Summarizing Text Practice Exercises

Practice 1: The Gift of the Magi

Based on a story by O. Henry
Read the selection; then answer the questions that follow.

One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all she had. And the next day would
be Christmas. Della flopped down on the shabby old couch and cried. She wanted so
much to get something special for her husband Jim, but she only had $1.87. Della stood
and looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were red. She didn't want Jim to know she'd
been crying. She let her hair fall to its full length, almost to her knees, and began to brush
it. Jim loved her soft, long hair. The only thing he liked more was the gold watch that had
belonged to his father and grandfather.
Suddenly Della had an idea. She piled her hair on top of her head, put on her old
brown jacket and hat, and fluttered out the door and down the steps to the street. She
stopped at a door that read: Madame Sofron, Hair Goods. Della ran in and asked, "Will
you buy my hair?"
"Take off your hat and let me see," said Madame Sofron. She
looked at Della's shiny hair and said, "I can give you 20 dollars."
For two hours, Della went from store to store, looking for a
special gift for Jim. At last, she found it . . . a simple gold watch chain.
It would replace the old leather strap he now used on his beloved
watch!
When Della got home, she fixed her head in short close-lying
curls. She looked in the mirror, satisfied with the new look. She had
dinner ready by 7 o'clock, but Jim had not come home. Della began to
worry; he was never late. At last she heard him come up the steps. The
door opened and in walked Jim. "You've cut off your hair!" he said sadly
when he saw Della.
"I sold it," said Della. "But I'm still me, aren't I?"
"Of course," Jim said softly as he took a package from his coat
pocket. "But if you'll unwrap this package you'll see why I am sad."
Della's fingers tore at the string and paper. Inside she found a set
of combs she'd once admired in a shop window. They were beautiful,
with jeweled rims that would have looked magnificent in her
handsome, long hair.
"Oh, Jim, how lovely," she cried. "I shall wear them when my hair
grows. It grows fast. But see," she added happily, "I have a gift for
you!"
Della held out the watch chain in her open palm. "I hunted all
over town to find it. Give me your watch. I want to see how it looks on
it!"
Instead, Jim sat on the couch and began to laugh. "Oh, Della," he
said, "I sold my watch to get the money to buy your combs!"

Della sat beside him and together they laughed. They were
happy, yet sad, to know that each had given up a prized possession for
the love of the other. It was a special Christmas that year, a day filled
with love.

1. A summary is a retelling of a story that

a. Is always shorter than the original text
b. Must be at least two paragraphs long
c. Has no ending
d. Gives new information that was not in the story
2. Which is the best one-sentence summary for paragraph 1?
a. Della is sad because Jim sold his watch
b. Della is sad because she doesnt have much money to buy
a gift for Jim
c. Della is sad because her mother cant come to visit
d. Della is sad because she has no new coat to wear
3. Which would NOT be important to include in a summary of the
story?
a. Della has beautiful long hair
b. Jim has a hold watch that belonged to his father and
grandfather
c. Della wanted something special for Jim
d. Della and Jim lived in an apartment
4. Which is the main idea of the story?
a. Della changes her hairstyle
b. Jim and Della plan a special Christmas dinner
c. Jim and Della sacrifice to get each other special gifts
d. Della only has old clothing to wear
5. Write a summary of the story. Try to summarize in just a few sentences.

Practice 2: Water, Water, Everywhere!

