Learning the art of precis writing is often the biggest hurdle for competitive exam aspirants and academic students. According to Sir Syed Kazim Ali, the secret to a high-scoring precis doesn't lie in complex vocabulary, but in the precision of deconstructing a passage. On his specialized platform, PrecisWritingLet, Sir Syed Kazim Ali believes that if students cannot fundamentally understand a passage, they cannot hope to precise it effectively. To help you comprehend this challenge, here are the 5 key steps to effectively understand any passage for precis writing.
1-Identify the Subject and Author's Intent
Before putting pen to paper, you must ask: What is the passage all about, and what does the author intend to tell the readers? Sir Syed Kazim Ali explains that identifying the primary subject matter and the why behind the passage is the foundation of precis writing. Is the author trying to warn the reader, propose a solution, or narrate a historical event? Understanding the intent ensures your precis maintains the same tone and spirit as the original passage as you cannot infer anything by your own.
2-Determine the Mode: Descriptive or Argumentative?
A crucial step is to analyze the nature of the passage: Is the passage descriptive or argumentative? Indeed, descriptive passages focus on the how and what, using imagery or facts to depict a situation. And argumentative passages focus on the why, using logic, evidence, and beliefs to persuade the reader. Sir Syed Kazim Ali always teaches his students that identifying the passage's mode helps them decide which keywords to prioritize, which factual data to include in descriptions, and which logical transitions to use in arguments.
3-Pinpoint the Core Main Idea
Next, the core main idea is the spine of the passage. It is the central message the author wants you to carry away. Usually found in a thesis statement or implied through recurring themes, this idea must be the heart of your precis writing. Sir Syed Kazim Ali always recommended that this core thought should remain clear and independent in the precis solution.
4-Categorize Supporting Details
Supporting details are the flesh on the bones of the main idea of the passage. They include those arguments that directly support or validate the author's claims in the passage. In precis writing, your goal is not to list every detail but to synthesize them. Sir Syed Kazim Ali always guides students to group these details into concise, generalized sentences that support the main idea without becoming repetitive or wordy.
5-Filter Out Non-Essential Elements
To achieve the required one-third length, you must know what to prune from the passage. Sir Syed Kazim Ali, in the solved passages, excludes all these details and shows students that non-essential elements that are secondary and not directly supporting the passage's main idea, such as examples, metaphors, rhetorical questions, and personal anecdotes, should be cut. These are meant to clarify the original passage for the reader, but are unnecessary for a precis solution.
Advance Your Skills with PrecisWritingLet
Understanding these steps is the first move toward excellence. For detailed practices ranging from easy to hard passages, including all solved past paper practices, visit the categories on PrecisWritingLet.
- Easy Precis Practice
- Advanced Precis Practice
- R. Dhillon Solved Precis
- CSS Solved Precis
- PMS Solved Precis
- PCS Solved Precis
- UPSC Solved Precis
Every exercise in these categories is meticulously solved and explained by Sir Kazim to ensure you grasp the logic behind every condensed sentence.
Beyond precis, Sir Syed Kazim Ali provides comprehensive resources for all English components, including writing, communication, grammar, essays, editorials, and opinions, through his network of specialized websites.
- CSSPrepForum: The premier hub for competitive exam aspirants
- Howtests: For testing knowledge and grasping grammar proficiency
- ComprehensionLet: Dedicated to learning reading comprehension and analytical skills