Take a look at the excerpt and paraphrase below and answer the following question.
NB: The examples use APA referencing style.

Original excerpt:

“Throughout most of human history, calories were relatively scarce and hard to get, and physical activity unavoidable” (Katz, 2011, p. 1).

Paraphrase:

Humans evolved when food was scarce and physical activity unavoidable (Katz, 2011).

What’s wrong with this paraphrase?

Question

Take a look at the excerpt and paraphrase below and answer the following question. 
NB: The examples use APA referencing style.

Original excerpt:

“Throughout most of human history, calories were relatively scarce and hard to get, and physical activity unavoidable” (Katz, 2011, p. 1).

Paraphrase:

Humans evolved when food was scarce and physical activity unavoidable (Katz, 2011).

What’s wrong with this paraphrase?

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Question restatement: Take a look at the excerpt and paraphrase below and answer the following question. NB: The examples use APA referencing style. Original excerpt: “Throughout most of human history, calories were relatively scarce and hard to get, and physical activity unavoidable” (Katz, 2011, p. 1). Paraphrase: Humans evolved when food was scarce and physical activity unavoidable (Katz, 2011). What’s wrong with this paraphrase?

Option 1: Similar length, same ideas, similar structure and language. This option claims the paraphrase preserves both the ideas and the structure and language of the original. However, the paraphrase changes wording (evolved vs. were), and the structure is more condensed and not closely mirroring the original syntax. It also omits the explicit linkage to calories and the original phrasing about “throughout most of human history.” Therefore this option mischaracterizes the degree of change and structure.

Option 2: Similar length, different structure and language, but the idea has changed. This option notes that the paraphrase is roughly the same length but rephrases and reorganizes the sentence, and—crucially—alters the original meaning or emphasis. In the original, calories scarcity and unavoidable activity are tied to a historical context and to Katz’s claim; the paraphrase shifts or broadens the idea (e.g., focuses on evolution rather than a historical caloric context) and thus the idea may have changed or at least not faithfully preserve the original claim. This aligns with the common critique that a paraphrase should maintain core meaning while rewording; the shift in focus indicates a change in idea.

Option 3: Substantially different length, similar structure and language, same idea. Here the length is described as substantially different, but the structure and language are too similar, and the idea remains the same. If the length changes substantially yet the core meaning and the way the claim is presented remain aligned, this still raises concerns about fidelity to the source: a paraphrase should rephrase while keeping the same meaning, not drastically alter the form without justification. The mismatch between length and fidelity makes this option suspect.

Option 4: Substantially different length, same idea, different structure and language. This describes a paraphrase that changes length and wording a lot but keeps the same idea and overall claim. While paraphrasing often changes length and wording, the crucial test is whether the core idea is preserved. If the paraphrase shifts the emphasis or alters meaning (as it might by dropping or changing specifics about calories and historical context), then it would not be a faithful paraphrase. However, since the option asserts the idea remains the same, it may overlook potential losses of nuance evident in the paraphrase provided.

Synthesis across options: The central task is to judge how well the paraphrase preserves both meaning and attribution. The paraphrase given strips some specific caloric context and frames the statement in terms of evolution, which can imply a shift in idea from historical caloric scarcity to an evolutionary claim. Among the choices, option 2 explicitly notes that the structure and language differ and that the idea has changed, aligning with the observed issue in the paraphrase. The other options either claim too much similarity in ideas or misunderstand the relationship between length, structure, language, and meaning, making them less accurate assessments of what's wrong with the paraphrase.

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