English LanguageICSE Class 9 · Chapter 5

ICSE Class 9 Comprehension and Summary: Step-by-Step Method

Updated 15 October 2026 · Fact-checked

Question 4 of ICSE English Paper 1 gives an unseen prose passage of about 500 words. You choose word meanings in context, pick an opposite from the passage, answer short questions in your own words, quote one exact sentence, and write a summary within a stated word limit, usually not more than 50 words, of a specified part.

What Comprehension and Summary is about

Comprehension and summary is Question 4 of English Paper 1. The CISCE syllabus for Classes IX and X promises 'an unseen prose passage of about 500 words' with 'uncommon items of vocabulary, or structure' avoided. It tests three things:

1. Vocabulary: 'an understanding of the words/phrases in the context in which they have been used'.
2. Short answers: understanding the explicit content and the organisation of the passage, and the ability 'to infer information, intention and attitude'.
3. Summary: 'to distinguish main ideas from supporting details and to extract salient points'. Candidates 'will be given a clear indication of what they are to summarise and of the length of the summary'.

In the board layout (2027 specimen) the question carries 20 marks: two word meanings in context (2), one opposite from the passage (1), five short answers (9, including one 'Which sentence tells us...' item) and a summary of not more than 50 words (8: six content points and two for expression). Your Class IX paper is set by your school but follows this syllabus.

The skill is the same in every passage: go back to the text, answer exactly what is asked, and put it in your own words.

Weightage: Question 4: 20 of the 80 marks of Paper 1 in the board pattern (vocabulary 3, short answers 9, summary 8). Compulsory. Class IX papers are set by schools on the same syllabus.Source: CISCE ICSE 2028 English syllabus (Paper 1, Question 4); CISCE ICSE 2027 Specimen Question Paper and Draft Marking Scheme, English Paper 1

Key concepts

Word meaning in context: The question asks for the meaning as used in the passage. Several options are genuine meanings of the word; only one fits the sentence. Find the line, read the whole sentence, and substitute each option. CISCE examiners (2023 and 2025) reported pupils who chose meanings 'without contextual reference'.; Worked example
'The old fisherman could not spare a single net that season.' Choose the meaning of 'spare': (a) extra (b) afford to give away (c) forgive (d) thin.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
Read the sentence: he could not ___ a net.
'Extra' and 'thin' are adjectives; the blank needs a verb.
'Forgive a net' makes no sense.
Answer: (b) afford to give away.
Opposites from the passage: You are given a word and four words from the passage and must pick the one opposite in meaning. Decide the given word's meaning first, then look for its reverse in the same part of speech (a verb's opposite is a verb).; Worked example
Choose the opposite of 'scarce' from: abundant, hurried, silent, distant.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
'Scarce' = in short supply (adjective).
Its opposite = plentiful.
Answer: abundant.
Short answers in your own words: Answer only what is asked, from the passage, in one or two sentences. Do not copy long chunks, and do not bring in outside knowledge. A 2-mark question usually needs two points, or a 'what' and a 'why'. For 'Why do you think...?' (inference), give a reason that rests on evidence in the passage.; Worked example
Passage: 'Meena took the longer road past the bakery every morning, although it made her late twice a week; the smell of fresh bread reminded her of her grandmother's kitchen in Shimla.' Question (2 marks): Why did Meena take the longer road, and what did it cost her?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
Why: the smell reminded her of her grandmother's kitchen.
Cost: she was late twice a week.
Rephrase in your own words.
Answer: She went past the bakery because the smell of bread brought back memories of her grandmother's kitchen in Shimla; as a result she reached late two days a week.
'Which sentence tells us ...?': Copy exactly one complete sentence, word for word, in quotation marks, with its own punctuation (including a question or exclamation mark). Examiners have penalised quoting two sentences, quoting only a phrase, misquoting, dropping the question mark and putting the sentence into indirect speech.; Worked example
Which sentence shows the boy was afraid? Passage: 'The boy stood at the gate. His hands were shaking as he pressed the bell. Nobody answered.'
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
Find the sentence with the evidence of fear.
Copy it whole with its full stop.
Answer: 'His hands were shaking as he pressed the bell.'
Summary: finding the points: Read the summary question twice; it tells you exactly which idea or section to summarise. Bracket only those lines. Make a rough grid: one key point per line, in passage order, leaving out examples, descriptions, figures of speech and repetition. Aim for six points, since the board scheme gives six content marks.; Worked example
A passage describes a school's rain-water harvesting project and also the history of the school. The summary question asks: 'How did the pupils set up the harvesting system?' What should you leave out?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
Only the setting-up steps are asked.
History of the school is irrelevant.
Answer: Leave out the school's history, descriptions of the rain, and any opinions; keep only the steps: survey of the roof, collection pipes, filter, storage tank, use of the water, maintenance.
Summary: the word limit and expression: 'Not more than 50 words' is a ceiling. Draft, count, then trim: remove decorative adjectives, replace phrases with single words ('due to the fact that' → 'because'), and join points with conjunctions. Do not drop articles or write notes; examiners have reported both. Write connected sentences in your own words, keeping the passage's order and tense. Two marks reward fluent, accurate expression.; Worked example
Shorten without losing meaning: 'In spite of the fact that it was raining very heavily, the children of the village decided that they would walk all the way to the school.' (27 words)
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
'In spite of the fact that' → 'Although'.
'decided that they would walk all the way' → 'walked'.
Drop 'very heavily' to 'heavily' if needed.
Answer: 'Although it was raining heavily, the village children walked to school.' (11 words)

