Examples- Note making & summarising

Example 1: Read the passage given below:

BALANCING THE SCALES
Artificial intelligence (AI) is making a difference to how legal work is done, but it isn’t the
threat it is made out to be. AI is making impressive progress and shaking up things all over
the world today. The assumption that advancements in technology and artificial intelligence
will render any profession defunct is just that, an assumption and a false one. The only
purpose this assumption serves is creating mass panic and hostility towards embracing
technology that is meant to make our lives easier.

Let us understand what this means explicitly for the legal world. The ambit of AI includes
recognizing human speech and objects, making decisions based on data, and translating
languages. Tasks that can be defined as ‘search-and-find’ type can be performed by AI.

Introducing AI to this profession will primarily be for the purpose of automating mundane,
tedious tasks that require negligible human intelligence. The kind of artificial intelligence that
is employed by industries in the current scene, when extended to the law will enable quicker
services at a lower price. AI is meant to automate a number of tasks that take up precious
working hours lawyers could be devoted to tasks that require discerning, empathy, and trust-
qualities that cannot be replicated by even the most sophisticated form of AI. The legal
profession is one of the oldest professions in the world. Thriving over 1000 years; trust,
judgement, and diligence are the pillars of this profession. The most important pillar is the
relationship of trust between a lawyer and clients, which can only be achieved through human
connection and interaction.

While artificial intelligence can be useful in scanning and organizing documents pertaining to
a case, it cannot perform higher-level tasks such as sharp decisionmaking, relationship-
building with valuable clients and writing legal briefs, advising clients, and appearing in
court. These are over and above the realm of computerization.

The smooth proceeding of a case is not possible without sound legal research. While
presenting cases lawyers need to assimilate information in the form of legal research by
referring to a number of relevant cases to find those that will favour their client’s motion.
Lawyers are even required to thoroughly know the opposing stand and supporting legal
arguments they can expect to prepare a watertight defence strategy. AI, software that operates
on natural language enables electronic discovery of information relevant to a case, contract
reviews, and automation generation of legal documents.
AI utilizes big-data analytics which enables visualization of case data. It also allows for
creation of a map of the cases which were cited in previous cases and their resulting verdicts,
as per the website Towards Data Science. The probability of a positive outcome of a case can
be predicted by leveraging predictive analytics with machine learning. This is advantageous
to firms as they can determine the return on investment in litigation and whether an
agreement or arbitration should be considered.
(a) On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, make notes on it using headings
and subheadings. Use recognizable abbreviations (wherever necessary- minimum four) and a
format you consider suitable. Also supply an appropriate title to it.
(b) Write a summary of the passage in about 80 words.
Solution 1:
Artificial Intelligence: Not a threat
1. Not a threat

1.1 is of help
1.2 makes life easier
1.3 no profession defunct

2. AI.will help legal field

2.1 recog.human speech and object
2.2 making decisions based on data
2.3 translates langs.
2.4 do search and find tasks

3. AI. cannot perform high level tasks like

3.1 writing legal briefs
3.2 advising clients
3.3 apprng in courts
3.4 sharp decision making

4. Function of AI.
4.1 collates data
4.2 predicts probable outcomes
 4.3 tells return on invest.
4.4 considering agreement or arbitration

Key to Abbreviations
Abbreviations Words
AI Artificial Intelligence
recog. recognises
langs. languages
apprng. appearing
invt. investment

Summary
Artificial Intelligence: Not a threat
Artificial Intelligence is not a threat but makes life easier especially in the legal field. It
cannot perform certain high-level tasks like writing legal briefs, advising clients, making
sharp decisions and appearing in courts but it can collate data, aid research and decisions
based on data. It can recognize human speech and translate languages. It can also predict
probable outcomes, tell return on investment, consider agreement or arbitration and is thus
advantageous to legal firms.
Example 2: Read the passage and answer the questions given below:
1. There is a clear dichotomy between Jayashankar Prasad’s daily life and the one that found
expression in his literature. In his literary formulations, Prasad advocated an escape- from
personality ideals and categorically stated: “An artist‟s art, and not his person, is the
touchstone to assess his work . . . it is only after losing his personality that he emerges in his
art as an artist”.

