Cutting a 150-Word Draft to an 80-Word Summary
A rapid reading task gives a 300-word passage and asks for a summary in 80-100 words in 10 minutes. The passage reports that a suburban library will close on 31 March because the municipal council has cut its budget by 18 lakh rupees. The library has 2,400 members, 12,000 books and runs a children's reading hour on Saturdays. A librarian says, 'This is not a building; it is the only quiet room in the neighbourhood.' A citizens' group has collected 3,000 signatures and asked the council to reconsider. The council says it will review the decision in June. The student's draft is 150 words and includes all four numbers, the librarian's quote and the phrase 'the only quiet room.' With 3 minutes left, the student must cut the draft to the word limit without losing the passage's central cause-and-effect chain.
1. Which details should be cut or kept to meet the word limit without losing the passage's central cause-and-effect chain? Justify each cut.
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The chain is: budget cut leads to closure date, which prompts a petition, which prompts a possible review. Keep the 18 lakh cut, the 31 March closure, the petition and the June review. Cut the children's reading hour because it is illustrative, not causal. Cut the librarian's direct quote because it costs about 15 words and can be compressed into a phrase or dropped; the 'quiet room' idea can survive as a short description if space allows. Cut at least one of the four numbers: keep 18 lakh and 3,000 signatures because they measure cause and response; 2,400 members is optional; 12,000 books can go. The test is whether a detail changes the reader's understanding of why the closure matters or what happens next. If not, it goes.
2. Revise the draft into an 80-100 word summary. Show the word count.
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Revised summary: 'The municipal council has cut the suburban library's budget by 18 lakh rupees, and the library will close on 31 March. The library has 2,400 members and runs a Saturday children's reading hour. A citizens' group collected 3,000 signatures and asked the council to reconsider. Local residents have opposed the planned closure, describing the library as the only quiet room in the neighbourhood. The council says it will review the decision in June, so the closure is not yet final.' Word count: 80 words. The revision keeps the cause-and-effect chain intact, keeps only the numbers that measure cause and response, and compresses the quote into a reported phrase. It does not merely shorten sentences; it removes a whole category of illustrative detail.