PRECIS WRITING

What is a Precis?

A précis is a summary of a written work in your own words. A précis writing question in your textbooks or in the exam aims at testing how well you have read the given passage. A précis is always shorter than the original passage. It expresses only the main theme as concisely as possible. While writing the précis, it is recommended to make at least two drafts, a rough one and a fair one. The rough draft contains the main points that capture the essence of the text. The fair draft is the final presentation. Let us examine a few précis writing samples.

Précis Writing Samples

Sample 1

One of our most difficult problems is what we call discipline and it is really very complex. You see, society feels that it must control or discipline the citizen, shape his mind according to certain religious, social, moral and economic patterns.

Now, is discipline necessary at all? Please listen carefully. Don’t immediately say YES or NO. Most of us feel, especially while we are young, that there should be no discipline, that we should be allowed to do whatever we like and we think that is freedom. But merely to say that we should be free and so on has very little meaning without understanding the whole problem of discipline.

The keen athlete is disciplining himself the whole time, isn’t he? His joy in playing games and the very necessity to keep fit makes him go to bed early, refrain from smoking, eat the right food and generally observe the rules of good health. His discipline and punctuality is not an imposition but a natural outcome of his enjoyment of athletics. (171 Words)

Rough draft:

  1. Discipline is not liked by many.
  2. It is important to be disciplined as it shapes our mind and habits.
  3. Discipline is not an imposition.
  4. It is a natural outcome of good habits.

TITLE: Discipline is Important

PRÉCIS: Discipline is not liked by many people. However, it is necessary for all. It moulds our mind and regulates our habits. Discipline and punctuality is not an imposition but a natural outcome of good habits. (35 Words)

Sample 2

There are different types of forests in India. So, the products received from these forests are also several. The following are some forest products which are important in the growth and development of industries.

Forest products and the industries based on them:

  1. Timber: Timber from the forest is used in building activities, industries and in carpentry workshops. Asia’s largest saw mill has been in operation in the Andaman Islands.
  2. Rubber: Rubber trees are grown in large numbers on the Western Ghats. As a consequence, there are a large number of industries dependent on rubber in Peninsular India.
  3. Wood Pulp: Wood pulp is made of the wood of the forests, and paper is manufactured from the pulp. Paper mills are large in number in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh. In Nepa in Madhya Pradesh, there is a newsprint industry.
  4. Lac and Wax: Lac and wax are forest products, and they are used in manufacturing paints. Thus, several industries make use of forest products.
  5. For the growth of the cottage industries, the forests have been responsible in many an instance. (197 Words)

Rough draft:

  1. Forest products are useful to man.
  2. Timber is used in building and carpentry.
  3. Rubber is grown in the Western Ghats.
  4. There are many rubber industries in Peninsular India.
  5. Wood pulp is used in making paper.
  6. Lac and wax are used in making paints.

TITLE: Forest Products

PRÉCIS: Forest products are useful to man. Timber, rubber, wood pulp, lac and wax are some forest products. Timber is used in building and carpentry. The rubber trees from the Western Ghats serve many industries in Peninsular India. The pulp extracted from wood is used for making paper. Lac and wax are used in making paints. There are many industries in India which depend on forest products. (66 Words)

Sample 3

Teaching is the noblest of professions. A teacher has a sacred duty to perform. It is he on whom rests the responsibility of moulding the character of young children. Apart from developing their intellect, he can inculcate in them qualities of good citizenship, remaining neat and clean, talking decently and sitting properly. These virtues are not easy to be imbibed. Only he who himself leads a life of simplicity, purity and rigid discipline can successfully cultivate these habits in his pupils.

Besides, a teacher always remains young. He may grow old in age but not in spite. Perpetual contact with budding youths keeps him happy and cheerful. There are moments when domestic worries weigh heavily on his mind, but the delightful company of innocent children makes him overcome his transient moods of despair. (133 Words)

Rough Draft

  1. Teaching is the noblest profession.
  2. A teacher is responsible for shaping young characters.
  3. A teacher inculcates good habits in young citizens.
  1. A teacher himself leads a simple life.
  2. He remains forever young in the company of innocent children.

TITLE: Being a Teacher

PRÉCIS: Teaching is the noblest profession. A teacher is responsible for shaping young characters. A teacher inculcates good habits in young citizens as he himself leads a simple and disciplined life. A teacher can remain young forever as he is in the company of innocent children. (45 Words)

Sample 4

The Chola kings have contributed significantly to the architectural heritage of India. Their contributions include the Brihadeeswara Temple which is regarded as an architectural wonder by modern day engineers. The Cholas were also famous for their bronze statues and granite sculptures which were carved out of whole rocks. The unique bonding and notching technique which does not involve the use of mortar was another feature of the Chola architecture. The rich cultural tradition of Thanjavur comprising carnatic music, classical dance and traditional handicrafts was the legacy of the Chola emperors. (90 Words)

Rough Draft:

  1. The Chola kings have contributed to architecture heritage of India.
  2. Their work includes the Brihadeeswara Temple.
  3. It is regarded as an architectural wonder by modern day engineers.
  4. Their bronze statues and granite sculptures are also famous.
  5. Chola architecture had unique bonding and notching technique.
  6. The rich cultural tradition of Thanjavur was the legacy of the Chola emperors.

