Selecting for a rumusan means keeping each distinct point that answers the focus once, and only once. Repeated ideas use up your space without adding anything.
This lesson follows finding the focus of a rumusan and leads into combining points in clear sentences. Both sit in the rumusan section.
What counts as a distinct point?
A distinct point gives the reader one new piece of information that answers the focus. Two sentences can look different and still carry the same point.
Passages repeat themselves on purpose. The writer states an idea, then restates it, then gives an example, and each version looks like a fresh sentence.
Worked selection: eight sentences, four points
Here is an original passage. The question asks: “Nyatakan sebab kadar penggunaan basikal di bandar itu meningkat.”
Penduduk bandar itu kini mengayuh basikal ke tempat kerja. Kos petrol yang tinggi menyebabkan mereka mencari pengangkutan yang murah.
Harga bahan api yang mahal membebankan gaji bulanan. Pihak majlis telah membina lorong khas basikal di jalan utama.
Lorong itu membuatkan perjalanan lebih selamat.
Penunggang tidak lagi berkongsi jalan dengan kereta. Doktor juga menggalakkan senaman harian. Mengayuh ke pejabat ialah cara mudah untuk bersenam.
Label each sentence with its role and idea:
| Sentence | Idea | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Kos petrol yang tinggi… | Kos pengangkutan tinggi | Keep |
| Harga bahan api yang mahal… | Kos pengangkutan tinggi | Drop, same idea |
| Pihak majlis membina lorong… | Lorong khas disediakan | Keep |
| Lorong itu menjadikan perjalanan selamat | Keselamatan | Keep |
| Penunggang tidak berkongsi jalan | Keselamatan | Drop, same idea |
| Doktor menggalakkan senaman | Kesihatan | Keep |
| Mengayuh ialah cara bersenam | Kesihatan | Drop, same idea |
The first sentence is background, so it is not a candidate at all. The four kept points are kos rendah, lorong khas, keselamatan dan kesihatan.
The duplicate test
For every pair of candidates, ask: does the second one tell me anything the first did not? If not, they are one point. Keep the version whose wording is shorter and easier to put into a full sentence later.
Notice that “lorong khas” and “keselamatan” are linked but not identical. One is what was built, the other is what it achieved. Because the question asks for sebab, both can count, though a cautious writer may merge them into one sentence.
The mistake that costs marks
The usual error is to treat each passage sentence as one point. The answer then lists “kos petrol tinggi” and “bahan api mahal” as two reasons, and the repeat looks like padding.
Counting sentences is not the same as counting ideas. Write one line per idea before you start the paragraph.
Check yourself
The focus is “kesan”. Here are four sentences.
(a) Sampah berlonggok di tepi sungai. (b) Air sungai menjadi keruh. (c) Sungai itu berwarna kelabu kerana pencemaran. (d) Ikan sukar hidup di dalam air itu.
Which are distinct effects?
Answer
Sentences (b) and (c) carry the same idea, which is that the water has become dirty. Keep one of them.
Sentence (d) is a separate effect on fish. Sentence (a) describes the cause of the problem, so it does not answer a kesan question.
The distinct effects are therefore: air sungai keruh, and ikan sukar hidup.
What to study next
With a clean list of distinct points, you are ready to write them as sentences. Continue with combining points in clear complete sentences or practise on the rumusan practice set.
Want a teacher to go through your selection lists with you? See online one-to-one Bahasa Melayu tuition.