R. Dhillon Solved Precis Passage Twenty One

• Specialisation (noun): The process of concentrating on and becoming an expert in a particular subject or skill
  • Contextual Explanation: The passage notes there was much less specialisation a hundred years ago, meaning a single worker would handle every aspect of a project rather than focusing on just one part.
• Division of labour (noun phrase): The assignment of different parts of a manufacturing process or task to different people to improve efficiency
  • Contextual Explanation: Through the division of labour, factories can produce a large volume of goods quickly because each worker specializes in one small task.
• Comparatively (adverb): To a moderate degree as compared to something else; relatively
  • Contextual Explanation: Tables are produced in a comparatively short time, meaning they are produced much faster than under the old hand-made system.

The passage explains how work shifted from individual craftsmanship to modern industrial specialization, highlighting changes in production methods, efficiency, costs, and the role of workers. Moreover, the passage explains how the mechanism of work has shifted from traditional to modern ways, significantly increasing production and speed and reducing costs, making goods more widely affordable. However, it also points out a limitation of this system. For instance, in the case of complex products, no single worker can fully understand or perform all the processes involved, and manufacturing may even be spread across multiple factories. Overall, the author aims to inform readers about how specialization has transformed work and production methods.

Main Idea of the Passage

• Modern specialization and factory production replaced individual craftsmanship, increasing its efficiency and output but narrowing the worker’s direct involvement in complete production.

Supporting Ideas Helping the Main Idea

• Craftsmen earlier completed entire products, using hand tools, producing high-quality but costly goods.
• Low output and high-cost restricted ownership to the wealthy.
• Factories later introduced machinery, replacing individual work with divided processes.
• The division of labour increased the speed and quantity of production through multiple workers.
• Skilled workers still need an understanding of all processes, even when performing a single task.
• Complex industries dispersed production across multiple factories, limiting full process knowledge.

Confused About Main and Supporting Ideas?

Kindly make sure to revise all five lectures on Precis Writing that I have already delivered. In these sessions, we discussed in detail:

• What a precis is and its purpose.
• What the main idea means and how to extract it effectively.
• What supporting ideas are and how to identify them.
• How to coordinate the main and supporting ideas while writing a concise, coherent precis.

Additionally, go through the 20 examples I shared in the WhatsApp groups. These examples highlight the Dos and Don’ts of Precis Writing, and revising them will help you avoid common mistakes and refine your technique.

Precis 1

Craftsmen performed complete tasks a century ago, producing fine furniture slowly with simple tools, which limited output and kept costs high. As a result, only the wealthy purchased a lot of furniture. In contrast, factories later used machines and divided labour, allowing many workers to perform single processes and produce goods rapidly. However, good workmen still needed knowledge of all processes while complex industries spread production across multiple factories and increasingly separated tasks from the places of manufacture as scale expanded.

• Original Words in the Passage: 235
• Precis Word Count: 81
• Title: The Rise of Specialized Industrial Work

Precis 2

Craftsmen previously made entire products with simple tools, achieving beauty but low output and high cost, which limited buyers. Later, factories adopted machinery and division of labour, assigning single processes to many workers and accelerating production. Nevertheless, good workers needed process knowledge while complex industries distributed stages across different factories through expanding industrial organization over time and scale.

• Original Words in the Passage: 235
• Precis Word Count: 58
• Title: Changing Methods of Production

Precis 3

Craftsmen fashioned entire products by hand earlier, achieving fine quality but at a cost and a slow pace. Subsequently, industrial factories replaced this with machinery and division of labour, boosting output. Yet true skill demanded understanding, as complex production depended on coordinated work across many factories worldwide.

• Original Words in the Passage: 235
• Precis Word Count: 47
• Title: Industrial Specialization and Its Effects

Precis 4

Craftsmen formerly completed products slowly with hand tools, limiting output and raising costs. Afterward, factories adopted machinery and the division of labour, increasing speed and production. However, workers needed knowledge while complex manufacturing dispersed tasks across factories globally.

• Original Words in the Passage: 235
• Precis Word Count: 38
• Title: From Individual Craft to Divided Labour