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 main idea here is how summarizing and paraphrasing differ in scope and purpose. Summarizing aims to present the overall point of a passage in a shorter form, focusing on the main idea and leaving out extra details. Paraphrasing, on the other hand, rewrites the exact content in your own words while keeping the same level of detail and meaning.

That’s why the best description combines both ideas: summarizing captures the main idea concisely, while paraphrasing restates specific sentences in your own words with similar detail. For example, if the original sentence is “Photosynthesis uses sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into sugars,” a paraphrase would restate that idea in new wording without dropping any details. A summary would condense the idea to something like “Plants use light to make sugars,” preserving the overall message but omitting specifics.

The other options fall short because they describe only one part of the distinction or mix up the roles: paraphrasing isn’t necessarily about only specific sentences, and summarizing isn’t about restating sentences with the same level of detail.