What is a key component in adding fractions?

A key component in adding fractions is to ensure that the fractions have a common denominator before combining them. The correct answer highlights the importance of treating the whole number and the fractional parts carefully, which is fundamental to accurately performing the operation.

When adding fractions, it is essential to first ensure that both fractions share the same denominator, because without a common base, the values cannot be directly added. This often involves converting the fractions so they can be expressed in equivalent forms. By separating the whole numbers and fractions, you can effectively simplify the addition process—adding the whole numbers together first to create a new whole number, and then combining the two fractional parts once they have been adjusted to have the same denominator.

In terms of the other options, converting to whole numbers without addressing the fractions would lead to incorrect results as it ignores the fractional value, while dividing or subtracting fractions before adding does not align with the rules for fraction addition, which relies on summing up parts rather than manipulating them through division or subtraction first.