BEGLA-135 English in Daily Life Solved Question Paper December 2021

BEGLA-135 English in Daily Life Solved Question Paper December 2021

English in Daily Life
Course Code: BEGLA-135

B.A. GENERAL (BAG)
Term-End Examination
December, 2021
BEGLA-135 : ENGLISH IN DAILY LIFE
1. Read the following passage and answer the questions given below it :
1 After I gave a speech for a major telecommunications company, a woman walked up to me with tears in her eyes. ‘‘Robin, I’ve read all your books and try my best to live the kind of life you write about. But there was a man who actually lived your message. He died a few months ago. He was my dad.’’ She paused, and looked down at the floor. ‘‘Five thousand people showed up at my father’s funeral,’’ she said. ‘‘The whole town was there. I was so honoured to see that.’’
2 ‘‘Was your dad a well-known businessperson ?’’ I asked. ‘‘No,’’ she replied. ‘‘A popular politician ?’’ I wondered aloud. ‘‘No,’’ she whispered. ‘‘Was your father some kind of a local celebrity ?’’ ‘‘No, Robin, he wasn’t at all.’’ Then why did 5000 people come to your dad’s funeral ?’’ I had to ask.
3 Another long pause. ‘‘They came because my father was a man who always had a smile on his face. He was the kind of person who was always the first to help someone in need. He always treated people incredibly well and was unfailingly polite. He walked the earth ever so lightly. Five thousand people showed up at my dad’s funeral because he was good.’’
4 Whatever happened to valuing being good ? Reality TV shows exhibit the worst of human behaviour. We see music superstars who swear every five seconds. We read about corporate leaders who fill their pockets to buy bigger boats while shareholders lose their life savings. I loved the movie Wall Street. But Gordon Gekko got it wrong : Greed isn’t good. Good is good.
5 Some people laugh at the notion of being nice and decent and noble. ‘‘That’s a sign of weakness,’’ I hear. Nope. It’s a sign of strength. Soft is hard. It’s easy to put yourself first. It’s easy to get angry when someone disagrees with you. It’s easy to complain or condemn or take the path of least resistance. What takes guts is to stand for something higher, to behave greater and to be of service to others. Like Mandela. Like Gandhi. Like King. Heroes of mine. I wish I could be one-quarter as good as them.
6 Sorry for ranting, but this is a big topic for me. I’ll be the first to tell you I’m far from perfect. I’m just a messenger — an ordinary man. But I’ll tell you one thing — I do my best to be good. That quest keeps me up at night. And I hold myself to a standard far higher than anyone could ever expect from me. Do I always get it right ? No. Am I always at peace and without anger ? No. Do I always model my message ? No. I try to each day but I slip sometimes.
7 I’m not saying that treating people with respect means you don’t hold them to high standards and expect excellence from them. It doesn’t mean you don’t set boundaries and get tough when you have to. Showing leadership isn’t about being liked by all. It’s about doing what’s right. And what’s good.
(a) Answer the following questions :
(i) Why did the woman who spoke to Robin have tears in her eyes ? 1
(ii) Did the woman admire her father ? Pick out two sentences that say so. 2
(iii) Write a brief character sketch of the father in your own words. 3
(iv) Who are some of the author’s heroes ? Why ? 2
(v) Give an appropriate title to the passage. 1
(vi) The author says ‘‘soft is hard’’. What does he mean by this ? 1

(b) Pick out words from the passage which are the opposite of the following words : 5
(i) unpopular (para 2)
(ii) frown (para 3)
(iii) rude (para 3)
(iv) best (para 4)
(v) strength (para 5)

(c) Make sentences of the following words/phrases from the text. Do not copy the sentences from the passage. 5
(i) honoured
(ii) celebrity
(iii) showed up
(iv) condemn
(v) tough
2. (a) Describe in about 250 words the social sites that you regularly use. What are the advantages and disadvantages of social networking sites ? 20
OR
(b) Write in about 250 words a popular folk tale you heard in your childhood from your parents or grandparents.

3. Imagine you are a final year student of your college. You are standing for the post of President in the Students’ Union Election. Give a speech in about 300 words projecting your leadership qualities; your desire for service; and your understanding of students’ problems. Why would you be better than other candidates ? 20

4. (a) You want to see a movie and you want your friend to accompany you. Write a dialogue where you discuss which movie it is, its reviews, the venue and any other attractive features of the movie and the theatre where it is showing. Take 10 to 15 turns. 10

(b) Pick out five words which have a silent letter in them. Example : Psychology. 5
(i) walk
(ii) hedge
(iii) left
(iv) begun
(v) write
(vi) ugly
(vii) sign
(viii) psychic
(ix) slim
(x) illegal

(c) You have been asked by your college to write an article on the life of a TV newsreader. Write five questions you could ask him/her. 5
5. (a) Fill in the blanks using the prepositions to, in, for, between, with. 5
(i) The teacher was angry _________ the whole class.
(ii) His request _________ fee concession was turned down by the Principal.
(iii) She is proud _________ her beauty.
(iv) She had no faith _________ his promises.
(v) We have found a solution _________ this problem.
(b) Fill in the blanks using appropriate forms of verbs given in brackets. 5
(i) The dog _________ since morning. (bark)
(ii) It _________ heavily yesterday. (rain)
(iii) He cut his finger when he _________ the bread. (slice)
(iv) The plane _________ when we reached the airport. (land)
(v) He always _________ his troubles patiently. (bear)

(c) Change the following sentences into passive voice : 5
(i) One should respect one’s parents.
(ii) Who built this house ?
(iii) They are repairing the bridge.
(iv) Our grandmother told us this story.
(v) Sudhir garlanded the Chief Guest.

(d) Rewrite the sentences replacing the underlined verbs with the correct form of one of the phrasal verbs in the box. You may change the form of the phrasal verb. 5
(i) I’m sure we’ll remember this holiday with great pleasure.
(ii) Before you accept this offer, please consider it carefully.
(iii) We can’t continue if you won’t cooperate.
(iv) He was offered a new job but he refused it because he didn’t want to move house.
(v) He had to leave his job when his boss discovered what he was doing.