How to write a précis? (Please help)?
I'm taking AP Language and Composition for 11th grade and the summer assignment is to read the book and then choose 3 chapters to write a precis for each one. But how long does a precis need to be? And what's the difference between a precis and a summary of the chapter?
Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
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The following information is from the webpage(below):
"Writing a précis requires you to actively analyze the target text, and a good précis will reflect this involvement by focusing effectively on what’s really important in the argument. Your précis should make the following clear:
• the nature of the evidence or reasoning that the author invokes
• the key steps in that reasoning
• how those steps move the author toward his or her conclusion
• A précis should be brief. In fact, one of the challenges of writing a précis is finding ways to write as concisely as possible without oversimplifying the argument you are summarizing.
The purpose of the précis itself is to develop a critical summary and not a critical review. In other words, you’re not giving your opinion of the argument. Sometimes, though, a précis will lead into some sort of further comment on the value and persuasiveness of the author’s argument. Depending on the specific assignment you are asked to fulfill, a précis can become the starting point for an evaluation of the original argument or even a counter-argument in response to it."