TITLE: The reign of the Cholas PRÉCIS:

The Chola kings are famed for their architectural contribution to India. The Brihadeeswara Temple and Thanjavur’s carnatic music, classical dance and traditional handicrafts are some famed legacies of the emperors. (30 Words)

Sample 5

The festival that I like the most is Diwali. We celebrate it either in October or in November. In Gujarat, it is celebrated for five days. Every house is decorated with rangoli and oil lamps. We start preparing for  Diwali a few weeks in advance by cleaning our houses. Sweets and savouries are made and new clothes are bought for everyone. We celebrate it with a lot of pomp and festivity. I love Diwali because we enjoy bursting crackers, visiting our relatives and having lots of fun with our near and dear ones. (93 Words)

Rough Draft:

  1. I like Diwali.
  2. It is celebrated in October or November.
  3. In Gujarat it is celebrated for five days.
  4. Houses are cleaned. Rangolis and sweets savouries are made.

  5. New clothes are bought and crackers are burst.

TITLE: My Favourite Festival

PRÉCIS:

Diwali, my favourite festival, is celebrated around October and November. In Gujarat, it extends for five days. Rangolis, oil lamps and fire crackers are part of Diwali. (27 Words)

Sample 6

In the poem, ‘The Cry of the Children’, the poet describes the conditions of innocent children enduring hardships while working as child labourers. In the poem, the children lament about their weariness. They say their knees tremble and their eyelids droop out of exhaustion. All day, the children drive wheels of iron. The wind from the turning wheels blasts against their faces making them turn their heads. Their pulses burn and the walls themselves start turning in their places. Out of sheer exhaustion, the children sometimes pray that the wheels go silent for a single day so that they could relieve themselves from the constant din. (106 Words)

Rough Draft:

  1. The poem ‘The Cry of the Children’
  2. Innocent children enduring hardships
  3. The children drive wheels of iron
  4. Their knees tremble, eyelids droop and pulses burn
  5. They pray that the wheels go silent

TITLE: Struggles of a Child PRÉCIS:

‘The Cry of the Children’ entails the struggles of child labourers who drive iron wheels with trembling

knees and burning pulses. These children get so exhausted that they pray for the wheels to go silent. (35 Words)

Sample 7

A recent visit to the arctic region brought me face to face with the problem of global warming. It made me realise how massive the change is and how grave its consequences will be for all. The ice caps at the Polar Regions are melting rapidly due to deforestation and the increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. If steps are not taken soon, then the rising water levels will submerge all the land masses. The ozone hole is another serious consequence of global warming. These holes or breaches in the protective cover of our planet let harmful ultraviolet rays reach us unfiltered. They in turn cause health hazards which are very difficult to treat. Awareness of these effects of our actions and sustainable steps  to prevent it is the need of the hour. (134 Words)

Rough Draft:

  1. Global warming can lead to grave consequences.
  2. Ice caps are melting rapidly
  3. Rising water will submerge the entire land.
  4. Ozone holes are also caused by global warming.
  5. They cause health hazards.

TITLE: Prevent Global Warming In Time PRÉCIS:

Global warming, a serious problem today, causes the ice caps to melt and forms ozone holes. If steps are not taken to prevent it, life on Earth, as we know it, will get extinct either by floods or incurable skin diseases. (41 Words)

Sample 8

The 66th Republic Day was celebrated with a lot of fanfare and grandeur at Mahatma Gandhi Vidyalaya yesterday. Students and teachers from all the classes participated in the plethora of cultural programmes which took place in the school premises. The day began with the hoisting of the national flag by our Principal Dr Mehta at 7 am. The entire assembly of students sang the national anthem immediately after the flag hoisting. The school band marched past the ground playing drums and trumpets. The members of the band were dressed in the colours of the school’s emblem and wore attractive sashes and headgears. The cultural events were kick started with the dance competition where students competed with one another in the solo and group dance categories. Miss Umang from Class 9 won in the solo category. After the cultural events, an environment exhibition was held where the students displayed various models on environmental awareness and solar-powered gadgets. The model for a solar-powered garbage disposal won the first prize. The event concluded with a group song by the teachers. It was truly a spectacular day for all of us at Mahatma Gandhi Vidyalaya. (191 Words)

