Note Making :

Since it is very difficult to remember large passages on some topic. So we divide such large chunks of information in points to memorise it well. It is a skill to present large chunks of information in short, brief points in organized and crystal clear manner. It helps us in remembering the facts and prepare for examinations as well. Some important features of Notes making are as under :

1. Notes are always made in point to point manner.
2. Only relevant information / facts are included in notes.
3. Irrelevant points, details, lengthy explanations are always avoided and not at all mentioned in notes.
4. There should be logical sequence in presentation of facts.
5. Whole sentences should not be copied only WORDS / PHRASES should be used to make notes.
6. Punctuations like comma (,) Semicolon (;) Colon (:) Hyphen (-) are to be used to join the facts
7. Lengthy phrases / words are to avoided or shortened into abbreviations (e.g. CBSE, UNO, PM, GK) . Commonly used symbols like +, -, %, @, etc, i.e., may also be used.
8. Notes are divided into main points, sub points & sub-sub points. It is very important to take care of the indentation between these main points / sub points / sub-sub points.

At Class XI - XII level we have Note Making for 4 marks as per the latest curriculum. Class XI Text book "Hornbill" is a great reference in this respect. Here a special section is given about "Note Making". I am taking here the main points from this book for your convenience :

NOTE-MAKING is an important study skill. It also helps us at work. We need to draw the main points of the material we read as it is difficult to remember large chunks of information. Let us begin with an example.

Step - 1 Underline the important facts and information.

Step - 2 Read the passage again and ask the questions :

What is the passage about? — Pheasants (Title)
Where found? — Asia; particularly India (1/3 of total population)
Origin? — Himalayas
Time? — Long before Indo-Gangetic plain settlements.
Which group of birds? — Order: Galliformes (game birds); Family — Phasinidae
How many species? — 51
What is the source of information? — ESI chart
What is the purpose of the ESI chart? — Create awareness among school eco-clubs under NGC
Which is the best known member? — Peacock, India’s national bird

STEP 3

With the help of the answers note down the main points. Write the points without full forms of the verbs.

Pheasants — shy birds with bright plumage found largely in Asia, especially India
Origin in the Himalayas and spread in China, Myanmar, South and SE Asia.
Order: Galliformes — game birds; Family: Phasinidae
No. of species: 51 (ESI chart)
Purpose of ESI chart — Creating awareness among school eco-clubs under NGC.
Peacock — India’s national bird, member of this family, represented in Indian art, culture and folklore.

Notice

Two or three related ideas can be combined into one point.
Use of colons
Use of the long dash

STEP 4 Now go over the facts and number them.

STEP 5 Finally we go over the facts and number them again.

Some important features of Note Making :

1. (i) Notes should be short. They should identify the main point.

(ii) They list information in what is called ‘note form’.
(iii) They are written only in phrases; not sentences.

2. (i) Information is logically divided and subdivided by the use of figures/letters.

(ii) The divisions are made like this:

Main sections : 1, 2, 3, etc.
Sub-sections : (i), (ii), (iii), etc.
Sub-sub-sections : (a), (b), (c), etc.

3. Another common method is the ‘decimal’ system.

Main sections : 1, 2, 3, etc.
Sub-sections : 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, etc.
Sub-sub-sections : 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, 1.2.1, 1.2.2, etc.

4. Abbreviations and symbols are freely used. Articles, prepositions and conjunctions are omitted. (01 Mark for any FOUR)

i) Symbols :

a) Universal Symbols :

% - Percent e.g. - for example i.e. - that is

& - and 100 - hundred 1000 - thousand

b) Mathematical Symbols :

< - less than > - greater than / - or

= - equal to @ - at the rate of

ii) Abbreviations :

a) Acronyms : (formed by initial capital letters of a phrase)

e.g. CBSE - Central Board of Secondary Education

NCERT - National Council of Educational Research and Training

PMO - Prime Minister Office

USA - United States of America

PM - Prime Minister

WHO - World Health Organization

UK - United Kingdom

b) Contractions : (formed by taking first few letters of a long word)

e.g. Lib. - Library

Lab. - Laboratory

Univ. - University

Ltd. - Limited

Sig. - Signature

Sc. - Science

Jan. - January

c) Shorten forms of words : (formed by taking only first and last or some other letters of the word.)

e.g. Dr - Doctor Info. - Information

Mr - Mister Co. - Company

Ms - Miss Col. - Colonel

Govt - Government

Yr - Year

Dept - Department

Rtd - Retired

5. Notes must make sense when they are read again otherwise they will be of no use.

Points Suggested in the CBSE Answer Key :

Note

If a student has attempted only summary or only notes, due credit should be given.
1 mark allotted for the title be given, even if a student has written the title either in Q3(a) or Q3(b)
Content must be divided into headings and sub-headings

The notes provided below are only guidelines. Any other title, main points and sub-points may be accepted if they are indicative of the candidate‟s understanding of the given passage, and the notes include the main points, with suitable and recognizable abbreviations. Complete sentences are not to be accepted as notes. Numbering of points may be indicated in different ways, as long as a consistent pattern is followed.

Sample ans :