Compare your summary to the sample below.
In Psychology Charles G. Morris explains that the nervous system consists of cells called neurons whose purpose is to convey information. In addition to the elements the neuron shares with other cells (a nucleus and cell membrane), it also has a group of fibres called dendrites and a long single fibre called an axon. The dendrites receive messages and transmit them to the cell body, while the axon transmits messages, either to the dendrites in the next cell or directly to a muscle or gland which is then activated. [89 words]

a) How long is the sample in proportion to the original text? How long is your own summary?
b) What information from the original text has been included in the sample summary? What has been omitted? Compare the information in your own summary.
c) A number of words in the sample summary are the same as those in the original. Which are they? Why do you think they have not been paraphrased?
d) Are any details or examples included in the summary? Check your own summary for unnecessary details or examples.
e) Do you think the sample summary omits anything important?
f) Write a one-sentence summary of 'The Neuron'.




The Neuron

The number of cells, or neurons, that make up the nervous system has been estimated at 100 to 200 billion. Although neurons come in many different shapes and sizes, they are specialised to receive and transmit information.

In common with all other cells, a neuron has a nucleus, a cell body where metabolism and respiration take place, and a cell membrane which encloses the whole cell. What makes a neuron different from other cells are the tiny fibres that extend out from the cell body. These extensions are what enable the neuron to perform its special job - to receive messages from surrounding cells, carry them a certain distance, and then pass them on to other cells. The short fibres branching out around the cell body are called dendrites. Their roles is to pick up the incoming messages from their surroundings and carry them to the cell body.

The single long fibre extending from the cell body is called an axon. The axon fibre is very thin and usually much longer than the dendrites. In adults the axons that run from the brain to the base of the spinal cord can sometimes be as long as 3 feet, but most axons are only an inch or two in length. The axonÕs job is to carry outgoing messages - either to pass them on to the next neuron in a series or to direct a muscle or gland to take action. When we talk about a nerve, we are referring not to a single fibre but to a group of axons bundled together like parallel wires in an electrical cable. (From Psychology, p.32.)

This exercise is based on Chapter 5, The Summary, in Martin L. Arnaudet and Mary Ellen Barrett, Approaches to Academic Reading and Writing (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1984).