This blog will explain some information about the Summary Question you may not know!
Today I want to address one of the most frustrating questions in the TOEFL iBT Reading: The Summary Question. Students complain a lot about it, and I understand why. Sometimes it seems (almost) impossible to solve. So after MANY MANY years of teaching reading, here is what I have found to work. Remember, all tutors have different strategies. There is no “right” or “wrong,” but this works for me.
First, I do not follow the instructions. You may be wondering why! Here are the typical instructions:
Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas according to the passage. This question is worth 2 points.
Note that it mentions minor details. I have not found this to be the case. I have read thousands of reading passages, and “minor details” are not usually incorrect answers.
Incorrect answers:
Are too extreme.
Change the meaning.
Are not present in the passage, but may use some language from the passage.
Make a false comparison.
Present information from the passage, but in an incorrect way.
The second thing that might surprise you is that I look for INCORRECT ANSWERS, not correct answers. If I can eliminate incorrect answers, the correct answers will be left, and I can drag and drop them into the box.
The third thing that might surprise you is that ETS gives you hints along the way. Often, the correct answers contain content from questions you previously answered. That is why I recommend students try to digest (comprehend) the information when they answer questions.
The next surprise is that short answer choices are not necessarily wrong. An answer choice’s length should NOT be a reason to eliminate it.
The final thing that might surprise you is that you should finish the last paragraph, even if the questions do not lead you to read those last few sentences. Sometimes, there is a hidden answer there.
Here is a passage. It’s a little easier than a real TOEFL iBT passage. I would like it to be approachable for everyone. Try my method and see if it works.
The Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is one of the most iconic and important waterways in North America. For centuries, this massive river has played a critical role in the lives of millions of people, providing transportation, irrigation, and countless other benefits. But while the Mississippi is celebrated today for its economic and cultural importance, it has a much longer history that stretches back thousands of years. In fact, the early usage of the Mississippi river is a fascinating and complex story that reveals much about the people who lived along its banks.
The earliest known inhabitants of the Mississippi River valley were members of the Woodland culture, who lived in the area from around 1000 BCE to 1000 CE. These people were skilled farmers who grew crops like maize, beans, and squash in the rich soils of the river valley. They also hunted, fished, and gathered wild plants for food. Although they did not have the technology to harness the full potential of the river, they recognized its importance and developed a complex system of trails and waterways that allowed them to navigate the river and its tributaries.
By the time the Mississippian culture emerged in the region around 800 CE, the people living in the Mississippi River valley had developed more advanced technologies that allowed them to make greater use of the river. The Mississippian culture was characterized by the construction of large earthen mounds, which served as the foundations for public buildings, temples, and other important structures. These mounds were often located near rivers, and the people of the Mississippian culture used the river to transport materials and people between different sites.
One of the most impressive achievements of the Mississippian culture was the construction of the Cahokia Mounds, located near present-day St. Louis. This massive complex of mounds covered more than six square miles and included hundreds of individual mounds, many of which were over 100 feet tall. The Cahokia Mounds were a center of trade and commerce, and the people who lived there traded with other groups as far away as the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes. The Mississippi River played a crucial role in this trade network, allowing goods to be transported up and down the river and connecting the Cahokia Mounds with other important sites in the region.
As European explorers and settlers began to arrive in the Mississippi River valley in the 16th and 17th centuries, they recognized the importance of the river for transportation and trade. In 1673, the French explorers Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette became the first Europeans to navigate the entire length of the Mississippi River, traveling from present-day Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico. This journey opened up the river to European trade and settlement, and soon the Mississippi became a vital transportation artery for goods like furs, lumber, and agricultural products.
Formed from thick layers of the river’s silt deposits, the Mississippi embayment is one of the most fertile regions of the United States; steamboats were widely used in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Steamboat transport remained a viable industry, both in terms of passengers and freight, until the end of the first decade of the 20th century. During the American Civil War, the Mississippi’s capture by Union forces marked a turning point towards victory, due to the river’s strategic importance to the Confederate war effort. Because of the substantial growth of cities and the larger ships and barges that replaced steamboats, the first decades of the 20th century saw the construction of massive engineering works such as levees, locks and dams, often built in combination. A major focus of this work has been to prevent the lower Mississippi from shifting into the channel of the Atchafalaya River and flooding New Orleans.
Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas according to the passage. This question is worth 2 points.
For centuries, the Mississippi River has been an essential and symbolic waterway in North America, providing numerous benefits including transportation, irrigation, and other important uses to millions of people.
–
–
–
- Although the earliest inhabitants of the Mississippi River were not able to fully exploit its power, they were able to navigate it quite well.
- People and materials were transported on the Mississippi, which cut through valleys and mountains, making trade much easier and more efficient.
- Cahokia mounds were massive and numerous trade centers from which goods were moved far north and south.
- Because French explorers were able to fully map the river in 1673, the people who lived along the river were able to trade goods locally and no longer depended on international trade.
- By the nineteenth century, the Mississippi river was used for the transportation of people by steamboat more than for the trade of goods.
- The twentieth century has seen vast construction efforts along the Mississippi to keep it contained and prevent a major disaster.
The first, third, and sixth answers are correct. The second answer says that “The Mississippi cut through valleys and mountains” which is not present in the passage. Valleys and mountains are not mentioned. The fifth answer says that people no longer depended on international trade, but the passage says “This journey opened up the river to European trade and settlement…” The fifth answer makes a false comparison. The passage does not claim people were transported more than goods.
