Summarize an article
Grade 6 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
From Flower to Honey Jar (article)
[1] Worker bees fly from flower to flower, sipping sweet nectar and storing it in a special stomach for the trip home. [2] A single bee may visit dozens of flowers before its stomach is full.
[3] Back at the hive, the returning bee passes the nectar to a house bee, which chews it for a while and spreads it into a wax cell. [4] At this point the nectar is still thin and watery, so it cannot be stored for long.
[5] Other bees fan their wings above the open cells, which makes the extra water evaporate and turns the nectar thick and sticky. [6] When the honey is finally ready, the bees seal each cell with a lid of fresh wax.
[7] Later, a beekeeper lifts out a frame of sealed cells, shaves off the wax lids, and spins the frame inside a large drum. [8] The spinning flings the honey out of the cells so that it can run into a jar, and the empty frame goes back to the hive. Paragraph gist ladder: P1: bees gather nectar | P2: a house bee spreads it into wax cells | P3: fanning thickens it and the cells are sealed | P4: a beekeeper spins the honey out of the frames
Ari reads the article and its paragraph ladder. Which summary tells the main steps in order, with no opinion added?
- Bees sip nectar from flowers and carry it home, where a house bee spreads it into wax cells. Other bees fan the nectar until it thickens and seal the cells, and a beekeeper spins the honey out, which looks like a gentle way to collect it.
- Bees sip nectar from flowers and carry it home, where a house bee spreads it into wax cells. Other bees fan the nectar until it thickens and seal the cells, and a beekeeper spins the honey out.
- Bees sip nectar from flowers and carry it home, where other bees fan it until it thickens and seal the cells with fresh wax. A beekeeper later shaves off the wax lids and spins the honey out of the frame.
- Bees sip nectar from flowers and carry it home, where other bees fan it until it thickens. A house bee then spreads it into wax cells, the bees seal the cells, and a beekeeper spins the honey out.
From Flower to Honey Jar (article)
[1] Worker bees fly from flower to flower, sipping sweet nectar and storing it in a special stomach for the trip home. [2] A single bee may visit dozens of flowers before its stomach is full.
[3] Back at the hive, the returning bee passes the nectar to a house bee, which chews it for a while and spreads it into a wax cell. [4] At this point the nectar is still thin and watery, so it cannot be stored for long.
[5] Other bees fan their wings above the open cells, which makes the extra water evaporate and turns the nectar thick and sticky. [6] When the honey is finally ready, the bees seal each cell with a lid of fresh wax.
[7] Later, a beekeeper lifts out a frame of sealed cells, shaves off the wax lids, and spins the frame inside a large drum. [8] The spinning flings the honey out of the cells so that it can run into a jar, and the empty frame goes back to the hive. Incomplete paragraph gist ladder: P1: bees gather nectar | P2: a house bee spreads it into wax cells | P3: ? | P4: a beekeeper spins the honey out of the frames
Bo is filling in the paragraph ladder. Which line is the main step for the empty rung?
- Spreading the nectar into wax cells seems like the most careful job in the hive.
- The bees feed the finished honey to the young bees that are growing up inside the hive.
- Other bees fan the open cells until the nectar thickens, and they seal each cell with wax.
- A single bee may visit dozens of flowers before its special stomach is finally full.
From Flower to Honey Jar (article)
[1] Worker bees fly from flower to flower, sipping sweet nectar and storing it in a special stomach for the trip home. [2] A single bee may visit dozens of flowers before its stomach is full.
[3] Back at the hive, the returning bee passes the nectar to a house bee, which chews it for a while and spreads it into a wax cell. [4] At this point the nectar is still thin and watery, so it cannot be stored for long.
[5] Other bees fan their wings above the open cells, which makes the extra water evaporate and turns the nectar thick and sticky. [6] When the honey is finally ready, the bees seal each cell with a lid of fresh wax.
[7] Later, a beekeeper lifts out a frame of sealed cells, shaves off the wax lids, and spins the frame inside a large drum. [8] The spinning flings the honey out of the cells so that it can run into a jar, and the empty frame goes back to the hive. Paragraph gist ladder: P1: bees gather nectar | P2: a house bee spreads it into wax cells | P3: fanning thickens it and the cells are sealed | P4: a beekeeper spins the honey out of the frames Summary with a blank: Bees sip nectar from flowers and carry it back to the hive. [blank] Other bees fan the cells until the nectar thickens and seal them, and a beekeeper later spins the honey out of the frames.
Esme's summary has one blank. Which sentence fits the blank?
- Passing the nectar along must be the trickiest job in the whole hive.
- The nectar is thin and watery at first, so it cannot be stored for long.
- A house bee chews the nectar for a while and spreads it into a wax cell.
- The bees seal each cell with a lid of fresh wax once the honey is ready.
How a Glacier Carves a Valley (article)
[1] High in the mountains, more snow falls each winter than melts in summer, so the snow piles up year after year. [2] The weight of the upper layers squeezes the lower layers into thick, heavy ice.
