Anna University
Question Paper Code: 64013
B.E./B.Tech.Degree Examinations, November/December 2010
Regulations 2008
Question Paper Code: 64013
B.E./B.Tech.Degree Examinations, November/December 2010
Regulations 2008
Second Semester
Common to all branches
186202 / HS2161 Technical English II
Common to all branches
186202 / HS2161 Technical English II
Time: Three Hours
Maximum: 100 Marks
Answer ALL Questions
Part A - (10 x 2 = 20 Marks)
1. Match t he words i n Column A with their meanings i n Column B.
A B
(a) alternative (i) praise
(b) constructive (ii) intensify
© glorify (iii) substitute
(d) aggravate (iv) expect
(v) useful
2. Fill in the blanks with suitable preposition.
One of the important benefits ————— machine civilization i s that our standard of life has improved. There i s much more variety ————— our lives. We have a wide choice of everything ————— wrist watches to flash lights. Food from any part of th e world can be obtained ————— any season of t he year.
3. Write purpose statements for any TWO of t he following : (2 × 1 = 2)
(a) Aerial
(b) Robots
© A litmus paper.
4. Use any TWO of th e following words in sentences of your own using the same word as a noun a nd as a verb. (2 × 1 = 2)
(a) Contact
(b) Project
© Progress.
5. Fill i n t he blanks with suitable forms of words given :
Noun Adjective Person concerned
(a) Environment ———— ————
(b) ———— ecological ————
© ———— ———— conservationist
(d) nature ———— ————
6. Give the numerical expressions for t he following : (4 × 0.5 = 2)
e.g. : a bottle with a capacity of 10 litres - a ten-litre capacity bottle.
(a) a tank with a capacity of 1000 gallons
(b) a pipe with a length of 10 metres
© a walk of five miles
(d) a conference lasting for three days.
7. Rewrite t he following in reported speech :
The teacher said to the students, “You have to write t he test on Monday.”
8. Give extended definitions of t he following terms.
(a) Computer printer.
(b) Traditional Technology.
9. Add t he appropriate prefix to t he following words to match their meanings. (4 × 0.5 = 2)
(a) ———– national : having to do with many countries
(b) ———– bearable : that cannot be tolerated
© care ———– : not taking care
(d) simple ———– : make something simple.
10. Insert the articles ‘a’, ‘an ’ and ‘t he’ in t he appropriate blanks : (4 × 0.5 = 2)
Forests also pay ———— vital role i n regulating ———— flow of water through
———— ecosystem, which i n turn helps determine ———— local an d regional climate.
Part B - (5 x 16 = 80 Marks)
11. Read the following passage and answer the questions given at t he end :
When t he first white men arrived i n Samoa, they found blind men, who could see well enough to describe things in detail just by holding their hands over objects. In France, just after the First World War, Jules Roman tested hundreds of blind people, and found a few who could tell t he difference between light a nd dark. He narrowed their photosensitivity down to areas on t he nose or in the fingertips. In Italy, t he neurologist Cesare Lombroso discovered a blind girl who could ‘see’ with the tip of her nose a nd t he lobe of her left ear. When a bright light was shown unexpectedly on her, she winced. In 1956, a blind school boy i n Scotland was taught to differentiate between colored lights a nd learned to pick out bright objects several feet away. In 1960 a medical board examined a girl from Virginia a nd found that, even with thick bandage over her eyes, she w as able to distinguish different colors an d read short sections of large print. The phenomenon is obviously not new, but it has reached peaks of sensitivity i n a young woman from a mountain village i n t he rurals.
Rose Kuleshova can see with her fingers. She i s not blind, but because she grew up in a family of blind people, she learned to read Braille to help them an d then went on to teach herself to do other things with her hands. In 1962 her Physician took her to Moscow, where she was examined by t he Soviet Academy of Sciences a nd emerged acelebrity, certified as genuine. The neurologist, Shafer made an intensive study with her and found that, securely blindfolded with only her arms stuck through a screen, she could differentiate among three primary colors. To test t he possibility that the cards reflected heat differently, he heated some a nd cooled others without affecting her response to them. He also found that she could read news prints a nd sheet music under glass, so texture w as giving her no clues. Tested by th e psychologist Novomeisky, she was able to identify t he color and shape of patches of light projected on to her palm or on a screen. She underwent rigidly controlled tests with a blindfold a nd a screen an d a piece of card around her neck so wide that she could not see around it. Rosa read th e small print in a newspaper with her elbow. And i n t he most convincing demonstration of all, she repeated these things with someone standing behind her pressing hard on her eyeballs. Nobody can cheat under this pressure; it i s even difficult to see clearly for minutes after it is released.
