UNIT – 3

General Reading versus Academic Reading

READING SKILLS

Reading is
a skill which enables us to get a message;
recognizing the written words (written sym- bols);
getting (understanding) the meaning;
used to teach pronunciation; grasping information from texts.

Reading is a complex activity that involves both perception and thought. Reading consists of
two related processes: word recognition and comprehension. Word recognition refers to the
process of perceiving how written symbols correspond to one’s spoken language.

Comprehension is the process of making sense of words, sentences and connected text. Readers
typically make use of background knowledge, vocabulary, grammatical knowledge, experience
with text and other strategies to help them understand written text.

There are the following types of reading and the corresponding types of activities to develop the
corresponding reading skills:
Skimming reading is reading to confirm expectations; reading for communicative tasks.
General reading or scanning is reading to extract specific information; reading for general
understanding.
Close reading or searching reading is reading for complete understanding; reading for detailed
comprehension (information; function and discourse).

Skimming is the most rudimentary type of reading. Its object is to familiarize you as quickly as
possible with the material to be read.
Scanning is a skill that requires that you read quickly while looking for specific information. To
scan a reading text, you should start at the top of the page and then move your eyes quickly
toward the bottom. Generally, scanning is a technique that is helpful when you are looking for
the answer to a known question.
Close reading is the most important skill you need for any form of literary studies. It means
paying especially close attention to what is printed on the page. Close reading means not only
reading and understanding the meanings of the individual printed words, but also involves
making yourself sensitive to all the nuances and connotations of language as it is used by skilled
writers.

Reading is done in three phases:

1. PRE-READING activities allow the reader to make predictions about text that will be
read by eliminating possibilities that are unlikely. They are a way to prepare a reader
prior to a reading assignment by asking them to react to a series of statements, questions,
or words related to the content the material.
While doing pre-reading exercises the students should see all the tasks before reading the text.
The following questions may be used.
1. Can you guess what the text is about judging by the title?
2. What do you think the following names, figures or dates (if there are any) have to do with the
story? Note: the teacher can arrange what the students say in a column on the blackboard and
then give the task to look through the text quickly to prove if their guesses were true or false.
3. What do you know or what have you heard about the subject you are going to read about?

2. WHILE READING The next phase of reading activity aims to teach the students to extract
specific information. These are while-reading exercises. The students should scan the text to
extract the information which the tasks demand. They do not have to pay attention to the parts of
the text they do not understand. Previewing for the topic. The students can read the first sentence
of each paragraph and the last sentence of the passage and guess what the text is about, or what
the general idea is. The exercises include some statements and the students are to find out if they
are false of true. The students may be given some questions to answer.
3. POST READING This phase is more concerned with summing up the content of the text,
investigation into the writer’s opinion and may entail some kind of follow-up-task related to the
text.
The following tasks are can be used as post reading activity:
 Find the most important sentence in each paragraph.
 Match each sentence of the jumbled summary with the correct paragraph.
 Use your imagination and write your end of the text/story.
 Express your attitude to the text, etc.
 What is your attitude to the text?
 Write a letter to the editor. Organize a press conference.

READING TECHNIQUE – SQ3R

The SQ3R method is a proven, step-by-step strategic approach to learning and studying from

textbooks. Why is it successful? Because it helps you to discover the important facts and ideas
that are contained in your textbook, and master and retain that information so that you are
prepared for an examination.

SQ3R is an abbreviation to help you remember the steps and to make references to it simpler.
The symbols stand for the steps followed in using the method: Survey, Question, Read, Recite,
and Review. A description of each of these steps is given below:

These five steps, when applied to textbook assignments, will help you in making the study time
more efficient and effective. While this method will take time and practice to master, once it is
learned and applied, it will no longer be necessary to re-read textbook chapters. The added
benefit of using the SQ3R Method is that often one will find their own questions on a test.

1. SURVEY: (before class) Read the following:This survey should take no more than 10-25
minutes, even on the longest chapter. The purpose of surveying the chapter is to get a
general idea of what it is going to be about, what kind of information the author gives,
 how many sub-topics the information is broken down into, and how much time you will
have to spend reading it.
2. QUESTION: (before class) Turn each boldfaced heading into a question by using one of
the following words: who, what, where, when, why, or how.
The reason for creating a question out of each heading is to set a purpose for reading
the material in more detail. When you are reading to find the answer to a specific
question, you are reading actively.
3. READ: (after class)
Actively read the section of the text accompanying the heading for an answer to the
question you asked yourself in step 2. The answer will usually be made up of the main
idea(s) of the paragraph(s) and the supporting details. Read the section to find the answer.
The purpose of reading is to find the answer to your question.
4. RECITE: (after class)
Recite the answer to each question to yourself. Put the answer into your own words, or
rephrase the author's words. Be sure that you can recall the answer, not just recognize the
information as correct. Write the questions in your notebook along with a few key words
or phrases that summarize the answer.  The purpose for doing this is to help you think
about and understand what you have read. When you rewrite or rephrase what you read,
your comprehension and retention will improve.
5. REVIEW: (before next class)
To review, cover the answers and ask yourself the questions. If you can't answer the
question, look at your notes and test yourself again. Once you are sure you know and
understand the question and answer, check it off. The purpose for reviewing is to help
you prepare for the eventual test. Remember that very few people read textbooks for
pleasure; they are read to acquire information and to remember and apply it in a testing
situation. Reviewing helps you remember the information.

