Class 11 English Hornbill (Writing Skills) Chapter 2 Summarising

Key Concept: Paraphrasing Basics

a) In the west, the sun goes down.

[Solution Description]

Paraphrasing requires maintaining the original meaning while changing the wording. The sentence “The sun sets in the west” can be paraphrased as “In the west, the sun goes down.”

Key Concept: Monsoon Shift Impact

c) Dramatic drying and desertification

[Solution Description] Around 5,000 years ago, the southward shift of the monsoon led to a dramatic drying of the Sahara region. This resulted in decreased vegetation, loss of soil water retention, fewer clouds, and a runaway drying effect, turning the Sahara into the desert it is today.

Key Concept: Using Fewer Words

a) She was a versatile genius.

[Solution Description]

The original sentence describes someone who excels in multiple fields. A concise way to express this is by using the word “versatile,” which means competent in many areas. This reduces the sentence length while retaining the meaning.

Key Concept: Summarising Principles, Avoiding Examples

a) Mindfulness meditation reduces stress and improves mental health.

[Solution Description] The passage emphasizes the benefits of mindfulness meditation, particularly in reducing stress and improving mental health. A summary should capture these main points without delving into specific examples or additional details.

Key Concept: Summarising

a) Precocious children often turn out to be mediocre in adult life.

[Solution Description]

The original sentence highlights that children with exceptional intelligence often become average adults. The best summary should retain this meaning while reducing word count. The most concise and accurate summary is “Precocious children often turn out to be mediocre in adult life,” as it uses fewer words without losing the main idea.

Key Concept: Summarising Process

c) Including all examples and explanations

[Solution Description]

The process of summarising involves underlining important ideas, writing them down by abridging verbs, and avoiding examples and explanations. It also includes expanding points into full sentences and linking them using connectors. However, including all examples and explanations is not part of summarising.

Key Concept: Summarising

c) One-third the length of the original

[Solution Description]

A summary is usually one-third the length of the original passage. This ensures that the summary is concise while still covering all the main points of the original text.

Key Concept: Identifying Key Phrases

b) Lowers LDL levels

[Solution Description]

The passage highlights several health benefits of soybeans, including their ability to lower LDL levels, reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, and provide high-quality protein, vitamins, minerals, and fibers. One specific health benefit mentioned is their ability to lower LDL levels.

Key Concept: Logical Flow in Summaries

b) Reduces risk of coronary heart disease

[Solution Description] The text states that foods containing soy protein can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, as confirmed by the FDA.

Key Concept: Summarising Process

c) Underlining important ideas

[Solution Description]

The process of summarising involves underlining important ideas, writing them down by abridging verbs, and avoiding examples, explanations, and repetition. These steps are essential for creating a concise summary.

Key Concept: Avoiding Repetition

c) Examples and explanations

[Solution Description]

When writing down key points in a summary, one should avoid examples, explanations, and repetition to keep the summary concise and focused on the main ideas.

Key Concept: Summarising vs Note-Making

b) To report the main points in a concise manner

[Solution Description]

Summarising involves selecting and paraphrasing all important information from the original source, while note-making is for personal reference. The purpose of summarising is to report the main points in a concise manner, whereas note-making is not as severely shortened.

Key Concept: Summarising

c) Nominalising the points

[Solution Description]

The process of summarising includes underlining important ideas, writing them down with abridged verbs, and avoiding examples, explanations, and repetition. However, it does not involve nominalising the points; instead, the points are expanded into full sentences.

Key Concept: Summarising

b) The Earth’s axial tilt and the southward shift of the African monsoon caused the Sahara to dry out.

[Solution Description] The passage explains that the Sahara’s transformation was primarily due to the southward shift of the African monsoon, influenced by the Earth’s axial tilt and its closest approach to the sun. This led to a decrease in vegetation and moisture retention, causing the region to dry out.

Key Concept: Summarising

b) One-third the length of the original text

[Solution Description]

A summary is usually one-third the length of the original passage. This helps in condensing the information while retaining the essential points.

Key Concept: Summarising

c) To present the main points of a source in a concise manner

[Solution Description] Summarising is the process of selecting and paraphrasing all important information from the original source. It involves analysing the paragraphs or passage to formulate a plan of writing, and then expanding the main points into full sentences linked by suitable connectors. The summary contains all the main ideas of the original, expressed precisely, and is typically one-third the length of the original passage.

Key Concept: Compare a news article with its summary

d) The article mentions Monday, but the summary says Tuesday.

[Solution Description]

The news article specifies the event occurred on Monday, while the summary incorrectly states it happened on Tuesday. The difference lies in the day of the week mentioned.

