Assignment Code: BEGLA-138 / TMA/ 2022-23

Course Code: BEGLA-138

Assignment Name: Reading & Speaking Skills

Year: 2022 - 2023

Verification Status: Verified by Professor

Answer all questions.

Q 1. What do you understand by Comprehension? Explain Expository text and its types. (20)

Ans) In reading and academic discourse, comprehension is the most important academic activity. It is one of the most crucial abilities in language teaching. It refers to a reader's comprehension of a literary or linguistic passage in terms of both the lexical and syntactical structures, as well as the many layers of meaning embedded in the passage's content. It entails the correct association of meanings with word symbols, the selection of the appropriate meaning implied in the context, the logical arrangement of words to form contextual meanings, the ability to logically and rationally analyse smaller ideas and vocabulary segments, and the understanding of the larger meaning of the ideas contained in any literary work's content. Comprehension entails the application of two general mental abilities: the ability to remember word meanings and the ability to logically analyse and see the relationship between verbal concepts, i.e., words. Comprehension is a deep-thinking process that requires meticulous reading.

Expository Text

An expository text is one that is intended to teach or provide information to the reader. As a result, it is a non-fiction text. It is not a fabrication. Expository texts are commonly found in educational settings, but they can also be found in professional settings and in books intended to teach.

Types of Expository Texts

Writings in expository texts can be classified into six categories:

1. Cause and Effect

The creation of a thesis statement is required when writing a cause-and-effect essay. A thesis statement is the single most important central idea or opinion expressed in a clear and concise manner. Every essay or piece of writing contains a thesis statement, which is usually discernible from the title. A title is frequently missing in a comprehension passage. It is done so that the reader's comprehension skills can be tested without having to read the main title to figure out the essay's thesis statement.

2. Problem and Solution

The thesis statement in a problem-solution essay usually proposes a solution. Because readers must first comprehend the issue, the thesis statement is usually placed after a description of the issue. The thesis statement is not required to include information about the solution. Instead, it provides a summary of the solution. It should also flow naturally into the essay's body, preparing your reader for a discussion of how your solution would work. Essentially, as a reader, you must gain a thorough understanding of not only the problem but also the solutions provided.

3. Classification

It considers a broad subject that has been divided into various groups or categories. The writer is expected to explain the parts in detail and with examples after providing a brief overview of the subject. The thesis statement would appear in the first section of such a piece of writing, followed by descriptions of the groups formed in the body of the essay. The conclusions would provide a summary of the groups as well as a foundation for the formation of this group.

4. Comparison and Contrast

Two entities must be present for this to work. It emphasises the similarities and differences between any two ideas, objects, or situations. Each contrast or similarity is considered in relation to the other. You must understand the process of developing the thesis statement while always keeping a comparative entity in mind when referring to one. The conclusion explains and summarises the thesis statement further after all the points have been laid out in the body of the essay.

5. Definition

As the name implies, this type of essay focuses on the process of defining a specific term, concept, or thing. Writing this essay necessitates including a standard, clear, and precise definition of the concept being explained in the introductory passage.

6. Process

A Process Essay is structured around the goal of providing the reader with directions or guidance. Most of the time, students write process essays that discuss how to do something. Process essays are the recipes or technical brochures of essay writing.

Q 2. Define ‘communication’. Why are Communication Skills important? Discuss the 7 Cs of communication. (20)

Ans) Simply put, communication is the act of transferring information from one location, person, or group to another. Every communication has at least one sender, one message, and one recipient. This may appear straightforward, but communication is a very complex subject. According to Keith Davis communication is a “process of passing information and understanding from one person to another. It builds bridges of meaning between people, enabling them to safely cross the rivers of misunderstanding.”

A wide variety of factors can influence message transmission from sender to recipient. These include our emotions, the cultural situation, the communication medium used, and even our location. Because of the complexities involved, good communication skills are highly valued by employers all over the world: accurate, effective, and unambiguous communication is extremely difficult.

Importance of Communication Skills

Good communication skills are essential to allow others and yourself to understand information more accurately and quickly. In contrast, poor communication skills lead to frequent misunderstandings and frustration.

In our daily life, communication helps us build relationships by allowing us to share our experiences, and needs, and helps us connect to others. It's the essence of life, allowing us to express feelings, pass on information and share thoughts. We all need to communicate. The importance of communication is means of coordination, planning becomes easy, provides effective leadership, a base of action, aids in decision making, and boosts morale and motivation.