[3] Once the ice becomes deep enough, gravity slowly pulls the whole mass downhill as a frozen river called a glacier. [4] It may move only a few inches on some days, although over many years it travels a long way.
[5] As the glacier slides, rocks frozen into its bottom scrape against the valley walls and floor. [6] This grinding widens the valley and gives it a smooth, rounded shape like the letter U.
[7] When the climate warms, the glacier melts and shrinks back up the mountain. [8] It leaves behind a deep valley, scattered boulders, and sometimes a lake where the ice used to sit. Paragraph gist ladder: P1: snow piles up and turns to heavy ice | P2: gravity pulls the ice downhill as a glacier | P3: rocks in the ice scrape the valley into a U shape | P4: the glacier melts and leaves a deep valley
Jun is writing a summary of this article. Which summary follows the ladder from the first rung to the last, without adding an opinion?
- Snow piles up in the mountains and is squeezed into heavy ice, which gravity pulls downhill as a glacier. Rocks in the ice scrape the valley into a U shape, and the melting glacier leaves a deep valley behind, which makes the glacier sound like a patient sculptor.
- Snow piles up in the mountains and is squeezed into heavy ice, which gravity pulls downhill, moving just a few inches on some days. The glacier scrapes the valley as it slides, and when the climate warms, it melts and leaves a valley behind.
- Snow piles up in the mountains and is squeezed into heavy ice, which gravity pulls downhill as a glacier. Rocks in the ice scrape the valley into a U shape, and the melting glacier leaves a deep valley behind.
- Snow piles up in the mountains and is squeezed into heavy ice, which gravity pulls downhill as a glacier. Rocks frozen into the ice scrape the valley walls and floor, and this grinding leaves the valley wide, smooth, and rounded.
How a Glacier Carves a Valley (article)
[1] High in the mountains, more snow falls each winter than melts in summer, so the snow piles up year after year. [2] The weight of the upper layers squeezes the lower layers into thick, heavy ice.
[3] Once the ice becomes deep enough, gravity slowly pulls the whole mass downhill as a frozen river called a glacier. [4] It may move only a few inches on some days, although over many years it travels a long way.
[5] As the glacier slides, rocks frozen into its bottom scrape against the valley walls and floor. [6] This grinding widens the valley and gives it a smooth, rounded shape like the letter U.
[7] When the climate warms, the glacier melts and shrinks back up the mountain. [8] It leaves behind a deep valley, scattered boulders, and sometimes a lake where the ice used to sit. Incomplete paragraph gist ladder: P1: snow piles up and turns to heavy ice | P2: ? | P3: rocks in the ice scrape the valley into a U shape | P4: the glacier melts and leaves a deep valley
One rung of Kira's paragraph ladder is empty. Which line tells the main step of that paragraph?
- Scientists measure how fast the ice moves by placing long stakes into the glacier each year.
- Gravity slowly pulls the heavy ice downhill, and the moving mass is called a glacier.
- Sometimes a lake is left in the spot where the ice used to sit.
- Glaciers are the most impressive way that mountains change over thousands of years.
How a Glacier Carves a Valley (article)
[1] High in the mountains, more snow falls each winter than melts in summer, so the snow piles up year after year. [2] The weight of the upper layers squeezes the lower layers into thick, heavy ice.
[3] Once the ice becomes deep enough, gravity slowly pulls the whole mass downhill as a frozen river called a glacier. [4] It may move only a few inches on some days, although over many years it travels a long way.
[5] As the glacier slides, rocks frozen into its bottom scrape against the valley walls and floor. [6] This grinding widens the valley and gives it a smooth, rounded shape like the letter U.
[7] When the climate warms, the glacier melts and shrinks back up the mountain. [8] It leaves behind a deep valley, scattered boulders, and sometimes a lake where the ice used to sit. Paragraph gist ladder: P1: snow piles up and turns to heavy ice | P2: gravity pulls the ice downhill as a glacier | P3: rocks in the ice scrape the valley into a U shape | P4: the glacier melts and leaves a deep valley Summary with a blank: Snow piles up in the mountains and is squeezed into heavy ice, and gravity pulls the ice downhill as a glacier. [blank] When the climate warms, the glacier melts and leaves a deep valley behind.
Luz left a blank in the middle of a summary. Which sentence should fill it?
- Grinding a valley wider seems like slow, boring work for a glacier to do year after year.
- Rocks frozen into the bottom of the glacier scrape the valley walls and floor into a rounded U shape.
- The weight of the upper layers of snow squeezes the lower layers into thick ice.
- Some glaciers move just a few inches on certain days, though they travel far over many years.
Making Maple Syrup (article)
[1] In late winter, when nights are freezing but days are mild, sap begins to flow inside sugar maple trees. [2] Workers drill a small hole in each trunk and hang a bucket or attach a tube to catch the dripping liquid.
[3] The sap is clear and nearly as thin as water, with just a faint sweetness. [4] It takes about forty gallons of sap to make a single gallon of syrup.
[5] To thicken it, workers boil the sap in a long, shallow pan until most of the water has turned to steam. [6] The liquid slowly darkens and becomes sweeter as it simmers.