Rough Draft:

  1. 66th Republic Day was celebrated at Mahatma Gandhi Vidyalaya
  2. Students and teachers participated in the cultural programmes
  3. Flag hoisted by Principal Dr Mehta at 7 am
  4. Students sang the national anthem and the school band marched
  5. The dance competition had solo and group dance categories
  6. Miss Umang of Class 9 won the solo category
  7. Environment exhibition held
  8. Models on awareness and solar-powered gadgets
  9. Solar-powered garbage disposal won the first prize
  10. Concluded with a group song by the teachers

TITLE: Republic Day at Mahatma Gandhi Vidyalaya PRÉCIS:

The 66th Republic Day celebration at Mahatma Gandhi Vidyalaya began with the traditional flag hoisting,

singing the national anthem and the school band’s parade. Miss Umang from Class 9 won in the solo category of the dance competition which followed. In the environment exhibition, the solar-powered garbage disposal model won the first prize. The teacher’s group song concluded the event. (60 Words)

Sample 9

There was no one in the school who did not know Dean Peters and me. He was just like me. We played football, topped the Math class, participated in Science exhibitions and acted in the annual plays. We  were both all-rounders and best friends. However, there was one more side to us which no one knew about, a little secret which we hid from all.

We loved to play pranks on others. Like a science experiment, we planned, experimented and finally implemented it. We were so good at what we did that no one ever suspected. The entire school  was left baffled every time we pulled off a prank. On one such occasion, the teachers found that all the attendance registers were missing. All the children cheered with joy when the news reached them. The entire school was searched but to no avail. This trick worked well till our very own friend Jay told the teachers that he heard us speaking about the registers. We were caught and asked to confess. We finally accepted our mischief and apologised for the same. We were forgiven but not before completing the punishment of scrubbing all the trophies in the entire school. That is when we realised that being smart  did not give us the right to play pranks on others. We surely improved our mistakes and went back to being the best students in the school. (234 Words)

Rough Draft:

  1. Dean Peters and me – well known
  2. Both all-rounder players and best friends
  3. A little secret we hid from all – pranksters
  4. That no one ever suspected
  5. Baffled entire school
  6. All attendance registers missing
  7. Jay told the teachers what he heard
  8. Caught – confessed – apologised – forgiven
  9. Scrub all the trophies in the school

TITLE: A Lesson we Learnt PRÉCIS:

Dean Peters and I excelled in everything we did, even the pranks we pulled off. While we were acclaimed for the former, the latter was a secret we kept to ourselves. The precision with which we played our  pranks baffled everyone. But the day Jay, our friend, confessed of having heard us speaking of the teachers’ registers which went missing ended everything. We were caught and made to scrub all the trophies in the school and our old habits too. (80 Words)

Sample 10

Co-education is the new trend of the age. People are drawn to schools offering co-education as it has become a sign of open mindedness. However, parents need to understand that selecting a school for their child is a very important responsibility which should not be overshadowed by their attempt of creating an image of themselves.

It is observed that in schools offering co-education, there is often a power struggle between boys and girls. Even teachers become a part of this when they compare the two and make judgements like one is better than the other. This is harmful for the mental health of the students who receive negative feedback as it crushes their self-esteem. Also, research states that in co-ed schools, boys are always treated will less care and attention. Right from their childhood, they are expected to be tougher, stronger and better than the girls. This is a disadvantage for both. The girls are not challenged enough which make them repressed and dependent, while the boys are challenged to such an extent that their childhood is lost. Like a flower, a child grows and blooms best when it’s surrounded by its own kind. It is our duty to ensure that our children feel this sense of security and freedom at school. Thus, we can conclude that same-sex schools are better than co-ed schools. (224 Words)

Rough Draft:

  1. Co-education is a new trend, sign of open mindedness, parents creating self-image
  2. Selecting school is a very important responsibility
  3. Such schools see power struggle – teachers too compare and judge
  4. Harmful for their mental health
  5. Negative feedback crushes their self-esteem
  6. Boys receive less care and attention pushed to be tougher, stronger and better
  7. Girls are not challenged enough, become repressed and dependent
  8. Boys lose their childhood
  9. A child grows best surrounded by its own kind
  10. Our duty ensure children feel security and free

TITLE: Co-ed Schools for Children

PRÉCIS:

Admitting children to co-ed schools proves to be a wrong decision. In co-ed schools, boys suffer as they

are constantly pushed further than their limits. They lose their childhood in the absence of due nurturing and care, whereas girls are overprotected and do not build the confidence they need for life. It is our responsibility to ensure that our children feel secure and free in the place where they learn. (70 Words)