Final answer:
The minutes of the preceding meeting are read at the start of an adjourned meeting and are mandatory for maintaining record accuracy and transparency, in line with procedures followed by legislative bodies like Congress.
Step-by-step explanation:
The minutes of the preceding meeting are typically read at the beginning of an adjourned meeting. This is to ensure that all members of the meeting are on the same page and that the minutes reflect an accurate record of what transpired at the previous session. It is common parliamentary procedure to review and approve the minutes from a previous meeting before moving on to new business. This process helps maintain transparency and accuracy in the documentation of the proceedings, which is in line with the requirements for bodies such as Congress to keep and publish a journal of their proceedings. Additionally, these records also include how members voted and, under specific circumstances, may be demanded to be recorded if requested by at least one-fifth of the members.