2. In Prasad‟s works – his poems, short stories, novels, dramas etc. – what emerges is life as
shaped in the writer’s inner self by his emotions, fancies, dreams, reveries . . . His writings
are a record not of outer reality, but of the artist’s inner world. As such, of a proper
appreciation and understanding of his works more emphasis needs to be placed on the
working of his mind, than the events of his dayto-day life.

3. Prasad was born in a renowned family of Varanasi. His grand-father Shiv RatanSahu, a
dealer in high quality perfumed tobacco (snuff). Besides being an astute businessman, he was
endowed with a marked cultural taste. His home was the meeting place of the local poets,
singers, artists, scholars and men of religion. Prasad‟s father Devi Prasad Sahu carried
forward this high tradition of family. Prasad, therefore, had a chance to study the various
phases of human nature in the light of the business traditions, artistic taste and religious
background of his family.

4. When the business had somewhat recovered, Prasad planned the publication of a literary
journal. Prasad started the “Indu”. The inaugural number appeared in July 1909. By this time
Prasad’s notions of literature had crystallized into a credo. In the first issue of Indu, he
proclaimed, “Literature has no fixed aim; it is not a slave to rules; it is a free and all-
embracing genius, gives birth to genuine literature which is subservient to none. Whatever in
the world is true and beautiful is its subject matter. By dealing with the True and Beautiful it
establishes the one and affects the full flowering of the others. Its force can be measured by
the degree of pleasure it gives to the reader‟s mind as also by the criticism which is free of all
prejudice”. The words sound like the manifesto of romanticism in literature.

5. Even while recognizing the social relevance of literature, Prasad insisted, “The poet is a
creator . . . he is not conditioned by his milieu; rather it is he who moulds it and gives it a new
shape; he conjures up a new world of beauty where the reader for the time being, becomes
oblivious of the outer world and passes his time in an eternal spring garden where golden
lotuses blossom and the air is thick and pollen”. Thus, the chief aim of literature according to
Prasad is to give joy to
the reader and to create a state of bliss in him. Later under the impact of Shiv Advaitism, this
faith of Prasad got further strengthened.
(Extract from ‘Jayashankar Prasad- His mind and Art’ by Dr. Nagendra)

(a) On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, make notes on it using headings
and subheadings. Use recognizable abbreviations (wherever necessary-minimum four) and a
format you consider suitable. Also supply an appropriate title to it. (5)
(b) Write a summary of the passage in about 80 words. (3)

Solution
Jayashankar Prasad- His life
1. His exprsn. in lit.
1.1 an escape
1.2 lose your personality
1.3 record of writer’s inner world
1.4 more emphsz. on mind than body
2. Personal life
2.1 renowned fam. of Varanasi
2.2 home- meeting place of the local poets, singers
2.3 grand-father- an astute businessman
2.4 had a chance to study phases of human nature
3. Started the “Indu”
3.1 in July 1909
3.2 proclaimed
a) lit. has no fixed aim
b) is free and all-embracing genius
c) gives birth to genuine lit.
4. Social relevance of lit.
4.1 poet is a creator
4.2 moulds it
4.3 conjures up a new world of beauty
4.4 becomes oblivious of the outer world
5. Chief aim of lit.
5.1 give joy to the reader
5.2 create a state of bliss
Key to Abbreviations
Abbreviations Words
lit. literature
emphsz. emphasize
exprsn. expression
fam. family
Summary
Jayashankar Prasad- His life
Jayshankar Prasad found expression in literature and created an escape only after losing his
personality. His writings are a record of the writer's inner world with more emphasis on mind
than body. He was from a renowned family of Varanasi where home-meetings of poets and
singers would take place. His grandfather was an astute businessman and therefore Prasad
had a chance to study phases of human nature. In July 1909, he started ‘Indu’, in which he
proclaimed that literature has no fixed aim, is free and all embracing genius and gives birth to
genuine literature. He recognised the social relevance of literature as the poet is the creator
who mould it, conjures up a new world and becomes oblivious to the outer world. The chief
aim of literature is to give joy to the reader and create a state of bliss.

Example 3. Read the passage given below. Make notes and write a summary. Supply a
suitable title for the summary.

1. Colour Therapy is a complementary therapy for which there is evidence dating back
thousands of years to the ancient cultures of Egypt, China and India. If we define it in simple
terms, Colour is a light of varying wavelengths, thus each colour has its own particular
wavelength and energy.

