What is the purpose of summarization in reading comprehension?

The purpose of summarization in reading comprehension is to capture the main points of a text. This process involves identifying the essential ideas and key concepts while condensing the information into a more concise form. By doing so, a reader can demonstrate their understanding of the material, differentiate between main ideas and supporting details, and retain the overall message of the text without getting bogged down in less critical specifics.

Summarization is not about restating everything that was read, which would just replicate the text rather than distill its essence. It also does not involve creating a longer version of the text, as that would contradict the goal of succinctness. Additionally, while memorization of details might aid in comprehension, it does not reflect the capability to synthesize and express the core ideas of the reading material. Summarization fosters critical thinking and helps improve retention and recall of the main themes encountered in the reading.