CSS 2022 Solved Precis

• Soothsayer (Noun): A person who claims to foresee the future
  • Contextual Explanation: Individuals in ancient Greece who interpreted signs from the gods to guide human behaviour
• Omens (Noun): Phenomena believed to predict the future, often of divine origin
  • Contextual Explanation: Natural events like lightning or bird flight that were interpreted as messages from the gods
• Entrails (Noun): Internal organs of animals
  • Contextual Explanation: Used by soothsayers in sacrifices to interpret messages from gods
• Suppliant (Noun): A person making a humble plea to someone in power or authority
  • Contextual Explanation: One who sought guidance from the gods through oracles and prophets
• Ecstasy (Noun): An intense trance-like state of emotion or consciousness
  • Contextual Explanation: Describes the altered state in which prophets received divine revelations
• Mania (Noun): Madness or frenzy
  • Contextual Explanation: Referred to the divine frenzy through which intermediaries communicated with gods
• Transcended (Verb): To go beyond normal limits or human experience
  • Contextual Explanation: Prophets were believed to temporarily rise above human nature to deliver divine messages.
• Archetypal (Adjective): Typical example of something
  • Contextual Explanation: Apollo is referred to as the perfect example of a divine soothsayer in Greek tradition.
• Sanctuary (Noun): A sacred or holy place
  • Contextual Explanation: Each oracle operated from a dedicated religious site associated with a specific deity.
• Oracle (Noun): A person or medium through whom divine advice or prophecy is sought
  • Contextual Explanation: In ancient Greece, oracles conveyed messages from gods, often in a trance-like state or through ritual signs.
• Palmistry (Noun): The practice of reading palms to predict a person’s future or personality
  • Contextual Explanation: One of the popular ancient methods of divination mentioned in the passage

This descriptive passage explains the origins and practices of oracular divination in ancient Greece. The author wants to convey the reasons behind this practice, i.e, human fear and weakness; the different ways it was carried out, interpreting omens, ecstatic prophecy; and the most significant gods and locations associated with it.

Main Idea of the Passage

• Ancient Greek oracles originated from the human need to communicate with the divine and used various methods of divination, such as interpreting omens and ecstatic prophecy, to convey the wishes of the gods.

Supporting Ideas Helping the Main Idea

• Human fear and a sense of powerlessness against nature led to a desire for divine guidance.
• The wishes of the gods were deciphered by soothsayers through the interpretation of omens like lightning, thunder, and bird flights.
• Divination also involved examining animal entrails or observing sacrificial fire.
• Prophets, often in a trance-like, ecstatic state, would directly convey a message from the gods to the people.
• Oracles were located in sanctuaries and were connected to specific gods, with Apollo and Zeus being the most prominent.

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

Faced with life's mysteries and a sense of powerlessness, ancient humans sought a way to communicate with divine powers. In Greece, this need was met by soothsayers who interpreted divine will through interpreting natural phenomena, dream analysis, and hand reading. Additionally, the gods would sometimes speak directly through an intermediary, who temporarily entered an ecstatic state to deliver a message. These rituals formed the foundation of the Greek oracles, which were housed in organized sanctuaries and linked to specific deities. Specifically, the god Apollo was believed to be the primary messenger for Zeus' decisions. Finally, the most renowned oracles operated under the influence of Apollo while the oldest was associated with Zeus.

• Original Words in the Passage: 339
• Precis Word Count: 112
• Title: The Origins and Methods of Greek Oracles

Precis 2

Ancient Greeks, feeling weak before nature, turned to divine powers for guidance. They believed knowledge of divine will ensured proper conduct. Thus, soothsayers interpreted omens in thunder, lightning, bird flight, fire, and sacrificial animals while dream reading and palmistry were also practiced. Sometimes prophets entered ecstatic states to deliver divine messages directly. These practices formed the basis of oracles, which were sanctuaries devoted to specific gods. To elaborate, Apollo, regarded as the chief oracle deity, conveyed Zeus’s decisions while the sanctuaries at Delphi and Dodona were considered the most significant.

• Original Words in the Passage: 339
• Precis Word Count: 90
• Title: Oracles in Ancient Greece

Precis 3

Early human fear of life's mysteries prompted them to seek guidance from the divine. In ancient Greece, soothsayers fulfilled this need by interpreting signs from the gods, via omens or palmistry. The gods also spoke directly to certain prophets who entered an ecstatic state. All in all, these methods formed the basis of Greek oracles, which were located in sanctuaries: Apollo and Zeus were the most important deities linked to these practices, with Apollo and Zeus delivering messages from Delphi and Dodona.

• Original Words in the Passage: 339
• Precis Word Count: 82
• Title: Oracles: Communicating with the Divine

Precis 4

The fear of the unknown prompted ancient Greeks to seek communication with divine entities. This was done through divination, where soothsayers interpreted various signs from the gods. At other times, a prophet would convey a direct message from a higher power. These practices were the basis for the oracles, each located within a sanctuary. The most prominent sites were linked to Apollo and Zeus, who acted as intermediaries for divine will.

• Original Words in the Passage: 339
• Precis Word Count: 71
• Title: Divination and the Divine in Ancient Greece