DISTANCE EDUCATION
B.A. (Eng.)/B.A. (Eng.) Addl. DEGREE EXAMINATION,
DECEMBER 2017.
ENGLISH FOR COMPETITIVE EXAMINATIONS
Time Three hours Maximum 100 marks
PART A — × 8 40 marks)
Answer any FIVE of the following.
1. Rewrite as directed:
She teaches English grammar. (into negative
sentence)
It was the year I was born. (change using relative
clause)
Someone has broken the window. (into passive
voice)
A hamburger has been eaten be me. (into active
voice)
Raju studied French. (into question sentence)
We were tired. We went to bed. (into compound
sentence)
The bell rang. We stopped work. (into complex
sentence)
Supriya is the most intelligent girl in the class. (into
comparative degree)
Sub. Code
34/110
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2. Fill in the blanks with the correct tense form of the
verb given in brackets: (10 2
1
When I last him, he
(live) in stockholm.
You can (borrow) my car.
I (not/need) it at the moment.
The shop (open) at 9.00 am and
(close) at 10.00 pm everyday.
He can't (open) the door. He
(have) a shower.
Hurry up! The bus (come). I
(not/want) to be late for school.
Punctuate the following:
spain is a beautiful country the beaches are
warm sandy and spotlessly clean
she always enjoyed sweets chocolate
marshmallows and toffee apples
sarahs uncles car was found without its
wheels in that old derelict warehouse
3. Prepare notes for the following passage:
Mass copying in the examinations has reduced
education to a joke. The lengthy courses of study
and the system of annual examinations are the root
causes of it. How is it possible for any human being
to express honestly within three hours all that he
has learnt in full one year? Naturally students are
forced to cram certain things and copy others from
some source in the examination hall. Examinations,
more or less in the form of class tests at the end of a
quarter should be held. The result of a student
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should be determined by his performance round the
year. The class-teacher should be entrusted with
this difficult task. He will have to rise above petty
worldly considerations and must be brave and
impartial. His role in this connection is very
significant.
Write a paragraph on any ONE of the following
topics:
My favourite hero.
Mobile phones: Pros and Cons.
4. Answer any ONE of the following questions:
Write a letter to the local MLA drawing his
attention to the need for the opening of a secondary
school for girls in your village/town.
Write a letter to your father saying you need more
money next month in view of the increase in the
Hostel fees.
5. Answer any ONE of the following questions:
Make a report to the police on the circumstances
which led you to detain a man who broke into your
house at night.
As a newspaper correspondent send a report to the
editor on the traffic conditions of your town.
6. Fill in the blanks with the right option:
I must go home this (week, weak)
It has a large (story, storey) building.
Dr. Shyamala is the (principle,
principal) of our college.
I (pray, prey) to God whenever I face
hard times.
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Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is an (eminent,
imminent) person.
My friend is (zealous, jealous) of me.
I have a (soar, sore) throat.
The manager suddenly (seized, ceased)
the meeting.
7. Answer the following questions as directed:
Use the appropriate term given in brackets that
express the idea of the phrase given below.
a study of derivation of words. (Opthalmology,
Etymology)
murder of an infant. (patricide, infanticide)
Choose the word which is correctly spelt:
spontanity
sponteneity
spontaniety
spontaneity
Write suitable synonyms for the following words:
succeed
encounter
fantastic
apathetic
Write suitable antonyms for the following words:
young
permanent
encourage
attract
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Arrange the following words in the given sentence
to make a meaningful sentence:
in, the early, walking, morning is, healthy,
exercise.
Children did not eat healthy foods. (change into a
positive sentence)
8. Fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions: 1
Someone is knocking the door.
I have been suffering from fever Monday.
The next meeting will be held my house
Model Town.
The school will remain closed 24th
December 31st December. It will reopen
1st January.
The cat sprang the table.
PART B — × 15 60 marks)
Answer any FOUR of the following questions.
9. Answer the following as directed
Change into passive voice:
They know me.
The people will make him president.
He had destroyed the documents.
The thieves were dividing the jewels.
Change into active voice
A newspaper is being read by him.
The work has been finished by them.
A holiday will be enjoyed by Shri.
The guilty were punished by the king.
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Change each of the given sentences to the other two
possible degrees of comparison:
Deshnaa is more beautiful than many other
girls in the class.
Tajmahal is the most beautiful monument in
the world.
