V.
Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow
The stress-relieving power of humour is well established. Laughter
relieves tension, breaks negative ‘holding patterns’, and helps see our
problems in perspective. Humour is listed as a major stress-coping
mechanism among healthy men. It has been credited with reducing
the coronary risk of a high-stress lifestyle. Not only does it help
diffuse anxiety and anger, as a heart attack victim points out, it acts
as a blocking agent against the ravages of panic. The panic produced
by a heart attack can be just as dangerous as the heart attack. It
constricts blood vessels and destabilizes the heart. But through
humour, reassurance and positive thinking, you can control the panic
and thereby enhance your prospects for recovery. Laughter creates
an environment for healing. And that goes for all illnesses not only
coronary artery disease. Negative emotions, such as depression,
weaken the immune system, making us more susceptible to a host of
illnesses ranging from cold to cancer. It stands to reason that
positive emotions such as humour and laughter may have the
opposite effect, keeping our immune system strong and defending us
against sickness. Sick people, especially those who are depressed,
take themselves much too seriously. Even though controlled
scientific studies for measuring the chemistry of laughter are rare, yet
what is there does support the theory that good humour breeds good
health.
1. What is a high-stress lifestyle?
2. What are the benefits of laughter?
3. How does humour help fight heart attacks
4. How can panic be controlled?
5. What do negative emotions do?
6. What is the problem with people who are depressed?
MODULE –III
VI. Read the following passage and make notes using a tree diagram
The nations of the developed world should stop investing money in
space exploration. There are many urgent problems which could
benefit from the huge amounts of money currently devoted to the
space program. One problem is finding a way to feed the world’s
billions who cannot feed themselves. Another is education. There
are millions of people in our world who still cannot go to school for
one reason or another. There are also major environmental problems
that would benefit from further research funding.
6 [Nov-15]
[EHS-101]
B.Tech. Degree Examination
BT,Civil, CSE, ECE, EEE, EIE, IT, ME, IE & AE
I SEMESTER
COMMUNICATIVE ENGLISH-I
(Effective from the admitted batch 2015–16)
Time: 3 Hours Max.Marks: 60
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Instructions: Each Module carries 12 marks.
All questions are compulsory
Answer all questions in the same order as given in the question paper
Figures in the right hand margin indicate marks allotted.
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MODULE-I
I. Each sentence given below contains an error. Find the error,
write the incorrect part of the sentence against the corresponding
question number and write the corrected sentence. (Each sentence
-½ mark for error spotting and ½ mark for error correction).
Choose any six (6) sentences (½12=6)
1. Each boy and each girl have got an admission in the college
2. It is time they start
3. Knowledge and wisdom make men great
4. My friends will come if you will invite them
5. She answered all questions, isn’t she?
6. It is no use to cry over spilt milk
7. The sceneries of Darjeeling is very fascinating
8. I have written a letter to him yesterday
II. Fill in the gaps in the following short text choosing the correct
word/phrase from the options given in the table. Use an option only
6
once. Do not rewrite the passage; write the correct word/phrase with
the corresponding number given in the blanks. (½12=6)
Image, metaphor and symbol shade into each other and (1)
sometimes difficult to distinguish. In general however, an image
means only what it (2); a Metaphor means something other than what
it is; and a symbol (3) what it is and something more too. If I say
that a shaggy brown dog (4) its back against a white picket fence, I
(5) about nothing but a dog (and a picket fence) and (6) therefore
presenting an image. If I (7), “some dirty dog stole my wallet at the
party”, I am not talking about a dog at all and am therefore using a
 metaphor. But if I say, “ you (8) an old dog with new tricks”, I am
talking not only about dogs but about living creatures of any species
and am therefore speaking symbolically. Image of course, (9) to be
images when they become incorporated in metaphors or symbols. If
we (10) the sensuous qualities of “The Road Not Taken”, we (11)
refer to the two leaf-strewn roads in the yellow word as an image; if
we are discussing the significance of the poem, we (12) about them
as symbols.
are discussing an was rubbing
am talking talk means
should is do not cease
are can’t teach say
MODULE-II
III. Read the following paragraphs and choose a suitable heading from
the given list; write the correct heading with the corresponding
paragraph numbers. (13=3)
1. Language has more than one purpose. Based on the purpose we
shall deal with three functions: the informative, the expressive
and the directive. To say that language has these three
functions is to say that there are three different reasons for
speaking. One reason or purpose is to communicate factual
information. This is the informative function. We speak in
order to express our feelings, as well as to stir the feelings and
attitudes of the person we are talking to. We shall call this the
expressive or “emotive” function. And, finally, we speak in
order to get people to act. This is the directive function.
2. Working part-time while in college has many advantages and
some disadvantages. On the one hand, part-time work can
offer you an interesting and useful work-experience that
contributes to your education. It improves your soft skills so
that your communicative skills will be effective. The
experience that you gain through part-time work may be of
great help to you in making a decision about your future
career. On the other hand, you may have some disadvantages
at the expense of values which are more important from a
long-range paint of view. For example, you may not get time
for sleep, rest, study and for other activities. As a result, you
find it difficult to adjust to academic activities as well as to
duties at the work-place. Work-experience is most desirable
but you have to balance between college and the job.
