LOYOLA COLLEGE (AUTONOMOUS), CHENNAI – 600 034

B.A. DEGREE EXAMINATION – ENGLISH LITERATURE

SIXTH SEMESTER – APRIL 2011

EL 6604 – ENGLISH FOR CAREER EXAMS

 

 

 

Date : 09-04-2011              Dept. No.                                        Max. : 100 Marks

Time : 9:00 – 12:00

 

EL 6604                     English for Career Examinations

 

I  Choose the word which is nearest in meaning to the key word:           (10×1=10)

 

A                     B                     C                     D

1. Meticulous reserved           very careful     indifferent       haughty
2. Industrious successful        punctual          sensible            diligent
3. Aboriginal unoriginal        irrational          primitive          ancient
4. Immaculate spotless            colored                        gorgeous          simple
5. Judicious legal                 indiscriminate  generous          sensible
6. Redundant repetitive         unwilling         wrong              retarded
7. Unearth suppress           discover           disclose           decade
8. Graphic vague               vivid                drawing           picture
9. Erudite scholarly          inspiring          effective          perfect
10. Resilience diversity strength           elasticity          adjustment

 

II Pick out the word opposite in meaning to the key word:                      (10×1=10)

 

A                     B                     C                     D

11. Cordial indifferent distrustful        cold                 official
12. Voluntary valuable violent             deliberate        compulsory
13. Uniform equal opposite           varied              different
14. Fictitious foreign imaginative      fancy               real
15. Timid tender tall                   brave               big
16. Heterogeneous strange complex           vast                  homogeneous
17. Radiant rare bright               dull                  delicate
18. Humility grandeur arrogance         friendliness      decency
19. Resist repel welcome          fight                accept
20. Adversity prosperity curiosity          animosity         sincerity

 

 

 

 

III Out of the given alternatives, choose the one which can be substituted  for the given phrase or sentence:                                                                            (10×1=10)

 

A                     B                     C                     D

21. Incapable of making mistakes

Wholesome     scholarly          perfectible       infallible

22. Speaking or writing several languages

Vivid               lexicon             polyglot           scholar

23. Words inscribed on a tombstone

Elegy               epitaph                        mourning         condolence

24. A selfless lover of others

Altruist            atheist              philanthropist  optimist

25. A place where money is made

Mint                stable               hive                 arsenal

26. One who is present everywhere

Omnipotent     omniscient       omnipresent     autocrat

27. That cannot be erased

Infallible          indelible          incorrigible      illegible

28. Government by the nobles

Plutocracy       bureaucracy     aristocracy       democracy

29. The last work of a writer

Utopia             souvenir           panacea           swan song

30. The belief that God pervades nature

Pantheism        plagiarism        atheism            hedonism

 

IV Choose the exact meaning of the idioms/phrases:                                                                  (10×1=10)

 

A                   B                     C                     D

31. high and dry isolated rejected           wounded         depressed
32. in doldrums dull bright               uncertain         secure
33. on the wane increasing declining         spreading         spiraling
34. a cut above inferior worthy             superior           worthless
35. on the cards due evident                        certain             probable
36. a hair-breadth narrow lucky               easy                 quick
37. in a soup involved ruined              stranded          in trouble
38. carried the day lose loose                win                  decide
39. hard of hearing inaudible deaf                 disinterested    insensitive
40. got the sack resigned tired                 demoted          dismissed

 

V  Fill in the blanks with the appropriate word or phrase:          (10x 1=10)

Most people, when they are asked who Frankenstein was, will reply, “A monster.” This is not really (1)__________. The monster, both in Mary Shelley’s book and in the (2)__________, has no name! It is (3)__________  known as “the monster” or “the Frankenstein monster”. Frankenstein was the (4)__________  of the doctor who created it. In the (5)__________ book, the monster was kind and quite gentle when he was first created. He wanted friends and (6)__________. Soon, however, people began to persecute him because his (7)__________ was so frightening. The monster then changed into the (8)__________  creature that we know from the movies.  Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein in 1818, at the age of twenty-one. She wrote the novel to teach two lessons that people shouldn’t (9)__________ other people badly because they are different, and that sometimes we may create something that can (10)__________ us.

