CSS 2009 Solved Precis

• Contemplation (noun): The action of looking thoughtfully at something for a long time; deep reflective thought
  • Contextual Explanation: The aesthetic experience is defined as the experience of contemplation, meaning deep, thoughtful observation.
• Sobriety (noun): The state of being sober (not drunk); in this context, seriousness and moderation
  • Contextual Explanation: The aesthetic experience is distinguished from the sobriety of our moral judgment, referring to its serious, moderated nature.
• Tranquility (noun): The state of being calm
  • Contextual Explanation: Wordsworth defines poetry as emotion recollected in tranquility, or calmness.
• Impenetrable (adjective): Impossible to pass through or enter; impossible to understand
  • Contextual Explanation: Our passions are no longer dark and impenetrable powers; they become transparent, meaning they are no longer impossible to understand.
• Speculate (verb): To form a theory or conjecture about a subject without firm evidence
  • Contextual Explanation: Shakespeare does not speculate about the nature of art, meaning he does not form theories about it.

The passage analyzes how individuals, from ancient thinkers like Plato to moralists like Tolstoi, accused art of corrupting human emotions and disturbing their moral order. It explains that people misjudged art because they ignored its form, which transforms their passions into clarity and understanding. Thus, through the insights of Wordsworth and Shakespeare, individuals are shown that art does not infect their moral sense but refines their feelings, enabling them to perceive and understand human emotions more deeply. Moreover, the aim is to show people that although they may fear art for its emotional power, it actually purifies their passions through form. So, by engaging with art aesthetically, individuals learn to feel deeply yet think clearly; they understand human emotion instead of being overwhelmed by it, maintaining their moral balance through insight rather than suppression.

Main Idea of the Passage

• People who condemn art for exciting their emotions and disturbing their moral life fail to see that through form, art transforms their passions into vision and understanding, enabling them to feel yet remain morally clear.

Supporting Ideas Helping the Main Idea

• People from Plato to Tolstoi believed that art excites human emotions, such as lust, anger, desire, and pain, and that this emotional stimulation could disturb their moral balance.
• These individuals overlooked that art's true power lies in its form, which transforms how they experience passion, turning raw emotion into clarity and understanding.
• When people engage with art aesthetically, they feel the liveliness of passion, yet their experience of it is refined and controlled, allowing them to comprehend emotion without being overwhelmed.
• Wordsworth helped individuals realize that emotion recollected in tranquility enables them to retain the intensity of their feelings while reflecting on their meaning.
• Shakespeare's dramatic art allows audiences to observe human passions mirrored on stage, enabling them to recognize ambition, cruelty, or jealousy without being infected by these emotions and preserving their moral and intellectual balance.

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

From Plato to Tolstoi, people believed that art excites human emotions, such as lust, anger, desire, and pain, potentially disturbing their moral judgment. Specifically, they considered passion aroused by art as dangerous and morally disruptive. However, people experience art differently as its form transforms people's passion into understanding rather than their raw emotion. In fact, when individuals engage aesthetically, they feel strong emotions while maintaining reflection and control. For example, Wordsworth showed that people can recollect emotion in peace, preserving the intensity while gaining insight. Similarly, Shakespeare's plays allow audiences to observe ambition, cruelty, and jealousy mirrored in characters, enabling people to understand human passions without being infected by them. Therefore, art refines emotions, heightens awareness, and preserves moral and intellectual balance, allowing people to experience powerful feelings while maintaining ethical judgment and comprehension of their essence.

• Original Words in the Passage: 423
• Precis Word Count: 137
• Title: Art and Human Emotion: From Passion to Reflection

Precis 2

People from Plato to Tolstoi feared that art excites their lust, anger, desire, and pain, which might disturb their moral and ethical judgment. Particularly, they thought passion aroused by art is dangerous. However, people experience art through its form, which transforms their raw emotion into a clear understanding. As a result, individuals feel emotions while pondering on them, helping them gain insight without being overwhelmed. For example, Wordsworth explained that contemplation enables people to retain their passion while thinking. Similarly, Shakespeare’s plays display emotions: ambition, cruelty, and jealousy, enabling audiences to understand human passions without being consumed by them. Therefore, art refines human emotions, sharpens their awareness, and maintains their moral balance, letting them feel deeply while reflecting ethically.

• Original Words in the Passage: 423
• Precis Word Count: 119
• Title: The Transformative Power of Art on Human Passions

Precis 3

People from Plato to Tolstoi believed art dangerously stirs human passions like lust, anger, and desire, threatening their moral judgment. Yet art's form transforms human emotion, allowing them to feel and consider simultaneously. To illustrate, Wordsworth noted that recollected emotion enables people to retain intensity with calm understanding. Similarly, Shakespeare's plays display humans' ambition, cruelty, and jealousy, letting audiences observe passions without being infected. Therefore, art refines and balances the mind, allowing people to experience intense emotions while preserving their insight and ethical judgment.

• Original Words in the Passage: 423
• Precis Word Count: 84
• Title: Art Refines Emotion and Preserves Moral Judgment

Precis 4

Individuals from Plato to Tolstoi believed that art dangerously ignites their passions like lust and anger, threatening their moral judgment. However, art's form allows them to feel and reflect collectively. For instance, Wordsworth noted that recollected emotion maintains intensity while Shakespeare's plays enable them to observe ambition and cruelty without being harmed, thus refining their mind and preserving their insight and ethical judgment.

• Original Words in the Passage: 423
• Precis Word Count: 63
• Title: Art Shapes Human Emotion and Ethical Understanding