3. There are many points of comparison between plant and animal
organ systems. The plant’s roots absorb water and nutrients
just as the animal digestive system does. The roots also anchor
the plant to keep it from moving, but there is no comparable
internal animal system. Stems provide support for the plant as
the skeletal system does for animals. The stems also transport
water to the leaves and sugar to the roots; the circulatory
system performs a similar function for animals.
List of headings.
a) The process of communication
b) The functions of language
c) Advantages and disadvantages of working part-time
d) The importance of academic activities
e) Plant and animal organ systems
IV. Read the following text and decide if the following statements
reflect the claims of the writer (13=3)
True-if the statement reflects the claim of the writer
False-if the statement does not reflect the claim of the writer
Not given-if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
There was an Assembly where the business of the Government was
discussed, and any adult male could go to the Assembly, listen to the
debates and speak if he wished. Greece was the first democracy in the
world-the first government where anybody could speak, criticize and
give fresh ideas. There were also writers of plays, artists, musicians
and architects, and with all these interesting people in the city, Athens
was never a dull place. There were long and interesting conversation
going on all the time and Socrates spent his early days listening to
them.
1. The word ‘Democracy’ implies an institution where people have
freedom to speak and criticize. (True/False/Not given)
2. ‘Assembly’ is a place where everyone gets fresh ideas.
(True/False/Not given)
3. Athens was an interesting place because Socrates lived in Athens.
(True/False/Not given)
VII. Read the following sentences and sequence them in the correct
order. Do not rewrite the sentences/paragraph; indicate the correct
sequence using the corresponding letters. (16=6)
a) No wonder ordinary people hated hospitals and dreaded doctors
b) One was to knock him senseless
c) In the days before the discovery of anesthetics, various methods
were used to keep the patient quiet during an operation
d) The stump was then plunged into a bucket of hot liquid tar which
stuck to the wound and stopped the bleeding
e) During many operations, several strong assistants held the
patient down while the surgeon did his best or worst
f) On the battlefield, the surgeon might have to amputate a
soldier’s leg
MODULE –IV
VIII. Read the following passage and write a summary of its main ideas in
not more than 70-80 words
Workers who repeat the same operation day after day can take no
pleasure or pride in their work. Their chief pleasure in life is
outside the factory. Their work is dull, and they spend their time
with one eye on the clock. It is realized that modern work is often
dull, and in some factories, wireless set or a gramophone is turned
on to provide music for the workers. The title of a common
programme given by the British Broadcasting Corporation is
“Music while you work”. The provision of entertainment while the
factory wheels are turning does not cause the work-people to
neglect their duty; on the contrary, it increases output. Inspite of
various attempts to brighten the lives of workers, however, the
average man in a factory is rather to be pitied than envied. The
dullness of his life is one of the drawbacks of mass production.
IX. Using the relevant claims from the given list, write the introduction
and the body of the essay titled ‘Does advertising help us by bringing
new and useful products to our attention, or does it urge us to buy
more than we really need”?
 Some advertising is indeed worthwhile because it provides
valuable information
 Most advertising encourages us to spend money we may not have
on things we do not need. There are several examples
 First, makers of soft drinks spend huge sums on promotion
 Second, toy manufacturers urge parents to buy elaborate,
expensive toys for their children
 Fast food provides another case in point
MODULE –V
X. Read the given paragraph and infer the meanings of the underlined
words/phrases; choose the correct answer from the options given in
brackets. Do not rewrite the passage-write the correct options with
the numbers (16=6)
Literature is one of the most powerful
1. instruments (tools/machines), for forming character, for giving us
men and women armed with reason
2. braced (supported/prepared) by knowledge, clothed with
3. steadfastness (the strength to stay the same for a long time/be fast)
and courage, and inspired by the public spirit and public virtue, of
which it has been well said that they are the brightest
4. ornaments (decoration/beautiful objects) of the mind of man,
4 Bacon is right, when he bids us read not to contradict and
5. refute (oppose/discuss), nor to believe and take for granted, nor to
find talk and discourse, but
6. to weigh and to consider (to have a balanced view/to use measures
and weights)
XI. Read the following sentences and fill the gaps choosing the correct
words from the options given in brackets (16=6)
1. Manohar’s ______ (ostensible/ostentatious) job was to guard the
building at night
2. It appears to many that the US “War on terrorism” ____
(introduces/portends) trouble in the Gulf
3. The crowd became _____ (restive/distressed) when the Minister
failed to appear even by 10 p.m.
4. The evidence was constructed from very ____
(attruistic/parsimonious) scraps of information
5. A ________ (fallacious/specious) argument is not simply a false
one but one that has the ring of truth
6. Some words fall into _____ (disuse/prevalent) as technology
8 makes objects obsolete
[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10/I S/115]