A summary is a short statement that tells the main points or important ideas of a reading passage.  When you restate the important ideas in a short statement, you are summarizing.

Introduction to Reading Skills: Summarizing VIDEO

• A summary is not stated in a reading passage.  To create a summary, you must think about and restate the most important ideas.
• A good summary of fiction tells about the main character, the problems, and the solution.
• A good summary of nonfiction tells about the main idea of the reading selection, as well as the main ideas contained in the paragraphs.

 Summarizing PowerPoint

Questions about the best summary of a passage ask you about the main points of the passage.  When you answer questions about summary, first ask yourself, What is the main idea of the passage?  A good summary is closer to the main idea that to any single detail found in the passage.

Summarizing: Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then

Summarizing While Reading

How to Summarize