Science Fiction

What is science fiction?

• Science fiction is a form of literature that consistently considers the nature of changes
that face us, the possible consequences, and the possible solutions. 
• Science fiction is a genre of literature that deals with the impact of science and
technology on human beings. 
• The branch of literature which is concerned with the impact of scientific advancement
upon human beings. 
• Fiction based on imagined future scientific or technological advances and major social or
environmental changes, frequently portraying space or time travel and life on other
planets. 

• Science fiction comprises the following features:

- Futuristic in nature.
- Deals with the impact of science and technology.
- It includes the use of very modern technologies or ideas that do not belong to the 
time in which it appears. 
• The stories ‘Too Bad’ and ‘Mirror Image’ are science fiction stories. 
• Modern science offers both benefits and harm to a human. 

Summary writing

1. Read
● Read the original piece of work.
● Focus on the main idea of the piece.

2. Gather the Main Idea

● Reflect on what you have read.
● Determine the Five Ws (who, what, where, when, and why).
● Illuminate the essential elements of the text.

3. Reread while Taking Notes

● Mark the important points and underline the topic sentence, significant plot points,
highlight essential quotes and major events.
● Point out the difficult areas you do not understand and reread.

4. Organize Your Notes

● Take time to organize the information.
● Elaborate on the key points.
5. Create a Thesis Statement
● Develop a thesis statement that demonstrates your understanding of the author’s
original work.
● Recast author’s idea without including a personal opinion

6. Draft a Short Paragraph

● Use the thesis statement as the introductory sentence to your summary.
● Write in the present tense mostly.
● Include the author and the title of the work.
● Be concise – the summary should not be equal to the length of the original text.
● Cite direct quotes if you use them.
● Do not put your own opinion, ideas, or interpretations.
● Write in third person narrative.

7. Revise
● Reread your summary to make sure that you have represented the author’s main
idea.
● Ensure that the text does not contain any personal commentary.
● Is there sentence variety?
● Are there transitional words and phrases to connect ideas?

8. Read your Summary One Last Time

● Look for spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors and cross out the errors neatly
with a single line and rewrite.

Example:

● Original Paragraph: Skipping breakfast might seem like an easy way for dieters to
cut calories. However, new research finds that the majority of the people who are
successful at losing weight and keeping it off, eats breakfast.

● Summarized Version: Research shows that people who wish to lose weight do not skip
breakfast.

Points to remember.
● Summary writing is a crucial skill one must master.
● It is a brief account of the main points of something.
● Remember the steps and keep in mind summary should be concise -say everything you
need to say using few words as possible.
● Make sure 5 Ws and one H are covered (who? what? why? where? when? and how?)
● Summary writing remains a crucial skill throughout our academic career, it isn’t easy.
We should learn to master the skill through constant practice.

Activity
1. Read the story ‘Open Window’ by Saki from Class XI Reading and Literature Text for
and write a summary using the steps we learned in this lesson.