PCS Balochistan 2018 Solved Precis

• Pass for nothing (Phrase): To be considered unimportant or irrelevant
  • Contextual Explanation: Implies that professions or titles do not carry much weight when judging true character
• Counterfeited (Verb): Faked or imitated deceptively
  • Contextual Explanation: Describes how someone’s actions can be faked to hide their true self
• Help one’s looks (Phrase): To control or alter one's natural facial expression or appearance
  • Contextual Explanation: Suggests that a person cannot disguise the long-term imprint of their life experiences on their face
• Countenance (Noun): A person’s facial expression or appearance
  • Contextual Explanation: Seen as a long-term reflection of a person’s life experiences and true nature
• Odd twinge (Noun Phrase): A strange, sudden feeling of discomfort or suspicion
  • Contextual Explanation: Describes the subtle unease one might feel when first seeing someone whose true nature is concealed
• Unmeaning commonplace details (Noun Phrase): Trivial or generic features that lack significance
  • Contextual Explanation: Refers to the everyday traits that can blur our perception of someone’s deeper character.
• Prima facie evidence (Noun Phrase): Evidence based on first impressions
  • Contextual Explanation: Suggests that a person’s appearance or expressions can initially indicate more about their character than words

The passage argues that a person's looks are the most reliable indicator of his true character, highlighting that physical appearance, shaped by life's experiences, reveals more about one's essence than deceptive words or actions. Thus, the author aims to persuade readers to prioritize this involuntary aspect of identity as the most trustworthy source of character insight.

Main Idea of the Passage

• Although judging character by words and actions is common, a person's looks are paradoxically the safest and most revealing way to know their true nature, as appearance is an involuntary, permanent record of the mind's habit, developed over a lifetime.

Supporting Ideas Helping the Main Idea

• There are several ways to understand a person’s character, such as through what he looks like, says, or does, but appearance is the safest and least misleading indicator.
• Words and actions can be fabricated whereas a person’s looks and expression naturally reveal his real disposition.
• A lifetime of experiences and inner thoughts gradually shape a person’s appearance, making it a mirror of his true self.
• People sometimes sense an unfavorable quality in someone’s looks upon first meeting though they may dismiss it until later events confirm the impression.
• First impressions often show the habitual tendencies of the mind, which remain constant under all disguises.
• Those who seem clever or good by reputation may not truly be so; their looks may reveal the truth despite public opinion.

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

A person's character can be discerned from his appearance, manner of speaking, or behavior, but physical looks offer the most reliable insight. To elaborate, what one says or does can be deceptive while a person's face inherently expresses his real self, mirroring his life experiences and being hard to change. Often, individuals intuitively pick up on a negative trait during initial encounters, which is later validated by actions. Undoubtedly, these first impressions frequently reflect lasting attributes, remaining true regardless of any pretense. Hence, although some may argue differently, relying solely on repute can often be quite misleading.

• Original Words in the Passage: 323
• Precis Word Count: 97
• Title: Appearance: The Truest Character Test

Precis 2

People’s nature can be judged by how they look, speak, or act, but appearance is often the most dependable. Where verbal claims and deeds can be falsified, a face usually tells the truth about one's personality; indeed, one’s face reflects one's lifelong experiences and is not easy to change. Sometimes, people feel uneasy about someone’s look at first, and later, their behaviour confirms that feeling: these first impressions often show lasting qualities, which are persistent under all disguises. Thus, although some deny the fact, mere good reputation might be misleading.

• Original Words in the Passage: 323
• Precis Word Count: 90
• Title: Judging Men Through Their Appearance

Precis 3

An individual's character can be discerned through his appearance, eloquence, and comportment though physical attributes often provide the most reliable indicators. Unlike professional endeavors or behavior, which may be deceptive, one’s physical characteristics typically unveil one's real disposition. Indeed, facial expressions evolve gradually, influenced by innate tendencies and personal experiences, and are not readily masked. Upon first encountering someone, it is not uncommon to experience an unsettling sensation, a perception that later proves justified; thus, notwithstanding potential critiques, initial impressions offer insights that delve deeper than mere reputations imply.

• Original Words in the Passage: 323
• Precis Word Count: 89
• Title: The Truth Beneath Impressions