How to summarize a passage that runs over several paragraphs
TEAS 7 outline: Summarize a text that runs over several paragraphs
Also covers HESI A2 Reading (Main idea, Summarizing)
- Find the main idea of the whole passage, not of one sentence.
- Label each paragraph with a short phrase.
- Join the labels in their original order into one sentence, in your words.
- Leave out minor details; a summary is much shorter than the original.
- Never add opinions or claims the author did not make.
Key facts
- The main idea is the one point the whole passage makes about its topic; details are the facts, numbers, examples, and quotes that support it.
- A topic sentence states a paragraph's main point; it is often the first sentence, but it can also appear in the middle or at the end.
- A summary is much shorter than the original and restates the main idea and key points in your own words, leaving out minor details.
Show all 6 key factsShow fewer
- A summary keeps the basic order of the original passage.
- Method: name the topic, label each paragraph, note turns and conclusions, join the labels into one sentence, then test each answer choice.
- Conclusion words such as therefore, as a result, and in conclusion often introduce the point to keep; for example and for instance introduce support.
Quick check1 question · 2 more at the end
Interpreters on Screen
At Riverside Family Health Center, about one in four patients speaks a language other than English at home. Until last year, the center had only two in-person interpreters, and both spoke Spanish. Patients who spoke other languages often waited an hour or more for a phone interpreter, and some left before they were seen.
Last March, the center tried a new approach. Each exam room received a tablet that connects to a video interpreter service within a few minutes. The service covers more than 40 languages, including American Sign Language. Front-desk staff were also trained to ask every patient at check-in which language they prefer, and the answer is now saved in the patient's record.
The early results have been promising. Over the next six months, the average wait for an interpreter fell from 52 minutes to 9 minutes, and the share of patients who left before being seen dropped by more than half. The rollout did have one setback. Video calls froze often in the two exam rooms farthest from the building's wireless router, so the center installed a signal booster in that hallway.
Next year, the center plans to place interpreter tablets in its pharmacy and laboratory as well.
What is the main idea of the second paragraph?
Correct answer: B.
A paragraph's main idea is the point that all of its sentences support, and it is often stated in the topic sentence. The second paragraph opens with "the center tried a new approach," and every other sentence describes a part of that approach: tablets, the video service, and the language question at check-in. A single feature or number from the paragraph is a supporting detail, not the main idea.
A This is a supporting detail about the video service, one feature of the new approach rather than the point the whole paragraph makes.
B Correct: the topic sentence introduces a new approach, and the tablets, video service, and check-in question all describe that system.
C This is one part of the new approach, so it is a supporting detail rather than the paragraph's main idea.
D This detail comes from the third paragraph, which describes results and a setback, not from the second paragraph.
Full lesson
Each part starts with its main idea. Open a part when you want the details.
The short answer: To summarize a multi-paragraph text, find the main idea of the whole passage, not of one sentence. Label each paragraph with a short phrase, then join the labels in their original order into one sentence in your own words. Leave out minor details, and never add opinions or claims the author did not make.
1 What is the difference between a main idea and a detail?The main idea is the one point the whole passage makes about its topic. 1 min
The main idea is the one point the whole passage makes about its topic. Details are the facts, numbers, examples, and quotes that back it up. A summary is a much shorter restatement of the main idea and its key points, in your own words.
| Piece | Question it answers | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Topic | What is this about? | Library printing |
| Main idea | What does the author say about the topic? | New print stations shortened the line |
| Supporting detail | How do I know? | Patrons pay with a card |
Inside each paragraph, look for the topic sentence, the sentence that states that paragraph's point. It is often first, but it can also sit in the middle or at the end. Titles and headings often name the main idea too.
2 How do you summarize a multi-paragraph passage?You summarize a long passage by labeling each paragraph and then joining the labels into one sentence. 1 min
You summarize a long passage by labeling each paragraph and then joining the labels into one sentence. Use the same five steps every time.
- Name the topic in two or three words after a quick first read.
- Label each paragraph with a short phrase, such as problem, fix, or result. Jot the labels on scratch paper.
- Watch the turns and the ending. However signals a shift; as a result or in conclusion often introduces the point to keep.
- Join the labels in order into one sentence. A summary keeps the original's basic order and drops minor details.
- Test each answer choice against your sentence. The right one covers the whole passage, matches its claims, and adds nothing new.
3 What does that look like on a real passage?Labeling three short paragraphs turns a passage into a one-sentence summary in about a minute. 1 min
Labeling three short paragraphs turns a passage into a one-sentence summary in about a minute. Read this example.
At Pine Hill Library, patrons often stood in a long line at the front desk just to print a single page.
In March, the library installed two self-service print stations. Patrons can send a file from their phones and pay with a card.
By summer, the desk line had shrunk, and librarians had more time to help people find books. The library now plans to add a print station at its east branch.
Labels: problem (long print lines), then fix (self-service stations), then result and next step (shorter lines, a new branch).
Your sentence: Pine Hill Library added self-service print stations to shorten desk lines, freed librarians for other work, and plans to expand.
| Answer choice | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Patrons can send a file from their phones and pay with a card. | True, but only a detail |
| Self-service machines always work better than library staff. | Too broad; the passage never compares the two |
| The library will add a print station at its east branch. | Covers only the last paragraph |
| New print stations shortened the desk line, and the library plans to add more. | Correct; covers the whole passage |
4 Which wrong answers look right but are not summaries?Most wrong summary choices are true sentences that do the wrong job. 1 min
Most wrong summary choices are true sentences that do the wrong job. Learn these patterns so you can cross them out fast.
| Pattern | How to spot it |
|---|---|
| True but only a detail | A number, name, or example from one sentence |
| Too narrow | Accurate for one paragraph, silent about the rest |
| Too broad | Claims more than the passage covers (all, best, every) |
| Adds an opinion | Says what someone should do when the author did not |
| Distorts the links | Reverses cause and effect or scrambles the order |
The TEAS 7 Reading section gives you 55 minutes for 45 questions. Your paragraph labels let you check choices without rereading.
5 Which signal words point to the main idea?Signal words tell you whether the next sentence is the point or just support. 1 min
Signal words tell you whether the next sentence is the point or just support. Circle them as you read.
| Words | What usually follows |
|---|---|
| in conclusion, on the whole, therefore, as a result, thus | The point the author wants you to keep |
| however, yet, nevertheless, but | A turn; the idea after it often matters more |
| for example, for instance, to illustrate | A detail that supports a bigger point |
Common mistakes
The traps students fall into most. Read these before you practice.
Watch out: A true sentence from the passage can still be wrong: one detail is a detail, not a summary.
Watch out: Choose the choice that covers the whole passage, not one that is accurate for only one paragraph.
Watch out: A summary reports the author's ideas, not your opinion or advice the author never gave.
Watch out: Extreme words such as all, every, and best make a choice broader than the passage, not a better summary.
Watch out: Keep the author's cause and effect; a choice that reverses why something happened is a distortion, not a summary.
How to remember it
Use one label per paragraph and one sentence for the whole passage. If your sentence would fit only one paragraph, it is a detail, not a summary.
Self-check:
- Label each paragraph of any short article in three words or fewer.
- Join the labels into one sentence of 30 words or fewer.
- Ask whether your sentence adds anything the author never said.