7 Cs of Communication

Communication is beset by several impediments. Simple cognizance of these hurdles is not enough, unless the participants stick to certain principles that make communication effective and fruitful. These are the 7 Cs of Communication, namely, Clarity, Correctness, Completeness, Concreteness, Conciseness, Consideration and Courteous.

1. Clarity: The message should be clear and easily understandable to the recipient. The purpose of the communication should be clear to sender then only the receiver will be sure about it. The message should emphasize on a single goal at a time and shall not cover several ideas in a single sentence.

2. Correctness: The message should be correct, i.e., a correct language should be used, and the sender must ensure that there are no grammatical and spelling mistakes. Also, the message should be exact and well-timed. The correct messages have a greater impact on the receiver and at the same time, the morale of the sender increases with the accurate message.

3. Completeness: The message should be complete, i.e., it must include all the relevant information as required by the intended audience. The complete information gives answers to all the questions of the receivers and helps in better decision-making by the recipient.

4. Concreteness: The communication should be concrete, which means the message should be clear and particularly such that no room for misinterpretation is left. All the facts and figures should be clearly mentioned in a message to substantiate to whatever the sender is saying.

5. Conciseness: The message should be precise and to the point. The sender should avoid the lengthy sentences and try to convey the subject matter in the least possible words. The short and brief message is more comprehensive and helps in retaining the receiver’s attention.

6. Consideration: The sender must take into consideration the receiver’s opinions, knowledge, mindset, background, etc. to have an effective communication. To communicate, the sender must relate to the target recipient and be involved.

7. Courteous: It implies that the sender must take into consideration both the feelings and viewpoints of the receiver such that the message is positive and focused on the audience. The message should not be biased and must include the terms that show respect for the recipient.

Q 3. Read the passage and answer the following questions: (10)

Mike and Morris lived in the same village. While Morris owned the largest jewellery shop in the village, Mike was a poor farmer. Both had large families with many sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren. One fine day, Mike, tired of not being able to feed his family, decided to leave the village and move to the city where he was certain to earn enough to feed everyone. Along with his family, he left the village for the city. At night, they stopped under a large tree. There was a stream running nearby where they could freshen up themselves. He told his sons to clear the area below the tree, he told his wife to fetch water and he instructed his daughters-in-law to make up the fire and started cutting wood from the tree himself. They didn’t know that in the branches of the tree, there was a thief hiding. He watched as Mike’s family worked together and also noticed that they had nothing to cook. Mike’s wife also thought the same and asked her husband, “Everything is ready but what shall we eat?” Mike raised his hands to heaven and said “Don’t worry. He is watching all of this from above. He will help us.” The thief got worried as he had seen that the family was large and worked well together. Taking advantage of the fact that they did not know he was hiding in the branches, he decided to make a quick escape. He climbed down safely when they were not looking and ran for his life. But, he left behind the bundle of stolen jewels and money which dropped into Mike’s lap. Mike opened it and jumped with joy when he saw the contents. The family gathered all their belongings and returned to the village. There was great excitement when they told everyone how they got rich. Morris thought that the tree was miraculous and this was a nice and quick way to earn some money. He ordered his family to pack some clothes and they set off as if on a journey. They also stopped under the same tree and Morris started commanding everyone as Mike had done. But no one in his family was willing to obey his orders. Being a rich family, they were used to having servants all around. So, the one who went to the river to fetch water enjoyed a nice bath. The one who went to get wood for fire went off to sleep. Morris’s wife said “Everything is ready but what shall we eat?” Morris raised his hands and said, “Don’t worry. He is watching all of this from above. He will help us.” As soon as he finished saying, the thief jumped down from the tree with a knife in hand. Seeing him, everyone started running around to save their lives. The thief stole everything they had and Morris and his family had to return to the village empty handed, having lost all their valuables that they had taken with them.

1) Why did Mike and his family decide to rest under the thief’s tree?

a) Being a large family, they knew that they could easily defeat the thief

b) It was a convenient spot for taking a halt at night

c) There was a stream nearby and wood enough to build a house

d) That was the only large tree that could shelter their large family

Ans) b. It was a convenient spot for taking a halt at night.