EXERCISES – Reading Comprehension

Directions (1-10): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it.
Certain words/phrases have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of
the questions.

A couple of weeks ago I was asked what I thought the future of technology in education was. It
is a really interesting question and one that I am required to think about all the time. By its very
nature, technology changes a fast pace and making it accessible to pupils, teachers and other
stakeholders is an ongoing challenge.
            So what is the future? Is it the iPad?
No I don’t think it is. For me, the future is not about one specific device. Don’t get me wrong, I
love the iPad. In fact, I have just finished a trial to see if using them really does support teaching
and learning – and they have proved effective. I’ve written about the trial in more detail on my
blog. iPads and other mobile technology are the ‘now’. Although, they will play a part in the
future, some years ago the iPad didn’t even exist. We don’t know what will be the current
technology in other four years. Perhaps it will be wearable devices such an Google Glass,
although I suspect that tablets will still be used in education.
The future is about access, anywhere learning and collaboration, both locally and globally.
Teaching and learning is going to be social. Schools of the future could have a traditional cohort
of students, as well as online only students who live across the country or even the world. Things
are already starting to move this way with the emergence of massive open online courses
(moocs). For me, the future of technology in education is the cloud.
Technology can often be a barrier to teaching and learning. I think the cloud will go a long way
to removing this barrier. Why? By removing the number of things that can go wrong.
Schools, will only need one major thing to be prepared for the future. They will not need
software installed, servers or local file storage. Schools will need a fast robust internet
connection. Infrastructure is paramount to the future of technology in education.
We don’t know what the new ‘in’ device will be in the future. What we do know, is that it will
need the cloud. Schools and other educational institutions will need to future proof their
infrastructure the best they can.
This should be happening now. If you want to start to use mobile technology in your school,
water it is an iPad program or a bring your own device (BYOD) program your connectivity must
be fast and reliable, Student and teacher buy in, is so important. If the network is slow and things
are not working properly students and teachers will not want to use the devices. Make sure the
infrastructure is there before the devices.
Teachers can use the cloud to set, Collect and grade work online. Students will have instant
access to grades, comments and work via a computer, smartphone or tablet. Many schools are
already doing this. Plus, services such as the educational social network Edmodo offer this for
free.
This is where devices come in. All devices no matter which ones we will use in the future will
need to access the cloud. Each student will have their own. Either a device specified by the
school or one they have chosen to bring in themselves.
School classrooms are going to change. Thanks to the cloud and mobile devices, technology will
be integrated into every part of school. In fact, it won’t just be the classrooms that will change.
Games fields, gyms and school trips will all change. Whether offsite or on site the school,
teachers, students and support staff will all be connected. In  my ideal world, all classrooms will
be paperless.
With the cloud, the world will be our classroom. E-learning will change teaching and learning.
Students can learn from anywhere and teaches can teach from any where.
The cloud can also encourage independent learning. Teachers could adopt a flipped classroom
approach more often. Students will take ownership of their own learning. Teachers can put
resources for students online for students to use. These could be videos, Documents, audio
podcasts or interactive images. All of these resources can be accessed via a student’s computer,
smartphone or tablet. As long as they have an internet connection either via Wifi, 3G or 4G they
are good to go Rather than being ‘taught’ students can learn independently and in their own way.
There is also a massive amount of resources online that students can find and use
themselves,Without the help of the teacher.
            This of course means the role of the teacher will change.
Shred applications and documents on the cloud, such as Google Apps will allow for more social
lessons. How often do students get an opportunity to collaborate productively using technology
in the classroom? It isn’t always easy. However, students working on documents together using
Google Apps are easy. They could be in the same room or in different countries. These are all
good skills for students to have. Of course, these collaborative tools are also very useful for
teacher. I for one have worked on several projects where these tools have let me work with
people across the country. Some of which I have never met.
What we must remember is that when schools adopt new technology and services, they must be
evaluated. This way, as a school, you know if they are successful and what improvements are
needed. Staff will also need training ,you can’t expect staff to use new technology if they are not
confident users or creators. Any initiative is doomed to failure without well trained, confident
staff who can see how technology can support and benefit teaching and learning.
Plenty of schools have already Embraced this, but there’s still a way to go to ensure all schools
are ready for the future of technology. It is time for all schools to embrace the cloud.
Meanings of difficult words/ phrases
(1) cohort (N.): a group of people who share a common feature/aspect of behaviour
(2) the cloud (N.):  a network of computers that control/supply information to other computers
on which data and software can be stored/ managed and to which users have access over the
Internet
1) What do you think should be the most appropriate title of the given passage?
(a) Future of Technology in Education
(b) Technology-Barrier to Education
(c) Massive Open Online Courses
(d) Hypothetical Approach to Education
(e) None of these
2) Which of the following statements is NOT CORRECT as per the context of the given
article?
(a) According to the writer of this article, future of technology in education is cloud.
(b) The writer sees ipad as the only future in education.
(c) Schools will need a fast robust internet connection for getting advantage of technology.
(d) The writer opines that ipads and other mobile technology are the ‘now’ and play a part in the
future.
(e) None of these
3) The writer advocates about the use of cloud. Which of the following statement(S) is/are
true in this regard?
I. Teachers can use the cloud to set, collect and grade work online.
II. Students will have instant access to grades, comments and work via computer etc.
III. Service such as the educational social network Edmodo offer facilities to students for free.
(a) Only I
(b) Only II
(c) Both II and III
(d) All three I, II and III
(e) Both I and II
4)The writer opines that with the use of cloud, schools rooms will change and many
facilities will be available. Which of the following changes will be perceived in education?
(a) With the cloud, the world will be our classroom
(b) Students can learn from anywhere and teachers can teach from anywhere
(c) Students will take ownership of their own learning
(d) Teachers can put resources for students online to use
(d) All the above
5) Which of the following statements(S) is/are Not true in the context of the given passage?
 I. Shared applications and documents on the cloud, such as Google Apps will allow for more
social lessons.
 II. Teachers could adopt a flipped classroom approach more of ten after cloud.
III. A few schools have already embraced new cloud technology.
(a) Only I
(b) Only II
(c) Only III
(d) Both I and III
(e) None
Directions (6-8): Choose the word/group of words which is most similar in meaning to the
word  / group of words printed in bold as used in the passage.
6)Robust
(a) Sturdy         (b) roguish (c) roasting         (d) rusting (e) dazed
7)  Emergence
(a) transpiration         (b) empire (c) emplacement      (d) empathy (e) eminence
8) Collaborate
(a) work together   (b) collect (c) collide          (d) corroborate (e) colonize
Directions (9-10): Choose the word/group of words which is most opposite in meaning to the
word/group of words printed in bold as used in the passage.
9) Paramount
(a) very important     (b)less important (c)morally high         (d) paranoid (e) parched
10)  Embrace
(a) hug       (b) accept (c) reject           (d) include (e) embroll

