Summarize an article fairly
Grade 8 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Tiny Engines in the Air (article)
[1] A hummingbird can hover in one spot because its wings beat more than fifty times each second in many kinds. [2] The wings rotate at the shoulder, so they push air on both the downstroke and the upstroke. [3] That figure-eight motion lets the bird hold still, fly sideways and even fly backward.
[4] Hovering uses an enormous amount of energy, and a hummingbird's heart beats hundreds of times a minute. [5] To keep up, the bird must drink nectar throughout the day, visiting hundreds of flowers. [6] A hummingbird that cannot find food for a few hours can quickly become weak.
[7] At night, however, the bird cannot feed, so it changes its habit. [8] It enters a deep, sleep-like state called torpor, when its body temperature and heartbeat drop sharply. [9] In the morning it warms up again and returns to the flowers. [10] Torpor saves a large share of the energy that the bird would otherwise burn while it rests.
[11] Before a long migration, the bird prepares in a third way. [12] It drinks extra nectar for days until its weight rises sharply, storing fat as fuel. [13] Some ruby-throated hummingbirds then cross the Gulf of Mexico in one flight, which can last many hours. Ladder (one rung for each paragraph, with the arrow into each rung marked like or unlike): P1: fast wings let it hover | (like) P2: hovering burns so much energy that it must feed all day | (unlike) P3: at night it cannot feed, so it saves energy in torpor | (like) P4: before migration it stores fat as fuel
Ari reads the article and its ladder. Which summary tells the whole article and adds no opinion?
- A hummingbird's hovering flight burns huge amounts of energy, so the poor bird feeds all day, saves energy at night in torpor and stores fat.
- A hummingbird beats its wings more than fifty times a second to hover, and the effort burns so much energy that it must feed all day long.
- A hummingbird's wings rotate at the shoulder in a figure-eight, which lets the bird hold still, fly sideways and fly backward, and its heart beats hundreds of times a minute.
- A hummingbird's hovering flight burns huge amounts of energy, so it feeds all day, saves energy at night in torpor and stores fat before a long migration.
Bo is writing a summary. Which sentence keeps the unlike arrow between P2 and P3, so the reader sees how night differs from day?
- At night the bird must keep feeding to pay for hovering, but by day it saves energy by sinking into torpor.
- By day the bird must keep feeding to pay for hovering, and at night it also saves energy by sinking into torpor.
- By day the bird must keep feeding to pay for hovering, but at night it saves energy by sinking into torpor.
- By day the bird must keep feeding to pay for hovering, but at night it cleverly saves energy by sinking into torpor.
Tiny Engines in the Air (article)
[1] A hummingbird can hover in one spot because its wings beat more than fifty times each second in many kinds. [2] The wings rotate at the shoulder, so they push air on both the downstroke and the upstroke. [3] That figure-eight motion lets the bird hold still, fly sideways and even fly backward.
[4] Hovering uses an enormous amount of energy, and a hummingbird's heart beats hundreds of times a minute. [5] To keep up, the bird must drink nectar throughout the day, visiting hundreds of flowers. [6] A hummingbird that cannot find food for a few hours can quickly become weak.
[7] At night, however, the bird cannot feed, so it changes its habit. [8] It enters a deep, sleep-like state called torpor, when its body temperature and heartbeat drop sharply. [9] In the morning it warms up again and returns to the flowers. [10] Torpor saves a large share of the energy that the bird would otherwise burn while it rests.
[11] Before a long migration, the bird prepares in a third way. [12] It drinks extra nectar for days until its weight rises sharply, storing fat as fuel. [13] Some ruby-throated hummingbirds then cross the Gulf of Mexico in one flight, which can last many hours. Ladder (one rung for each paragraph, with the arrow into each rung marked like or unlike): P1: fast wings let it hover | (like) P2: hovering burns so much energy that it must feed all day | (unlike) P3: at night it cannot feed, so it saves energy in torpor | (like) P4: before migration it stores fat as fuel Draft summary: A hummingbird hovers by beating its wings more than fifty times each second. Hovering burns so much energy that the poor bird must feed all day. At night it saves energy by entering torpor. Before migration it stores fat as fuel.
Esme wrote a draft summary of the article. Which sentence does not belong in an objective summary?
- A hummingbird hovers by beating its wings more than fifty times each second.
- Before migration it stores fat as fuel.
- At night it saves energy by entering torpor.
- Hovering burns so much energy that the poor bird must feed all day.
When the Moon Covers the Sun (article)
[1] During a total solar eclipse, the Moon moves directly between Earth and the Sun and covers the Sun's bright face. [2] Daytime turns to a deep twilight, birds may quiet down, and the air feels cooler. [3] The Sun's faint outer atmosphere, the corona, shines around the dark disk of the Moon.