Change as directed:
Besides robbing the poor child, he also
murdered her. (into compound)
We must eat, or we cannot live. (into simple)
He owed his success to his father. (into
complex)
10. Prepare a precis for the following passage:
English education and English language have done
immense goods to India, inspite of their glaring
drawbacks. The notions of democracy and selfgovernment
are the born of English education. Those who
fought and died for mother India's freedom were nursed
in the cradle of English thought and culture. The West
has made contribution to the East. The history of Europe
has fired the hearts of our leaders. Our struggle for
freedom has been inspired by the struggles for freedom in
England, America and France. If our leaders were
ignorant of English and if they had not studied this
language, how could they have been inspired by these
heroic struggles for freedom in other lands? English.
therefore, did us great good in the past and if properly
studied will do immense good in future.
English is spoken throughout the world. For
international contact our commerce and trade, for the
development of our practical ideas, for the scientific
studies, English-is indispensable "English is very rich in
literature." our own literature has been made richer by
this foreign language It will really be a fatal day if we
altogether forget Shakespeare, Milton, Keats and Shaw.
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11. Attempt an essay on any ONE of the following topics:
Modern youth.
Mass media.
12. Read the following passage and answer the questions
that follow it:
When you imagine the desert, you probably think of a
very hot place covered with sand. Although this is a good
description for many deserts, Earth's largest desert is
actually a very cold place covered with ice: Antarctica. In
order for an area to be considered a desert, it must
receive very little rainfall. More specifically it must
receive an average of less than ten inches of
precipitation-which can be rain, sleet, hail, or snow-on
the ground every year. Antarctica, the coldest place on
earth, has an average temperature that usually falls
below the freezing point. And because cold air holds less
moisture than warm air, the air in Antarctica does not
hold such moisture at all. This is evident in the low
precipitation statistics recorded for Antarctica. For
example, the central part of Antarctica receives an
average of less than 2 inches of snow every year. The
coastline of Antarctica receives a little bit more-between
seven and eight inches a year. Because Antarctica gets so
little precipitation every year. it is considered a desert.
When precipitation falls in hot deserts, it quickly
evaporates back into the atmosphere. The air over
Antarctica is too cold to hold water vapor, so there is very
little evaporation. Due to this low rate of evaporation,
most of the snow that falls to the ground remains there
permanently, eventually building up into thick ice sheets.
Any snow that does not freeze into ice sheets becomes
caught up in the strong winds that constantly blow over
Antarctica. These snow-filled winds can make it look as if
it is snowing. Even though snowfall is very rare there,
blizzards are actually very common on Antarctica.
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The best title for this passage would be 2
1
Earth's Many Deserts
Antarctica: The Coldest Place on Earth
A Desert of Ice
Unusual Blizzards
According to the final paragraph, any snow that
falls over Antarctica 2
1
becomes part of the Antarctic ice sheet
is blown around by strong winds
evaporates back into the atmosphere
i only
i and ii only
ii and iii only
ii, and iii
Define precipitation.
Which area receives very little rainfall?
What is the average temperature in Antarctica?
How much inches of snow falls in the central part of
Antarctica?
Africa's Sahara Desert is the second-largest desert
on earth. Based on the information in the passage,
what characteristic must the Sahara share with
Antarctica?
State the reasons for the little evaporation in
Antarctica.
13. Use suitable words that express the idea of the
phrase given below:
see eye to eye
alma matter
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black sheep
a study of ancient things
a handwriting that cannot be read
one who is all powerful
people who work together
(viii) birds of a feather
once in a blue moon
every nook and corner
Match the following words and their meanings:
encroach short
brief economical
increment to examine
obscure rich
scrutinize not regular
vocation trespass
affluent unknown
(viii) eccentric forceful
vehement an occupation
frugal an increase
14. Spot the error, if any, in each of the given sentences:
(10 1 1/2 15)
By the time the plane had arrived I nearly had
A B C
despaired of being able to board it. No error.
D E
Entering the crowded store I saw two vaguely
A B C D
familiar faces. No error.
E
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Most of us see the Punjab riots as one more incident
A B C D
leading to a civil war. No error.
E
The professor tried his very best to bring home
A B
on the students the need for hard work. No error.
C D E
When asked a question he rose his hand to catch the
A B C D
teacher's attention. No error.
E
For her sake, as well as for Mohan,
A B
I hoped fervently that she might get the job.
C D
No error.
E
Take my word, I couldn't hardly believe
A B
what anyone of them had said. No error.
C D E
When at last we got to the theatre the
A B
much publicised play was already begun. No error.
C D E
Just outside the house are a park
A B
surrounded by stately trees. No error.
C D E
One of the biggest industrial houses in Maharastra
A B C
are declaring a lock out. No error.
D E
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15. Write sentences of your own using any Ten of the given
phrasal verbs: (10 x 11/2 15)
wind up
pull through
take down
get up
let off
carry on
write off
make up
bear with
send for
pull down
run over
keep up
find out
break down
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