VOCABULARY BUILDING
EXERCISES - Often confused words
Below you'll find pairs of words that are commonly confused in writing. Choose the correct
response to complete each of the sentences:

1. They are not going to ____________ this game.

   loose   lose
2. I think my pants are a little too ____________
   lose   loose
3. This is one of the side ____________ of this medication.

   effects   affects

4. Taking this medication might ____________ your sleep.

   affect   effect

5. Make sure that they get ____________ money.

   there   their

6. Put the money ____________.

   there   their

7. This is really ____________!

   exiting   exciting

8. The band will be ____________ the stadium in about half an hour.

   exciting   exiting

9. He is better at grammar ____________ I am.

   then   than

10. I didn't know him ____________.

   then   than

EXERCISES – Often confused words

Refer to a dictionary and bring out the difference between the following words in meaning and
make sentences of your own:

a/an/and -
accept/except -
addition/edition -
advice/advise -
affect/effect -
allowed/aloud -
all ready/already -
are/our -
beside/besides -
breath/breathe -
buy/by -
choose/chose -
close/clothes/cloths -
coarse/course
complement/compliment -
conscience/conscious -
desert/dessert -
do/due -
does/dose -
feel/fill -
have/of -
hear/here -
heard/herd -
hole/whole -
its/it's -
knew/new -
lead/led -
loose/lose -
passed/past -
piece/peace -
principle/principal -
quiet/quite -
right/write -
two/too/to -
their/there/they're -
through/threw -
who's/whose -
woman/women -
your/you're -

______________________________________________________________________________

WRITING SKILLS

PRECIS WRITING AND SUMMARISING

PRÉCIS WRITING
The word précis is derived from French that means summary and précis writing means the art of
summarizing. Précis writing is one of the most useful skills you can acquire for your work both
as a student and as a professional. Précis writing involves summarizing a document to extract the
maximum amount of information, then conveying this information to a reader in minimum
words.
Definition: A précis is a clear, compact logical summary of a passage. It preserves only the
essential or important ideas of the original.
ACCORDING TO OXFORD DICTIONARY)
 “It is a short version of a speech or a piece of writing that gives the main points of ideas.”

ACCORDING TO CAMBRIDGE DICTIONARY

 “Prices is a short form of the text which briefly gives only the important parts.”

