Liberal Arts Seminar

ACTIVITIES: SUMMARIZING

The passage below and the summary to follow provide an illustration of principles to apply in summarization. The exercises give students opportunities to evaluate several summaries and select the ones that adhere to the “rules.” This activity could be done in small groups or as a class before students are assigned passages to summarize on their own. (The information and examples are taken from McWhorter, pp. 189, 195-198).

To write a good summary you need to understand the material and identify the writer’s main points. Here are some tips to follow:

1. Underline each major idea in the material. 2. Write one sentence that states the writer’s most important idea. This sentence will be the topic sentence of your summary. 3. Be sure to use your own words rather than those of the author. 4. Focus on the author’s major ideas, not on supporting details. 5. Keep the ideas in the summary in the same order as they appear in the original material.

Read the following passage and the example of a summary: HOW AMERICANS PARTICIPATE IN POLITICS

Political participation encompasses the many activities in which citizens engage to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue. Although the line is hard to draw, political scientists generally distinguish between two broad types of participation: conventional and unconventional. Conventional participation includes many widely accepted modes of influencing government—voting, trying to persuade others, ringing doorbells for a petition, running for office, and so on. In contrast, unconventional participation includes activities that are often dramatic, such as protesting, civil disobedience, and even violence. For a few, politics is their lifeblood; they run for office, work regularly in politics, and live for the next election. The number of Americans for whom political activity is an important part of their everyday life is minuscule; they number at most in the tens of thousands. To these people, policy questions are as familiar as slogans on TV commercials are to the average citizen. They are the political elites—activists, party leaders, interest group leaders, judges, members of Congress, and other public officials. Millions take part in political activities beyond simply voting. In two comprehensive studies of American political participation, samples of Americans were asked twice at 20 year intervals about their role in various kinds of political activities. Included were voting, working in campaigns, contacting government officials, and working on local community issues. Voting was the only aspect of political participation that a majority of the popula tion reported engaging in, but also the only political activity for which there is evidence of a decline in participation in recent years. Substantial increases in participation were found on the dimensions of giving money to candidates and contacting public officials, and small increases are evident for all the other activities. Thus, although the decline of voter turnout is a development Americans should rightly be concerned about, a broader look at political participation reveals some positive developments for participatory democracy.

—adapted from Edwards, Wattenberg, and Lineberry, Government in America, pp. 196—197

Prepared by Mrs. Janet Ruddy, Spring 2010 Read the summary below and the comments that follow:

Citizens participate in different political activities to influence political leaders and their policies. People participate in conventional ways and unconventional ways. The "political elites" are a relatively small part of the population for whom political activity is part of their everyday life. Studies indicate that a majority of the American population participates in voting and that participation has increased in other aspects of political activities.

Comments: Notice that the summary contains only the most important ideas. Details are not included. The first sentence shows why people participate in political activities, the second sentence lists the two basic types of participation, and the last sentence lists general trends in political participation.

A. Directions: Indicate whether each of the following statements is true (T) or false (F).

1. When writing a summary, you should focus on the author's major ideas. 2. The ideas in a summary should be in the same order as in the original material. 3. A summary is usually much longer than an outline. 4. A summary should be in your own words rather than those of the author.

B. Directions: After reading the following paragraphs, circle the letter of the choice that best summarizes each one. 1. The tourist potential of any spot depends upon its "three A's": accessibility, accommodations, and attractions. The rich bird life on the islands of Lake Nicaragua, the lions of Kenya, and the tropical vegetation in many countries are important tourist destinations. Overall, the countries best endowed for tourism have both natural and cultural attractions, pleasant climates, good beaches, and reasonably well-educated populations. Political stability is a necessity. Despite Africa's wealth of ecological and cultural attractions, political instability and lack of accommodations have restricted its income to only 2.2 percent of global tourist dollars.

—adapted from Bergman and Renwick, Introduction to Geography, pp. 495—496 a. The tourist potential of a place depends upon its accessibility, accommodations, and attractions. Important tourist destinations include Lake Nicaragua, Kenya, and tropical countries. However, despite Africa's many attractions, its income is only 2.2 percent of global tourist dollars due to political instability and lack of accommodations. b. Tourists typically want to visit places that offer the three A's. They also want pleasant weather, nice beaches, and an educated population. c. A country's ability to attract tourism is determined by how accessible it is and by the accommodations and attractions it provides. Countries that are tourist destinations offer a variety of activities, mild weather, attractive beaches, and a population that is educated and politically stable.

d. Tourists are interested in places that offer political stability, excellent beaches, nice Liberal Arts Seminar

weather, and well-educated people. A tourist spot has to have natural and cultural attractions and a variety of accommodations.

2. The common cold is responsible for more days lost from work and more uncomfortable days spent at work than any other ailment. Caused by any number of viruses (some experts claim there may be over 200 different viruses responsible for the common cold), colds are always present to some degree among people throughout the world. In the course of a year, Americans suffer over 1 billion colds. Cold viruses are carried in the nose and throat most of the time. These viruses are held in check until the host's resistance is lowered. It is possible to "catch" a cold—from the airborne droplets of another person's sneeze or from skin-to-skin or mucous membrane contact—though re-cent studies indicate that the hands may be the greatest avenue of colds and transmission of other viruses. Although many people believe that a cold results from exposure to cold weather or from getting chilled or overheated, experts believe that such things have little or no effect on cold development. Stress, allergy disorders that affect the nasal passages, and menstrual cycles do, however, appear to increase susceptibility.

—adapted from Donatelle, Health: The Basics, p. 350

a. More workers are affected by the common cold than by any other illness. Colds are caused by viruses and result from exposure to another person's virus through the air or by physical contact. Stress, nasal allergies, and certain stages of the menstrual cycle may make people more susceptible to colds.

b. People who suffer from the common cold often miss work or are uncomfortable at work. Experts say that over 200 different viruses may be responsible for the common cold, which is always present in people all over the world. In America, people suffer over 1 billion colds every year.

c. The common cold is caused by different viruses that are carried in the nose and throat most of the time. These viruses wait until a person's resistance is low; then the per-son may catch a cold from someone else, through either a sneeze or some other contact.

d. Cold viruses exist all over the world, and Americans suffer more than 1 billion colds each year. More than 200 different viruses may be responsible for causing the common cold.

Source: McWhorter, Kathleen T. Active Reading Skills. 2nd ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2008.

Prepared by Mrs. Janet Ruddy, Spring 2010