Comprehension and Summary in real life

Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Meaning depends on context

Suppose a friend texts, 'The match was a total wash', and another says, 'I need a wash'.

How do you know what 'wash' means each time?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Look at the rest of the sentence.
Match the meaning to the situation.

Answer: 'A total wash' about a match means a failure (often rained off); 'I need a wash' means cleaning. The comprehension vocabulary question tests exactly this habit of reading the whole sentence.

Memory hook: A word means what its sentence lets it mean.

Summarising only what is asked

Imagine your mother asks, 'How did you get home when the bus broke down?' and you start describing the whole school day.

What should a good answer contain?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Only the part about getting home.
Key steps in order: bus broke down, called home, walked to the metro, reached at six.

Answer: A focused answer gives only the steps asked for, in order. That is exactly what an ICSE summary of a 'specified part' needs.

Memory hook: Answer the question asked, not the day you had.

Word limits force clear thinking

Suppose you have to describe a lost dog on a 50-word poster for your colony.

What would you keep and what would you cut?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Keep: breed, colour, name, where lost, when, contact.
Cut: the story of how you got the dog.

Answer: Only the main points that help the reader act survive the limit. The ICSE summary rewards the same judgement.

Memory hook: Fifty words: only what the reader needs.

Topics in this chapter

Vocabulary, Short Answers and the Fifty-Word Summary (ICSE Class 9)

How the school exam asks Comprehension and Summary

The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.

Question type	How it is asked	Method
Vocabulary in context (MCQ)	'Give the meaning of the following words as used in the passage. One word answers or short phrases will be accepted.' / 'Choose the correct meaning (as used in the passage).'	Read the whole sentence; substitute each option; choose the one that keeps the sense.
Opposite from the passage	'Which word in the passage is the opposite of ...?' with four options from the passage.	Meaning first, then its reverse in the same part of speech.
Short answers and inference	'Answer the following questions briefly in your own words.' including 'Why do you think ...?' and 'Which sentence in the passage tells us ...?'	Marks tell you the number of points; own words; exact quotation only for the 'which sentence' item.
Summary of a specified part	'In not more than 50 words, summarise how/what ...' (a particular idea or section of the passage).	Bracket the relevant lines; grid of about six points; draft, count, trim; fluent paragraph.

Tricks to remember Comprehension and Summary

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

Swap test
Swap each option into the sentence; the one that 'sounds right' in context is the answer.
Use it when: Vocabulary questions.
Marks = points
1 mark, 1 point; 2 marks, 2 points.
Use it when: Short answers.
B-G-D-C-T
Bracket, Grid, Draft, Count, Trim: 'Big Green Dogs Chase Trains'.
Use it when: The summary routine.

Comprehension and Summary: exam-level solved questions

Ordered from exam level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.

Example 1: Full mini-passage: vocabulary and short answers · 5 marks · Short answerExam level

Read: 'For three summers the well in Ratanpur had run dry by April. The women walked four kilometres to the river, balancing brass pots, and returned exhausted before the sun was high. When Kavita, a fourteen-year-old who had read about check dams in a magazine, proposed building one across the seasonal stream, the elders laughed. Undeterred, she persuaded twelve classmates to carry stones every Sunday. By the next monsoon the small dam held back enough water to recharge the well, and the elders who had laughed now asked her to plan a second one.'
(a) Give the meaning of 'Undeterred' as used here. (b) Why did the women return exhausted? (c) How did the elders' attitude change, and why?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

(a) Read the sentence: she went ahead despite being laughed at.
(b) Two details: distance and heavy pots.
(c) What changed + why.

