🧾 Title: "Oracles and Prophetic Traditions in Ancient Greece" ________________________________________ ✅ Original Passage Word Count: 340 🎯 Target Précis Word Limit (⅓): approx. 113–115 words ✍️ Précis (Word Count: 114)
In ancient Greece, the fear of the unknown led humans to seek divine guidance through oracles. Soothsayers, believed to possess the ability to decode signs from gods, interpreted omens through natural phenomena, sacrificial rituals, dreams, and palmistry. Renowned figures like Tiresias and Cassandra were among the most trusted interpreters. In some instances, gods communicated directly through a prophet or prophetess in ecstatic states. Oracles functioned as organized institutions, each aligned with a specific deity. The oracle at Delphi, associated with Apollo, was the most prominent, while Dodona operated under Zeus’s influence. These practices formed the foundation of Greek divination, reflecting a profound belief in the divine regulation of fate and human destiny.
1. How does the author characterize the concept of civil society?
Answer:
The author describes civil society as all social spaces outside work and home where individuals engage in conversation, build relationships, and pursue shared interests. It includes informal gatherings, community associations, and social clubs, where people develop citizenship skills, social trust, and public responsibility.
2. Why does civil society strive towards better socialization driven by tolerance
Civil society encourages tolerance as individuals learn to interact despite differences in opinion. Through dialogue and shared interests, members develop strategies to resolve conflicts, which strengthens group cohesion and fosters mutual respect in a diverse society
3. What do you understand by the term ‘Social Capital’ used in this passage?
Social capital refers to the value derived from social networks, mutual trust, and cooperation within associations. It is the resource that allows societies to function effectively, enabling collaboration toward shared goals and ensuring the public interest is safeguarded.
4. Why does a civil society assume the role of a public stakeholder?
Answer:
Civil society acts as a public stakeholder by monitoring and influencing public policy. For instance, a group using a local park may raise concerns or advocate for better maintenance, thereby participating in the democratic process and safeguarding community interests.
5. What impact is feared by the weakening state of civil society?
Answer:
The weakening of civil society leads to reduced trust, social isolation, and less community engagement. Political institutions may function less efficiently, and citizens become passive, disengaged, or reliant on virtual interactions, further undermining solidarity and public accountability.
✅ Q.4: Correct only FIVE of the following
- I must walk two miles to school every morning when I was a child.
✅ I had to walk two miles to school every morning when I was a child. - After the storm, we had got to pick up some fallen branches..
✅ After the storm, we had to pick up some fallen branches. - Guitar is most popular instrument among teen age boys, but not girls.
✅ The guitar is the most popular instrument among teenage boys, but not girls. - You are not well and I wish you feel better soon.
✅ You are not well, and I wish you would feel better soon. - The grass not looking green now because it is not raining since last month.
✅ The grass is not looking green now because it has not rained since last month.
✅ Q.5 (a): Punctuate the passage
Corrected Passage:
Unfortunately, we often miss a basic school lesson: every big task consists of several small ones. Done precisely and perfectly, as a nation we acutely need to learn the art of breaking down our moonlit goals into small, accomplishable tasks. It will reduce frustration, anxiety, depression in society, and embarrassment for the government machinery too, as they don’t have to defend their unkept promises.
✅ Q.5 (b): Prepositions – Fill in the blanks (any five)
- Despite regular practice, he never seems to win at tennis.
- With luck, we should be in Islamabad by 5 p.m.
- He went of his own accord: nobody forced him to go.
- My husband brought me some flowers today. He must be up to something!
- My younger son tripped over the cat and fell downstairs.
✅ Q.6: Use only FIVE pairs of words in sentences
) Antic / Analyst
- The clown’s antics made everyone laugh.
- The analyst presented a detailed report on the economy.
(ii) Gest / Jest
- His gest of bravery was recorded in folklore.
- She made the comment in jest, not seriously.
(iv) Shoot / Chute
- He took a perfect shot to shoot the target.
- The laundry slid down the chute into the basket.
(vi) Key / Quay
- Please hand me the key to open the lock.
- The ship docked at the quay for unloading.
(viii) Leek / Leak
- She added leek to the soup for flavor.
- There was a gas leak in the kitchen.
Q 7
Every era brings with it circumstances that some people find difficult to accept or cope with. Only those with exceptional strength and resilience can withstand such testing times. Some people do not even possess the emotional or spiritual capacity to face harsh realities. The demands of life grow heavier, and one must walk this path courageously. Today’s man walks with a heavy heart, burdened by his circumstances, just as people in the past carried the weight of their own era.- However, unlike the past, today’s human being faces challenges that are rapidly changing and deeply complex. Looking at the evolution of mankind from a scientific and intellectual standpoint, it is evident that humans have indeed made remarkable progress. But this very development has also created social dilemmas and emotional fatigue. Nature may be advancing, but man is being left behind, spiritually and mentally. The explosion of comforts has also brought a storm of restlessness. If man fails to balance these forces, then destruction seems inevitable.