Reading Questions: Summary

In this kind of exercise, you are given a summary of part of the text with blanks and you have to fill in the missing words.  Sometimes, you are given options to choose from - there are always more options than blanks.

Always read the summary first. Then find the information in the text - look for similar words, synonyms or factual information likes names and dates.

You need to make sure that the words you choose make sense and fit grammatically. When you read the summary, think about what kind of word is needed to fit the gap.  Is it a noun? a verb? What meaning fits? Are you looking for a kind of person, a machine, a material?  If you know what kind of word you are looking for, it is easier to find it in the text.

Be careful to use the correct form of the word.  For example, if the sentence was 'He had many __________________', you cannot put 'competitor' because you need a plural.  You also cannot put 'competition' because it is uncountable and cannot go with 'many'.

If you are given options, you will probably be able to reduce them to two or three good alternatives - use the process of elimination to get the correct one.  Why are the other options wrong?  

When you have filled in the words, read the completed summary to check that it reads correctly grammatically and also to see that it makes sense.

It is also possible that you will have separate sentences with blanks. The process is the same but the information will be in different parts of the text.