Answer: (a) Not discouraged; determined in spite of opposition. (b) They had to walk four kilometres to the river and back carrying heavy brass pots of water. (c) At first they mocked Kavita's idea, but once the dam refilled the well after the monsoon they respected her and asked her to plan another dam.

Example 2: Inference · 2 marks · Short answerHarder exam level

Using the Ratanpur passage: Why do you think Kavita chose to work on Sundays? Give a reason from the passage. (2 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Inference needs evidence.
She and her helpers were 'classmates', so school was on weekdays.

Answer: Kavita and the twelve helpers were schoolchildren ('classmates'), so Sunday was the only day free from school when they could carry stones together.

Example 3: Quoting one sentence · 1 mark · Very short answerExam level

Which sentence in the Ratanpur passage tells us that the project succeeded? (1 mark)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Find the sentence that states the result.
Copy it exactly, in quotation marks.

Answer: 'By the next monsoon the small dam held back enough water to recharge the well, and the elders who had laughed now asked her to plan a second one.'

Example 4: Summary from a grid · 8 marks · Short answerHarder exam level

In not more than 50 words, summarise how the water problem of Ratanpur was solved.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Grid: (1) well dried each April; (2) Kavita proposed a check dam; (3) elders mocked; (4) she persuaded classmates; (5) they carried stones on Sundays; (6) dam recharged the well by the monsoon.
Join in order, own words, count.

Answer: Ratanpur's well dried up every April. Kavita, a schoolgirl, suggested a check dam across a seasonal stream. Though the elders mocked her, she convinced twelve classmates to haul stones every Sunday. By the following monsoon the dam had stored enough water to refill the well, winning the elders' respect. (49 words)

Example 5: Trimming an over-long summary · 2 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

A pupil's summary is 68 words and contains: 'The well of the village, which was called Ratanpur, used to become completely and totally dry in the month of April for three summers in a row, and so the women of the village had to walk...'. Show two ways to cut it without dropping articles.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Remove repetition ('completely and totally').
Compress phrases ('The well of the village, which was called Ratanpur' → 'Ratanpur's well').
Remove supporting detail (the women's walk is an effect, not a step in the solution).

Answer: (1) Compress phrases: 'Ratanpur's well dried up every April' replaces 21 words with 6. (2) Remove supporting detail the question does not ask for, such as the women's walk to the river, since the summary is about how the problem was solved. Never cut 'the' or 'a'; examiners penalise note-like English.

Example 6: Context meaning with tricky options · 1 mark · Very short answerHOTS / competency

'The doctor told him to check his temper before it cost him his friends.' Choose the meaning of 'check': (a) examine (b) restrain (c) a pattern of squares (d) a restaurant bill.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

It is a verb here, so (c) and (d) are out.
One does not "examine" a temper before it costs friends; one holds it back.

Answer: (b) restrain. "Examine" is a real meaning of "check" but does not fit this sentence.

Where the marks are

How a typical answer is marked: the value points the examiner looks for and the marks each earns.

Summary in not more than 50 words (board type, 8 marks). The 2027 draft scheme lists six content points and gives 6 and 2 in its marks column; Class IX papers are marked by schools, so treat this as a guide. (8 marks)

Step	Marks
Content: six relevant points from the specified part, in passage order (1 mark each)	6
Expression: connected, fluent, accurate sentences in your own words within the limit	2

Short answers (board type, 9 marks across five items). (9 marks)

Step	Marks
Factual question with two details	2
Explanation question with two points	2
Two-part question (what and why)	2
'Which sentence ...?': one exact sentence	1
Inference with a reason from the passage	2

Where students lose marks in Comprehension and Summary

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Dictionary meaning instead of contextual meaning
Pupils pick the first meaning they know.
Do this: Substitute each option into the sentence.
Usually costs: 1 mark per word.
Mistake: Quoting more or less than one sentence
Pupils copy a phrase, two sentences, or report it in indirect speech.
Wrong working
He told them his hands were shaking.
Right working
'His hands were shaking as he pressed the bell.'
Do this: One whole sentence, exact, with its punctuation.
Usually costs: The whole mark.
Mistake: One point for a 2-mark answer
Pupils stop after the first reason.
Do this: Two marks usually means two details, or what + why.
Usually costs: Half the marks.
Mistake: Summarising the wrong part
Pupils summarise the whole passage instead of the idea asked.
Do this: Bracket the relevant lines before you make the grid.
Usually costs: Most of the content marks.
Mistake: Over the limit, or note-form summary
No draft; panic cutting of articles.
Do this: Grid → draft → count → trim phrases, not articles → fair copy.
Usually costs: Expression marks; points beyond the limit may not be credited.

