Paraphrasing is.

• A. An aid in comprehension; rephrase what author has written into your own words with details.
• B. A method to memorize vocabulary.
• C. A tactic to memorize the author’s voice.
• D. A way to quote the exact words.

Answer: (A)

Paraphrasing is a strategy for understanding text by restating what the author says in your own words while keeping the meaning and important details intact. It helps you grasp ideas more deeply because you’re actively reconstructing the message rather than simply copying along.

Think of it like this: you take the author’s idea, reword it, and maybe expand with the same details, so you come away with a fresh version that still conveys the original meaning. It isn’t about memorizing vocabulary or matching the author’s exact voice, and it isn’t about quoting word-for-word. Paraphrasing is a way to demonstrate comprehension and to blend the ideas into your own writing while staying faithful to what the author meant (and, in academic work, you’d cite the source).

Example: if the original says, “The storm raged all night, leaving the town drenched and silent,” a paraphrase would be, “Throughout the night, the storm battered the town, leaving everything soaked and hushed.”