Start here · the first lesson of Best summary of the paragraph
Best summary of the paragraph
Para Summary · for IPMAT Indore, IPMAT Rohtak and JIPMAT
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The idea
A para-summary question gives one paragraph and four one-sentence summaries. The best summary is the one a careful reader would write: it keeps the paragraph's main claim, its key qualification, and nothing extra. JIPMAT asked two in 2023 ("determine carefully the main idea"); Indore lists the type in its syllabus.
Textbook vs exam method
Textbook method
Read the paragraph, identify the main idea, and choose the option closest to it.
Exam method
- Summarise first. Before looking at the options, write about 15 words: topic + claim + turn.
- Check coverage. Does the option cover the start and the "but/however" part? If it covers only one, it is too narrow.
- Check strength. Match the hedges: "can be", "often", "may". An option with "always", "only", "best", "must" is usually too strong.
- Check additions. Strike out anything not in the paragraph: advice, blame, numbers, comparisons.
- Choose. the option that survives; if two do, prefer the one that keeps the paragraph's own conclusion.