QUALITIES OF A GOOD PRÉCIS

A good précis shows the writing skills of a person. It must have the following qualities.
1. Clarity
Clarity means getting your message across so that the receiver can understand what the writer is
trying to convey. It is the basic and essential need of a précis. The ideas should be clear and
understandable. There should not be any ambiguity in your writing. The writer can achieve
clarity by using simple language and simple structure. If your précis is not understandable to the
reader it will lose its importance and meanings for the reader.
2. Correctness
Mistakes in your writings always irritate the reader. Of course mistakes are never intentional;
even so there is no excuse for them. At the time of writing or composing a précis the writer must
ensure that the facts and figures are correct. Structure of sentences and spellings of words must
be correct because a single mistake in structure and spelling may spoil the message. We may
consider the mistakes under the following headings:

 Misspelled words
 Mistakes in figures and dates
  Mistakes in punctuation
 Mistakes of grammar and structure

3. Objectivity
Objectivity means the ability to present or view facts uncolored by feelings, opinions and
personal bias. While making a précis, the writer should adopt an objective approach. He should
not give and add his personal opinion and ideas in a précis. A précis should be purely a summary
of the original text without any addition.
4. Coherence
Coherence means the logical and clear interconnection of ideas in a written piece of work. A
good précis should be coherent. The ideas which are presented in a précis must have a logical
connection and they all should be interrelated. In short we may say that the ideas should be well
knitted so that the writer may not be confused and lose his interest.
5. Completeness
Another striking feature of a good précis is completeness. A précis should be complete in all
respects. Completeness means that the writer should include all the important facts in a précis.
To make it short he should not omit the important ideas. This mistake on the part of the writer
will spoil the importance and meaning of the précis.
6. Conciseness
Conciseness is a desirable quality of a good précis. Conciseness means to say all that needs to be
said and no more. The writer should write what is necessary and avoid writing unnecessary
details. A concise piece of work conveys the message in the fewest possible words. But one point
must be kept in mind that the writer should not omit some basic and essential facts to achieve
conciseness. To achieve conciseness, notice the following suggestions:

 Omitting unnecessary details

 Eliminate wordy expressions
 Include only relevant material
 Avoid unnecessary repetition

RULES OF MAKING A PRÉCIS

A well written précis should be a serviceable substitute for the original work. The goal of a
précis is to preserve the core essence of the work in a manner that is both clear and concise.
While writing a précis, the writer should follow the below given rules to make it an effective
piece of work.
Read Carefully
First read the passage twice or thrice carefully to summarize it. This will enable you to
understand the main theme of the passage.
Underlining
Underline and mark the important ideas and essential points from the original text.
Outline
With the help of underlined ideas, draw the outline of your précis.
Omission
Omit all the unnecessary information or the long phrases which could be replaced by one word.
All the adjectives and the adverbs can also be omitted in order to make a good précis.
Don’t Omit
While making a précis, the writer should never omit the important points and ideas which are
essential to be described.
Size
Keep the fact in your mind that the length of the précis should be the one third of the original
passage.
Indirect Speech
A précis should be written in indirect speech. If there is direct speech in the passage, it should be
changed into indirect speech.
Tense and Person
It should be written in the third person and past tense. In the case of universal truth the present
tense should be used.           

Own Words
A précis should be written in your own words and the writer should abstain from borrowing
words from the original passage.
Précis of a Dialogue
The précis of a dialogue or conversation should always be expressed in form of narrative.
Objective Approach
A précis writer should adopt an objective approach. He should not add his personal ideas to a
précis. Put all the important points and ideas in a logical order.
One Paragraph
There could be two or more paragraphs in the original text. While making the précis, try to write
all the ideas in one paragraph.
Rough Draft
After omitting all the unnecessary ideas, the writer should prepare a rough draft to finalize it.
Final Draft
Having read the rough draft and pointed out some mistakes which may be found in the rough
draft, the writer can prepare the final draft.

EXERCISES – Precis Writing

Sample 1
Read the following passage and answer the question given at the end:
A life of action and danger moderates the dread of death. It not only gives us fortitude to bear
pain, but teaches us at every step the precarious tenure on which we hold our present being.
Sedentary and studious men are the most apprehensive on this score. Dr. Johnson was an
instance in point. A few years seemed to him soon over, compared with those sweeping
contemplations on time and infinity with which he had been used to pose himself. In the still life
of a man of letters there was no obvious reason for a change. He might sit in an arm chair and
pour out cups of tea to all eternity would it had been possible for him to do so. The most rational
cure after all for the inordinate fear of death is to set a just value on life. If we mere wish to
continue on the scene to indulge our head-strong humour and tormenting passions, we had better
be gone at once,; and if we only cherish a fondness for existence according to the good we desire
from it, the pang we feel at parting which it will not be very server.
Questions:
 1. Suggest a suitable title for the passage.
2. What type of people are afraid of death and why?
3. How can we get rid of the fear of death?
4. What idea do you form about Dr. Johnson from this passage?
5. Explain the meanings of the words written in bold types.
6. Make a précis of the passage.

