How is a summary defined?

A summary is defined as a retelling of the important events of a story. It encapsulates the main ideas and essential details in a concise manner, allowing readers to grasp the core elements without delving into the complete narrative. Summaries focus on what is most significant to the plot, including key events, character actions, and major turning points, all while omitting extraneous details and subplots. This practice helps readers to retain essential information and provides a clear understanding of the overall story arc.

While a graphic organizer outlining elements of fiction can be a useful tool for analyzing a text, it does not constitute a summary itself. Similarly, a list of character traits merely describes individual characters without capturing the flow of the narrative or the sequence of events that take place. A critical analysis of the storyline goes beyond summarizing by evaluating and interpreting the themes, patterns, and meanings within the text, which does not align with the straightforward nature of summarizing.