Students can find the best My English Book 8th Standard Question Answer and Maharashtra Board Class 8 English Summary Writing for exam preparation.
Maharashtra Board Std 8 English Summary Writing
Summary Writing
Introduction
A Summary is a piece of information which conveys the main points or details of a passage. It conveys the whole matter / information in short.
Guidelines for writing a summary:
- An ideal summary would be 1/3rd in length of the given passage.
- The summary must include all the main points and the central idea of the passage.
- Any additional information that may not seem necessary can be omitted.
- Use complex and compound sentences to include more information in a single sentence.
- Use simple and lucid language.
- A suitable title should be given to the summary.
दिलेल्या उताऱ्यातील मुख्य विचार, मध्यवर्ती कल्पना यांची संक्षिप्त रूपात मांडणी करणे म्हणजे सारांशलेखन होय. सारांशलेखन करताना दिलेला उतारा पुन्हा पुन्हा वाचून त्यातील महत्त्वाचे मुद्दे सलग, क्रमवार आणि संक्षिप्त स्वरूपात मांडणे आवश्यक असते.
सारांशलेखनासाठी मार्गदर्शक मुद्देः
- दिलेल्या उताऱ्याच्या लांबीच्या एक तृतीयांश या प्रमाणात केलेले सारांशलेखन सुयोग्य मानले जाते.
- उताऱ्यातील सर्व मुख्य मुद्दे आणि मध्यवर्ती कल्पना यांचा समावेश सारांशलेखनात होईल याची काळजी घ्यावी.
- उताऱ्यातील जास्तीची वाटणारी आणि अनावश्यक असलेली माहिती वगळावी.
- एका वाक्यात अधिकाधिक माहिती मांडता यावी यासाठी सारांशामध्ये मिश्र आणि संयुक्त वाक्यांचा समावेश करावा.
- सुबोध आणि साध्या भाषेचा वापर करावा.
- सारांशलेखनाला सुयोग्य असे शीर्षक दयावे.
Solved Examples
Question 1.
Read the following passage and write its summary. Give it an appropriate title.
Valley of Flowers National Park is an Indian national park located in the state of Uttarakhand and is known for its beautiful meadows full of colourful flowers. This richly diverse area is also home to the Asiatic black bear, snow leopard, musk deer, brown bear, red fox, blue sheep, Himalayan monal pheasant and a host of other high-altitude birds.
This enchanting park was unknown to the outside world due to its inaccessibility. In 1931, Frank Smythe, Eric Shipton and R.L. Holdsworth, all British mountaineers, lost their way while returning from a successful expedition to Mt. Kamet and stumbled across a valley, which was full of flowers. They were attracted to the beauty of the area and named it the ‘Valley of Flowers’. It was Frank Smythe who later authored a book by the same name.
Local people have been visiting the valley since ancient times. The yogis would also visit the valley for meditation. The valley was declared a national park in 1982 and now it is a World Heritage Site. The best time to visit the Valley of Flowers is during its blooming season that falls in July and August every year.
Answer:
The Valley of Flowers
The ‘Valley of Flowers’ is a National Park located in the state of Uttarakhand. Globally renowned for its rich and colourful flowers, it is home to many endangered species of animals. It was known only to locals, but a team of British mountaineers discovered it in 1931 and named it ‘The Valley of Flowers’. It is recognized as a World Heritage Site and has a book written about it. The valley is in full bloom between July and August, which makes it the best time for a visit.
Question 2.
Read the following passage and write its summary. Give an appropriate title.
Electricity is one of the greatest wonders of science and a gift to mankind. It has changed our lives as it has ‘reduced difficult work and manual labour for us. Modem society is completely dependent on it and it can be said that we live in the age of electricity. It has become the backbone to development today because it is one of the basics of urban life.