(a) Choose the response which best reflects t he meaning of t he text. (5 × 1 = 5)
(i) The first Whiteman to visit Somoa found men who
(1) w ere not entirely blind
(2) described things by touching them
(3) could see with their hands
(4) could see when they held hands
(ii) What is the main idea of the first paragraph?
(1) very few people have sensitivity of t he blind
(2) blind people can manage to see things but only vaguely
(3) th e eyes are not t he only way of seeing
(4) it i s possible to localize t he photosensitive areas of t he body
(iii) Why did Shaefer put the paper under glass?
(1) to make things as difficult as possible
(2) to stop th e reflection of heat
(3) to prevent Rosa from feeling th e print
(4) to stop her from cheating
(iv) What was the most difficult test of Rosa’s ability?
(1) To read through glass blindfolded.
(2) To identify the color a nd shape of light on a screen while securely blind- folded.
(3) To carry out tasks with someone pressing n her eyeballs.
(4) To work from behind a screen, blindfolded a nd with a card round her neck. (v) A blind school boy was taught to
(1) distinguish different colors an d read short sections of large print
(2) difference between light an d dark
(3) differentiate between colored lights and to pick out bright objects
(4) differentiate among three primary colors.
(b) Decide whether the following statements are True or False : (6 × 1 = 6)
(1) Rosa Kuleshova lives on a mountain peak.
(2) Her family taught her everything about seeing with her fingers.
(3) Shaefer found that temperature did not affect her ability to differentiate colors. (4) Her ability to read with her fingers did not depend on t he feel of print.
(5) As Rose grew up i n a family of deaf and dumb people, she learned to read Braille i n order to help them.
(6) Psychologist Novomeisky found that she was able to identify t he color a nd shape of patches of light projected on the screen.
© (5 × 1 = 5)
(1) The word ‘patches’ refers to
(a) rays (b) waves © spots (d) lines
(2) Find a single word in paragraph 2 which means the same as ‘thick bandages over her eyes’.
(3) Find a synonym for ‘pick out’ in the first paragraph.
(4) The texture of silk is smooth. The texture of granite is ——–. (5) What is Braille?
12. (a) Write two paragraphs of 100 words each on the topic : (16)
Why should India go for renewable energy sources?
OR
12. (b) Write two coherent paragraphs of 100 words each on :
“The best ways of protecting t he environment” (16)
13. (a) Write a letter of job application to the Manging Director of Computex Ltd applying for the Post of General Manager.Add a suitable resume to your letter. (16)
OR
13. (b) Write a letter to t he Deputy Commissioner of Police, complaining about th e noise problems caused by the constant use of loud speakers in your residential area. In your letter, offer four suggestions as well, to solve t he problems you have described. (16)
14. (a) Write a set of eight instructions to be followed by pedestrians when they walk on busy roads. (16)
OR
14. (b) Write a set of eight instructions to be observed “to avoid accidents while driving”. (16)
15. (a) Rearrange t he following jumbled sentences into a coherent paragraph : (16)
(i) When there is a language barrier, communication is accomplished through sign language.
(ii) Body language transmits ideas an d thoughts by certain actions.
(iii) Many of these symbols of whole words a re very picturesque a nd exact a nd can be used internationally.
(iv) Ever since humans inhabited th e earth, they have made use of various forms of communication.
(v) Other forms of nonlinguistic language can be found i n Braille, signal flags, Morse code a nd smoke signals
(vi) A nod signifies approval while shaking t he head indicates a negative reaction. (vii) Generally their expression of thoughts and feelings has been in th e form of oral speech.
(viii) Nonetheless verbalization is the most common form of communication.
OR
15. (b) Rearrange t he following jumbled sentences into a coherent paragraph : (16)
(i) In th e 1984 Olympics held in Los Angles in U.S.A. many women athletes took part.
(ii) The festival of Olympic games w as held i n 1896.
(iii) It w as a great disappointment both to her parents a nd to th e country as a whole.
(iv) In 1984, Olympic games, our Indian heroine P.T. Usha, in 100 & 200 meters races narrowly missed th e bronze medal.
(v) The first time, the woman athletes took part i n t he Olympics w as in 1922 and their number has steadily increased over t he years.
(vi) In that 1984 Olympic games, Indian team of men a nd women participated i n several events such as long jump, shot put, weight lifting, 100, 200, 400 and 600 mts. dashes.
(vii) Since then Olympic games a re held, once in four years in different parts of the World.
