Title, Summary and Explanation
Title, Summary and Explanation
This topic supplies one to two questions and the three tasks are quite distinct, even though they sound alike. The title is the shortest, the summary longer than it and the explanation the longest of the three — remembering that order alone gives half the answer.
The Difference Between the Three
| Task | Length | What is required |
|---|---|---|
| Title | two to four words | a name for the central sense |
| Summary | about a third of the original | the main points, in your own words |
| Explanation | as long as the original or a little less | opening out the sense |
The distinction is that a summary shortens while an explanation opens out. In a summary the elaboration is removed; in an explanation the hidden meaning is made clear. That difference is asked directly.
✗ A summary and an explanation are the same thing | ✓ A summary shortens the original; an explanation opens out its hidden meaning
Choosing a Title
- Settle the central subject of the whole passage in one sentence.
- Compress that sentence into two to four words.
- The title should be neither too general nor too narrow.
- A word that keeps recurring in the passage is usually the key to the title.
The test of a good title is simple — reading it should give an idea of what the passage is about without giving away the whole of it. A very long title and a very general one are both treated as weak.
Rules for Summary Writing
- Keep it to about a third of the original.
- Write in your own words; do not lift the original sentences.
- Remove examples, repetition and figures of speech.
- Keep the order of the original; do not rearrange it.
- Do not add your own opinion — a summary carries the writer's view, not yours.
The last rule is broken most often. A summary is compression, not evaluation — saying whether the passage is good or bad is no part of its work.
Writing an Explanation
In an explanation the hidden meaning of a line is opened out in simple language, and the sense of symbols and figures has to be made clear. दीपक जलता रहा might be explained as hope having stayed alive, if the lamp stands for hope in that passage.
शिक्षक के लिए यह कौशल दोहरा उपयोगी है — कक्षा में बच्चों से सारांश लिखवाना पढ़ने की समझ जाँचने का सबसे सीधा तरीका है।
TRE pointer: A summary shortens, an explanation opens out — that one line answers half the questions in this topic. Remember both summary rules: about a third, and in your own words. A recurring word is usually the key to the title, so catch it during the reading itself.
60-Second Recap
- A title names the central sense in two to four words.
- A summary is about a third of the original and in your own words.
- An explanation stays about as long and opens out the hidden meaning.
- A summary shortens while an explanation opens out.
- No opinion or evaluation is added in a summary.
- A recurring word is usually the key to the title.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a summary and an explanation?
A summary shortens the original and keeps only its main points in your own words. An explanation does not shorten it at all; it opens out the hidden meaning, the symbols and the figures of speech in simple language. One is compression, the other interpretation.
How long should a summary be?
About a third of the original passage. Examples, repetition and figures of speech are removed, and only the main ideas remain in your own words. The order of the original is kept, and only the writer's view appears — not the view of the person summarising.
What makes a good title?
One that names the central sense in two to four words — neither so general that nothing is clear, nor so narrow that it fails to cover the passage. The word that keeps recurring while you read is usually the key to it.
Why should no opinion be added to a summary?
Because the work of a summary is compression, not evaluation. Whatever the writer said must appear in shorter form. Saying whether it is good or bad belongs to a review, and adding it makes the answer break the rule the question is testing.