Comprehension & Precis Writing Mastery

Reading Comprehension Skills

Comprehension passages test your ability to understand, analyze, and infer meaning from written text. In PPSC/FPSC MCQ exams, passages are usually 200-400 words long. In CSS, you face longer academic passages requiring deeper analysis.

1. Comprehension Strategies

• Skim first - Read the passage quickly to get the main idea
• Read questions next - Know what you're looking for
• Read carefully - Pay attention to details, tone, and implied meanings
• Eliminate wrong answers - In MCQs, cross out clearly wrong options first

2. Types of Comprehension Questions

• Main idea questions - What is the passage primarily about?
• Detail questions - According to the passage, which of the following...
• Inference questions - What can be inferred from the passage?
• Vocabulary in context - The word "X" most nearly means...
• Tone/attitude questions - The author's tone can best be described as...

3. Precis Writing - A CSS Essential

A precis is a concise summary of a passage, reduced to about one-third of the original length while retaining key ideas. This is a compulsory component of the CSS English paper.

Steps for Writing a Good Precis:

• Read the passage thoroughly at least twice
• Identify the main theme and supporting points
• Write in your own words - do not copy phrases from the original
• Maintain the original order of ideas
• Use third person and indirect speech
• Give it an appropriate title
• Keep it approximately one-third of the original

4. Common Precis Writing Mistakes

• Including personal opinions or comments
• Copying sentences verbatim from the passage
• Missing important points while including minor details
• Exceeding the prescribed word limit
• Failing to give a title

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Key Points

• Skim passage first then read questions
• Practice identifying main ideas vs supporting details
• Precis should be one-third of original length
• Never copy directly from the passage
• Always give a title to your precis

Preparation Tips

• Practice 2-3 comprehension passages daily from PPSC past papers
• For precis, practice summarizing Dawn editorials in your own words
• Time yourself - comprehension should take 10 minutes per passage