We use modes of transportation like trains that run on electrical energy. Appliances like lights, fans, air conditioners, water filters, coolers and heaters, washing machines, electric stoves, etc. have made our lives easier and comfortable. Electricity has tremendously helped in fast communication and immediate contact with anyone anywhere is no longer a challenge. We need it to power our phones, televisions, computers and other gadgets. We use it to access the internet, watch movies, play video games, listen to music, and other sources of entertainment.
We have become used to all these things and cannot imagine a life without them. Electricity has changed the way of farming by mechanising it. It has enabled us to provide the water of rivers to irrigate dry and barren lands using canals. It is used in the cultivation and harvesting of crops as tube wells and other farming machinery are powered by it. It has a significant role in industrial development as it is necessary for industrial growth. Small scale companies as well as huge factories depend on electricity for the production of their goods.
Electricity has changed the field of medicine as X-rays and other imaging methods are a boon for both doctors and patients. Cancer, heart problems, brain illnesses, eye disorders and many other diseases are cured by the use of electricity in surgery.
With our complete dependence on electricity, we must not forget that it is exhaustible. We must thus look for alternate sources of electricity need to be used to replace the limited resources. Solar, wind and geothermal energy can be used to bridge the gap of demand and supply as the electricity that is produced from coal, hydro and nuclear power isn’t enough for us. Our lives stop when there are power cuts even for a short time because most of what we use is powered by electricity. Hence, we should be very careful in its use and make sure we do not waste it.
Answer:
Exhaustible Electricity
Electricity is a wonderful gift from science to mankind and we depend on it in our daily lives. Electricity powers modes of transportation and communication, allowing us to reach people anywhere in the world. Almost all of our household appliances are powered by electricity allowing us to live comfortably. Our gadgets and sources of entertainment, that we use all the time, run on electricity. Agriculture uses electricity to provide water to the field and reap the crops.
Factories, both large and small, are dependent on electricity for their production. It allows medical devices used in scanning and surgery to help us treat serious diseases. Electricity is a non-renewable resource and we must use it with utmost care, preserving it for the future generations. Alternate sources like solar, wind and geothermal energy can be used to produce more electricity to replace limited resources and avoid power shortages. Our modern lives cannot work without electricity and therefore we should be careful about its usage.
Question 3.
Read the following passage and write its summary. Give an appropriate title.
Colour has been an inseparable part of man’s existence from ancient times. When colour enhances our environment, depression drifts away. Bright colours work on our moods and bring good vibrations. Small children, if put in a grey-walled room, start coughing and sneezing as the colour has a gloomy effect on them.
Nature is full of colours. To get a feast of colours we should go to a well-kept park. Flowers of different colours: red, pink, yellow and violet, set against green and olive have a comforting effect on tired minds. The beauty of coloured clothes (in a circus or dance show) in movement brings relief from the dullness of everyday life.
Colours in a person’s clothes reflect his personality. With a good colour sense, one can bring joy into one’s environment. All our festivals are colour oriented. We decorate our houses with banana and mango leaves and prepare sweets with different colours and believe that they have a divine aura, which affects our fortunes. In Astronomy and Astrology, it is believed that planets emit colourful cosmic rays which influence our health, happiness and wisdom. Ancient Indian medicines prescribe cosmic colours to bring balance in human cells. Physical and psychological defects are cured by colour therapy.
Literature glorifies colour around us. A world without the green fields, the blue sky, the gold of the sun and the pink of the roses will be dull.
Answer:
A Colourful Life
Colours are an inseparable part of human life. Bright colours uplift our spirits whereas dull colours dampen them. Nature is a colourful garden of brightly coloured flowers and different shades of greenery, which positively influence the observer. Festivals are colour-based where decorations, sweets, etc. are inspired by different colours. According to Astrology and Astronomy, planets emit radiations of different colours which affect our well-being. Medical science accepts the healing power of colours while, Literature too praises colour around us. A world without the blue skies, green fields and vibrant flowers, would be dull and boring.
Question 4.
Read the following passage and write its summary. Give an appropriate title.
