Key Takeaways
- Summarizing condenses main ideas; paraphrasing restates specific content in your own words
- Good summaries exclude minor details and personal opinions
- Effective paraphrases maintain original meaning while changing words and structure
- Both skills require understanding the text before restating it
- Watch for answer choices that change meaning, add details, or miss key points
Summarizing and Paraphrasing
Summarizing and paraphrasing are essential reading skills tested on the TEAS. Both require comprehension, but they differ in purpose and scope.
Summarizing vs. Paraphrasing
| Skill | Definition | Scope | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summarizing | Condensing main ideas into a brief overview | Entire passage or large section | Capture essential information only |
| Paraphrasing | Restating ideas in your own words | Specific sentences or short sections | Show understanding of specific content |
How to Summarize
A good summary includes only the main ideas and major supporting details. It should be significantly shorter than the original.
The 5-Step Summary Process:
- Read the entire passage to understand the overall meaning
- Identify the main idea of the passage
- List major supporting points (typically 2-4)
- Combine into a coherent statement using your own words
- Check that minor details are excluded
Summary Checklist:
- ✅ Includes the main idea
- ✅ Contains major supporting points
- ✅ Written in your own words (mostly)
- ✅ Shorter than the original
- ✅ Objective (no personal opinions)
- ❌ Does NOT include minor details
- ❌ Does NOT include personal reactions
How to Paraphrase
Paraphrasing means restating someone else's ideas in your own words while maintaining the original meaning.
Paraphrasing Techniques:
| Technique | Original | Paraphrased |
|---|---|---|
| Change words | "The patient exhibited symptoms" | "The patient showed signs" |
| Change structure | "Because she was ill, she stayed home" | "She stayed home due to illness" |
| Change voice | "The nurse administered the medication" | "The medication was administered by the nurse" |
| Break up sentences | Long, complex sentence | Two shorter sentences |
Paraphrase Guidelines:
- Maintain the original meaning exactly
- Use different words and sentence structure
- Keep approximately the same length
- Do not add your own interpretations
- Include all key information from the original
Identifying Accurate Summaries and Paraphrases
On the TEAS, you may need to identify which option correctly summarizes or paraphrases a passage.
Red Flags for Incorrect Summaries:
- Too many specific details
- Missing the main idea
- Adding information not in the original
- Personal opinions included
- Changing the meaning
Red Flags for Incorrect Paraphrases:
- Too similar to the original (just synonym swaps)
- Changes the meaning of the original
- Omits important information
- Adds new information
- Misrepresents the author's intent
TEAS Question Types
| Question Type | What It Asks |
|---|---|
| "Which best summarizes..." | Identify a brief restatement of main ideas |
| "The author's main point is..." | Similar to summary—find the core message |
| "Which is the best paraphrase..." | Find an accurate restatement of specific text |
| "This passage suggests..." | May require paraphrasing implied meaning |
Practice Strategy
When faced with summary/paraphrase questions:
- Read the original text carefully
- Mentally state the main idea in your own words
- Compare your version to the answer choices
- Eliminate choices that change meaning, add details, or miss key points
What is the primary difference between summarizing and paraphrasing?
Which element should NOT be included in a summary?