2) Which of the following best describes Morris?

a) He was a rich businessman

b) He bullied his wife

c) He paid his servants well

d) He was greedy and imitated Mike

Ans) d. He was greedy and imitated Mike.

3) What did Mike mean when he said “He is watching all this from above”?

a) He had spotted the thief and wanted to scare him

b) He was telling his wife to have faith in god

c) It was just a warning for his family members to stick together

d) He was begging the thief to help his family

Ans) b. He was telling his wife to have faith in god.

4) Why did the thief return to the tree?

a) To wait for Mike to return

b) To set up a trap

c) To wait for Morris’s family

d) Not mentioned in the passage

Ans) d. Not mentioned in the passage.

5) How did the fellow villagers react to Mike getting rich overnight?

a) They were jealous of him

b) They were very excited

c) They followed his example

d) They envied him

Ans) b. They were very excited.

Q 4. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow: (20)

1) The sage of science, Einstein, was sitting in a depressive and pensive mood one evening. His eyes were brimming with tears. The pain was evident on his face. He peeped out of the window of his room. The sun had set a few minutes back. The sky was filled with a reddish glow. At this sunset, he felt that it was humanity that had sunk into devilish darkness and the reddish glow in the sky was the blood of humanity spilling all over the sky from earth. With tired steps, he walked back to his chair and settled down. It was the 9th of August 1945. Three days back, he had felt the same agony as if someone had torn him apart. He was deeply hurt and depressed when they heard on the radio that America had dropped an atom bomb on the Japanese city, Hiroshima. Today, within three days another bomb was dropped on another city, Nagasaki and lakhs of people had been killed.

2) He had heard that the blast released so much energy that it had paled all past destructions in comparison and death had played out a pitiable dance of destruction. The flames that broke out of the bomb were burning, melting and exploding buildings. Scared of the heat of the bomb, people had jumped into lakes and rivers, but the water was boiling and the people too were burnt and killed. The animals in the water were already boiled to death. Animals, trees, herbs, fragrant flowering plants were all turned into ashes. The atomic energy destruction had just not stopped there. It had entered the atmosphere there and had spread radiation that would affect people for generation to come and would also bring about destructive irreversible biological changes in animals and plants.

3) As the news of the atomic attack reached Einstein, and he became aware of the glaring horror of the abuse of atomic energy, his distress and restlessness knew no bounds. He could not control himself and picked up his violin to turn his mind on the other things. While playing the violin, he tried to dissolve in its sad notes, but couldn’t. He was burning on the embers of destruction; his heart was filled with an ocean of agony and tears just continued streaming uncontrollably out of his eyes. Night had fallen. His daughter came up and asked him to eat something as he had not taken anything for the last four days. His voice was restrained and he said, “don’t feel like eating.”

4) He could not sleep that night. Lying down, he was thinking how he had drawn the attention of the then American President Roosevelt towards the destructive powers of an atomic bomb. He had thought that this would be used to scare Hitler and put an end to the barbarism that. However, Roosevelt kept him in the dark and made false promises. Eventually, he had abused Einstein’s equation of E= mc2 that resulted in the destructive experiments. His actions had made science and scientists as murderers. Einstein kept on thinking for a long time. Eventually, he slipped into sleep. When he woke up at dawn, there was a new dawn in him too. The atomic threat had transformed his heart.

5) The next day, he decided to disassociate himself from the scientific policy of the government and all governmental institutions. He decided to open educational institutions for children, adolescents and youth – institutions where along with science, spirituality will be compulsorily taught.

6) To inaugurate this institution, he had invited two great philosophers, Bertrand Russell and Albert Schweitzer. Ten other great scientists who had won Nobel Prizes in different fields were also invited. They all saw a different Einstein, not a great scientist but a sage in him. The institution was opened by garlanding a photo of Mahatma Gandhi. While garlanding the Mahatma, he became emotional and said with a lump in his throat, “I bow down to the great man who fought for the independence of his country through non-violence. He could do so because he was a truthful man and true spiritualist.”

7) Those who teach science should be taught spirituality too. Without harmony between science and spirituality, the destruction would continue unabated. A few years after this institution was built, a Japanese delegation came to meet him. Einstein broke down in the meeting and said, “You can give me any punishment and I will accept it. Anyway, I have decided to lead my life in penitence.” The Japanese were moved by his sincerity and forgot their grief.