A                       B                    C                     D

1. Correct true                 real                 actual
2. Movie picture             photos             scenes
3. Simple only                also                 simply
4. Picture name              call                   recall
5. Original first                 early                 former
6. Like favorite         priority                         love
7. Face looking           appearance       vision
8. Terrible bad                 devil                 practical
9. Treat     behave            deal                  handle
10. Damage destroy           spoil                 worsen

VI    In this section each sentence has three parts, indicated by A.B and C. Read each sentence to find out whether there is an error in any of the parts. No sentence has more than one error. If a sentence has no error, mark your answer as D. Write only the alphabet of the correct answer in the answer paper.                                                                                                                    (20 x 1 =20)

 

 

1. That was me / whom you saw / on the train. / No Error.

                   A                          B                     C                 D     

2. Some children were bathing in the sea, / others were looking for shells and / a few

A                                                         B                    

played in the sand. / No error.

                  C                D

3. He as well as his friends / are entering a competition / for the 400 metres race. /

A                                             B                                             C

       No error.

              D

4. The one thing artists can’t tolerate is / being disturbed / while at work. / No error.

A                                             B                       C                   D

5. A few seconds had passed / and then, appeared / a small black and white cat. /

A                                 B                                 C

      No error.

                D

 

6. They were off to a / flying start but cannot / keep up their pace. / No error.

A                                 B                                C                        D

7. We currently / hung out at / the Taj Hotel in Bombay. / No error.

A                     B                                 C                     D

8. We have chosen / to completely ignored / that response. / No error.

A                                 B                        C                  D

9. Nothing has / or could be more unfortunate / in the whole affair. / No error.

A                                 B                                 C                         D

10. He was let with a fine / instead of / being sent to prison. / No error.

A                                 B                     C                       D

 

11. In no case / we can measure the learner’s achievement by a single test / however

        A                                                 B                                                        

skillfully designed. / No error.

                  C                 D

12. His radical proposals for reform faced a lot of opposition and / his high handed

A

dealings produced so much hostility / that the whole project was killed in the bud.

                                    B                                                                     C        

/  No error.

 

        D

 

13. No sooner did the thief see the policemen / that he jumped over the wall, / and ran

A                                                    B

away as fast as his legs could carry him. / No error.

                                                C                         D

 

14. His circumstance / did not allow him to continue his studies / when he was

A                                             B                                             C

       young./ No error.

                        D

15. The minister was / pleased being invited to inaugurate / the world conference of

A                                          B                                                            C

religious leaders. / No error.

                                    D

16. The teacher asked him to write the answer ten times, / as he has again committed

A                                                                                 B

mistakes in answering it, / in spite of repeated corrections. / No error.

     

                                                                  C                           D

17. It never occurred to me / that I should have sent my application /through the

  A                                                  B

proper channel. / No error.

               C                                D

18. I am one of those / that cannot describe / what I have not seen. / No error.

A                                 B                                 C                     D

19. Before men came, there were only animals; /and before the animals, there was a

A                                                                     B

time when / no kind of life existed on the earth. / No error.

                                                            C                                 D

20. The students who were involved in communal disturbances / were asked to leave

A                                                                     B

the hostel / with bag and baggage. / No error.

                                          C                   D

 

VII      Read the following passage and answer the questions given below:        (10 x 1 = 10)

 

 

Several suggestions have been advanced to remove obstacles in the way of fast agricultural growth. One such suggested policy measure is to accord industry status to agriculture on the premise that it would lead to eradication of rural poverty through the fuller utilization of the vast potential of agriculture to generate additional production, jobs and income. To what extent would such a step serve the desired aim and what would be its implications?

