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P.T.O.
MAR IVANIOS COLLEGE (AUTONOMOUS)
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
Reg. No. :.………………… Name :.………………….
Second Semester B.A. B.Sc. Degree Examination, June 2016
First Degree Programme under CBCSS
Language Course: English II
AUEN211.1 /AUEN211.2: Reading Skills
Time: 3 Hours Max. Marks: 80
SECTION A
Answer ALL questions each in a word or in a sentence.
1. What is skimming used for
2. What is the good reading speed when you read for comprehension
3. What is SQ3R
4. What is a Reverse Dictionary
5. Write the adjective derived from „ponder‟ (paronym).
6. Write homonym of „bark‟.
7. What are terminators
8. What is collocation
9. Correct the sentence in terms of collocation: „I committed a mistake‟.
10. Why do poets make use of figures of speech and symbols
(10 1 10 Marks)
SECTION B
Read the following passages and answer any four questions from each passage, each in a short paragraph not exceeding 50 words.
Passage I
In recent years, drug taking by young people has become a habit which seems to be spreading fast and wide. It is a grim epidemic that requires the attention and help of every responsible citizen.
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The causes of the disease are not easy to identify with certainty. At a somewhat deeper level, the habit may have started as a protest against authority and as a result of dissatisfaction with the modern world. The cult becomes a symbolic rejection of the establishment. At a still deeper level, young, intelligent and often sensitive members of our society experiment in the hope of finding an alternative society. This is particularly true of some LSD addicts. Finally, it is undoubtedly true that the influx of immigrants in our urban areas and stress in our society have hastened the spread of the use of drugs.
There are thousands of drugs, but those most commonly misused may be roughly classified into three groups:
Stimulants, such as pep pills and cocaine, which speed up the nervous system, Depressants, which have the effect of slowing us down. They are of two types: barbiturates (sleeping pills or tranquillizers) and narcotics as heroin and morphine Hallucinogens, such as cannabis and LSD, which alter our perceptions. Stimulants give us a feeling of well being, but soon prevent us from relaxing. They also prevent us from sleeping and we become uncontrolled and jumpy. Barbiturates, on the other hand, relieve us of tension and anxiety and bring about sleep. The trouble starts when we become dependent on barbiturates. Ultimately, our judgement becomes diminished and our speech slurred.
The hard drug, heroin, is a killer. The narcotic addict loses all interest in life except his craving for heroin or morphine. This craving is peculiar to narcotic addicts who quite often change their entire way of life so that they can spend their time thinking, talking and living for the next Once started on the slippery path to narcotic addiction, it is difficult to stop. Pot and LSD cause the patient in dif-ferent degrees to lose the sense of time and place, and everything becomes unreal. A person on a as it is called, may see unreal things and once the trip becomes a nightmare, it leads to homicide or suicide.
11. Why do young people take to drugs
12. Why does the author call "heroin" a killer
13. "Stimulants give us a feeling of well being relieve us of tension and anxiety and bring about sleep". Aren't these desirable things Why then should we avoid taking stimulants
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14. What do the words "fix" and "trip" stand for in this passage
15. What are the harmful effects of barbiturates
16. What are the harmful effects of hallucinogens
Passage II
There is a house now far away where once
I received love. That woman died,
The house withdrew into silence, snakes moved
Among books, I was then too young
To read, and, my blood turned cold like the moon. 5
How often I think of going
There, to peer through blind eyes of windows or
Just listen to the frozen air,
Or in wild despair, pick an armful of
Darkness to bring it here to lie 10
Behind my bedroom‟s door like a brooding
Dog . . . you cannot believe, darling,
Can you, that I lived in such a house and
Was proud, and loved . . . I who have lost
My way and beg now at strangers‟ doors to 15
Receive love, at least in small change
17. What is the theme of this poem?
18. "That woman died,
The house withdrew into silence, snakes moved
Among books, I was then too young
To read, and, my blood turned cold like the moon"
Explain these lines with special reference to phrases "That woman" and "my blood turned cold like the moon".
19. "How often I think of going
There, to peer through blind eyes of windows or
Just listen to the frozen air,"
What feeling is conveyed by these lines Explain the meaning of "blind eyes of windows" and "frozen air".
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20. "There is a house now far away where once
I received love." What do we infer from these lines
21. I who have lost
My way and beg now at strangers‟ doors to
Receive love, at least in small change
What do we infer about the aspect of love in the life of the speaker
22. Or in wild despair, pick an armful of
Darkness to bring it here to lie
Explain the emotion contained in and the significance of these lines.
2 16 Marks)
SECTION C
Answer any SIX questions, each in a paragraph not exceeding 100 words.
23. Everybody knows how to read. But not everybody knows how to read skilfully and artfully. Illustrate this point by pointing out the major hurdles in effective reading.
24. Discuss the features of the various types of passages that one comes across in reading.
25. What are the various types of Dictionaries
26. What are the different ways by which one can develop good reading skills
27. Suggest ways by which you can improve your reading comprehension.
28. What is the importance of the author‟s point of view
29. Attempt a critical appreciation for the following poem:
What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
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No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
30. Write a Book or Movie review of your choice.
31. How do irony and parody create the poetic effect of "The Unknown Citizen"
4 24 Marks)
SECTION D
Answer any TWO questions, each in about 300 words.
32. What are the ways to identify the central idea of a piece of writing
33. What are the points to be kept in mind while analyzing a short story and a literary essay
34. How do the theme, style, and structure of the poem "Insensibility" jointly produce poetic intensity on the reader
35. What are the discourse features employed by Saki in "The Dusk"
15 30 Marks)