1) Besides two great philosophers how many other scientists were invited by Einstein to inaugurate the institution where spirituality would be compulsorily taught? (1)

i) Five (ii) Ten (iii) Eight (iv) Fifteen

Ans) Ten.

2) Which musical instrument did Einstein play when he was in grief? (1)

i) Harmonium (ii) Guitar (iii) Violin (iv) Flute

Ans) Violin.

3) Einstein came to know that America had dropped an atom bomb on the Japanese city, Hiroshima through (1)

i) Television (ii) Newspaper (iii) Radio (iv) A telephonic message

Ans) Radio.

4) Which American President was told about the destructive power of an atomic bomb? (1)

(i) Kennedy (ii) Bill Clinton (iii) Lincoln (iv) Roosevelt

Ans) Roosevelt.

5) Einstein said to the Japanese delegation: (1)

i) “You can give me any punishment and I will accept it.”

ii) “I am not at fault.”

iii) “What could I do?”

iv) “The President didn’t agree to my advice.”

Ans) “You can give me any punishment and I will accept it.”

6) What did Einstein do to overcome his distress after getting the news of the Narrative Text atomic attack? (3)

Ans) Einstein’s distress and restlessness knew no bounds. He could not control himself and picked up his violin to turn his mind on the other things. While playing the violin, he tried to dissolve in its sad notes, but could not. His heart was filled with an ocean of agony and tears just continued streaming uncontrollably out of his eyes. He did not feel like eating anything.

7) Which event in 1945, according to Einstein, turned science and scientists into murderers? (3)

Ans) On the 9th of August 1945 America had dropped an atom bomb on the Japanese city, Hiroshima. And within three days another bomb was dropped on another city, Nagasaki and lakhs of people had been killed. Eventually, he had abused Einstein’s equation of E= mc2 that resulted in the destructive experiments. His actions had made science and scientists as murderers.

8) What did Einstein do to show his displeasure over the atomic attack? (3)

Ans) Einstein decided to disassociate himself from the scientific policy of the government and all governmental institutions. He decided to open educational institutions for children, adolescents and youth – institutions where along with science, spirituality will be compulsorily taught.

9) Why did Einstein want harmony between science and spirituality while teaching in educational institutes? (4)

Ans) Einstein stated that those who teach science should be taught spirituality too. Without harmony between science and spirituality, the destruction would continue unabated.

10) Which word/phrase means the same as: (2)

i) Extreme mental pain (para 1)

ii) repentance (para 7)

Ans)

i) agony.

ii) Penitence.

Q 5. Read the following text: (10)

India’s economy is doing well and we have a right to celebrate that. But what we do not like to acknowledge, let alone address, is another fact: our economy and society, is still extremely biased against women. Perhaps paying attention to such inconvenient truths would distract us as we march towards superpower status. In the latest gender gap index report released by the World Economic Forum (WEF), India keeps company with the worst in the world. Among the 128 countries that have been evaluated by the WEF, India is ranked 114, followed among others by Yemen, Chad, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Even China, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Botswana fare much better than us. The survey considers the proportion of resources and opportunities made available to women on educational, economic, political and health fronts. It is only in the realm of political empowerment that we seem to have done somewhat OK, ranking 21st. That’s also thanks to a long spell of Prime Ministership by Indira Gandhi. It raises the question why women are so badly off in our country if they are politically empowered. To begin with, we are still largely a feudal and patriarchal society. In many parts of our country – especially in UP, Bihar, Rajasthan,

Haryana and Punjab – women are often treated as if they were a piece of property. In these

parts, the sex ratio is most skewed because families often snuff out the lives of girl children before, or immediately after, they are born. In many parts of India, women are viewed as an economic liability despite contributing in several ways to our society and economy. The state has not covered itself with glory either in bridging the gender divides. Its policies and projects for women are woefully inadequate. For instance, the literacy rate for females is a mere 48 per cent against 73 per cent for males. Unless we put more of our girl children in school and equip them with quality education – as opposed to making them merely literate – we can forget about sustainable progress. Public health is another area of failure. Hundreds of women in rural India die every year during childbirth for want of medical attention. There are thousands more who do not even have access to a primary health centre. Importantly, reforming property laws more rigorously so that gender parity becomes a reality must rank among the government’s priorities. While these changes are necessary, they will amount to nothing if we, as a society, continue to deny our women the dignity, liberty and opportunities that are rightfully theirs. No society will ever prosper as a whole as long as half of it is constantly treated as somehow less that the other half.

