What is the difference between summarizing and paraphrasing a passage?

What is the difference between summarizing and paraphrasing a passage?

• A. Paraphrasing restates specific sentences in your own words.
• B. Summarizing captures the main idea concisely.
• C. Paraphrasing restates the main idea concisely.
• D. Summarizing captures the main idea concisely; paraphrasing restates specific sentences in your own words with similar detail.

Answer: (D)

The concept being tested is how summarizing and paraphrasing handle a text differently in purpose and detail. Summarizing focuses on the main idea and conveys it in a much shorter form, stripping away extra details. Paraphrasing rewrites the original wording in your own words while keeping the meaning, often preserving the same level of detail as the source. The best answer captures both ideas: a summary that presents the main idea concisely, and a paraphrase that restates specific sentences in your own words with similar detail. For example, if a passage explains several factors that affect plant growth, a summary would hit the overall idea briefly, while a paraphrase would rewrite a particular sentence about one factor in your own words without losing its detail. This makes clear how the two techniques serve different purposes when working with the same material.