[4] This event is possible because of a coincidence of size. [5] The Sun is about four hundred times wider than the Moon, but it is also about four hundred times farther away. [6] As a result, the two look almost the same size in the sky.
[7] The match is not perfect, though. [8] The Moon's path around Earth is slightly oval, so its distance changes during the month. [9] When it is farther away, it looks a little too small to hide the Sun, and a bright ring of sunlight remains around it.
[10] Watching an eclipse safely requires care. [11] The Sun's rays can damage the eyes even when most of the Sun is covered. [12] Viewers should use special eclipse glasses, and they can remove them only during the brief time when the Sun is fully covered. Ladder (one rung for each paragraph, with the arrow into each rung marked like or unlike): P1: the Moon covers the Sun and the day grows dark | (like) P2: the Sun and Moon look the same size because of a coincidence | (unlike) P3: the match is not perfect, since the Moon's distance changes | (like) P4: watchers must protect their eyes
Jun reads the article and its ladder. Which summary tells the whole article and adds no opinion?
- During a total eclipse the sky turns to twilight, the air cools and the corona shines around the dark Moon, and the sight is something that watchers should view safely.
- A total eclipse happens when the Moon covers the Sun, a stunning coincidence of size, though the match is not perfect and watchers must protect their eyes.
- A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon covers the Sun, and it is possible because the two look almost the same size in the sky as seen from Earth.
- A total eclipse happens when the Moon covers the Sun, which is possible because they look the same size, though the match is not perfect and watchers must protect their eyes.
Kira is writing a summary. Which sentence keeps the unlike arrow between P2 and P3, so the reader sees that the match is imperfect?
- The Moon's distance changes during the month, so the Sun and Moon look almost the same size in the sky.
- The Sun and Moon look almost the same size in the sky, but the match is sadly not perfect, since the Moon's distance changes.
- The Sun and Moon look almost the same size in the sky, but the match is not perfect, since the Moon's distance changes.
- The Sun and Moon look almost the same size in the sky, and the Moon's distance also changes during the month.
When the Moon Covers the Sun (article)
[1] During a total solar eclipse, the Moon moves directly between Earth and the Sun and covers the Sun's bright face. [2] Daytime turns to a deep twilight, birds may quiet down, and the air feels cooler. [3] The Sun's faint outer atmosphere, the corona, shines around the dark disk of the Moon.
[4] This event is possible because of a coincidence of size. [5] The Sun is about four hundred times wider than the Moon, but it is also about four hundred times farther away. [6] As a result, the two look almost the same size in the sky.
[7] The match is not perfect, though. [8] The Moon's path around Earth is slightly oval, so its distance changes during the month. [9] When it is farther away, it looks a little too small to hide the Sun, and a bright ring of sunlight remains around it.
[10] Watching an eclipse safely requires care. [11] The Sun's rays can damage the eyes even when most of the Sun is covered. [12] Viewers should use special eclipse glasses, and they can remove them only during the brief time when the Sun is fully covered. Ladder (one rung for each paragraph, with the arrow into each rung marked like or unlike): P1: the Moon covers the Sun and the day grows dark | (like) P2: the Sun and Moon look the same size because of a coincidence | (unlike) P3: the match is not perfect, since the Moon's distance changes | (like) P4: watchers must protect their eyes Draft summary: During a total eclipse the Moon covers the Sun and the sky grows dark. The Sun and Moon look almost the same size because the Sun is both wider and farther away. The match is not perfect, because the Moon's distance changes. Foolish viewers who remove their glasses too early risk damaging their eyes.
Luz wrote a draft summary of the article. Which sentence does not belong in an objective summary?
- During a total eclipse the Moon covers the Sun and the sky grows dark.
- The Sun and Moon look almost the same size because the Sun is both wider and farther away.
- Foolish viewers who remove their glasses too early risk damaging their eyes.
- The match is not perfect, because the Moon's distance changes.
Messages in a Dance (article)
[1] When a honeybee finds a rich patch of flowers, it returns to the hive and performs an energetic dance for its hive mates. [2] On the dark, upright surface of the honeycomb, the bee waggles its body while walking in a straight line. [3] Other bees crowd close, touching the dancer to follow every move.
[4] The dance carries exact directions. [5] The angle of the waggling line, measured from straight up, matches the angle between the flowers and the Sun. [6] The longer the bee waggles, the farther away the flowers are.
[7] Not every dance sends such a message. [8] When food is very close to the hive, a bee performs a simple round dance instead. [9] This dance tells the other bees that food is near, but it gives them no clear direction to follow.
