ENGLISH PROFICIENCY ASSESSMENT TEST NOV/DEC 2016

READING SKILLS PRACTICE MATERIALS

Question Paper - 12
Q.I. Read the following passage and answer the questions given below:
Many great inventions are initially greeted with ridicule and disbelief. The invention of the
airplane was no exception. Although many people who heard about the first powered flight on
December 17, 1903 were excited and impressed, others reacted with peals of laughter. The idea of
flying an aircraft was repulsive to some people. Such people called Wilbur and Orville Wright, the
inventors of the first flying machine, impulsive fools. Negative reactions, however, did not stop the
Wrights. Impelled by their desire to succeed, they continued their experiments in aviation.
Orville and Wilbur Wright had always had a compelling interest in aeronautics and mechanics. As
young boys they earned money by making and selling kites and mechanical toys. Later, they
designed a newspaper-folding machine, built a printing press, and operated a bicycle-repair shop.
In 1896, when they read about the death of Otto Lilienthal, the brothers' interest in flight grew into
a compulsion.
Lilienthal, a pioneer in hang-gliding, had controlled his gliders by shifting his body in the desired
direction. This idea was repellent to the Wright brothers, however, and they searched for more
efficient methods to control the balance of airborne vehicles. In 1900 and 1901, the Wrights tested
numerous gliders and developed control techniques. The brothers' inability to obtain enough lift
power for the gliders almost led them to abandon their efforts.
After further study, the Wright brothers concluded that the published tables of air pressure on
curved surfaces must be wrong. They set up a wind tunnel and began a series of experiments with
model wings. Because of their efforts, the old tables were repealed in time and replaced by the first
reliable figures for air pressure on curved surfaces. This work, in turn, made it possible for the
brothers to design a machine that would fly. In 1903 the Wrights built their first airplane, which
cost less than $1,000. They even designed and built their own source of propulsion-a lightweight
gasoline engine. When they started the engine on December 17, the airplane pulsated wildly before
taking off. The plane managed to stay aloft for 12 seconds, however, and it flew 120 feet.
By 1905, the Wrights had perfected the first airplane that could turn, circle, and remain airborne
for half an hour at a time. Others had flown in balloons and hang gliders, but the Wright brothers
were the first to build a full-size machine that could fly under its own power. As the contributors of

one of the most outstanding engineering achievements in history, the Wright brothers are
accurately called the fathers of aviation.

Questions:
1. What is the expression of people when they heard the first flight?
2. Who is Otto Lilienthal?
3. Who replaced the old tables?
4. How Wright brothers are different from others?
5. Who are called as fathers of aviation?

Q.II. Fill in the blanks with appropriate words:

( knocking, closed, where, pressed, explain, despite, showed, feeling, kind, time, period, what,
shut, forward, after)

John Amos is a salesman. He goes from door to door selling vacuum cleaners. On his first day of
work, he decided to sell his goods by ____(1)____ on the doors of a private housing area.
"My first customer," he thought as he ____(2)____ the doorbell of the first house. A middle aged
woman with curlers in her hair opened the door.
John began to ____(3)____ who he was and the product he was selling. The next minute, the door
was slammed ____(4)____.
"Not interested !" John heard her shout behind the closed door. She refused to open the door
____(5)____ John's persistent knocking.
John was given a similar ____(6)____ of treatment from the next few houses. ____(7)____ rather
discouraged, he knocked at the door of the ninth household. This time, the occupants of the house
let him in. They also ____(8)____ interest in his product. Encouraged by this, John began to
explain the merits of his vacuum cleaner. When the family asked him for a demonstration, he
vacuumed the place for them. ____(9)____ the demonstration, the family, however, did not buy
his product. Instead, they politely but firmly told him that they would give him a call if they want
to buy a vacuum cleaner later.