Read the selection; then answer the questions that follow

Is a flood ever good news? How can it be? When river water
overflows and floods the land, people can lose their homes . . . even
their lives! So to people who live in flood-prone areas, a flood is always
bad news. But in ancient Egypt, things were different. The people
looked forward to a yearly flood and saw it as good news!
Many Egyptians lived and farmed by the Nile River, which
flooded every summer. They eagerly anticipated the event because
they knew that when the water receded, the land would be better for
crops. That's because floodwaters carry along washed-away soil and
sediment, then drop it somewhere else. There, the nutrients in the
sediment sink into and nourish the land. Then the farmland is richer
and ready for crops.
The Egyptians weren't sure why the flood came each year. Many
believed it was a gift from the spirits, who sent great clouds of rain to
fall near the source of the Nile. But actually, that wasn't the case. The
annual flood was caused by natural events that began high in the
mountains of Ethiopia.
In June, strong winds from the South Atlantic Ocean blow over
the rainforests of Africa. When the winds reach Ethiopia's mountains,
some of which are 13,000 feet (4,000 m) high, giant rain clouds drop
their contents in huge thunderstorms. The rain continues and mountain
streams fill to the brim. Then the streams join together to form a
sizeable river. It speeds along to meet the Nile, carrying lots of soil and
sediment with it. By July, the rushing water reaches Egypt, where it
produces a flood in the Nile.
The yearly flooding of the Nile wasn't all good news. Sometimes
buildings and fences were swept away and property lines disappeared.
But landowners just marked off their territories and put up new fences
for another year.
Today, floodwaters from Ethiopia are stopped soon after they
reach Egypt. A large dam on the river holds back the rushing, rising
water and forms a large lake. This is good news. Now buildings and
fences aren't swept away. And today farmers can plant two crops a
year instead of just one.
But the dam is bad news, too. The waters of the yearly flood
always kept the fields fertile. Today, farmers use fertilizers that get into
the mud and water of the Nile. Fish that once thrived in the Nile are
gone. And a serious disease is spread by snails that live in the slowmoving waters of the great river.
So back to our original question: Is a flood ever good news? As
you can see, it can be, if the good benefits outweigh the bad.

6. Which is the best one-sentence summary for paragraph 2?

a. A yearly flood in Egypt did a lot of damage
b. A yearly flood in Egypt brought sediment that helped the land
c. A yearly flood brought more people to Ethiopia
d. A yearly flood in Egypt was caused by rain over the Pacific Ocean
7. Which is the bets summary for paragraph 4?
a. Winds from the Atlantic drop rain on Egypt at the source of the Nile. The
rain floods large cities near the river.
b. Rain over the Atlantic comes on shore in Egypt and floods the Nile.
c. Rain in France forms a river that travels to Egypt and sumps into the Nile.
Then the Nile floods Egyptian farmland beside the river.
d. Winds from the Atlantic drop rain on Ethiopia and rain-filled streams form
a river. It dumps into the Nile, which floods Egyptian farmland beside the
river.
8. Which would be an important detail to include in a summary of the article?
a. The Nile River is in Egypt
b. People sail boats on the Nile
c. The capital of Ethiopia is Addis-Ababa
d. The Mississippi River also floods sometimes
9. Write a summary of the whole article. Try to summarize in just two or three
sentences.

Practice 3: Foods Around the World

Read the selection, and then answer the questions that follow.

Why do people in different places eat different foods? One reason

is that humans store energy as starch or fat. People eat local plants
that provide starch and fat, but not all plants grow everywhere!
Europe and the Middle East
For thousands of years, people have used wheat, a wild grass, as
their main starch. In the Mediterranean, people use olive oil to provide
fat. In the north, few plants produce oils, so people use animal fat.
Asia
Rice, a wild grass, is the main starch of Southeast Asia. In
northern Asia, it's too cold to grow rice, so people use wheat. The
Chinese cook with soybean or peanut oils. In India, people use butter
or sesame seed oil.
The Americas
Potatoes are the main starch in Peru and other places. Corn, or
maize, was once the main starch in North America. It still is in Mexico.
The Tropics
Wheat, rice, corn, and potatoes are hard to grow in the tropics. So
many people use a starchy tuber called a yucca, manioc, or cassava.
Palm and coconut oil are also popular forms of fat in tropical regions.
10.
Which is the best one-sentence summary of the section
about Europe?
a. Most people eat yucca and get fats from corn oil
b. Most people use rice to make bread and get fats from
olives
c. Most people use wheat to make bread and get fats from olive oil
d. Most people use corn to make bread and get fats from yucca oil
11.
a.
b.
c.
d.

Which is the best summary of the whole article?

Local plans supply starch and fat for humans. So people in different
regions eat different foods, depending on what grows in the area.
Corn grows only in some places. People who cant get corn eat olives to
get starch
Local plants supply sugars for humans. So, people in all regions eat sweet
food that can be grown all over the world.
Rice grows almost anywhere. People who cant get rice can get fats from
wheat.