WORKSHEET No.

1
ACADEMIC YEAR: 2024-2025

Student’s Name: _____________________________________ Grade: XI Section:______

Subject: English Date: / / 2024
Topic: Note-making and Summarization

Note making and summarizing is a crucial skill that helps us in academics. Note making is an art of writing
vast varieties of information in a shorter and sequential way for a quick reference. The function of notes is
to filter the important information and help us retain it. It also makes it easier for us to refer to the important
points in future.
The Note-making and Summarizing Question consists of two parts. In the first part of the question
students are asked to prepare notes from the given passage, in the second part they are required to convert
those notes into a summary.
Format: Taking notes is a method of organizing and summarizing data from multiple sources. The
following components make up the standard note-taking format:
• TITLE: Give a suitable title. The title of your notes should reflect the main theme of the passage.
It should be short and precise.
• HEADING & SUB HEADINGS: Write minimum 3 main headings and 3 sub headings to structure
your notes and facilitate later research (do not write too many subheadings)

• BULLETS: Use bullet points to highlight key points and specifics in a list. Use simple, direct
language, and zero in on the most important ideas rather than trying to include everything.
• ABBREVIATIONS: When taking notes, abbreviations can help you save time and space. Minimum
4 abbreviations should be used in note making and make a key to the abbreviations after writing the
notes. Examples of abbreviations: Edu. – Education (use 1st few letters), Achvmnt-achievement (omit
vowels), b’ful– beautiful, (write first few and last few letters), BBC –British broadcasting Corporation
(acronyms), @, &, = (conventional symbols), Govt. Ans.Ltd (standard abbreviations).
• SUMMARY: Write a brief paragraph or two summarizing the main idea and information from the
notes. It should not exceed the given word limit.
Points to remember:
1. Select only the relevant data and include only the essential phrases from the page.
2. Try to use a minimum number of words. Complete sentences are not accepted as notes. Hence, the usage
of full sentences must be avoided.
3. Only really important examples need to be included.
4. Eliminate the use of auxiliary verbs, prepositions, articles, pronouns, determiners etc.
5. It is necessary to give a suitable title to notes and maintain proper indentation.
6. Write at least four headings and subheadings.
7. Include at least four abbreviations in your notes. Add a full stop after each abbreviation to make it clear
for the reader. They should be common and easily identifiable. For example- “carbs.” for carbohydrates.
8. It is necessary to prepare a key to abbreviations (minimum four) and enclose it within a box.
9. Do not forget to give a suitable title to your content.

Summary:
1. Summary is made out of notes not the passage.
2. It must possess unity and sequence. Gist of the passage must be revealed in a logical order.
3. Do not divide the summary in to different paragraphs. It should be attempted just after the note making.
4. Do not start like this: ‘The passage talks about’.
5. Do not use any abbreviations in summary. Write complete, grammatically correct sentences. Try to
follow the order of the notes as far as possible.
6. Stick to the word limit given in the question.

Practice question 1:
Q. Read the passage given below and make the notes.
Leadership does not exist without followership. A leader has to be accepted by the group which the former
is supposed to lead. To gain acceptability the leader should cause an emotive impact on the group members.
The strength of character exhibited by leaders makes them dear to their followers. A leader is one who
effectively inspires followers to achieve worthwhile things. What character of the leader motivates the
followers? It is not pomp and show nor flattery nor sanctioning more incentives. Pomp and show creates a
sense of awe and the leader is defied rather than emulated. Flattery is unrealistic, and cannot serve as a long
term motivational tool. A leader’s style should be one that can be emulated by all irrespective of cadre, class
and calibre. Simplicity in one’s day-to-day conduct is the only thing that can be adopted by all. When the
leader is simple, he is counted as one belonging to the group of which he is the leader. That’s enough to
motivate the people. Motivation is the innate quality that enables an individual or group, to contribute
unlimitedly with limited means. It is the proud prerogative of enlightened human beings.
A leader needs to assume the role of a guide; quintessential of fulfilling the role is knowledgeability.
Technical and administrative knowledge of the guide in balanced quantity and of right kind are essential.
The technical knowledge is too vast to acquire by a leader. At beat he is either ‘Jack of all’ or ‘Master of
few’. But he has to master the human relations aspect of administration in all detail. And when the leader is
good at this his guidance is sought and accepted, then he fulfils the role of a guide. The leader is a negotiator
within and outside the organisation.
The leader shapes people and moulds character. To achieve this, the leader should maintain equanimity.
Equanimity is keeping oneself poised and balanced at all times. A leader is simply great, if he can mould
his followers with this frame of mind. He does this by his own example.

(а) Read the above passage and make notes in points only using abbreviations wherever necessary.
Also suggest a suitable title.

(b) Write a summary of the above passage in 100 words.

Practice question 2:
Q. Read the passage given below and make the notes.

There is nothing more frustrating than when you sit down at your table to study with the sincerest of
intentions and instead of being able to finish the task at hand, you find your thoughts wandering. However,
there are certain techniques that you can use to enhance your concentration. “Your concentration level
depends on a number of factors,” says Samuel Ghosh, a social counsellor. “In order to develop your
concentration span, it is necessary to examine various facets of your physical and internal environment,”
she adds.
To begin with one should attempt to create the physical environment that is conducive to focused thought.
Whether it is the radio, TV or your noisy neighbors, identify the factors that make it difficult for you to
focus. For instance, if you live in a very noisy neighborhood, you could try to plan your study hours in a
nearby library.
She disagrees with the notion that people can concentrate or study in an environment with distractions like
a loud television, blaring music etc. “If you are distracted when you are attempting to focus, your attention
and retention powers do not work at optimum levels,” cautions Ghosh. “Not more than two of your senses
should be activated at the same time,” she adds. What that means is that music that sets your feet tapping is
not the ideal accompaniment to your books.
Also do not place your study table or desk in front of a window. “While there is no cure for a mind that
wants to wander, one should try and provide as little stimulus as possible. Looking out of a window when
you are trying to concentrate will invariably send your mind on a tangent,” says Ghosh.
The second important thing, she says, is to establish goals for oneself instead of setting a general target and
then trying to accomplish what you can in a haphazard fashion. It is very important to decide what you have
to finish in a given span of time. The human mind recognizes fixed goals and targets and appreciates
schedules more than random thoughts. Once your thoughts and goals are in line, a focussed system will
follow automatically.
She recommends that you divide your schedule into study and recreation hours. When you study, choose a
mix of subjects that you enjoy and dislike and save the former for the last so that you have something to
look forward to. For instance, if you enjoy verbal skill tests more than mathematical problems, then finish
Math first. Not only will you find yourself working harder, you will have a sense of achievement when you
wind up.

Try not to sit for more than 40 minutes at a stretch. Take a very short break to make a cup of tea or listen to
a song and sit down again. Under no circumstances, should one sit for more than one and a half hours. Short
breaks build your concentration and refresh your mind. However, be careful not to overdo the relaxation. It
may have undesired effects.
More than anything else, do not get disheartened. Concentration is merely a matter of disciplining the mind.
It comes with practice and patience and does not take very long to become a habit for life.

(а) On the basis of your reading of the above passage make notes on it in points only, using
abbreviations wherever necessary. Supply a suitable title.

(b) Write a summary of the above in 80 words.