Virginia Communication and Literacy Assessment (VCLA) Practice Test

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Prepare for the Virginia Communication and Literacy Assessment. Study effectively with flashcards and multiple choice questions, each with hints and explanations. Ace your exam preparation today!

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When summarizing a written piece, which should be avoided?

  1. Including the main idea

  2. Adding opinions and personal thoughts

  3. Using concise language

  4. Listing key points

The correct answer is: Adding opinions and personal thoughts

When summarizing a written piece, the focus should be on distilling the essential information, which includes conveying the main idea and key points clearly and concisely. Adding opinions and personal thoughts detracts from the objective nature of a summary. A summary is meant to reflect the original author's ideas and arguments, not the summarizer's perspective. By incorporating personal opinions, the integrity of the summary is compromised, leading to a misrepresentation of the original text. This maintains the purpose of summarization, which is to provide a clear and focused overview without personal bias or interpretation.