 

Agriculture and industry differ significantly in some very important aspects. These references are with regard to processes and techniques of production and nature, marketing pattern and pricing of products. All farm products are good media for4 bacteria and are, therefore, perishable. The life of industrial products, on the other hand, is relatively much longer as they are less perishable.

 

            Most farm crops come to maturity during a relatively short and specific period and are consumed throughout the year. Industrial production, on the contrary, takes place throughout the year and is hence less seasonal. This and other special features of agriculture subject it to the problems of storage and transportation.

 

In agriculture, supply of commodities is less controllable than in the industrial sector. Industry attempts to gauge demand continuously and match the supply accordingly. In agriculture, the position is just the reverse.

 

The relationship between rice and output is strikingly different in the two sectors. Industrial output is directly related to price. In agriculture, the price is inversely related to production. Also, industrial prices are generally more stable than agricultural prices.

 

Some apprehensions have also been expressed that agriculture has not been treated at par with industry in terms of prices. The main objective of the agriculture price policy in India is to provide an inducement to the producer for adopting improved technology and for maximum production and income. The minimum support/procurement prices for major agricultural commodities numbering about 20 are fixed each year on the basis of recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural costs and Prices (CACP). They are meant to enable the farmer to pursue his activities with the assurance that the price of his produce would not be allowed to fall below the minimum.

 

The aim of the price policy in the industrial sector is not to support but to control prices. The industrial prices of certain selected products, particularly basic consumer goods and important industrial and agricultural inputs, are controlled and regulated on the recommendations of an expert body like the Bureau of Industrial Costs and prices (BICP) or interministerial committees or groups in the case of certain public enterprises. The factors taken into account in recommending the prices include the cost of more efficient firms accounting for a high percentage of total output, the optimum norms of consumption of raw materials and energy as well as capacity utilization and a fair rate of return on net worth generally ranging between 10 to 14% depending on risks, priorities, growth prospects, etc.

 

 

1. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
2. The agricultural sector involves more non-skilled workers
3. Agriculture is a priority sector.
4. There is no definite market policy adopted by agricultural sector.
5. The industrial sector is more organized than the agricultural sector.
6. Industrial products are linked to the demand position.

 

 

2. According to the passage, which of the following is the main purpose to give an industry status to agriculture?
3. a) to improve conditions of rural poor.
4. To produce more food.
5. To create more jobs for the rural population.
6. To make the rural population economically sound.
7. All of these.

 

3. According to the passage, which of the following is the most important hurdle in giving an industry status to agriculture?
4. Less durability of agricultural products.
5. Difficult mode of transportation.
6. High production costs.
7. Involvement of comparatively large number of laborers.
8. None of these.

 

4. Which of the following, according to the passage, was the main factor of industrial price policy set up by the Government?

• Supporting the industry to attain an optimum price for its products.

1. Consumption of more raw material and higher return.

• Controlling of new industrial units.

1. Providing a favoured status to industry.

• Higher output-input ratio.

 

5. Which of the following words has the same meaning as the word ‘gauge’ as used in the passage?
6. a) obtain       b) quality    c) assess         d) match         e) support

 

6. What step, according to the passage, is taken up by the Government to improve the situation of the agriculture sector?
7. providing better facilities to farmers.
8. Providing electricity at a lower rate to the farmers.
9. By giving an industry status to agriculture.
10. Increasing eh number of government controlled procurement centres.
11. Providing minimum support to a large number of agriculture products.

 

7. The author’s writing style is
8. a) argumentative b) constructive      c) analytic     d) narrative.    e) verbose.

 

8. Which of the following has the same meaning as the word ‘fair’ as used in the passage?
9. a) bright b) equal    c) considerable      d) just     e) extraordinary.

 

9. Which of the following has the same meaning as the word ‘premise’ as used in the passage?
10. a) basis b) assumption     c) argument       d) position      e) condition.

 

10. What, according to the passage, is the main reason for the absence of a fixed pricing policy of agricultural products?
11. Non-availability of structured marketing policy.
12. Lack of competition among producers.
13. Agricultural output is not related to demand
14. Industrial output is directly related to rice.
15. None of these.