1. On the basis of your understanding of this passage answer the following questions with the help of the given options: (4)

a) Write out the correct option:

i) India’s economy is unbiased.

ii) India’s economy is doing poorly

iii) India’s economy is biased against human species

iv) India’s economy is biased against women.

Ans) India’s economy is biased against women.

b) The most important rights of women are .................

i) dignity and society

ii) dignity and literacy

iii) dignity and liberty

iv) dignity and health

Ans) dignity and health.

c) A society can prosper only if ....................

i) half of it is given its special rights

ii) it recognizes the importance of women

iii) it treats men and women differently

iv) it constantly treats women no less than its other half

Ans) it constantly treats women no less than its other half.

d) Hundreds of women in rural India die every year during childbirth

i) due to lack of finances.

ii) due to lack of literacy.

iii) for want of awareness.

iv) for want of medical attention.

Ans) for want of medical attention.

2. Answer the following questions briefly: (4)

a) Why is India ranked 114 by the World Economic Forum?

Ans) According to the World Economic Forum's (WEF) latest gender gap index report, India ranks among the worst in the world. Among the 128 countries evaluated by the WEF, India is ranked 114, followed by Yemen, Chad, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, among others. Even China, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Botswana outperform us. This was based on the survey considered the proportion of educational, economic, political, and health resources and opportunities made available to women.

b) In which fields are the women in India empowered?

Ans) It is only in the realm of political empowerment that women in India are empowered.

c) What has killing of girl children before or after birth affected the most?

Ans) The sex ratio is most skewed / affected because families often snuff out the lives of girl children before, or immediately after, they are born.

d) What is the reason behind the failure of public health?

Ans) There are thousands more who do not even have access to a primary health centre.

3. Find a word from the passage having opposite meaning to “asset”. (Para-3) (1)

Ans) Liability.

4. Find a word from the passage having similar meaning to “continuously”. (Para -4) (1)

Ans) As long as.

Q 6. Create a pleasant and positive impression to make a best telephonic conversation against the columns given below: (10)

Ans)

Q 7. How are storytelling, dialogues and role playing important in achieving efficient speaking skills? Explain. (10)

Ans) There are numerous speaking activities that can promote effective communication. You can improve your speaking skills, for example, through stories, dialogues, discussions, debates, meetings, presentations, and role play.

Storytelling

Storytelling has a long history that spans cultures and epochs. Historically, storytelling was used to allow one generation to pass down important cultural or familial stories, which frequently included moral lessons. Storytelling also served to unite individuals within a culture, forming a cohesive bond as a society. The universal themes of human nature that emerge as a person shares a storey form the foundation of storytelling. These universal human nature themes also allow storytelling to connect individuals within a culture, forming a cohesive bond as a society. Furthermore, storytelling can bring people from different cultures together because a storey can highlight fundamental aspects of being human. In this regard, storytelling can be an effective tool for mastering communication in both professional and personal settings.

They improved their comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation by telling stories. As a result, storytelling has the potential to improve students' speaking abilities. People, as social beings, constantly interact and communicate with one another.

Dialogues

Dialogue practise is an excellent way for English students to put their skills to the test and improve their command of the language. Dialogues are beneficial for a variety of reasons, including:

1. Dialogues provide models on which students can base their own conversations.

2. Dialogues force students to focus on language production in a way that helps them practice correct usage.

3. Student-created dialogues can be used to encourage creativity.

4. Dialogues can be used as a basis for listening to comprehension exercises.

5. Using dialogues would help you to develop conversation skills, which is a common practice in most English classes.

Roleplaying

Role-playing occurs when two or more people act out roles to explore a specific scenario. Role-playing is a communicative activity in which students can use spontaneous language. It also assists students in developing real-life speaking skills. "By creating scenes of everyday life, particularly those situations that make use of the vocabulary to be learned," Ments stated, "students can be encouraged to use language in a free and interesting way." As a result, it aids in the development of linguistic competence and expands the vocabulary. This enables them to confidently use language in their real-life situations in a free and interesting manner.

Role play is essential in teaching speaking because it allows students to practise communicating in a variety of social contexts and social roles. Furthermore, it allows students to be creative and temporarily place themselves in the shoes of another person.