Why is summarization an important strategy in comprehension?

Summarization is a critical strategy in comprehension because it involves synthesizing and recalling essential information from a text. When students summarize, they distill the most important ideas, which helps them focus on key concepts and better understand the material. This process of condensing information not only reinforces learning but also strengthens memory retention, allowing students to integrate new knowledge with what they already know. By engaging in summarization, learners develop higher-order thinking skills as they analyze the text and determine which details are significant.

The other options do not capture the main purpose of summarization in comprehension. While memorization of words is an aspect of learning, it does not directly relate to the overarching understanding of a text. The claim that summarization is easier than answering questions overlooks the cognitive demands involved in creating a summary. Similarly, the assertion that it exclusively improves writing skills is misleading, as summarization benefits reading comprehension and critical thinking beyond just writing.