Chapter Guide

The summary is a brief restatement of the content of a passage (a group of paragraphs, a chapter, an article, or a book). This restatement should focus on the central idea of the passage. A summary may be as brief as one or two sentences (the central idea only) or one paragraph (the central idea and its supporting points), or as lengthy as several paragraphs (the central idea, its supporting points, and some important examples), depending on its purpose. In addition, it will not contain any of the student's opinions. A good summary should be brief, complete, and objective. When done well, a summary will often clarify the content of a passage. Additionally, summarizing provides an opportunity to gain mastery over the subject matter.

The opening articles of each section of Part II provide excellent articles that introduce students to the individual topic areas and which work well for good summary papers. Use the Review Questions at the end of each reading to check whether you have answered key questions about the reading in your summary. Often the thesis of a particular article will be more clear if it is compared with other readings in that section. For example, in the Weight Debate readings, Greg Crister's thesis may be more apparent if his discussion of the causes of obesity are compared with those stated in Jeffrey P. Koplan and William H. Dietz's "Caloric Imbalance and Public Health Policy."

One of the more difficult aspects of writing a summary is maintaining objectivity. A student should strive to be as objective as possible when summarizing. The level of objectivity achieved, however, may vary depending on the student's background, experience, and knowledge of the piece being summarized. Although restating a central idea and the main points might sound like a simple task, a student may have something in his or her background that biases his or her summary of an article. A student may not have any knowledge of an article's subject matter, which could affect his or her ability to distinguish the most important points of a piece. Remaining objective can be difficult for students, but practice at writing summaries will improve their ability to do so.

How to Read Critically

• Examine the context.
• Note the title and subtitle.
• Identify the main point.
• Identify the subordinate points.
• Break the reading into sections.
• Distinguish between points, examples, and counterarguments.
• Watch for transitions within and between paragraphs.
• Read actively and recursively.

How to Write Summaries

• Read the passage carefully.
• Reread.
• Write one-sentence summaries of each stage of thought.
• Write a one- or two-sentence summary of the entire passage.
• Write the first draft of your summary.
• Check your summary against the original passage.
• Revise your summary.

Summarizing Narratives

The purpose of a narrative is to tell a story. The nine variants of "Cinderella" in the Fairy Tale section are narratives. A student should not write a narrative to summarize a narrative. To summarize a narrative, a student should give a synopsis or overview of the story's events and relate how these events affect the story's central character. It will likely be a paragraph at most.

Summarizing a Personal Essay

The purpose of personal essay is typically to explore ideas and issues. To summarize a personal essay, a student should identify the narrator and his or her relationship to the discussion, describe the narrator's progression of thoughts and ideas, and then explain their significance. Meghan Daum's "Virtual Love" from the Cyberspace readings provides an example of a personal essay.

Summarizing Figures and Tables

Figures and tables are themselves summaries of complicated data and concepts.

• Pie Charts show relative proportions or percentages.
• Graphs relate one variable to another. They are effective in showing trends or cause-and effect relationships.
• Tables present numerical data in rows and columns for quick reference and are most effective when the writer wants to emphasize numbers, particularly when a great deal of data is being displayed.

The Weight Debate section has two examples of tables: "Prevalence of Obesity Among U. S. Adults, by Characteristics and by State, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.