The family never called him up, John suspected that they had not been really interested in his
product. ____(10)____ they had wanted was the 'free service' given by John, who had vacuumed
their entire living room.
Q. III. Read the given passage and match the words given in column A with those in column
B
A stock exchange or bourse is an exchange where stock brokers and traders can buy and/or sell
stocks (also called shares), bonds, and other securities. Stock exchanges may also provide
facilities for issue and redemption of securities and other financial instruments, and capital events
including the payment of income and dividends. Securities traded on a stock exchange include
stock issued by listed companies, unit trusts, derivatives, pooled investment products and bonds.
Stock exchanges often function as "continuous auction" markets, with buyers and sellers
consummating transactions at a central location, such as the floor of the exchange.
To be able to trade a security on a certain stock exchange, it must be listed there. Usually, there is a
central location at least for record keeping, but trade is increasingly less linked to such a physical
place, as modern markets use electronic networks, which gives them advantages of increased speed
and reduced cost of transactions. Trade on an exchange is restricted to brokers who are members
of the exchange. In recent years, various other trading venues, such as electronic communication
networks, alternative trading systems and "dark pools" have taken much of the trading activity
away from traditional stock exchanges.
The initial public offering of stocks and bonds to investors is by definition done in the primary
market and subsequent trading is done in the secondary market. A stock exchange is often the
most important component of a stock market. Supply and demand in stock markets are driven by
various factors that, as in all free markets, affect the price of stocks.
There is usually no obligation for stock to be issued via the stock exchange itself, nor must stock
be subsequently traded on the exchange. Such trading may be off exchange or over-the-counter.
This is the usual way that derivatives and bonds are traded. Increasingly, stock exchanges are part
of a global securities market.
A

Securities

stockholders share of profit

redemption

free flow

dividends

concluding business deal

derivatives

limited

consummating

demanding

transactions

following

restricted

tradable documents

public offering

opening a business deal

subsequent

compulsion

obligation

openly purchasable shares

adding of financial obligations
dealings
tradable financial products
investments
removal of financial obligation

Q. IV. Read the following passage and match Column A with Column B.

1. There are many thoughtful ways to express your love for another person without spending
money: you could write a song or cook a meal, but perhaps the best way to express yourself is to
create a card. Creating a card is easy if you have the proper materials. Get yourself some nice,
thick resume paper or cardstock and fold it in half. Draw some imagery of love on the front of the
card; if you're not good at drawing, you can clip out pictures. If you decide to use markers, be
careful not to let them bleed through the paper and ruin the other side. Lastly, write a poem or
heartfelt statement on the inside to your beloved and you're done. Now isn't that a much better
way to express your love than a rose from the gas station?
2. Some people think that some holidays celebrating love are nothing but clever ploys by
marketers to get consumers to buy candy, flowers, and stuffed animals, but who cares? In
America, we celebrate two love themed holidays: Valentine's Day and Sweetest Day. Valentine's
Day is celebrated in the winter, while Sweetest Day is celebrated in the fall. Valentine's Day is
more focused on bringing lovers together, while Sweetest Day is for all of the friends, relatives,
and associates whose kindness we've enjoyed. Both occasions, however, are great times to
remember what's most important: the people about whom we care.
3. Money moves most things in our world. For example the National Confectioners Association, a
collection of over seventy major candy manufacturers, wanted to sell more candy. Apparently,
when people buy candy, they make money. Anyway, they wanted to make more money; so in
1921 they created a "holiday" called Sweetest Day. They've since spent millions of dollars trying
to convince consumers that this holiday exists and that consumers should celebrate this very real

and meaningful occasion by purchasing candy. Card dealer Hallmark has also heavily promoted
this specter of commercial interest, prompting the notion that Sweetest Day is a "Hallmark
Holiday." That reminds me: have you ever heard of Give Me a Dollar Day?
4. Every Valentine's Day millions of school children slip each other cards: some sloppily
assembled for classmates and friends, others more heartfelt and carefully composed, but most
students have no idea how far back this practice dates. The earliest Valentine's Day card dates
back to the 1400s. When postage rates dropped in the early 1800s, mailing them grew in
popularity. Then, in the 1840s, the first Valentine's cards were mass produced. Today, the
Valentine's Day card continues to evolve. In 2010, an estimated 15 million e-valentines were sent.
But some things never change.

Paragraph 1

comparing and contrasting of the days

Paragraph 2

cause for the creation

Paragraph 3

describing a process

Paragraph 4

How to make a card

problem and solution

the evolution of the card

the events occur in chronological order

the practical difficulties

Q. V. Rearrange sentences ABCD in the logical order and pick the right answer from the
given options, sentences S1 and S6 are in the correct position.

S1:

A gentleman who lived alone always had two plates placed on the table at dinner
time.

A:

One day just as he sat down to dine, the cat rushed in to the room.

B:

One plate was for himself and other was for his cat.

C:

she drooped a mouse into her own plate and another into her master plate.

D:

He used to give the cat a piece of meat from his own plate.

S6:

In this way the cat showed her gratitude to her master.

1. DCBA

2.CDBA

3. BACD

4.BDAC