BEGLA-138 READING AND SPEAKING SKILLS Solved Question Paper June 2023

BEGLA-138 READING AND SPEAKING SKILLS Solved Question Paper June 2023

READING AND SPEAKING SKILLS
Course Code: BEGLA-138

Section—A
1. Read the passage given below and answer the
questions which follow :
From Yamini Aiyar’s article in the
Hindustan Times, Wednesday, June 01, 2022,
Page 14.
Three catastrophic global events–the corona
virus pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, and
the climate crisis–have exposed the fragility of
India’s rural economy. Now as India grapples
with rising food inflation and slowing rural
demand, policymakers must design a durable
policy that goes beyond ad-hoc export bans.
Amid the pandemic induced economic crisis, the
rural economy was a site of resilience. In 2020-
2021, agriculture was the only sector of the
economy that remained strong, growing at
3.3%. Crucially it provided the country with its
most resilient safety net. A slew of policy
measures enhanced Minimum Support Price
(MSP) and procurement kept granaries well
stocked, ensuring basic food security. Moreover
a good monsoon and two successive bumper
harvests coincided with rising global prices
which created a perfect condition for robust
agri-commodity exports.
Along with the provision of basic foodgrains,
agriculture was also India’s primary employer.
The Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy
recorded that between 2019 and 2022
agriculture added 11 million new jobs while the
rest of the economy shed 15 million jobs.
Agriculture, long considered the employer of
last resort for policymakers emerged as the
only employer and primary safety net for
millions of Indians amid the pandemic.
However, for most, India’s agriculture offers
subsistence employment rather than a robust
substitute for non-farm income. Far from being
insulated, the largely informal rural economy
was devastated by Covid-19. Rural wages,
particularly non-farm wages declined sharply
during the pandemic and are yet to recover.
India’s agriculture policy has incentivised overproduction of cereals and sugarcane while
discouraging diversification. Ironically, this
perverse policy ensured food security during the
pandemic. However, after the pandemic global
supply chain disruptions and climate shocks
like the heat wave of March caused a steep rise
in commodity prices. While cereal and sugar
prices remained insulated from international
price fluctuations, inflation was driven mainly
by edible oils.
Policy-making needs to balance between food
security needs and the need to diversify in
order to increase farm income. A strong rural
economy is the backbone of India’s food and
climate security and the only way for crisis
management in an increasingly vulnerable
global economy.
Questions :
(a) Which global events have affected our
rural economy and in what way ? 4
(b) What shows that our rural economy is by
and large resilient ? 4
(c) Which policy regarding agriculture is
talked about in the passage and what is
the author’s suggestion about policymaking ? 4
(d) What are the strong and weak points of our
agricultural policy ? 4
(e) What is the common perception about
India’s agriculture ? 4
2. Find words from the passage which convey
similar meanings as given below : 10
(a) a situation of serious problems
(b) increase in prices
(c) something that lasts long without
becoming weaker
(d) strong and healthy
(e) to encourage by providing a benefit
(f) a harmful or undesirable practice
(g) weak and without protection
(h) something which relates to the whole
world
(i) disease that affects a large number of
persons over a very wide area
(j) something which is worth eating or
consuming.
Section—B
3. What are the three common difficulties
encountered during the acquisition of reading
skills ? 10
4. What is an expository text ? Write about the
various categories of expository text. 10
5. What are the advantages of telephone
conversation ? For which different purposes is
telephone conversation used ? 10
6. Write short notes on the following : 5+5
(a) Rhythm as a literary device
(b) Stress types in English Language
7. Write a note on the basic principles of good
communication (7 Cs). 10
8. Differentiate between argumentative and
persuasive texts. 10
9. What are the reading ability skills of
comprehending literary texts–prose and
poetry ?