Which term describes the task of telling in your own words what a passage is about, including only the central idea and the most important supporting details?

• A. Paraphrase
• B. Summarize
• C. Judge
• D. Critique

Answer: (B)

Summarizing captures the main idea and essential details from a passage in your own words, but in a condensed form. It requires you to decide what is truly central and which supporting points are necessary to understand the core message, then restate that core with brevity. Paraphrasing, while also using your own words, typically preserves more of the original content and structure, so it may not shorten the text to only the most important points. Judging or critiquing involves evaluating the passage, offering opinions about its value or quality, rather than simply presenting what the passage says. Since the task described is to convey what the passage is about by focusing on the central idea and the key details, the best match is summarizing.