[7] When the syrup reaches the right thickness, it is poured through a filter that catches any tiny bits of grit. [8] Then it is poured into bottles while still hot and sealed. Paragraph gist ladder: P1: workers tap maple trees and collect sap | P2: the sap is thin, so a lot is needed | P3: boiling thickens the sap into syrup | P4: the syrup is filtered and bottled
Milo compares four summaries of the article. Which one gives the main steps in the article's order and keeps opinions out?
- Workers tap maple trunks in late winter and collect the thin sap that drips out, and it takes about forty gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup. They boil the sap until the water steams away, then filter the syrup and bottle it.
- Workers tap maple trunks in late winter and collect the thin sap that drips out, and it takes about forty gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup. They filter the sap to catch grit, boil it until the water steams away, and then bottle it.
- Workers drill a small hole in each maple trunk in late winter, when nights freeze and days stay mild, and hang a bucket or attach a tube to catch the thin sap. They boil about forty gallons of sap down to one gallon of syrup, then filter and bottle it.
- Workers tap maple trunks in late winter and collect the thin sap that drips out, and it takes about forty gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup. They boil the sap until the water steams away, then filter and bottle the syrup, a tasty reward for such a long job.
Making Maple Syrup (article)
[1] In late winter, when nights are freezing but days are mild, sap begins to flow inside sugar maple trees. [2] Workers drill a small hole in each trunk and hang a bucket or attach a tube to catch the dripping liquid.
[3] The sap is clear and nearly as thin as water, with just a faint sweetness. [4] It takes about forty gallons of sap to make a single gallon of syrup.
[5] To thicken it, workers boil the sap in a long, shallow pan until most of the water has turned to steam. [6] The liquid slowly darkens and becomes sweeter as it simmers.
[7] When the syrup reaches the right thickness, it is poured through a filter that catches any tiny bits of grit. [8] Then it is poured into bottles while still hot and sealed. Incomplete paragraph gist ladder: P1: workers tap maple trees and collect sap | P2: the sap is thin, so a lot is needed | P3: ? | P4: the syrup is filtered and bottled
Noah still needs the main step for the empty rung. Which line should go there?
- Boiling sap for hours sounds like a tiring job that few people would want.
- Many families sell the finished syrup at a market not far from the maple woods.
- The sap is clear, nearly as thin as water, and has just a faint sweetness.
- Workers boil the sap in a long, shallow pan until most of its water steams away.
A Monarch's Long Trip South (article)
[1] Monarch butterflies that hatch in late summer do something their parents never did by flying south for the winter. [2] Instead of mating right away, they feed on flower nectar and store fat for the long journey.
[3] Some of them travel more than two thousand miles to reach a few mountain forests in central Mexico. [4] They follow the sun's position during the day and rest on trees and flowers each night.
[5] In Mexico, thousands of monarchs cling together on fir branches, which keeps them out of the worst cold. [6] They hardly move all winter, saving their stored fat until the weather warms.
[7] In spring, the monarchs fly north and lay eggs on milkweed plants along the way. [8] Their offspring finish the trip north, and the cycle of southward flight begins again the next autumn. Incomplete paragraph gist ladder: P1: ? | P2: they fly south to mountain forests in Mexico | P3: they cluster on fir branches and rest all winter | P4: in spring they fly north and lay eggs on milkweed
Tala has not filled in the first rung. Which line is the main step of that paragraph?
- Monarchs wait in warm fields until the first cold night arrives, and then they leave.
- Monarchs that hatch in late summer feed on nectar and store fat for the trip south.
- The monarchs rest on trees and flowers each night as they travel toward Mexico.
- Flying so far south must be a very brave thing for a small butterfly to do.
A Monarch's Long Trip South (article)
[1] Monarch butterflies that hatch in late summer do something their parents never did by flying south for the winter. [2] Instead of mating right away, they feed on flower nectar and store fat for the long journey.
[3] Some of them travel more than two thousand miles to reach a few mountain forests in central Mexico. [4] They follow the sun's position during the day and rest on trees and flowers each night.
[5] In Mexico, thousands of monarchs cling together on fir branches, which keeps them out of the worst cold. [6] They hardly move all winter, saving their stored fat until the weather warms.
[7] In spring, the monarchs fly north and lay eggs on milkweed plants along the way. [8] Their offspring finish the trip north, and the cycle of southward flight begins again the next autumn. Paragraph gist ladder: P1: late-summer monarchs store fat for a long flight | P2: they fly south to mountain forests in Mexico | P3: they cluster on fir branches and rest all winter | P4: in spring they fly north and lay eggs on milkweed Summary with a blank: Monarchs that hatch in late summer store fat and fly south. They gather in mountain forests in central Mexico, where they cling together on fir branches and rest all winter. [blank]
Zee has not finished the summary. Which sentence ends it?
- It is amazing that the cycle begins again with the next group of monarchs.
- The monarchs hardly move through the winter, saving their stored fat until the weather warms.
- Monarchs that hatch in late summer feed on nectar and store fat for the long journey.
- In spring they fly north and lay eggs on milkweed, and their offspring finish the trip.