On this page you will find few practice question in English language (Summary writing) which will enhance your preparation for the forthcoming GCE Exam.
TOPIC: SUMMARY WRITING
Watch the video tutorial below, for detailed explanation of summary writing, then answer the questions that follows, below the video.
What Is a Summary?
A summary is a brief summarization of a larger work that gives the reader a comprehensive understanding. To write a summary, a writer will gather the main ideas of an article, essay, television show, or film they’ve read or watched and condense the central ideas into a brief overview. Summaries provide an abridged description of another work in the form of a paragraph, providing enough detail so that the reader understands the subject of the summary, while highlighting the summary writer’s personal understanding of the subject matter.
Tips for Writing a Good Summary
Whether you’re summarizing an event, novel, play, or newspaper article, being able to write an effective one-paragraph summary is an important skill for every writer to possess. For some tips on how to write a good summary, see below:
- 1. Find the main idea. A useful summary distills the source material down to its most important point to inform the reader. Pick the major point you want to communicate to the reader, and use your limited sentences wisely to convey it. Take down a few notes to help outline your thoughts in an organized manner.
- 2. Keep it brief. A summary is not a rewrite—it’s a short summation of the original piece. A summary paragraph is usually around five to eight sentences. Keep it short and to the point. Eliminate redundancies or repetitive text to keep your paragraph clear and concise.
- 3. Write without judgment. If you are summarizing an original text or piece of media, you are gathering and condensing its most relevant information, not writing a review. Write your summary in your own words, and avoid adding your opinion.
- 4. Make sure it flows. Transitions are incredibly helpful when it comes to building momentum in your writing. Connect your sentences with transition words, making sure they flow together and convey your summary clearly.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE: WAEC GCE PRACTICE QUESTIONS
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.
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Every normal human being would want to put his or her feet up once in a while and relax, but, obviously. one cannot relax all the time. A little work does not kill. Rather. it keeps one active and mentally alert. Some people think that the invention of robots is the best thing that ever happened to man. They are convinced that the invention has saved the day because robots are ideal workers who work without complaining or getting tired. Robots never reveal company secrets for any reason – corruption. fame or blackmail. The admirers of robots think that once a robot is programmed, it can do any piece of work with precision over a long period without slowing down, getting bored or even going on break or vacation. Robots can be made to perform any task. They do not grumble, protest or ask for ‘inducement allowance’, overtime, bonus or any of the motivations that human beings usually demand. They also work under conditions which human beings would not accept due to either incapability or attitude.
One good thing about the robot is that any of its damaged parts can be replaced for work to go on effectively. On the other hand, if a human being loses a vital part of the body, that part may not be replaced for work to go on as effectively as before.
There is no doubt at all that the robot is useful but I strongly believe that the human being is more efficient than the robot in many ways. Human beings are sensitive, thinking beings who are flexible and can therefore control their actions. Thus, they can perform more functions than robots. Since human beings can think, discriminate and make value judgements, they can solve problems on the spur of the moment. The robot, on the other hand, cannot do this because what it has been programmed for is all that it is capable of doing. If a robot is wrongly programmed, it will continue to produce the wrong result until its programme is corrected.
The human being can take the initiative in many things. He can communicate or even call for assistance when need be, which the robot cannot do. The human being can be appealed to, to make some crucial changes; he can also learn from observing what goes on and modify what he is doing.
It is clear that even though robots are useful, they are deficient in many ways, and therefore cannot have an advantage over human beings. In crisis, the robot cannot face the challenge. It neither reacts nor reflects.
The robot is designed and programmed by human beings. How then can the created be superior to the creator? Robots are created to assist human beings and relieve them of some of their burdens, not to take over completely from them.
(a) In three sentences, one for each, state why the admirers of robotics think that robots are more efficient than human beings.
(b) In three sentences, one for each, state three advantages which the human being has over the robot.
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