2. Colours contribute to energy. This energy may be motivational and encouraging. Each of
the seven colours of the spectrum are associated with energy. The energy relating to each of
the seven spectrum colours of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet, resonates
with the energy of each of the seven main chakras/energy centres of the body. Colour therapy
can help to re-balance and/or stimulate these energies by applying the appropriate colour to
the body.

3. Red relates to the base chakra, orange the sacral chakra, yellow the solar plexus chakra,
green the heart chakra, blue the throat chakra, indigo the brow chakra (sometimes referred to
as the third eye) and violet relates to the crown chakra.

4. Colour is absorbed by the eyes, skin, skull, our ‘magnetic energy field’ or aura and the
energy of colour affects us on all levels, that is to say, physical, spiritual and emotional.
Every cell in the body needs light energy - thus colour energy has widespread effects on the
whole body. There are many different ways of giving colour, including; Solarised Water,
Light boxes/lamps with colour filters, colour silks and hands on healing using colour.

5. Colour therapy can be shown to help on a physical level, which is perhaps easier to
quantify, however there are deeper issues around the colours on the psychological and
spiritual levels. Our wellbeing is not, of course, purely a physical issue. Fortunately, many
more practitioners, both orthodox and complementary, are now treating patients in a holistic
manner.
6. Colour Therapy is a totally holistic and non-invasive therapy and, really, colour should be
a part of our everyday life, not just something we experience for an hour or two with a
therapist. Colour is all around us everywhere. This wonderful planet does not contain all the
beautiful colours of the rainbow for no reason. Nothing on this earth is here just by chance;
everything in nature is here for a purpose. Colour is no exception. All we need to do is to
heighten our awareness of the energy of colour, absorb it and see how it can transform our
lives.
Example 4: Read the following passage:
1. How does television affect our lives? It can be very helpful to people who carefully choose
the shows that they watch. Television can increase our knowledge of the outside world; there
are high quality programmes that help us understand many fields of study, science, medicine,
the different arts and so on. Moreover, television benefits very old people, who can’t leave
the house, as well as patients in hospitals. It also offers non-native speakers the advantage of
daily informal language practice. They can increase their vocabulary and practise listening.

2. On the other hand, there are several serious disadvantages of television. Of course, it
provides us with a pleasant way to relax and spend our free time, but in some countries
people watch television for an average of six hours or more a day. Many children stare at the
TV screen for more hours a day than they spend on anything else, including studying and
sleeping. It’s clear that TV has a powerful influence on their lives and that its influence is
often negative.

3. Recent studies show that after only thirty seconds of television viewing, a person’s brain
‘relaxes’ the same way that it does just before the person falls asleep. Another effect of
television on the human brain is that it seems to cause poor concentration. Children who view
a lot of television can often concentrate on a subject for only fifteen to twenty minutes. They
can pay attention only for the amount of time between commercials.

4. Another disadvantage is that television often causes people to become dissatisfied with
their own lives. Real life does not seem so exciting to these people. To many people,
television becomes more real than reality and their own lives seem boring. Also many people
get upset or depressed when they can’t solve problems in real life as quickly as television
actors seem to.

5. Before a child is fourteen years old, he or she views eleven thousand murders on the TV.
He or she begins to believe that there is nothing strange about fights, killings and other kinds
of violence. Many studies show that people become more violent after viewing certain
programmes. They may even do the things that they see in a violent show.
(a) One the basis of your reading of the above passage, make notes on it using headings and
subheadings. Use recognizable abbreviations (minimum four) and a format you consider
suitable. Supply a suitable title to it.
(b) Make a summary of the above passage in about 80 words.
Example 5: Read the passage given below:

1. Well-being is not just the absence of disease or illness. It is a complex combination of a

person’s physical, mental, emotional and social health factors. Well-being is strongly linked
to happiness and life satisfaction. In short, it could be described as how one feels about
oneself and one’s life. Every aspect of one’s life influences the state of one’s well-being.
Researchers investigating happiness have found the following factors which enhance a
person’s well-being : network of close friends, enjoyable and fulfilling career, enough
money, regular exercise, nutritious diet, sufficient sleep, fun hobbies and leisure pursuits,
healthy self-esteem, optimistic outlook and so on.