Key Concept: Summarising

b) Including all repetitive information in detail.

[Solution Description]

When summarising, it is important to avoid including examples, explanations, and repetition. Instead, focus on underlining important ideas, abridging verbs, and expanding points into full sentences using suitable connectors.

Key Concept: Logical Flow

c) However

[Solution Description]

The word “However” is used to show contrast in a sentence, indicating that the following statement contrasts with the previous one.

Key Concept: Summarising

b) One-third the length of the original

[Solution Description]

A summary is usually one-third the length of the original passage, making it significantly shorter while retaining all the main ideas.

Key Concept: Sentence Simplification

a) If you need help, contact me.

[Solution Description] The phrase “In the event that” can be replaced with “If” for simplicity without changing the meaning.

Key Concept: Summarising

b) The Sahara was once a green, liveable environment but turned into a desert due to climate changes driven by Earth’s axial tilt and monsoon shifts.

[Solution Description]

The passage discusses the transformation of the Sahara from a green, liveable environment to the dry desert it is today. It explains how climate changes, driven by Earth’s axial tilt and monsoon shifts, caused this drastic change. The summary should focus on the key points: the historical transformation, the role of climate changes, and the current state of the Sahara.

Key Concept: Summarising Process

c) Expanding abridged points into full sentences

[Solution Description]

The syllabus mentions that summarising involves underlining important ideas, writing them down, and avoiding examples and repetitions. However, the key step is to expand these points into full sentences and link them using suitable connectors.

Key Concept: Omitting Redundant Information

a) Soybean yields beans, sprouts, food items, dairy alternatives, and is used in candles and bio-diesel.

[Solution Description]

The passage states that soybean yields beans, sprouts, and a variety of processed food items, dairy alternatives, and is used to make candles and bio-diesel. The most concise summary should include all these uses without unnecessary details.

Key Concept: Word Reduction Strategies

a) Precocious children

[Solution Description]

Using one word for many is a word reduction strategy where a single word is used to replace a longer phrase or idea. For example, “Precocious children” can be used instead of “Children who show intelligence far beyond their age.” This reduces the word count while retaining the meaning.

Key Concept: Noticing Form

b) Interpreting the author’s biography

[Solution Description] Noticing Form involves analyzing the structure, style, and organization, but it does not focus on interpreting the author’s biography.

Key Concept: Summarising

b) To provide a brief overview of all main points

[Solution Description]

The primary purpose of summarising is to select and paraphrase all important information from the original source. This involves analyzing the passage to formulate a plan of writing, underlining important ideas, writing them down in abridged form, avoiding examples and explanations, and linking the points into full sentences using suitable connectors. The summary should be precise and contain all main ideas of the original.

Key Concept: Earth’s Axial Tilt

b) Variations in Earth’s axial tilt and perihelion

[Solution Description]

The migration of the African monsoon is caused by the tilt of the Earth’s axis and its closest approach to the sun, which increases sunlight during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer months.

Key Concept: Summarising Practice

d) Soybeans, a versatile legume, are used in various forms, rich in nutrients, low in fat, cholesterol-free, lower LDL, and reduce heart disease risk; soymilk is a lactose-free alternative that can be made at home.

[Solution Description]

The passage highlights the versatility and nutritional benefits of soybeans, including their use in various food items, candles, and bio-diesel. It emphasises their high-quality protein, low fat, cholesterol-free nature, and ability to lower LDL levels, reducing the risk of coronary heart disease. Soymilk, a lactose-free alternative, can be made at home by soaking, grinding, and straining soybeans.

Key Concept: Summarising

c) Summarising includes selecting important points and rewriting them concisely.

[Solution Description]

The syllabus explains that summarising involves selecting and paraphrasing important information from the original source. It includes steps like underlining key ideas, writing them down concisely, and avoiding unnecessary details. The summary should reflect these steps accurately.

Key Concept: Summarising

c) Creating plastic materials

[Solution Description]

Soybeans are versatile and can be used as whole beans, soy sprouts, or processed into various food items such as soy milk, tofu, tempeh, textured vegetable protein, miso, soy sauce, soy oil and margarine, and soy dairy alternatives. They are also used for making candles and bio-diesel. The options include uses like candles, bio-diesel, and dairy alternatives, but one option is not mentioned in the passage.

Key Concept: Summarizing

c) By soaking, grinding, and straining soybeans

[Solution Description] The text explains that soymilk is prepared by soaking soybeans in water, grinding them, and then straining the mixture. This process ensures that the resulting milk is lactose-free and suitable for those allergic to normal milk.

