BBA Text Book - Edify I
BBA Text Book - Edify I
BBA Text Book - Edify I
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FOREWORD
I am pleased to introduce Edify I, a General English Textbook for the I Semester BBA
and all courses under the Faculty of Management. This textbook integrates classic and
contemporary texts to foster a holistic understanding of English literature and
language. Each literary piece has been selected for its thematic depth, narrative
craftsmanship, and relevance to broader societal themes. Through these works,
students will engage with thought-provoking ideas and nuanced language use. The
grammar component of this syllabus provides a robust foundation in language
mechanics.
I invite the students to embark on this educational journey, where literature meets
language in a harmonious blend of learning and discovery.
I commend the textbook committee members for producing this textbook, which
features outstanding literary selections and relevant language-learning topics.
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PREFACE
Edify, the General English Textbook for I Semester B.B.A. and all Courses under the
Faculty of Management, Bengaluru City University (BCU), has been designed to
enhance undergraduate students’ language skills and competence. This is the first BBA
course textbook following the implementation of the State Education Policy (SEP).
This syllabus has been carefully crafted to explore various literary genres, linguistic
concepts, and effective communication strategies. It aims to foster critical thinking,
analytical abilities, and a profound appreciation for the depth and diversity found in
language and literature.
Students will delve into the nuances of storytelling, rhetorical techniques, and
language frameworks by engaging with celebrated literary works and targeted
grammar components. This syllabus is about academic success and preparing you for
effective communication in real-world situations. It aims to broaden your literary
perspectives and enhance your language skills, equipping you with the tools you need
to succeed in your future career.
I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the textbook committee members for their dedicated
efforts in producing this textbook. Their commitment and hard work have resulted in
a textbook that features outstanding literary selections and relevant language-learning
topics, enriching the learning experience for our students.
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MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF STUDIES
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MEMBERS OF THE TEXTBOOK COMMITTEE
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NOTE TO THE FACILITATOR
It is with great pleasure that we present this carefully curated textbook, which
combines diverse literary pieces with essential grammar components to foster holistic
education. It provides students with a comprehensive and engaging learning
experience in literature and language skills.
The literary component encompasses a diverse selection of poems, short stories, and
essays designed to introduce students to various styles and themes in literature. Here
are a few aspects that can enrich the learner-teacher experience: Shut Down the Shop
by Nissar Ahmed can be examined for its themes and stylistic elements, with particular
attention to the poet's social and political commentary. Similarly, Sonnet 116 by
William Shakespeare can be analysed for its structure, themes of love, and use of
metaphors, offering students a detailed exploration of its timeless language and
relevance.
The short story An Astrologer’s Day by RK Narayan can be discussed in terms of its
cultural context and character development, as well as its narrative technique and twist
ending. In Stephen Leacock's With the Photographer, the focus can be on its humour
and satirical elements, prompting students to identify and discuss the social
commentary. The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant can be analysed for its themes of
vanity, materialism, and irony, along with Maupassant's storytelling style and
character portrayal.
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The speech in this section includes Subroto Bagchi's ‘Go Kiss the World’ Speech,
which emphasises motivational aspects and life lessons. Stuart Hirschberg's The
Rhetoric of Advertising can be explored for its persuasive techniques in advertising
and will encourage critical thinking about the ethical implications of advertising.
In addition to the literary component, the grammar component is designed to enhance
students' language proficiency. The syllabus covers reading comprehension, which
aims to improve students' analytical skills in various texts. Vocabulary development
focuses on contextual learning to enrich students' word usage and retention. Both
verbal and non-verbal communication skills can be taught by incorporating role-
playing and interactive activities to develop effective communication strategies. The
section on Tenses emphasises correct usage and consistency in writing and speaking.
Passive and Active voice includes a variety of exercises to help students accurately
transform sentences. Finally, Writing Dialogues encourages creativity and practical
application of grammar rules.
To ensure effective learning, students must be encouraged to participate and discuss
in class. Multimedia resources will be utilised to offer diverse learning experiences.
To maximise student engagement and learning outcomes, an inclusive learning
environment where all students feel valued and supported will be created.
The Committee extends its heartfelt gratitude to Dr Thandava Gowda T N,
Chairperson (UG/PG), Bengaluru City University and Prof. Prasanna Udupikar,
Associate Professor and Head Department of English, V.V.N. Degree College, for
their unwavering support and valuable contributions to the creation of this book. We
thank Prof. Lingaraja Gandhi, the Honourable Vice-Chancellor of BCU, for his
support in bringing out this textbook.