SOLUTION
i)  Suitable Title: The fear if death.
ii)  People who spend much time sitting and studying are the most afraid of death. Because they
lead a peaceful life and want no change.
iii) The most sensible way of getting rid of the fear if death is to value life properly. We should
know that our hold upon life is very risky and that we may die any moment.
iv) From this passage we learn that Dr. Johnson was afraid of death. He led a peaceful life and
wanted no change. He was fond of tea.
v) Explanation of the meanings of words;
Precarious Tenure — Uncertain period, life
Inordinate fear — Unreasonable fear, fear of death.
vi) Summary or précis.
If we lead an active life facing dangers, we will less fear death. People, who lead a lazy and
peaceful life, are the most afraid of death. The most sensible way of getting rid of the fear of
death is to value life properly. If we do not give unnecessary importance to our life, we will not
feel the pang of death.

Sample 2
It is physically impossible for a well-educated, intellectual, or brave man to make money the
chief object of his thoughts just as it is for him to make his dinner the principal object of them.
All healthy people like their dinners, but their dinner is not the main object of their lives. So all
healthy minded people like making money ought to like it and enjoy the sensation of winning it;
it is something better than money.
A good soldier, for instance, mainly wishes to do his fighting well. He is glad of his pay—very
properly so and justly grumbles when you keep him ten years without it—till, his main mission
of life is to win battles, not to be paid for winning them. So of clergymen. The clergyman's
object is essentially baptize and preach not to be paid for preaching. So of doctors. They like fees
no doubt—ought to like them; yet if they are brave and well-educated the entire object to their
lives is not fees. They on the whole, desire to cure the sick; and if they are good doctors and the
choice were fairly to them, would rather cure their patient and lose their fee than kill him and get
it. And so with all the other brave and rightly trained men: their work is first, their fee second—
very important always; but still second.
The Main Points:
1. Money making is a common attraction in life.
2. But it cannot be the principal aim of well-educated, intellectual brave persons.
Precis Summary:
Money-making is a common attraction in life. But it cannot be the principal aim of well
educated, cultured and brave man. A brave soldier prizes honour and victory more than his pay.
A good clergyman is more interested in the moral welfare of his people than his returns. A doctor
(good) values the care of his patient far more than his fees. Thus with all the well-educated,
intellectual persons, their work is first, money next.

Sample 3
Home is the young, who known "nothing of the world and who would be forlorn and sad, if
thrown upon it. It is providential, shelter of the weak and inexperienced, who have to learn as yet
to cope with the temptations which lies outside of it. It is the place of training of those who are
not only ignorant, but have no yet learnt how to learn, and who have to be taught by careful
individual trail, how to set about profiting by the lessons of teacher. And it is the school of
elementary studies—not of advances, for such studies alone can make master minds. Moreover,
it is the shrine of our best affections, the bosom of our fondest recollections, at spell upon our
after life, a stay for world weary mind and soul; wherever we are, till the end comes. Such are
attributes or offices of home, and like to these, in one or other sense or measure, are the attributes
and offices of a college in a university.
Precis Summary
Home shelters the young who are weak and unexperienced and unable to face the temptations in
life. It is a centre of their elementary education and a nursery of sweet affections and pleasant
memories. Its magic lasts for ever. A weary mind turn to it for rest. Such is the function of a
home and in some measure of the university.

Sample 4
Teaching is the noblest of professions. A teacher has a scared 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 remain 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.
Precis Summary
Teaching is the noblest profession. A teacher himself leading a simple, pure and disciplined life
can mould the character of the young children and make them neat and good mannered citizens.
Besides he remains every young forgetting his own domestic worries in the constant company of
the young.

Sample 5
English education and English language have done immense goods to India, inspite of their
glaring drawbacks. The notions of democracy and self-government are the born of English
education. Those who fought and died for mother India's freedom were nursed in the cradle of
English thought and culture. The West has made contribution to the East. The history of Europe
has fired the hearts of our leaders. Our struggle for freedom has been inspired by the struggles
for freedom in England, America and France. If our leaders were ignorant of English and if they
had not studied this language, how could they have been inspired by these heroic struggles for
freedom in other lands? English, therefore, did us great good in the past and if properly studied
will do immense good in future.
English is spoken throughout the world. For international contact our commerce and trade, for
the development of our practical ideas, for the scientific studies, English-is indispensable
"English is very rich in literature," our own literature has been made richer by this foreign
language. It will really be a fatal day if we altogether forget Shakespeare, Milton, Keats and
Shaw.
Precis Summary
Notwithstanding its various defects English education has done great good to India. The ideas of
democracy and self-government are its gifts. Nursed on English education the Indian leaders
were inspired by the Western thought, culture and freedom struggles. They fought for and won
their motherland's freedom. Being spoken thought-out the world English is necessary for interna-
tional contact, trade, commerce and science. English is rich in literature; its master mind cannot
be neglected.
Sample 6
When we survey our lives and efforts we soon observe that almost the whole of our actions and
desires are bound up with the existence of other human beings. We notice that whole nature
resembles that of the social animals. We eat food that others have produced, wear clothes that
others have made, live in houses that others have built. The greater part of our knowledge and
beliefs has been passed on to us by other people though the medium of a language which others
have created. Without language and mental capacities, we would have been poor indeed
comparable to higher animals.
We have, therefore, to admit that we owe our principal knowledge over the least to the fact of
living in human society. The individual if left alone from birth would remain primitive and beast
like in his thoughts and feelings to a degree that we can hardly imagine. The individual is what
he is and has the significance that he has, not much in virtue of the individuality, but rather as a
member of a great human community, which directs his material and spiritual existence from the
cradle to grave.
Precis Summary
Being social animals, human beings have their actions and desires bound up with society. In
matter of food, clothes, knowledge and belief they are interdependent. They use language created
by others. Without language their mental power would not grow. They are superior to beast,
because they live in human society. An individual life left alone from birth would grow utterly
beast like. So human society and not individuality guides man's material and spiritual existence.