Key Concept: Summarising

b) To select and paraphrase important information

[Solution Description]

The primary purpose of summarising is to select and paraphrase the most important information from an original source, ensuring that all key ideas are retained while omitting unnecessary details such as examples, explanations, and repetitions. This process involves analyzing the text, identifying the main points, and presenting them concisely.

Key Concept: Rewriting Long Sentences

a) Soymilk, lactose-free and flavored, suits milk-allergic individuals and can be homemade.

[Solution Description]

The original sentence explains that soymilk is lactose-free, comes in flavored varieties, suits those allergic to regular milk, and can be homemade through soaking, grinding, and straining soybeans. A shorter version should summarize these points succinctly.

Key Concept: Fossil Evidence

b) Hippopotamuses living in lakes

[Solution Description]

The prehistoric rock art in the Sahara shows hippopotamuses, which require year-round water. This indicates that the Sahara was once a green and fertile region with ample water resources.

Key Concept: Using Linking Words

c) Although

[Solution Description] The sentence requires a linking word that introduces a condition or situation despite which an action took place. The correct linking word is “Although” because it indicates a contrast between the cold weather and her decision to go out without a jacket.

Key Concept: Monsoon Migration

b) Migration of the paleo-monsoon

[Solution Description]

The green Sahara was caused by the migration of the paleo-monsoon, which shifted northward due to changes in the Earth’s tilt and its closest approach to the sun, leading to increased rainfall in North Africa.

Key Concept: Soybean Products

a) Tofu

[Solution Description]

Soybeans can be processed into various food items such as soy milk, tofu, tempeh, textured vegetable protein, miso, soy sauce, soy oil and margarine, and soy dairy alternatives. Among these, tofu is a well-known processed food item made from soybeans.

Key Concept: Summarising

b) The Sahara was once a green region with abundant water but became a desert due to the shift of the monsoon.

[Solution Description]

The passage explains that 6,000 years ago, the Sahara was a green region with abundant water, as evidenced by prehistoric rock art showing hippopotamuses, which require year-round water. Around 5,000 years ago, the monsoon shifted dramatically southward, leading to a rapid drying effect. By 4,000 years ago, the Sahara had become the desert it is today. The changes were driven by the migration of the paleo-monsoon due to variations in the tilt of the earth’s axis and its closest approach to the sun.

Key Concept: Condensation Process

c) Temperature decreases

[Solution Description]

During condensation, water vapor loses heat energy and changes into liquid water. This process occurs when the vapor cools down. Therefore, the temperature of the water vapor decreases during condensation.

Key Concept: Summarising

c) Expanding all points into full sentences and linking them with connectors

[Solution Description]

Summarising involves selecting and paraphrasing all important information from the original source. It is not as severely shortened as note-making and aims to present all main ideas in a concise manner, using full sentences and suitable connectors. The summary should be precise and typically one-third the length of the original passage.

Key Concept: Summarising Techniques

c) Expanding points into full sentences

[Solution Description]

Summarising involves underlining important ideas, writing them down by abridging verbs, and avoiding examples and repetitions. It does not include expanding points into full sentences or adding unnecessary details. Instead, it focuses on condensing the information while retaining the main ideas.

Key Concept: Summarising

c) To report the main points concisely and accurately.

[Solution Description]

Summarising involves selecting and paraphrasing the most important information from the original text. The purpose is to report the key points concisely without losing the essence of the original content.

Key Concept: Summarising

b) She was a versatile genius.

[Solution Description] The sentence describes someone who excels in multiple fields such as arts, languages, and science. To summarise this, we can use the word “versatile” which means having many skills or adaptable. So, the summary is: “She was a versatile genius.”

Key Concept: Green Sahara Timeline

c) 6,000 years ago

[Solution Description]

The Sahara was green about 6,000 years ago, as mentioned in the syllabus.

Key Concept: Summarising

d) The company has seen increased sales due to its eco-friendly focus.

[Solution Description] The original sentence mentions the company’s specialization, increase in sales, and reasons for its success. A summary should focus on the main idea without including explanations or repeated points.

Key Concept: Summarising

c) The Sahara transitioned from a green, water-rich region to an arid desert due to shifts in the paleo-monsoon.

[Solution Description]

The Sahara, known today as the world’s largest desert, was once a green landscape with abundant water, supported by the paleo-monsoon. Around 6,000 years ago, the monsoon shifted northward, causing North Africa to become lush. However, 5,000 years ago, the monsoon shifted southward, leading to rapid drying and desertification. By 4,000 years ago, the Sahara had become the arid desert it is today. This transformation highlights the dynamic nature of Earth’s climate.