[10] The Austrian scientist Karl von Frisch worked out the meaning of the dances by watching marked bees for years. [11] He shared the Nobel Prize in 1973 for this and related work. [12] His discoveries showed that an insect can pass detailed information to others by movement alone. Ladder (one rung for each paragraph, with the arrow into each rung marked like or unlike): P1: a bee that finds flowers dances in the hive | (like) P2: the waggle dance gives direction and distance | (unlike) P3: the round dance says only that food is near | (like) P4: von Frisch decoded the dances
Milo reads the article and its ladder. Which summary tells the whole article and adds no opinion?
- The Austrian scientist Karl von Frisch watched marked bees for years and shared the Nobel Prize in 1973 for working out what their dances mean.
- A honeybee that finds flowers dances to tell its hive mates, with a wonderfully clever waggle dance giving direction and distance, and a round dance for food that is near.
- A honeybee that finds flowers dances to tell its hive mates, with the waggle dance giving direction and distance and the round dance saying only that food is near.
- A honeybee that finds flowers dances to tell its hive mates, and the waggle dance gives the direction and the distance of the flowers.
Noah is writing a summary. Which sentence keeps the unlike arrow between P2 and P3, so the reader sees how the two dances differ?
- The round dance gives the direction and the distance of the flowers, but the waggle dance says only that food is near.
- The waggle dance gives the direction and the distance of the flowers, but the round dance says only that food is near.
- The waggle dance gives the direction and the distance of the flowers, and the round dance also says that food is near.
- The waggle dance gives the direction and the distance of the flowers, but the much less impressive round dance says only that food is near.
Messages in a Dance (article)
[1] When a honeybee finds a rich patch of flowers, it returns to the hive and performs an energetic dance for its hive mates. [2] On the dark, upright surface of the honeycomb, the bee waggles its body while walking in a straight line. [3] Other bees crowd close, touching the dancer to follow every move.
[4] The dance carries exact directions. [5] The angle of the waggling line, measured from straight up, matches the angle between the flowers and the Sun. [6] The longer the bee waggles, the farther away the flowers are.
[7] Not every dance sends such a message. [8] When food is very close to the hive, a bee performs a simple round dance instead. [9] This dance tells the other bees that food is near, but it gives them no clear direction to follow.
[10] The Austrian scientist Karl von Frisch worked out the meaning of the dances by watching marked bees for years. [11] He shared the Nobel Prize in 1973 for this and related work. [12] His discoveries showed that an insect can pass detailed information to others by movement alone. Ladder (one rung for each paragraph, with the arrow into each rung marked like or unlike): P1: a bee that finds flowers dances in the hive | (like) P2: the waggle dance gives direction and distance | (unlike) P3: the round dance says only that food is near | (like) P4: von Frisch decoded the dances Draft summary: A honeybee that finds flowers returns to the hive and dances. The angle of the waggle run matches the angle between the flowers and the Sun. The silly round dance tells the others only that food is near. Karl von Frisch decoded the dances.
Pia wrote a draft summary of the article. Which sentence does not belong in an objective summary?
- The silly round dance tells the others only that food is near.
- The angle of the waggle run matches the angle between the flowers and the Sun.
- Karl von Frisch decoded the dances.
- A honeybee that finds flowers returns to the hive and dances.
Roads of Water (article)
[1] About two thousand years ago, Roman engineers built long channels called aqueducts to bring fresh water to their cities. [2] The water flowed downhill by gravity alone, so builders had to plan a gentle, steady slope over many miles. [3] A mistake of even a small angle could stop the flow.
[4] Many people picture aqueducts as tall stone arches. [5] Arches were used only where the channel had to cross a valley or a river, because they let the builders keep the slope even. [6] The famous Pont du Gard in southern France is one such bridge.
[7] Most of an aqueduct, however, ran quietly underground or just below the surface. [8] Buried channels were easier to build and safer from damage, and they kept the water cooler and cleaner. [9] Only the stretches over low ground rose on arches.
[10] At its end, the water filled public fountains, baths and the pipes of wealthy houses. [11] The city of Rome was served by eleven major aqueducts at its height. [12] Their ruins still stand across Europe, North Africa and western Asia. Ladder (one rung for each paragraph, with the arrow into each rung marked like or unlike): P1: gravity-fed channels brought water to cities | (like) P2: arches carried the channel across valleys | (unlike) P3: most of the channel ran underground | (like) P4: the water served fountains, baths and homes
Tala is writing a summary. Which sentence keeps the unlike arrow between P2 and P3, so the reader sees how the arches differ from the rest of the channel?
- Arches carried aqueducts across valleys and rivers, but most of each channel boringly ran underground or just below the surface.
- Arches carried aqueducts across valleys and rivers, and most of each channel also ran underground or just below the surface.
- Most of each channel ran on tall arches above the ground, but a few stretches ran underground or just below the surface.
- Arches carried aqueducts across valleys and rivers, but most of each channel ran underground or just below the surface.