 

 

 

 

VIII  Write a précis of the following passage.                                                                          (10 marks)

 

The persistence of the values of religious pluralism in India can be observed at many levels. First, in the fact that most religions share in common a set of values which can be characterized as universal. Tolerance of all faiths, love for fellow beings, non-violence and righteous conduct are common to all faiths. Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Christianity and Sikhism share the values of non-violence and humanism in common. Islam places great emphasis on just and human values. Religions, therefore, share certain universal values in common irrespective of their internal differences. This enriches pluralism.

 

Secondly, due to historical reasons most religions in India which have expanded through conversion of the local population such as Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, etc. retain in their values and beliefs many elements which come from their past and thus belong to other religions. There are many tribal religions and ritual practices which persist in Hinduism. It is believed that some of its deities, such as Siva, Hanuman and Krishna are incorporation into Hinduism of deities of tribal origin.

 

IX        Write an essay on any ONE of the following in about 250 words each.   (10 marks)

1. The threat of nuclear weapons maintains world peace. Nuclear power provides cheap and clean energy. The benefits of nuclear technology far overweigh the disadvantages. Do you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer.

News editors decide what to broadcast on TV and what to print in newspapers. What factors do you think influence their decisions?

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LOYOLA COLLEGE (AUTONOMOUS), CHENNAI – 600 034

B.A. DEGREE EXAMINATION – ENGLISH LITERATURE

SIXTH SEMESTER – APRIL 2012

EL 6604 – ENGLISH FOR CAREER EXAMS

 

 

 

Date : 20-04-2012              Dept. No.                                        Max. : 100 Marks

Time : 1:00 – 4:00

 

 

I  Choose the word which is nearest in meaning to the key word:                                   (10×1=10)

 

A                     B                     C                     D

1. Penchant disability         like                  eagerness         dislike
2. Incensed incited             affected           encouraged      inspired
3. Fiasco strength           success                        failure              hope
4. Myriad bright               imaginary        great number   variety
5. Helm edge                head                handle             corner
6. Nascent initial               unpleasant       latest                crude
7. Attrition attraction         suffering          decline             friction
8. Incessant irritated           overflowing     extreme           co-operative
9. Prowess understanding keenness          eagerness         bravery
10. Expertise experience       skill                  smartness         art of expressing

 

II Pick out the word opposite in meaning to the key word:                                              (10×1=10)

 

A                     B                     C                     D

11. Genuine rotten bogus               unsound          impure
12. Dull pale wise                 shining             colorful
13. Unruly curious obedient          intelligent        indifferent
14. Outwit laugh victory             defeat              win
15. Transparent translucent vague               blind                opaque
16. Urban rustic rural                 civil                 domestic
17. Wealthy wicked famous                        ill                     poor
18. Mundane excellent superior           heavenly          extraordinary
19. Copious plentiful little                 different          abundant
20. Prim formal prior                 informal           private

 

III Out of the given alternatives, choose the one which can be substituted  for the given phrase or sentence:                                                                                                 (10×1=10)

 

A                     B                     C                     D

21. A thing kept

  in memory of

  a person               memento         epitaph                        elegy                gift

22. Physical features

      of an area             geography       sociology         contour            topography

23. A plant or animal

      living on another parasite            hydra               creeper             bush

24. A place for

      keeping bees         aviary              apiary              cage                 nest

25. One who lives

      among strangers recluse             alien                 stoic                 rustic

26. A person who

      opposes another   soldier             fighter             antagonist        prophet

27. A job without

      salary                    free service      honorary          voluntary         amateur

28. The story of

      a man written

      by himself             biography        autobiography life history       history

 

29. A book written

      by hand                handwritten     manuscript       edition             draft

30. That which

      cannot be heard   inaudible         audible                        unheard           ineffaceable

 

IV Choose the exact meaning of the idioms/phrases:                                                         (10×1=10)

 