Practice questions on Comprehension and Summary

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

Q1 · 1 mark · MCQExam level
'The headmaster's stern look silenced the room.' Choose the meaning of 'stern': (a) back of a ship (b) strict and serious (c) gentle (d) quick.
Hint
Which meaning can describe a look?
Answer
(b) strict and serious.
Q2 · 1 mark · MCQExam level
Choose the opposite of 'reluctant' from these words in a passage: (a) eager (b) tired (c) ancient (d) careless.
Hint
Reluctant = unwilling.
Answer
(a) eager.
Q3 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder exam level
Passage: 'Arif saved his pocket money for eight months to buy a telescope, but when his neighbour's shop was flooded, he gave the entire sum to help rebuild it.' Question: What does this tell us about Arif's character? Give two qualities with evidence. (2 marks)
Hint
One quality from each half of the sentence.
Answer
He was patient and disciplined, since he saved for eight months; and he was generous and kind, since he gave all his savings to help his neighbour.
Q4 · 1 mark · Short answerHarder exam level
A pupil answers a 'which sentence' question with: 'He said that he was not afraid of the dark.' The passage reads: '"I am not afraid of the dark," he said.' What has gone wrong?
Hint
Exact quotation.
Answer
The pupil turned the sentence into indirect speech. The answer must copy the sentence exactly: '"I am not afraid of the dark," he said.'
Q5 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder exam level
Reduce to under 12 words: 'At the end of the day, after everything had been said and done, the team members realised that they had actually won the match.'
Hint
Cut fillers; keep the meaning.
Answer
'Finally, the team realised that they had won the match.' (10 words)
Q6 · 4 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Read: 'Every evening the lighthouse keeper climbed one hundred and twelve steps, cleaned the great lens with a soft cloth, trimmed the wick and lit the lamp. He wrote the time in his logbook, checked the weather, and watched the sea until midnight, when his son took over.' In not more than 30 words, summarise the keeper's evening duties.
Hint
List the actions; drop the numbers and descriptions.
Answer
Each evening the keeper climbed to the lamp, cleaned the lens, trimmed the wick and lit the lamp, recorded the time, checked the weather and watched the sea till midnight. (30 words)
Q7 · 2 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Explain why a summary should not include examples from the passage.
Hint
Main idea vs supporting detail.
Answer
Examples are supporting details that illustrate a main point; the syllabus asks you to distinguish main ideas from supporting details, and examples waste words within the strict limit.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1.How long is the unseen passage, according to the syllabus?Show answer
About 500 words.
2.What does the syllabus say the summary tests?Show answer
The ability to distinguish main ideas from supporting details and extract salient points.
3.How should you answer 'Which sentence tells us ...?'Show answer
Copy exactly one complete sentence in quotation marks with its punctuation.
4.How many content points does the board summary scheme expect?Show answer
Six (6 marks), plus 2 for expression.
5.Should you drop articles to save words?Show answer
No; examiners penalise note-like English. Trim phrases instead.

Quick revision checklist

The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?

Can you choose a contextual meaning by substituting options?
Can you find an opposite in the same part of speech?
Can you write two-point answers for 2-mark questions in your own words?
Can you quote exactly one sentence correctly?
Can you build a six-point grid and write a 50-word summary from it?

Comprehension and Summary: frequently asked questions

Can I copy sentences from the passage in my answers?

Only for the 'Which sentence ...?' item. Elsewhere the instruction is usually 'in your own words', so rephrase.

Should the summary be in points?

No. Plan in points, but write the fair copy as a connected paragraph; expression carries marks.

Should I write the word count?

It is a good habit that helps you check the limit, though the paper does not require it.

Is the Class IX comprehension easier than Class X?

The syllabus is the same for both classes. Your school chooses the passage, but the skills tested and the method are identical.

Based on: CISCE ICSE 2028 English (01) syllabus (Classes IX and X); CISCE Regulations for ICSE Examination Year 2028; CISCE ICSE 2027 Specimen Question Paper and Draft Marking Scheme: English Language (English Paper 1); CISCE Analysis of Pupil Performance 2025: English Language (examiners' comments); CISCE Analysis of Pupil Performance 2023: English Language (examiners' comments)