparing his topic with something else, using
idioms and using lots of adjectives.

23. The Charm of Hawaii

24. Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii, welcomes visitors warmly.

25-27. a. Each arriving ocean liner is greeted by a group of islanders.

b. The Royal Hawaiian Band fills the air with music.
c. A Hawaiian woman sings the haunting song “Song of the Islands”.

28. The group of islands called Hawaii is a wonderland of colors.

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29-32. a. The flowers are of varied shades of red, yellow, pink and orange.
b. The sky is always blue.
c. The sea has shades of green and blue.
d. The trees and shrubs are deep green.

33. Hawaii is the sweetest land on earth.

34-35. a. Almost three-fourths of the land that is cultivated is planted with sugarcane.
b. The islands furnish about nine-tenths of the world’s supply of pineapples.

36. The traveler to Hawaii can eat all kinds of strange and exciting food.

37-39. a. He/She can enjoy fresh fish.

b. There are also baked breadfruits and coconut puddings. And their mangoes, papayas and pineapples are the
sweetest in the world
c. And their mangoes, papayas and pineapples are the sweetest in the world

40-47. 7, 3, 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 6

48. the steps one should follow in cleaning an aquarium

49. c

50. g

51. b

52. e

53. a

54. f

55. h

56. d