What is the proper treatment of a quotation that is central to a passage's argument?
Correct answer: C. Report its essential meaning in concise indirect form
- A. Remove it because quotations never belong in précis writing
- B. Retain its exact wording regardless of the word limit
- C. Report its essential meaning in concise indirect form
- D. Add another quotation to make the précis authoritative
Explanation
A central quotation may carry an important claim, but its meaning can normally be reported in indirect form. Keeping every quotation word for word may waste the limited space of a précis.
Report an error
The more specific you are, the faster it gets fixed. A source beats an opinion.
Prefer email? support@testustad.com
About Summarising and Precis
Summarising and précis writing reduce a passage to its essential ideas while preserving its meaning, sequence and tone. The work involves separating main points from examples, removing repetition and decoration, using concise original wording, maintaining grammatical unity and avoiding personal comments, distortion or unnecessary detail.
Practise Summarising and Precis
30 free Summarising and Precis MCQs from Business Writing and Comprehension, each with the correct answer and an explanation. Unlimited attempts, no account needed.
Exams that ask Business Writing and Comprehension questions like this
Business Writing and Comprehension is on this paper prepared for on TestUstad, and all of them draw the same bank, so this question is worth knowing for it.
More Summarising and Precis questions
Which sentence shows the most economical expression suitable for a précis?
If a passage uses several linking words to explain its reasoning, what should a précis retain?
When a précis includes information from the original passage, which form of attribution is generally safest?
A passage develops its position by presenting a problem, examining its causes, and proposing a remedy. Which order should a clear précis normally follow?
Which revision best removes redundancy from a précis?
Why should a précis writer check the completed draft against the original passage?