Summarizing

1. POLICE OFFICER: FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE

(1) In the United States, police forces are the first line of defense against crime. Today there are

40,000 town, city, and state police departments, ranging from rural areas patrolled by only a few

officers to large cities protected by more than 40,000 police officers. There are more than 650,000

uniformed police officers in this country today.

(2) Big city or small town, most police officers carry out patrol duties on one of three eight-hour

shifts. Some police officers are on foot patrol, walking an assigned beat. Others patrol on bicycles, in

cars, and even on horseback. In some big cities, police also patrol in helicopters to keep watch over

large areas. Police officers are usually the first to arrive at a crime scene. They keep curious

onlookers away and preserve the evidence for detectives and other crime scene investigators to

examine.

(3) Anyone who has seen the TV show Cops can tell you, however, that patrolling and protecting

crime scenes are just two of a police force's many duties. For example, officers may assist lost

children and help couples peacefully resolve disputes. An important part of police work today is

community-based policing, in which police officers are highly visible, involved members of their

communities, staying on the same beat for years rather than being transferred from one district to

another.

(4) Every police officer will tell you that the job is dangerous. Officers must defend themselves and

protect others by force. Each year, between 140 and 160 officers are killed in the line of duty

nationwide, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

(5) Becoming a crime-fighter is a calling. Many police officers knew their calling at a young age. Chief Jeff Spaulding, head of the Westminster (Md.) Police Department, told a Baltimore Sun reporter that he knew at age 8 that he would become a cop, after reading stories about the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Hardy Boys mystery books. As a teenager, Spaulding remembers "thinking how I wanted to go out and fight crime and work the street."

(6) Chris Hill, a police officer in Houston, Texas, also knew he wanted to be a police officer at an early age. "From about the time I was in middle school, there was never a doubt in my mind that I wanted to go into law enforcement as a career," says Hill, now 28.

(7) Hill loves his job, despite its dangers. He has been out on "deep night" patrol. That's the time between 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m., the most dangerous time of the day for police. Hill points out, "You have to keep in mind what your family has to lose if you aren't professional about the job and make sure that everyone stays safe: you, other officers, the people you're trying to help, even the people you're trying to arrest."

(8) Officer Hill doubts that he will stay on deep night patrol for the rest of his career, though. "I'd like to be a detective one day," says Hill. "I think everyone should try that because I think understanding what the detectives need and what investigations require makes you a better officer."

 Which of these is the BEST summary of this passage?

A. Today, there are more than 40,000 police departments with over 650,000 uniformed officers throughout the United States

B. Police work eight-hour shifts, and they protect the community on foot, on bikes, on horseback, and in helicopters.

C. Most police officers have known that they wanted to join the force since they learned about crime fighters in the community as young children.

D. Although crime-fighting can be very dangerous, more than 650,000 police officers in this country have chosen the profession, and many viet it as a their calling.

2. (3) Anyone who has seen the TV show Cops can tell you, however, that patrolling and protecting crime scenes are just two of a police force's many duties. For example, officers may assist lost children and help couples peacefully resolve disputes. An important part of police work today is community-based policing, in which police officers are highly visible, involved members of their communities, staying on the same beat for years rather than being transferred from one district to another.

Which sentence gives the BEST summary of paragraph three of this passage?

A. Police officers assist lost children in the community and help couples resolve domestic disputes.

B. Many police officers today are highly visible in the community in which they work and often times live.

C. Police officers not only prevent crime and arrest criminals, but also serve other citizencs as active members of the community.

D. Police officers are no longer frequently transferred from one district to another, so they build more meaningful relationships.

3. IT’S ACADEMIC

(1) Are you the type who can't hold back a comment (or six) in class discussions? Small colleges tend to have small classes where it's easier to participate actively. There's no hiding in the back row in a class with only a dozen students! And your professors are more likely to get to know you.

(2) At Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pa. (1,500 students), students and faculty can get to know each other well. "Small colleges are uniquely positioned to provide intensive mentoring," says Richard DiFeliciantonio, vice president for enrollment.

(3) For Katherine Northup, Ursinus's 2004 co-valedictorian, support from her professors helped her to discover and develop a love for classics, which became her major along with math and computer science. "Because my teachers got to know me during my first year, they were able to recognize my skills and weaknesses and advise me accordingly," Northup notes.

(4) Who will do well at a small school? Hodge says the best matches are "students who enjoy close contact among members of the school community, an environment that fosters the development of student confidence, small class sizes that encourage participation of all class members, and discussion-style classes rather than lectures."

(5) Big lecture classes, especially for first- or second-year students, are common at large schools. You might sit among 200 other students, all scribbling notes about Homer's Odyssey. Some classes may be taught by graduate teaching assistants rather than professors, who are busy teaching and advising graduate students and conducting research of their own.

(6) If you want to pursue a specific major, however, a large university may have just what you're looking for. "Just about any program a student would want is available at a school of our size and complexity," says Mabel G. Freeman, assistant vice president of undergraduate admissions at Ohio State University in Columbus, which offers 174 majors to 45,000 undergraduates. Many internship and research opportunities often await undergraduates at big schools. "Any of these additional experiences can really enhance a student's career options after graduation," Freeman says.

(7) Freeman feels "students who do best at large universities are comfortable asking questions and taking some of the initiative needed on a large campus. [They] are comfortable making choices, since there are always many options to consider." Hodge suggests big schools for "self-directed students who seek more independence and anonymity, great range and variety of courses, more choice of activities, and a higher level of competition in intercollegiate athletics."

Which sentence provides the BEST summary of this passage?

A. Small colleges offer small, discussion-style classes that foster participation and promote self-confidence, whereas big universities offer a variety of large classes, different activities, and competitive athletic programs; however, both can be ideal depending on a student's needs.

B. Small colleges are better than large universities because they promote a sense of community and foster student confidence; therefore, students who choose small schools get more individualized attention.

C. Although large universities have lecture-style classes with large numbers, they offer students a wide variety of majors from which to choose; furthermore, large numbers, they offer students a wide variety of majors from which to choose; furthermore, large universities offer many different extracurricular activities and competitive athletic programs.

D. Students tend to get lost in the extremely large populations of big universities; thus, students feel more comfortable at small universities since they are encouraged to particpate in class and befriend classmates.

4. (6) If you want to pursue a specific major, however, a large university may have just what you're looking for. "Just about any program a student would want is available at a school of our size and complexity," says Mabel G. Freeman, assistant vice president of undergraduate admissions at Ohio State University in Columbus, which offers 174 majors to 45,000 undergraduates. Many internship and research opportunities often await undergraduates at big schools. "Any of these additional experiences can really enhance a student's career options after graduation," Freeman says.

How would you summarize paragraph six of this passage?

A. A large university will provide you with many different majors from which to choose.

B. Large universities offer you a variety of different majors, along with internships and research opportunities.

C. Large universities have very large class sizes that are frequently lecture-style with over 200 students.

D. There are many research opportunities in any area of study that are offered to you at a large university.