What information does a table of contents provide?

A table of contents serves as a roadmap for a book or document, providing a structured overview of its contents. By listing the chapters or sections along with their corresponding starting pages, it allows readers to easily locate specific parts of the text they are interested in. This organizational tool is particularly useful for guiding the reader through the material and enhancing navigation, making it easier to jump to particular areas without having to sift through the entire document.

In contrast, a summary of the text would condense the main ideas, an index of definitions would specifically focus on terminology used within the text, and a chronological list of events would outline occurrences in the order they happened. While all of these elements can be valuable in their own right, they serve different purposes than the table of contents, which is strictly meant for orientation and navigation within the text.