EXERCISES – Precis writing

Make the precis and give suitable title for the following passage:

Example

In the act of stepping out of the boat, Nelson received a shot through the
right elbow, and fell; but, as he fell, he caught the sword which he had just
 drawn, in his left hand, determined never to part with it while he lived, for it
had belonged to his uncle. Captain Suckling and he valued it like a relic.
Nisbet, who was close to him, placed him in the bottom of the boat, and laid
his hat over the shattered arm, lest the sight of the blood, which gushed out
in great abundance, should increase his faintness. He then examined the
wound, and, taking some silk handkerchiefs from his neck, bound them
round the lacerated vessels. Had it not been for this presence of mind in his
step-son, Nelson must have perished. One of his bargemen, by name Lovel,
tore his shirt into shreds, and made a sling with them for the broken limb.
They then collected five other seamen, by whose assistance they succeeded
at length in getting the boat afloat, for it had grounded with the falling tide.
Nisbet took one of the ores, and ordered the steersman to go close under the
guns of the battery, that they might be safe from its tremendous fire. Hearing
his voice, Nelson roused himself, and desired to be lifted up in the boat, that
might look about him.
(230 words)

 Title: Nelson Severely Wounded

On stepping from the boat, Nelson was shot through the right elbow and fell.
Nisbet, his step-son, placed him in the bottom of the boat, and covered the wound
which was gushing blood. He bound silk handkerchiefs over the torn blood vessels,
thereby saving Nelson’s life, and a sling was made for the arm. The grounded boat
was re-floated and went close under the battery to avoid its fire. Nelson asked to be
lifted to look around. (80 Words)

Make the precise and give suitable title for the following passages:

1. The test of a great book is whether we want to read it only once or more than
once. Any book, which we want to read the second time even more than we
wanted to read it the first time, is really a great book. Every additional
reading will help us understand it better and we will help us understand it
better and we will find new beauties in it. A book that a person of education
and good taste does not care to read more than once is very probably not
worth much.

2. A good book is one of our best friends. It is the same today that it always
was and it will never change. It is the most patient and cheerful of
companions. It does not turn its back upon us in times of adversity or
 distress. It always receives us with the same kindness; amusing and
instructing us in youth, comforting and consoling us in age.

3. Letters are invaluable means of keeping our friendship with those who are
away. Without the interchange of letters our absent friends and relations
would be practically dead to us. We might learn from books the
surroundings in which they dwell or hear from travelers about the prosperity
or failure, but it is through letters that we can converse with them as often as
we want and obtain a clear picture of what they are doing or thinking and of
everything in the distant lands in which they live.

4. It is of great importance for the young that they accustom themselves from
their earliest years to trust as little as possible to others for what they want.
They should learn to put on their own clothes, to wash themselves, to take
their food with their own hands and not expect mothers or servants do these
things for them. They should learn to read and write and store their minds
with knowledge so that they can earn their own bread when they go into the
world.

5. Life for most of us is pretty humdrum always. Nothing exciting, dangerous

or adventurous ever seems to happen to us. Through books, children are able
to live in a highly exciting, dangerous and adventurous world. Books such as
“Treasure Island” provide the child with an exciting and dangerous world in
which anything can and do happen. Later, spy stories and actual accounts of
wars and battles, all provide the escape that is often necessary from one’s
ordinary everyday life. These are safety valves; they provide an outlet and
are an antidote to boredom. Everyone needs this, from Presidents to the
lowest citizens. Children who read widely and intensively are less likely to
go ground throwing stones at buses, breaking up buildings and tearing down
public property. They get their thrills through books and do not seek them in
dark alleys and through the senseless and mindless cruelties of knifing and
killing.

