Purpose

Knowing the difference between summary and analysis is essential for college writing.

In this challenge, you will distinguish among four kinds of responses to a text:

Summary — accurately reports or condenses what a text says.

Observation — identifies something noticeable in a text but does not yet explain its significance.

Analysis — interprets a textual choice and explains how or why that choice contributes to meaning.

Unsupported Opinion — expresses a judgment or reaction without sufficient reasoning or textual support.

You will first read a short passage and then classify statements written about it.

Read the Passage

Read the following fictional passage carefully.

“The 8:00 A.M. Problem”

At 7:42 each morning, the parking lots surrounding Westlake Community College begin to fill. Students hurry toward classrooms carrying backpacks, coffee cups, and phones displaying the time. By 8:00, instructors begin teaching, but some seats remain empty.

It would be easy to blame those empty seats on irresponsible students. Yet that explanation ignores an important part of the problem. Many college students work late shifts, care for children or relatives, or commute significant distances to campus. An 8:00 a.m. class may therefore require much more than setting an alarm.

Colleges should reconsider how frequently they schedule required first-year courses early in the morning. This does not mean eliminating morning classes. Some students prefer them, and institutions have legitimate scheduling limitations. Instead, colleges should examine whether students have reasonable access to required courses at different times of day.

Attendance matters. Students cannot benefit from instruction they consistently miss. But if colleges want students in the classroom, institutions should examine the structures that affect whether students can reasonably get there.