Introduction
When I was preparing for exams, precis writing always felt like a tricky skill. At first, I used to either make it too short and lose the meaning, or too long and miss the point of summary.
With practice, I realized precis writing is not about copying sentences but about capturing the heart of the passage in fewer words.
It teaches us how to read carefully, think critically, and express clearly.
In this post, I am sharing a few precis writing examples with solutions that helped me during my practice.
These solved passages will guide you step by step on how to frame an effective precis in your own words.
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Precis writing practice with answers
Precis writing examples - 3
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| Newton Precis Writing |
Write a precis of the following passage in about 100 words :
Newton was perhaps the greatest scientist that ever lived. He was the son of a Lincolnshire farmer, and was born in 1642.
He went to Cambridge to study mathematics when he was 19; but when he was only 22, a terrible plague epidemic swept over England, and the universities were closed.
Newton went home and worked quietly himself for about 18 months. During this time he made all the great discoveries for which he is famous, though it was not until much later that another great astronomer, Edmond Halley, made him write down in a book what he had found out so that other people could know of it.
One day Newton was sitting in his garden under an apple tree thinking hard about what made the moon keep on moving in a circle round the earth instead of moving off in a straight line out into space. He saw that it must all the time be falling a little towards the earth to keep it in a circle.
Just then an apple fell off the tree down to the ground. Newton stopped thinking about the moon and began wondering why the apple had fallen downwards. Why towards the earth? Why not towards the sky or sideways?
The more Newton thought about the falling apple, the more he felt sure that the same force which drew the apple to the earth must be drawing the moon towards the earth in a circle. Then he saw that this force which we call the force of gravity, must be influencing other bodies as well as the moon.
He showed that everybody in the universe pulls to a greater or lesser degree on every other body-whether it is a planet, a star, a moon, a space craft, or an apple.
Precis writing example passage answer
Title:- Newton's discoveries.
At the age of twenty-two, Newton, the greatest scientist of the world made his great discoveries for which later he became famous.
When Cambridge, where he was studying closed down owing to a plague epidemic, he spent eighteen months in his home.
One day while reflecting on the causes of the moon's movement in a circle round the earth, he saw an apple falling down from a tree.
He thought why the apple did not move upward or sideward.
He discovered that the force of the earth drew the apple just as it drew the moon to move round it.
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Passage for precis writing - 4
Give a precis of the following passage in about 100 words:
Owen, the social prophet and leading reformer of the early 19th century, was a man with ideas far ahead of his time.
He devised schemes to remedy evils which other people accepted as inevitable-poverty, overcrowding, drunkenness, long working hours in bad conditions, the exploitation of children, and the absence of schools.
He become by his own efforts, a successful and rich factory owner, and so could put some of his theories into practice, and consequently greatly influenced public opinion.
Owen, the son of a small tradesman in Newtown, Montgomeryshire, had an early history typical of his class; a brief schooling till he was 9, an early start at work, and a period of hardship and struggle.
He went to Manchester at a time when the cotton industry was developing; and when very young, became manager of a spinning-mill employing 500 workers.
He greatly increased his employer's profits, in spite of his opinion that his employer paid more attention to the 'dead' than to the 'living' machinery. Owen later became partner and manager of a group of Manchester mills.
He fell in love with the daughter of a millionaire at New Lanark, near Glasgow, so he persuaded his Manchester partner to buy the New Lanark mill. He married the girl and himself settled there as manager and part-owner.
Owen now saw a chance of putting into practice his ideas on social and economic reform. Of his 2000 employees, some 500 were pauper children who had been sent there at the age of 5 or 6 years as Poor Law apprentices from parish workhouses.
Owen ceased employing children under 10, and reduced the working day for all his workers to 10 hours. He started welfare schemes to help his people to live better and healthier lives and opened a shop at which they could buy sound goods at low prices.
Precis writing example answer
Title of the passage:- Owner and his social reforms
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| Owen Social Reforms Precis Example |
Owen, the son of a small businessman in England was a self-made man. At nine he worked to earn his living.
By hard work he soon became the manager of a spinning mill, employing 500 workers. Later he became partner and manager of a group of Manchester mills.
By virtue of his love and marriage with a millionaire's daughter he became part owner and manager of New Lanark mill.
Thereafter he brought many reforms factory workers. He employed 500 orphan children, reduced working hours, stopped employing children below ten and worked out many welfare schemes.
He was a pioneer in bringing social reforms.
Precis writing passage example 5
Write a precis of the following passage in 100 words.
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| Reading Literature Precis Example |
We do not realize adequately to what extent our minds are moulded by the books we read especially in youth.
We have several means by which we acquire knowledge today the radio, the cinema, the newspaper and we also have television, but reading of books is the most ancient and the most effective of them all.
We are never alone when we have books for our companions.
A great writer has said that religion is what a man does with his solitariness. It not merely religion but art and literature, scientific discovery and technological invention that are the outcome of what a man does with his solitariness.
In the modern world we like the society When we have a little leisure, we social activities. We are afraid to and companionship of others. run to parties, clubs or other 200 a be alone with ourselves, less to sit We are afraid to stand and stare, much and th happy with others, not with ourselves.
Pascal tell us that all the evils of the world arise from the fact that men are unable to sit still in a room. Reading a book gives us the habit of solitary reflection and true enjoyment.
There is a general complaint that there is a lowering of standards on all fronts. The leaders who fail in their sense of duty mislead their eir followers. The root of the illness illness is in the human individual.
It underlines our political, economic and social practices. We must change the nature of the individual. Literature has this supreme function of raising the quality of human beings.
When we read great classics, our minds are coloured with their thoughts. Great books foster the psychological health of the reader. They induce in us largeness of mind and standrad vision. They give us moral contentment.
Precis writing answer
Title of the passage :- The Impact of Reading Literature
We are greatly influenced by reading books. There are many ways of acquiring knowledge.
But books provide a companionship which has no substitute. We attend parties or social gatherings to overcome our lonliness.
We are afraid of ourselves. Pascal tells us that the evils of the world emanate because we cannot face lonliness.
Reading a book helps in solitary reflection and provides enjoyment. Today the lowering of standards at all fronts is due to neglect in the study of literature.
Reading of literature raises the quality of human beings. Great books make tremendous impact on our minds.
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Conclusion
Precis writing may seem difficult at the beginning, but with regular practice, it becomes a very rewarding skill.
It not only improves our exam performance but also strengthens our ability to think and write clearly in everyday life.
The examples above show that with a little patience, anyone can master the art of writing a precise and meaningful summary.
I would encourage you to try these passages on your own before looking at the solutions.
With time, you will notice how your understanding, vocabulary, and writing style improve.
FAQs
Q1. How did precis writing help me as a student?
Personally, precis writing trained me to pick out the most important ideas from long passages. It saved time during exams and made my answers more organized.Q2. What mistakes should beginners avoid in precis writing?
From my own experience, the biggest mistake is copying sentences directly. Another common error is making the precis too short without keeping the original meaning.Q3. Is there a fixed word limit for precis writing?
There isn’t a strict word limit, but usually the precis should be about one-third of the original passage. For example, if a passage has 300 words, the precis should be close to 100 words.Q4. Can reading books improve precis writing skills?
Yes, definitely! When I started reading more novels, essays, and newspapers, I naturally got better at identifying the key ideas. Books sharpen comprehension and make writing summaries easier.
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