2. The factors that influence one’s well-being are interrelated. For example, a job provides
not just money but purpose, goals, friendships and a sense of belonging. Some factors also
make up for the lack of others; for example, a good marriage can compensate for a lack of
friendship, while religious beliefs may help a person to accept physical illness. Money is
linked to well-being, because having enough money improves living conditions and increases
social status. But various international studies have shown that it is the quality of our personal
relationships, not the size of our bank balance, which has the greatest effect on our state of
well-being. Believing that money is the key to happiness can also harm a person’s well-being.

3. Understanding the well-being of the population is very important. Measuring well-being,

however, in a population is difficult because the interpretation of well-being is so subjective
— how one feels about peoples’ lives largely depends on the way one sees it. Like the saying
goes: ‘one person’s problem is another person’s challenge.’

4. Keeping track of a population’s well-being helps governments to decide on particular

policies. It also acts as an indicator for various population trends. For example, knowing the
average weekly income of a population helps to set the ‘poverty line’, which may then
influence decisions on social welfare reforms. Well-being can be achieved through a variety
of means. Some are as follows : developing and maintaining strong relationships with family
and friends, making regular time available for social contact, trying to find work that is
enjoyable and rewarding, rather than just working for the best pay, eating healthy, nutritious
foods, doing regular physical activity, involving oneself in activities that interest the people,
joining in local organisations or clubs that appeal, setting achievable goals and working
towards them and trying to be optimistic and enjoying each day.
(a) On the basis of your reading of the above passage, make notes on it using recognizable
abbreviations (minimum four), wherever necessary. Use a format you consider suitable. Give
it a suitable title also.
(b) Write a summary of the above passage in about 80 words.

Example 6: Read the passage given below:

Keeping cities clean is essential for keeping their residents healthy. Our health depends not
just on personal hygiene and nutrition, but critically also on how clean we keep our cities and
their surroundings. The spread of dengue and chikungunya are intimately linked to the
deteriorating state of public health conditions in our cities.

The good news is that waste management to keep cities clean is now getting attention through
the Swachh Bharat Mission. However, much of the attention begins and stops with the
brooms and the dustbins, extending at most to the collection and transportation of the mixed
waste to some distant or not so distant place, preferably out of sight.

The challenge of processing and treating the different streams of solid waste, and safe
disposal of the residuals in scientific landfills, has received much less attention in municipal
solid waste management than is expected from a health point of view.

One of the problems is that instead of focusing on waste management for health, we have got
sidetracked into ‘‘waste for energy’’. If only we were to begin by not mixing the
biodegradable component of solid waste (close to 60 percent of the total) in our cities with
the dry waste, and instead use this stream of waste for composting and producing a gas called
methane.

City compost from biodegradable waste provides an alternative to farmyard manure (like
cow-dung). It provides an opportunity to simultaneously clean up our cities and help improve
agricultural productivity and quality of the soil. Organic manure or compost plays a very
important role as a supplement to chemical fertilisers in enriching the nutrient-deficient soils.
City compost can be the new player in the field.

Benefits of compost on the farm are well-known. The water holding capacity of the soil
which uses compost helps with drought-proofing, and the requirement of less water per crop
is a welcome feature for a water-stressed future. By making the soil porous, use of compost
also makes roots stronger and resistant to pests and decay. Farmers using compost, therefore,
need less quantity of pesticides. There is also evidence to suggest that horticulture crops
grown with compost have better flavour, size, colour and shelf-life.

City compost has the additional advantage of being weed-free unlike farmyard manure which
brings with it the seeds of undigested grasses and requires a substantial additional labour cost
for weeding as the crops grow. City compost is also rich in organic carbon, and our soils are
short in this.

Farmers clearly recognize the value of city compost. If city waste was composted before
making it available to the farmers for applying to the soil, cities would be cleaned up and the
fields around them would be much more productive.

Quite apart from cleaning up the cities of biodegradable waste, this would be a major and
sustainable contribution to improving the health of our soil without further damage by
excessive chemical inputs. What a marvellous change from waste to health!

The good news is that some states are regularly laying plastic roads. Plastic roads will not
only withstand future monsoon damage but will also solve a city’s problem of disposing of
non-recyclable plastic. It is clear that if the mountains of waste from our cities were to be
recycled into road construction material, it would tackle the problem of managing waste
while freeing up scarce land.

(a) On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, make notes on it using headings
and sub- headings. Use recognisable abbreviations wherever necessary (minimum four) and a
format you consider suitable. Also supply an appropriate title to it.
(b) Write a summary of the passage in about 80 words.