Summary Writing T/F Quiz
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Q1) Think you know about writing summaries for the exam?
Work with a partner to decide if these are true or false…
a) You get a choice of texts to summarise.
b) You never have to summarise the whole text, just a certain aspect of it as stated in the
question.
c) Your summary should be about a third as long as the original text (e.g. around 200-300
words).
d) It’s worth 33% of the overall grade.
e) You should spend no more than an hour on it.
f) Include an introductory sentence with the name of the author and text, the place and date of
publication, and possibly the genre, if given.
g) Include an introductory sentence giving your opinion of the whole text.
h) In the main body, put all your ideas in one paragraph.
i) Include direct speech / quotations.
j) Include all the details.
k) Use language that is in the original text where possible.
l) Don’t use informal language, e.g. ‘get’ verb phrases, or contractions, e.g. ‘It’s’.
m) Follow the same structure as the original text.
n) Include a detailed conclusion paragraph.
Example Text
Q2) You’ve been asked to give a general summary of the following article. You need to decide which
information is important enough to include, and which is too detailed and should be left out. Read it
quickly, highlight the ideas you would include, and decide how you would organize them into
paragraphs.
Text: Misti Crane. “Teen loses a leg, not his dream.” The Columbus Dispatch, July 10, 2013. Accessed
Sept. 23, 20018. http://www.dispatch.com/article/20130710/NEWS/307109700.
Task: Sum up the article. (642 words)
https://eu.dispatch.com/story/lifestyle/health-fitness/2013/07/10/teen-loses-leg-not-his/
985820007/
Teen loses a leg, not his dream
Misti Crane, The Columbus Dispatch | The Columbus Dispatch | July 10,
2013
If Zach Hanf’s plans to become a trauma surgeon work out, he’ll be the guy
countering the crisis, scrambling to help someone pull through.
In October, Hanf was the patient, mangled by a car crash and near death.
The 18-year-old was driving on Rt. 13 in Perry County after a movie and a stop
at a fast-food restaurant with his then-girlfriend when he drifted left of center.
The Somerset teen crashed head-on into a refrigerated box truck. He has no memory of the wreck,
which severed his left foot. He doesn’t recall the flight to Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical
Center or the first several weeks in intensive care.
Hanf, a cross-country standout at Sheridan High School, was left with an above-the-knee amputation,
fused vertebrae in his lower back, two plates in his left arm and a plate in his right foot. His brain was
injured, his spleen removed. Surgeons operated 13 times.
Dr. Daniel Eiferman, the trauma surgeon who first cared for Hanf and has since become his friend,
said he could scarcely believe it when the teen kept hanging on.
“The truth is he lost an ungodly amount of blood. His blood pressure was so low,” Eiferman said.
“He’s only alive because of how good of shape he was in.”
Hanf’s heart was strong from running, Eiferman said, and kept providing his body with oxygen long
after most other hearts would fail to do so.
Hanf didn’t leave rehab at Dodd Hall until early December. He got his prosthesis in January. Four days
later, encouraged by another amputee at the gym, he walked without help.
“He took my crutches away, and, by golly, I walked,” Hanf said. “They were cautious, really slow steps,
but they worked.”
The only pain that continues to bother him is in his lower back.
Hanf said he has wanted to be a trauma surgeon since he was a child. He recently attended Ohio
State University’s MD Camp, a three-week program for young people considering medical careers.
And he is set to begin his studies at the university’s Newark campus in August.
“I’ve always wanted to be in a life-or-death situation where I could help someone else,” he said. Now,
he sees it as a way to give back.
Hanf’s mother, Jennifer Soto, said she remembers her son’s passion for medicine starting when he
was in elementary school, watching House and Trauma: Life in the E.R. on television.
Watching Hanf go through so much has been hard on the family, she said. “We have a strong faith
and belief that everything happens for a reason, so that is what we clung to.”
When Hanf first realized he’d lost his leg, he asked how soon he could stand — and eat, Soto said.
Eiferman said he remembers the teen thanking him.
“It wasn’t ‘Poor me,’” Soto said. “It spoke volumes to us as parents and to the doctors that it wasn’t
going to bring him down. His story is about courage, determination and will and strength. I’m his
biggest fan.”
The wreck perpetuated her son’s drive to be a surgeon, she said, and gave him perspective about
what it’s like to be a patient.
“The only thing that’s going to stop him is if he physically cannot do it. He has proven you can do
anything you put your mind to.”
Eiferman said the physical demands of surgery are something he and Hanf have discussed. Hanf said
he has thought of becoming a prosthetist as a backup plan.
Hanf’s injuries could limit him in the operating room, but he’s mature and has demonstrated great
strength, Eiferman said. “He’s overcome bigger obstacles already.”
And Hanf has something that most doctors don’t.
“We all have sympathy, but Zach will really have empathy,” Eiferman said.
[email protected]
@MistiCrane
Q3) Read this summary and see if it contains the same information you highlighted:
Summary (223 words)
In her article “Teen loses a leg, not his dream,” published in The Columbus Dispatch on July 10, 2013,
Misti Crane describes how a young man, Zach Hanf, has overcome severe obstacles while not giving
up on his childhood dream of becoming a surgeon.
When he was 18, he caused a car accident resulting in serious injuries and the loss of his left leg. Dr.
Daniel Eifermann, the trauma surgeon who treated him, has not only helped him medically, but has
also become his friend.
He and Hanf’s family were impressed to see that Hanf showed extraordinary determination when, in
spite of his pain and disability, he did not give up, but learned to walk with a prosthesis as soon as
possible.
Recently, Hanf has attended a program at Ohio State University for young people who want to
become doctors. As a result, he wants to begin studying medicine only 9 months after his near fatal
accident. He feels he can make use of his experience to understand what other patients are going
through.
Crane ends her article by quoting Dr. Eiferman, who believes that Hanf will become a good doctor,
but states that if Hanf should find out that he cannot deal with the physical demands of working in an
operating room, he can still have a bright future as a prosthetist.
Q4) Look at this checklist of ‘points to remember’ (from the Writing Guide), then see if the summary
above follows all the advice:
Points to Remember
● Use your own words.
● You do not need to follow the structure of the original text, but should organise your
summary’s paragraphs so each one has all the main information on one key idea.
● Focus on summing up the main information of the text.
● Do not interpret the text.
● Do not offer any personal opinion on the text.
● Change direct speech into indirect speech, e.g. “Greene [author’s name] states / claims /
believes / suggests...”
● Connect the main ideas and supporting points in order to show how they are related to each
other, through the use of linking expressions, e.g. ‘however’, ‘for this reason’ etc.
● Paraphrase or use umbrella terms to avoid listing vocabulary, e.g. instead of ‘dishwasher’,
‘fridge’ and ‘microwave oven’, write ‘household appliances’.
● Shorten your sentences, e.g. by using participle constructions: instead of e.g. ‘After they have
purchased the house, they realize ...,’ write ‘Having purchased the house, they realize ...’
● Make sure the length of your text is not more than one third of the text you are summing up.
