Language Papers: Hindi and English Précis, Grammar and Translation
The Hindi and English papers test whether a judicial officer can read a statute, compress a judgment and write correct prose. The Hindi paper usually carries comprehension (अपठित गद्यांश), precis (संक्षेपण), grammar (संधि, समास, मुहावरे, वाक्य-शुद्धि), legal terminology and translation; the English paper carries comprehension, précis, grammar and usage, and translation of a legal passage.
Rules that decide marks
- Précis/संक्षेपण: reduce to about one-third of the original, keep the order of ideas, use your own words in the third person, keep tense consistent, and supply a short title. Never add opinion or illustration.
- Hindi grammar: identify संधि by the joining sounds and समास by the relationship between the members, rather than by memorised lists.
- English grammar: subject–verb agreement, articles, prepositions and tense sequence dominate the error-spotting items.
- Legal translation: keep statutory terms stable - decree is डिक्री/आदेश, not "decision"; plaintiff is वादी; evidence is साक्ष्य.
Worked example
A 240-word passage on judicial delay is set for précis, so the answer must be about 80 words. Read twice, mark the topic sentence of each paragraph, list four or five key ideas, then write them as one paragraph without looking back at the original wording. A précis that copies whole sentences, exceeds one-third of the length, or ends with a personal comment loses marks even if the language is flawless.
Traps
Confusing a summary with a précis, which is proportion-bound; writing a letter where a paragraph is asked for; translating a mandatory "shall" as होगा in a provision that creates an obligation; and omitting the title, which is separately marked.