A                     B                     C                     D

31. All at Sea out of reach     very happy      puzzled            drowning
32. Above board simple decent             open                friendly
33. Leaps and boundsirregularly gradually rapidly             systematically
34. 34. Let on reveal               quarrel             give                 fight
35. In a jiffy suddenly outstanding     in a fix             appropriate
36. Make up get about         leave                reveal               reconcile
37. Stem from ruin originate          induce                         kill
38. Of his own accordforcibly helplessly half-heartedly  willingly
39. In a jam bad in trouble         hindrance        eatable
40. To get at to reach           to advance       to proceed       to escape

 

V  Fill in the blanks with the appropriate word or phrase:                                              (10x 1=10)

In all compositions..1.. is the most..2.. virtue. You should write in a simple and..3.. manner. The words chosen should be..4.. in meaning. Try not to use..5..words merely because they are..6..Do not allow poetic images or..7..to spoil the grace of good style.It is no longer..8..to stuff your composition with too many ..9..or proverbs especially if their relevance is..10..

 

                        A                     B                     C                     D

1. complexity flourish            simplicity         reserve
2. hidden described         depicted          admired
3. straightforward showy              ornate              decorative
4. haphazard quick               discriminating clear
5. difficult short                appropriate      small
6. familiar literary             distant             admired
7. pictures stories              similes             examples
8. disliked uncommon      difficult           fashionable
9. philosophies writers             quotations       systems
10. good observed          clear                 doubtful

 

 

VI        SPOTTING ERROR                                                                                               (10×1=10)

In this question, a number of sentences are given. The sentences are in three separate parts and each one is called (A), (B) and (C). Read each sentence to find out whether there is an error in any part. No sentence has more than one error. When you find an error in any one of the parts (A), (B) or (C), indicate your response. If you feel there is no error in a sentence then write (D) to signify ‘No error’.

1. In no case (A) we can measure the learner’s achievement by a single test (B) / however skillfully designed. (C) / No error. (D)
2. His radical proposals for reform faced a lot of opposition and (A) / high handed dealings produced so much hostility (B) / that the whole project was killed in the bud. (C) / No error. (D)
3. No sooner did the thief see the policemen (A) / that he jumped over the wall, (B) / and ran away as fast as his legs could carry him. (C) / No error. (D)
4. His circumstance (A) / did not allow him to continue his studies (B) / when he was young. (C) / No error. (D)
5. The minister was (A) / pleased being invited to inaugurate (B) / the world conference of religious leaders. (C) / No error. (D)
6. The teacher asked him to write the answer ten times, (A) / as he has again committed mistakes in answering it, (B) / in spite of repeated corrections. (C) / No error. (D)
7. It never occurred to me (A) / that I should have sent my application (B) / through the proper channel. (C) / No error. (D)
8. I am one of those (A) / that cannot describe (B) / what I have not seen. (C) / No error.  (D)
9. Before men came, there were only animals; (A) / and before the animals, there was a time when (B) / no kind of life existed on the earth. (C) / No error. (D)
10. The students who were involved in communal disturbances (A) / were asked to leave the hostel (B) / with bag and baggage. (C) / No error. (D)

VII      Read the passages carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives.                                                                                                                                  (10×1=10)

Passage – I

One of the most mysterious, best preserved, least known and most remarkable archaeological spectacles in the world is the immense complex of geometrical symbols, giant ground-drawings of birds and animals, and hundreds of long, ruler-straight lines, some right across mountains, which stretch over 1200 square miles of the tablelands at Nazca. It was first revealed to modern eyes in 1926 when three explorers looked down on the desert from a hillside at dusk and briefly saw a Nazca line highlighted by the low slanting rays of the sun. But it was not until the Peruvian Air force took aerial photographs in the 1940s that the full magnificence of the panorama was apparent. It was as if a dozen deserted airports were spread out across the plains. Hundreds of what looked like ‘landing strips’ for aircraft were revealed. Among the many abstract patterns were a giant spider, a monkey, a shark, reptiles and flowers, all drawn on the ground on a huge scale.

