VEPT Summary and Opinion Writing 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following is an example of plagiarism in a summary?
- Paraphrasing the author's ideas in your own words
- Citing the source after summarizing it
- Copying a sentence from the source without quotation marks or attribution (Correct answer)
- Mentioning only the main argument
Correct answer: Copying a sentence from the source without quotation marks or attribution
Using an author's exact words without quotation marks and a citation constitutes plagiarism.
Question 2: What does 'objective summary' mean?
- A summary that includes your own opinions about the topic
- A summary that presents the source's ideas without personal bias or commentary (Correct answer)
- A summary written in the first person
- A summary that only covers positive aspects of the source
Correct answer: A summary that presents the source's ideas without personal bias or commentary
An objective summary neutrally represents the source's content without inserting the writer's personal judgments.
Question 3: In the VEPT writing tasks, what does 'support your opinion' primarily require?
- Repeating your thesis multiple times
- Providing reasons, examples, or evidence that explain why your view is valid (Correct answer)
- Writing as many sentences as possible
- Using emotional language to persuade the reader
Correct answer: Providing reasons, examples, or evidence that explain why your view is valid
Supporting an opinion means giving logical reasons or concrete examples, not repetition or emotional appeals alone.
Question 4: A student reads a news article and writes only about what interested them personally. This is:
- An effective objective summary
- A response or reaction, not a neutral summary (Correct answer)
- A paraphrase of the article
- A correctly structured opinion essay
Correct answer: A response or reaction, not a neutral summary
Focusing only on personally interesting parts produces a subjective response, not an objective summary of the whole piece.
Question 5: Which transition best connects a summary point to an opinion?
- Furthermore
- In conclusion
- Based on this, I believe that (Correct answer)
- On the other hand
Correct answer: Based on this, I believe that
'Based on this, I believe that' links summarized content directly to the writer's opinion, creating logical flow.
Question 6: What is the function of a topic sentence in an opinion paragraph?
- It provides background history
- It states the main claim or point the paragraph will support (Correct answer)
- It lists all the evidence in the paragraph
- It concludes the essay
Correct answer: It states the main claim or point the paragraph will support
A topic sentence announces the paragraph's central claim, guiding both the writer and reader through the argument.
Question 7: When asked to summarize AND give an opinion, in what order should these typically appear?
- Opinion first, then summary
- Summary first, then opinion (Correct answer)
- They must be written in separate essays
- The order does not matter at all
Correct answer: Summary first, then opinion
Presenting the summary first establishes the context, making the opinion that follows easier to understand and evaluate.
VEPT Summary and Opinion Writing 3
Which of the following is an example of plagiarism in a summary?