All flashcards
Flashcard 1: What is the primary goal of a good summary of a passage?
Answer: State the central idea and key points concisely and accurately. This goal ensures the summary captures the essence of the passage without unnecessary details or distortions.
Flashcard 2: Which option best defines a passage's central idea for summary selection?
Answer: The main point the author wants the reader to understand overall. The central idea represents the overarching message that unifies the passage's content for effective summarization.
Flashcard 3: What is the best criterion for deciding whether a detail belongs in a summary?
Answer: Include it only if it is essential to the central idea. Details should support the main thesis without overwhelming the summary's conciseness.
Flashcard 4: What should you do with minor examples, anecdotes, and statistics when summarizing?
Answer: Omit them unless they are necessary to the main idea. Minor elements can clutter the summary and distract from the primary message.
Flashcard 5: Identify the best summary focus for a passage that argues for a position and gives reasons.
Answer: State the claim and the main supporting reasons. Outlining the claim with supports conveys the argumentative core succinctly.
Flashcard 6: Which statement best describes an objective summary for ISEE reading passages?
Answer: Neutral restatement of the author’s ideas without personal judgment. Objectivity maintains fidelity to the passage by avoiding bias or added opinions.
Flashcard 7: What is the most reliable way to avoid copying the passage when summarizing?
Answer: Paraphrase the ideas using your own words and simpler structure. Paraphrasing promotes originality and clarity while preserving the original meaning.
Flashcard 8: What is the main flaw in a summary that lists many details but no main point?
Answer: It is a detail dump rather than a synthesis of the central idea. Listing details without synthesis fails to convey the unified central theme.
Flashcard 9: Which option is the best summary choice if one answer contains extreme words like "always" and "never"?
Answer: Reject the extreme option unless the passage clearly supports it. Extremes can misrepresent unless explicitly backed, ensuring summary precision.
Flashcard 10: What is the main flaw in a summary that includes information not stated or implied?
Answer: It adds unsupported inferences beyond the passage. Unsupported inferences distort the passage's content and reduce summary accuracy.
Flashcard 11: What is the main flaw in a summary that focuses on one paragraph and ignores the rest?
Answer: It is too narrow and misses the passage’s overall point. Focusing narrowly ignores the passage's holistic structure and comprehensive intent.
Flashcard 12: Which option is most likely to be the best summary: one that is too broad or well-scoped?
Answer: Well-scoped: covers the whole passage without becoming vague. Well-scoped summaries balance breadth and specificity to reflect the passage accurately.
Flashcard 13: What is the best way to handle the author’s tone when choosing a summary?
Answer: Select one that matches the passage’s tone without exaggeration. Matching tone preserves the author's intent and avoids misrepresenting the passage's nuance.
Flashcard 14: What is the best way to handle shifts in a passage (problem to solution, cause to effect) in a summary?
Answer: Include the key relationship that organizes the passage’s ideas. Key relationships provide the framework that connects ideas cohesively in the summary.
Flashcard 15: Which option best describes a summary that is "too broad"?
Answer: It is so general that it could fit many unrelated passages. Overly broad summaries lack specificity and fail to distinguish the passage's unique content.
Flashcard 16: Which option best describes a summary that is "too specific"?
Answer: It overemphasizes a minor detail or single example from the passage. Overly specific summaries neglect the broader context and main idea of the passage.
Flashcard 17: What is the best rule for choosing between two plausible summaries?
Answer: Choose the one that captures more of the passage’s main structure. Prioritizing structure ensures the summary reflects the passage's organization and depth.
Flashcard 18: Identify the best summary focus for a passage that explains causes leading to an event.
Answer: Emphasize the main causes and the resulting event. Highlighting causes and outcomes captures the explanatory logic of the passage.
Flashcard 19: Identify the best summary focus for a passage that compares two approaches to the same problem.
Answer: State the shared problem and the key differences between approaches. Identifying commonalities and contrasts distills the comparative essence effectively.
Flashcard 20: Identify the best summary focus for a passage that describes a process in steps.
Answer: State the overall process and the major stages, not every step. Focusing on major stages maintains overview without bogging down in minutiae.
Flashcard 21: Which option is better summary language: "proves" or "suggests" when the passage is cautious?
Answer: “Suggests.”. Cautious language aligns with the passage's tentative tone to avoid overstatement.
Flashcard 22: Which option is the best summary choice if one answer adds a new cause not mentioned in the passage?
Answer: Reject it because it introduces information not in the passage. Extraneous information introduces inaccuracies and deviates from the passage's scope.
Flashcard 23: Which option is the best summary choice if one answer is mostly quotations from the passage?
Answer: Choose the paraphrased option that accurately states the main idea. Paraphrasing ensures originality and better synthesis over direct quotes.
Flashcard 24: Which option is the best summary choice if one answer is a list of details with no central idea stated?
Answer: Choose the option that states the central idea and only key points. A central idea unifies details, providing coherent structure to the summary.
Flashcard 25: Which option is the best summary choice if one answer mentions the author’s opinion not stated in the text?
Answer: Reject it because it adds interpretation rather than summarizing. Unstated opinions inject bias, compromising the summary's objectivity.