1. The ‘remarkable archaeological spectacles’ described in the passage are
2. a) geometrical symbols b) huge ground drawings
3. c) Nazca tablelands d) deserted airports.
4. The initial view of the spectacle was not clear because
5. a) it was seen from a hill side b) it was seen from aircrafts
6. c) it was seen in the evening d) it was offset by rays of the sun
7. The aerial photographs
8. a) failed to reveal anything significant about the spectacle
9. b) revealed a distorted view of the spectacle
10. c) revealed as much as was already known about the spectacle
11. d) revealed the full magnificence of the spectacle
12. In the passage, the spectacle has been compared with
13. a) out of use airports b) animals and flowers
14. c) table lands d) hills and mountains
15. The spectacle presented abstract images of
16. a) human beings b) hills and mountains
17. c) landing strips d) birds, animals and flowers

Passage – II

At a time when we are enjoying longer, more healthful lives, ominous headlines announce: ‘Researchers Tie Aluminium to Alzheimer’s Disease’ and ‘Coffee Linked to Cholestrol Rise’. As a result of alarming and sometimes ambiguous bulletins, minor health worries often become manor threats, and speculations about disease prevention become ‘proven’ cures. Part of the problem is that the media often trumpet questionable research findings as major medical breakthroughs. In 1985, three French scientists told reporters at a press conference that the drug Cyclosporine appeared to halt the growth of the AIDS virus. They based the announcement on their observation of two AIDS patients treated for eight days. Never mind that no actual study had been done; for the media, the announcement was enough, and the story became front-page news around the world. Unfortunately, one of the patients died within days, Cyclosporine was no miracle cure.

6. According to the writer, a lot of present day medical research is
7. a) sound and dependable b) utterly unconvincing
8. c) of questionable merit d) of no value at all
9. The undue publicity given to such research
10. a) has no impact on people’s lives in general
11. b) adds to people’s worries and gives them false hopes
12. c) fills people’s lives with death and destruction
13. d) makes people aware of the diseases
14. The role of the media has been
15. a) to make people aware of possible health hazards
16. b) to give publicity to questionable research findings
17. c) to dispel people’s fears about unknown diseases
18. d) to report major medical discoveries
19. According to some of the research findings, coffee is responsible for the rise in
20. a) Cyclosporine b) Alzheimer’s disease
21. c) AIDS d) Cholesterol level
22. The drug Cyclosporine was reported
23. a) as a treatment for AIDS
24. b) as having no effect on the treatment of AIDS
25. c) as accelerating the growth of AIDS
26. d) as being responsible for the death of two AIDS patients.

VIII Write a précis of the following passage.                                                                     (10 marks)

When you sit in our local cinema enjoying the film that is flashing on the screen in front of you, do you ever think of how films are made? Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people may have spent a year or even longer, working very hard to produce a film which lasts a mere hour or two. Film making is nowadays a very big and complicated industry, involving large sums of money and occupying many hundreds of skilled technicians as well as actors and actresses. What happens when a film company decides to shoot a film? There must, of course, be a story. This may be based on a novel or a play, or it may be specially written for the film. From the story, whatever it is, a shooting script has to be prepared, which shows all the scenes, the order in which they are to be photographed or shot, the way the actors are to speak and move, the position of the cameras for each scene, and so on. Then the producer and a director are appointed. The producer engages the actors and actresses, decides which scenes are to be taken in the studio and which outside or on ‘location’, and makes all the preliminary preparations. The director is the man who tells the actors what to do, and shows them how to act each scene. It is his job to interpret the script and translate the author’s words and instructions into a series of living scenes.

IX Write an essay in about 400 words.                                                                               (20 marks)

1. The threat of nuclear weapons maintains world peace. Nuclear power provides cheap and clean energy. The benefits of nuclear technology far overweigh the disadvantages. Do you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer.

(OR)

15. b) Education is recognized as vital to the future of any society in today’s world. Governments throughout the world should make education compulsory for all children between the ages of 5 and 15. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

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