Key Concept: Characteristics of a Good Summary

c) One-third the length of the original passage.

[Solution Description]

A good summary should be concise and typically one-third the length of the original passage, ensuring it retains the essence while being shorter.

Key Concept: Summarising

c) Precocious children often turn out to be mediocre in adult life.

[Solution Description]

The sentence can be summarized by replacing “children who show intelligence far beyond their age” with the word “precocious”. This makes the sentence more concise while retaining the original meaning.

Key Concept: Remove unnecessary articles and prepositions

c) The cat is on top of the table

[Solution Description]

The sentence “She went to the store” is correct as it does not contain any unnecessary articles or prepositions. The sentence “He is in the house” is also correct. However, the sentence “The cat is on top of the table” contains an unnecessary preposition “of”. The correct sentence should be “The cat is on the table”.

Key Concept: Active vs. Passive Voice

b) The movie was watched by everyone.

[Solution Description]

The passive voice is used when the subject receives the action. Among the given options, “The movie was watched by everyone” is in the passive voice because the subject (\$movie(\$)) receives the action (\$was watched(\$)).

Key Concept: Summary Comparison

c) Soybeans are used in multiple ways including as whole beans, sprouts, and processed foods like soy milk and tofu, as well as for candles and bio-diesel.

[Solution Description]

The original text mentions that soybeans can be used as whole beans, soy sprouts, or processed into various food items like soy milk, tofu, tempeh, and more. They are also used for making candles and bio-diesel. The summary should reflect this versatility. The first version lists the uses comprehensively, while the second and third versions condense the information but still cover the main points. The best summary is the one that includes all the uses without omitting any significant details.

Key Concept: Summarising

c) Precocious children often turn out to be mediocre in adult life.

[Solution Description]

The original sentence states that children who are exceptionally intelligent at a young age often become average as adults. The most concise and precise way to summarise this is by using the term “precocious” which means having developed certain abilities at an earlier age than usual. Thus, the correct summary is “Precocious children often turn out to be mediocre in adult life.”

Key Concept: Summarising

c) Precocious children often turn out to be mediocre in adult life.

[Solution Description]

The sentence describes children who exhibit intelligence significantly above their age but often become average in adulthood. The key idea is that precocious children may not maintain their exceptional abilities into adulthood. The most concise summary would use the term “precocious” to describe such children and convey the outcome succinctly.

Key Concept: Replace multiple words with single precise terms

c) Precocious

[Solution Description] The phrase “Children who show intelligence far beyond their age” can be replaced with the single precise term “Precocious”. This term directly conveys the idea of children displaying advanced intelligence for their age.

Key Concept: Conceptual Complexity, Multi-step Solutions

a) Break down the problem into smaller parts

[Solution Description]

To avoid common mistakes in multi-step problems, it is essential to break down the problem into smaller, manageable parts. Verify each step independently before proceeding to the next. This ensures that errors are caught early and do not propagate through the solution.

Key Concept: Summarising

c) By soaking, grinding, and straining soybeans

[Solution Description]

To make soymilk at home, soybeans are soaked in water, ground, and then strained. This process extracts the liquid, resulting in soymilk.

Key Concept: Synonyms and Paraphrasing

b) She was a versatile genius.

[Solution Description] The original sentence describes someone who excelled in multiple fields, including arts, languages, and science. The best paraphrase would capture this versatility without changing the meaning. The option “She was a versatile genius” accurately paraphrases the original sentence.

Key Concept: Sahara Drying Effect

d) 4,000 years ago

[Solution Description]

By 4,000 years ago, the Sahara had undergone a runaway drying effect, losing its vegetation and ability to hold water, becoming the desert we know today.

Key Concept: Summarising

c) To convey all the main ideas concisely

[Solution Description] Summarising involves selecting and paraphrasing all important information from the original source. The main goal is to present the key ideas in a concise manner, ensuring clarity and precision. This process helps in reporting the main points effectively, making it easier for readers to understand the essence of the original text without going through the entire content.

Key Concept: Creative Writing – Narrative Structure

c) To resolve the main conflict

[Solution Description]

The climax is the most intense and pivotal moment in a story, where the main conflict reaches its peak. It is crucial because it determines the outcome of the plot and leads to the resolution.

Key Concept: Summarising Process

d) Summarising expands points into full sentences and links them

[Solution Description]

Note-making involves writing down key points for personal reference, often in an abridged form. Summarising, on the other hand, involves expanding these points into full sentences and linking them with suitable connectors to present a coherent summary of the original text.