6. Water is the basis of all life. Every animal or every pliant contains a
substantial proportion of free or combined water in its body and no kind of
physical activity is possible in which water does not play an essential part.
Water is necessary for animal life, while moisture in the soil is equally
imperative for life and growth of plants and trees, though the quantity
necessarily varies enormously from plant to plant. The conservation and
utilization of water is thus fundamental for human welfare. The main source
 of water is rainfall or snowfall. Much of Indian agriculture depends on
seasonal rainfall and is therefore, very sensitive to any failure or irregularly
of the some. During the rainy season large quantities of rain water flow
down into the streams and rivers and ultimately find their way to the sea, and
are, therefore, lost to the country. The harassing of our rivers is, therefore, it
great national problem to be dealt with no national lines. Vast areas of land
which at present are mere scrub, jungles could be turned into fertile and
prosperous country by harassing this source of water.

7. Art occupies a position of great importance in the modern world. By this I

do not mean that modern art is better than the art of other generations. It is
obviously not. The quantity, not the quantity, of modern art is important.
More people take conscious interest in art as art. And more people take a
devote themselves to its practices that at any other period. Our age, though it
has produced few masterpieces, is a thoroughly aesthetic age. The increase
in the number of practitioners and of the dilettante in all the arts is not
unconnected with the decrease in the number of religious believers. To
minds whose religious needs have been denied their normal fulfillment art
brings a certain spiritual satisfaction’s in its lowest forms art is for ritual’s
sake so popular. In its higher and more significant forms it is philosophy as
well as ritual. The arts including music and certain important kinds of
literature have been, at most periods, the handmaids of religion. Their
principal function was to prove religion with the visible or audible symbols
which create in themed of the beholder those feelings which for him
personally are the God. Divorced from religion, the arts are now
independently cultivated for their own sake. The aesthetic beauty which was
once devoted to the service of god has not set up a God of its own. The
cultivation of art for its own sake has become a substitute for religion.

8. Personality is a lend itself to one possessed of self confidence. What is self

confidence? It is a state of mind entirely sure of its own thoughts and actions
whether right or wrong. Believe in yourself and in this belief you will grow
more and more confidence in yourself. Surety invokes the approval of
others, the needed encouragement to greater confidence. The most effective
and beneficial influence towards this end is the understanding gained by
experience of life so that you can see life in its true proportion and realize
that it is not enough to be fine; one must be fitting and know that  alone is
the fittest who takes the least cognizance of what others opinion of him is. It
is the fear of other opinion that binds and imprisons one, while it is
fearlessness of that opinion that gives one one’s freedom. If we desire that
 our life should make a fascinating appeal and be full of charm. We must
have personality. It is not a thing reserved for the gifted. It can be had by any
who wills to have it. But the will must be strong enough to endure the most
discouraging experiences, for nothing that is worth hearing can be gained
with ease, and of all the goals in life, personality is the most difficult to gain
precisely as it is the greatest prize to win.

9. Books are a delightful society. If you go into a room filled with books even
without taking them down from the shelves, they seem to speak to you, seem
to welcome you, seem to tell you that they have something inside their
covers that will be good for you and that they are willing to impart it to you.
Value them and Endeavour to turn them to good account. As to the books
which you should read there is hardly anything definite that can be said. Any
good book, that is wiser than yourself, will teach you something a great
many things directly or indirectly. If you mind be open to lazar, the very
wish and curiosity, you have to read it, indicate that you are a person who
likes to get good out of it.

10.The spirit of sportsmanship is what we are lacking in today. Sports tell us

that we should take a defeat or disappointment with a smile. We should not
go about insisting on our success in whatever we attempt. It is not possible
for every man to succeed in every desire which he has. There may be
ambitions of groups, there may be ambitions of individuals which they set
before themselves and they must try, if they are disappointed in the carrying
out of their ambitions, to take that disappointment and that defeat with a
smile and not take laws in their own hands. What will happen if every
individual in the street wishes to go his own particular way without
observing the rules of traffic, there will be clashes, there will be accidents?
What happens on the road side will also happen in the public activities, in
the public life of the country.

11.It is physically impossible for a well educated intellectual or brave man to

make money the chief object of his thoughts: Just as it is for him to make his
dinner the principal object of them. All healthy people like their dinner, but
dinner is not the main object of their lives. So all healthy minded people like
making money, ought to like it. And enjoy the sensation of winning it; but
the main object of their life is not money; it is something better than money.
A good soldier, for instance mainly wished to do his fighting well. He is
glad of his pay very properly so, and justly grumbles when you keep him ten
years without it- still, his main notion of life is doctors. They like fees no
 doubt, ought to like them; yet if they are brave and well educated, the entire
object of their lives is not the fees. They, on the whole, desire to cure the
sick, and if they are good doctors, and the choice were fairly put to them,
they would rather cure their patient, and lose the fee than kill him and get it.
And so with all other brave and rightly trained men; their work is first, their
fee second-very important no doubt but still second. But in every notion, as I
said, there are vast numbers of people who are ill educated cowardly and
more or less stupid. And with these people just as certainly the fee is first
and the work second.

