LOYOLA COLLEGE (AUTONOMOUS), CHENNAI 600 034
B.A. / B.Sc. / B.Com. SUPPLEMENTARY EXAMINATION
EL 2056 – ENGLISH FOR SELF-ENHANCEMENT
Date: 27-06-2006 Max Marks: 100
Time: 1.00 – 4.00 p.m. Duration: 3 hrs
I The ten words underlined in the passage are grammatically incorrect. Substitute with the correct alternatives. (Note: Write the number and the correct word only. Do not rewrite the passage.)
[10 x 1 = 10 marks]
Give More Than You Get
It (1) was easy to succeed today. We have no competition. If you want to (2) got ahead in life, go the extra mile. There is no competition on the extra mile. Are you (3) will to do a little more than you get paid for? How many people you know (4) is willing to do a little bit more than what they get paid for? Hardly any. Most people don’t (5) wanted to do what they get paid for and there is a second category of people who only (6) wants to do what they can get by with. They fulfill (7) his quota just to (8) kept their jobs. There is a small fraction who are willing to do a little bit more than what they get paid for. Why do (9) he do more? If you fall into the last category, then (10) why is your competition?
II Read the following passage and answer the questions given below:
[3 x 2 = 6 marks]
Horror gripped the heart of the World War I soldier as he saw his lifelong friend fall in battle. Caught in a trench with continuous gunfire whizzing over his head, the soldier asked his lieutenant if he might go out to bring his fallen comrade back. “You can go,” said the Lieutenant, “but I don’t think it will be worth it. Your friend is probably dead and you may throw your own life away.” The Lieutenant’s words didn’t matter, and the soldier went anyway. Miraculously he managed to reach his friend, hoist him onto his shoulder, and bring him back to their company’s trench. As the two of them tumbled together to the bottom of the trench, the officer checked the wounded soldier, then looked kindly at his friend. I told you it wouldn’t be worth it,” he said. “Your friend is dead, and you are mortally wounded.” “It was worth it, though, sir,” the soldier said. “How do you mean, `worth it?’ ” responded the Lieutenant. “Your friend is dead!” “Yes sir,” the soldier answered. “But it was worth it because when I got to him, he was still alive, and I had the satisfaction of hearing him say, `Jim, I knew you’d come.’ ”
- What is the meaning of the expression ‘You may throw your own life away’?
- What does the phrase ‘mortally wounded’ mean?
- Why did the lieutenant warn the soldier not to go out to help his friend?
III Read the story and state whether the statements given below are true or false. (Note: Write the letter and state ‘true’ or ‘false’. Do not write the statement)
[10 x 1 = 10 marks]
I have a friend named Ravi who owns a college. He has let me use his college to conduct a programme in order to raise money for visually challenged students. He is so helpful to students because he feels that this is the time student’s dream and work towards their future. By saying so he started narrating an incident from Ravi’s life.
It all goes back to Ravi’s college days. He was the son a watchman in a reputed college. Since he went to see his father quite often in the college, so he was much attached to the college. By sheer hard work, he entered high school. When he was in the final year, he was asked to write an assignment about what he wanted to be and do when he grew up. “That night he wrote a seven-page assignment describing his goal of owning a college. He wrote about his dream in great detail and handed over to the teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. On the front was a large red F, which meant ‘fail’, with a note that read, “See me after class.” Ravi with his dream went to see the teacher and asked, “Why did I fail?” The teacher said, “This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you. You have no money. You come from a poor family. You have no resources. Owning a college requires a lot of money. You have to buy the land, erect giant buildings and above all, you have to pay a huge amount for the teachers every month. There is no way you could ever do it.” Then the teacher added, “If you would rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade.”
The boy went home and thought about it long and hard. He asked his father what he should do. His father said, “Look, son, you have to make up your own mind on this. However, I think it is a very important decision for you.” “Finally, after sitting with it for a week, the boy turned in the same paper, making no changes at all. He stated, “You can keep the ‘F’ and I will keep my dream.” He still has the school paper framed safe on the wall and the mind.
- Ravi was selfish
- The Assignment changed his life
- Ravi belonged to a rich family
- Teacher discouraged Ravi
- Ravi loved his father
- Ravi rewrote the assignment
- Teacher scolded Ravi
- Ravi forgot the past
- Grade mattered much to Ravi
- The assignment is still with Ravi
IV Five stories are given. Neither title nor space is given for each story. Read them carefully and write appropriate titles for the five stories. In addition, read the following questions and write the answers.
[Title: 5 x 1 = 5 marks]
The five anecdotes
George Washington shocked his general one morning by merely being a gentleman. It seems Washington and his general were talking together when a slave passed. “The coloured man paused, tipped his hat and said, “Good morning, your majesty”. Immediately Washington removed his hat, bowed and answered, “Good morning to you and I hope you have a pleasant day.” After a moment of shocked silence, the general asked, “Why did you bow to a slave?” Washington smiled and replied, “I would not allow him to be a better gentleman than I.” Oscar Wilde once passed by a flower shop. He asked the flower girl to pack all the flowers for him. She thought that he was a rich costumer on his way to some grand wedding! As he paid the bill the overjoyed flower seller asked him where she should deliver the basket. “Throw them away. Their faded look bleeds my sensitive heart.” So saying he went on his way. A disciple said to Mohammed, “Master, my six brothers are all asleep, and I alone have remained awake to worship Allah.” Mohammed replied, “And you too had better been asleep, if your worship of Allah consists of accusation against your brethren.” A boy was flying a kite with his father and asked him what kept the kite up. Dad replied, “The string.” The boy said, “Dad, it is the string that is holding the kite down.” The father asked his son to watch as he broke the string. Guess what happened to the kite? It came down. A boy was drowning in a river and he shouted for help. A man passing by jumped in the river and saved the boy’s life. As the man was leaving the boy said, Thank-you.” The man asked, “For what?” The boy replied, “For saving my life.” The man looked into the boy’s eyes and said, “Make sure when you grow up that your life was worth saving.”
[Questions: 5 x 3 = 15 marks]
- Why was the general shocked?
- What comparison was made between kite and discipline?
- Was Mohammed happy to listen to a disciple’s complaint? Give reason/s.
- Comment on the nature of the man who saved the boy’s life.
- Why did the flower girl think that Oscar Wilde was a rich man?
V Hidden is a story titled ‘Selective Listening’. Read the story and rewrite it by splitting the cluster into meaningful sentences which would become a story. [1 x 14 = 14 marks]
Crab mentality
whatiscrabmentalitydoyouknowhowtheycatchcrabstheyplaceaboxwithonesideopenforthecrabstowalkinithasabasebutnolidwhentheboxisfulltheyclosethefourthsidethecrabscouldeasilycrawloutoftheboxandgofreebutthisdoesnthappenbecausethecrabmentalitydoesntletithappenthemomentonecrabstartscrawlinguptheotherspullitdownandnonegetsoutguesswheretheyallenduptheyallgetcooked
VI Rewrite the story in your own words. (1) Avoid the words/phrases underlined, (2) Avoid direct speech, and (3) Give another suitable title to the story.
[1 x 10 = 10 marks]
Genius
In 1914, Thomas Edison, at age 67, lost his factory. His factory was burnt to ashes. It had very little insurance. No longer a young man, Edison watched his lifetime effort go up in smoke. Even after this tragedy, he said, “There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burnt up. Thank God we can start anew.” In spite of the disaster, three weeks later, he invented the phonograph.
VII Write essays on the following in about 150 words each.
[2 x 15 = 30 marks]
- Write your opinion on the reservation policy in education.
- Write your impression on ‘Soccer Fever”
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