The most remarkable of deserts is the Sahara. It is a vast plain, but a little elevated above the level of the ocean, and covered with sand and gravel, with a mixture of sea shells, and appears to be like the basin of an evaporated sea.
Amid the desert, there are springs of water which burst forth and create lush green spots, called oases. There are thirty-two of these that contain fountains, and date and palm trees; twenty of them are inhabited. They serve as stopping places for the caravans, and often contain villages.
Were it not for these, no human being could cross this waste of burning sand. So violent, sometimes, is the burning wind that the scorching heat dries up the water of these springs, and then frequently, the most disastrous consequences follow.
In 1805, a caravan consisting of 2,000 persons and 1,800 camels, not finding water at the usual resting place, died of thirst, both men and animals. Storms of wind are more terrible in this desert than on the ocean. Vast surges and clouds of red sand are raised and rolled forward, burying everything in its way, and it is said that whole tribes have thus been swallowed up.
Many perish, as they are victims of the most horrible thirst. It is then that the value of a cup of water is truly felt.
To be thirsty in a desert, without water, exposed to the burning sun, without shelter, is the most terrible situation that a human being can be placed in, and one of the greatest sufferings that a human being can sustain; the tongue and lips swell; a hollow sound is heard in the ears, which brings on deafness, and the brain appears to grow thick and inflamed.
Answer:
The Great Sahara Desert
The Sahara Desert is the most remarkable desert of the word. It is slightly elevated, covered with sand and filled with shells. It resembles the basin of an evaporated sea. In the middle of this dry land are spots of water and greenery called oases. There are 32 oases which support life in this desert and serve as resting spots for travellers.
If, for some reason, these spots of water dry up, they lead to some of the most disastrous consequences. For example, in 1805, a caravan comprising of 2000 people and 1800 camels perished in the heat. Sand storms too are very common and entire tribes of people have been swallowed by them. Being thirsty in a desert, right under the scorching sun, with no drop of water is one of the greatest sufferings ever. Under these conditions, the tongue and lips swell, a hollow sound is heard in the ears and the brain feels thick and inflamed.
Question 5.
Read the following passage and write its summary. Give an appropriate title.
The North Pole was discovered in 1909 by a pair of US Navy engineers, Robert E. Peary and Matthew Henson, accompanied by four Eskimos. Ever since its discovery, it has been attracting the attention of numerous scientists, researchers, politicians, tourists and explorers worldwide.
Interestingly enough, there are two different definitions of the North Pole. The first one refers to the Geomagnetic North Pole that moves around on a daily basis and depends on the Earth’s magnetic field. The other one relates to the best-known Geographic North Pole often called the ‘Top of the World’.
There is no land on the North Pole, just sheets of ice on the incredibly cold yet glass-like water. The area of the North Pole does not belong to any country yet. In spite of this, countries like Denmark (via Greenland), Russia, Norway, Canada, and the U.S. (via Alaska) are known to have laid claim to parts of its area. The reason for these claims is that underneath the North Pole resides approximately 22% of the world’s natural gas and untapped oil reserves.
You won’t be able to see penguins in the North Pole, as they are known to be found in the South Pole. However, apart from Narwhals, one can expect to see fish like Beluga, Humpback, and Orca (Killer) whales, as well as animals like Svalbard Reindeer and Arctic Fox. There are also plenty of polar bears who can be spotted in the North Pole.
Answer:
The Top of the World
The North Pole was discovered in 1909 by a pair of American Navy Engineers along with four Eskimos. Since its discovery, the North Pole has caught the eye of everyone around the globe. The North Pole has two definitions – one being the magnetic North Pole, which depends on the Earth’s magnetic field and the other being the Geographic North Pole, known as the ‘Top of the World’. The area of the North Pole is not supposed to belong to any country, but due to the rich deposits of untapped oil and natural gas under it, many countries have laid a claim to it. There are no penguins here, but polar bears, orcas and humpbacks, among others, are found in plenty.