12.Indian culture has survived for nearly fifty centuries. Though it passed
through many ups and downs, it has come down to us with its unfathomable
depths and great capacity for devotion and service. What constitutes the
national spirit or genius springs from sources deep and ancient, all the time
diverting and altering their course. The facts of our history look stranger
than fiction. We have suffered defeat on many occasions. These misfortunes
have not broken our spirit. After every blow, Indian found herself again and
made advances in spite of pain and sorrow. Today, we are in one of the
creative of our history. We are trying our best to remold our heritage with
insight into the profundities and with awareness of the amends of our age.
We have faith in the spirit of man to mould history. Let us dedicate our
energies to the building of a co-operative, concessive and homogenous
community. If we undertake this work and carry on, we will be working in
the true spirit of those cordial and dedicated servants of our country of
whom we are proud.

13.  Trees give shade for the benefit of others, and while they themselves
stand in the sun and endure the scorching heat, they produce the fruit of
which others profit. The character of good men is like that of trees.
What is the use of this perishable body if no use is made of it for the
benefit of mankind? Sandalwood, the more it is rubbed, the more scent
does it yield. Sugarcane, the more it is peeled and cut up into pieces,
the more juice does it produce. The men who are noble at heart do not
lose their qualities even in losing their lives. What matters whether men
praise them or not? What difference does it make whether they die at
this moment or whether lives are prolonged? Happen what may, those
who tread in the right path will not set foot in any other. Life itself is
unprofitable to a man who does not live for others. To live for the mere
sake of living one’s life is to live the life of dog and crows. Those who
 lay down their lives for the sake of others will assuredly dwell forever
in a world of bliss.
14.  It is physically impossible for a well-educated, intellectual, or brave
man to make money the chief object of his thoughts just as it is for him
to make his dinner the principal object of them. All healthy people like
their dinners, but their dinner is not the main object of their lives. So all
healthy minded people like making money ought to like it and enjoy
the sensation of winning it; it is something better than money.
15. A good soldier, for instance, mainly wishes to do his fighting well. He
is glad of his pay—very properly so and justly grumbles when you
keep him ten years without it—till, his main mission of life is to win
battles, not to be paid for winning them. So of clergymen. The
clergyman's object is essentially baptize and preach not to be paid for
preaching. So of doctors. They like fees no doubt—ought to like them;
yet if they are brave and well-educated the entire object to their lives is
not fees. They on the whole, desire to cure the sick; and if they are
good doctors and the choice were fairly to them, would rather cure their
patient and lose their fee than kill him and get it. And so with all the
other brave and rightly trained men: their work is first, their fee second
—very important always; but still second.

16.  Home is the young, who known "nothing of the world and who would
be forlorn and sad, if thrown upon it. It is providential, shelter of the
weak and inexperienced, who have to learn as yet to cope with the
temptations which lies outside of it. It is the place of training of those
who are not only ignorant, but have no yet learnt how to learn, and who
have to be taught by careful individual trail, how to set about profiting
by the lessons of teacher. And it is the school of elementary studies—
not of advances, for such studies alone can make master minds.
Moreover, it is the shrine of our best affections, the bosom of our
fondest recollections, at spell upon our after life, a stay for world weary
mind and soul; wherever we are, till the end comes. Such are attributes
or offices of home, and like to these, in one or other sense or measure,
are the attributes and offices of a college in a university.
17.  Teaching is the noblest of professions. A teacher has a scared 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.
18. Besides a teacher always remain 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.
19.  English education and English language have done immense goods to
India, inspite of their glaring drawbacks. The notions of democracy and
self-government are the born of English education. Those who fought
and died for mother India's freedom were nursed in the cradle of
English thought and culture. The West has made contribution to the
East. The history of Europe has fired the hearts of our leaders. Our
struggle for freedom has been inspired by the struggles for freedom in
England, America and France. If our leaders were ignorant of English
and if they had not studied this language, how could they have been
inspired by these heroic struggles for freedom in other lands? English,
therefore, did us great good in the past and if properly studied will do
immense good in future.
English is spoken throughout the world. For international contact our
comrherce and trade, for the development of our practical ideas, for the
scientific studies, English-is indispensable "English is very rich in
literature," our own literature has been made richer by this foreign
language. It will really be a fatal day if we altogether forget
Shakespeare, Milton, Keats and Shaw.
20. When we survey our lives and efforts we soon observe that almost the
whole of our actions and desires are bound up with the existence of
other human beings. We notice that whole nature resembles that of the
social animals. We eat food that others have produced, wear clothes
that others have made, live in houses that others have built. The greater
part of our knowledge and beliefs has been passed on to us by other
people though the medium of a language which others have created.
Without language and mental capacities, we would have been poor
indeed comparable to higher animals.
We have, therefore, to admit that we owe our principal knowledge over
the least to the fact of living in human society. The individual if left
alone from birth would remain primitive and beast like in his thoughts
and feelings to a degree that we can hardly imagine. The individual is
what he is and has the significance that he has, not much in virtue of
the individuality, but rather as a member of a great human community,
which directs his material and spiritual existence from the cradle to
grave.