Dr Manjula Veerappa
Chairperson
Textbook Committee
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CONTENTS
LITERARY COMPONENT
LANGUAGE COMPONENT
1. Reading Comprehension 75
2. Vocabulary 91
3. Communication: Verbal and Non-Verbal 109
4. Tenses 128
5. Passive and Active 146
6. Writing Dialogues 151
Question Paper Pattern 163
Model Question Paper 165
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1. SHUT DOWN THE SHOP
- K. S. Nissar Ahmed
Pre-Reading Activity:
Have you heard of the barter system? How has it evolved into the present day?
What does consumerism mean to you? How does it influence our daily lives?
How has globalisation impacted consumerism worldwide?
K. S. Nissar Ahmed (5 February 1936- 3 May 2020) was a renowned Kannada poet
and writer. He was a post-graduate student in geology and worked as an assistant
geologist at The Mysore Mines. He worked as a lecturer in Geology in Bangalore,
Chitradurga and Shivamogga. He is best known for ‘Nityotsava’- a collection of
poems. He was the 73rd President of Kannada Sahitya Sammelana, held at
Shivamogga in 2007. K S Nissar Ahmed had the honour of inaugurating the 407th
edition of Mysuru Dasara. He is a recipient of several awards: The Karnataka Sahitya
Akademi Award for Poetry (1982), the Rajyotsava Award (1981), the Nadoja Award
(2003), the Padma Shri (2008), the Pampa Award (2017), and an honorary doctorate
from Kuvempu University.
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the strategies of multinational companies to lure them. The poet sarcastically tells the
shopkeepers to shut down the shops since the mall culture will devour them sooner or
later.
********
Shut Down The Shop
The octagon shaped clock that refuses to show time is broken down,
Handing cob-webs
Eaten away by the rusting metallic board.
Is this not enough to reveal your trading?
The last of your employees have given up their jobs,
In search of new avenues.
Who would buy, even if you lend them?
Fly-covered lemon and garlic peppermint?
When petty shops can sell
Imported toffees, chewing gums and mesmerizing scent?
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This street had a shop or two, in those days,
You were the ruler, provided all, as did Kamadhenu
But today, can be found at every step, a luxury shop
That can supply anything at our door step
You too had supplied in the past,
Refined, edible groceries without any fraud in weights and measures,
So, your shop was swarming with customers all day and night.
But, things are different now.
Even if you beg, the buyers hesitate to buy anything.
A thousand or two, was your capital huge,
Dealings you could enthrall
Long before this mohalla became extant
Now with the populace exceeding millions.
Glossary:
Ridicule: Mockery
Predicament: Embarrassing situation
Mesmerising: Capturing one’s attention as if by magic
Kamadhenu: Divine bovine goddess described in Hinduism as Gou Matha (cow of
plenty) provides her owner with whatever he desires.
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Enthral: Charm
Mohalla: Locality
Contempt: Dislike/hatred
Lest: So as not to (suffer)
Exile: The state or a period of forced absence from one's country or home
Comprehension:
I. Answer the following questions in a phrase or sentence:
1. How is the shopkeeper trying to sell the wares in the shop?
2. What forced the employees to give up their jobs?
3. Mention a few things sold at the petty shop.
4. Why is the shop compared to Kamadhenu?
5. What is the reason for the shopkeeper to shut down his shop?
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4. Retail shops cater to people's needs, whereas malls satiate their greed. Do you
agree? Justify your views.
Suggested Reading:
‘Small Shops’ (Poem) - Jasmine Waltho
‘The World Is Flat’ - Thomas Friedman
‘Anything Can Happen’ - K. Sachchidananda
Extended Activity:
Make a list of popular shops recently shut down in Bangalore.
Walk through Commercial Street or Avenue Road, interview the owners of a
few shops, and make a presentation on their predicaments.
Make a collage/PPT of Bangalore of the yesteryears.
Watch the Kannada movie ‘Bharathi Stores’.
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2. SONNET 116
William Shakespeare
Pre-Reading Activity:
What are the characteristics of true love?
Can love change over time, and if so, how?
How have poets and writers depicted love?
He has written comedies, tragedies and historical plays. Some of his famous plays are
"A Midsummer Night's Dream," "Hamlet," "Othello," "King Lear," and "Macbeth”.
His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed
more often than those of any other playwright.
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About Sonnets:
The term "sonnet" comes from the Italian word "sonetto," which translates to "little
song" or "little sound." This poetic form gained significant popularity in Italy during
the Renaissance, mainly due to the work of Petrarch, who is renowned for refining the
structure and themes of the Italian sonnet.
In the early 16th century, Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey,
brought the sonnet to England. They adapted it into what is now known as the English
(Shakespearean) sonnet. Since then, the sonnet has become a prominent form in
English literature, celebrated for its complex rhyme schemes and expressive depth.
Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets were first published in 1609. Shakespeare dedicated 126
sonnets to his friend and mentor. The last 28 sonnets are addressed to a dark lady. The
recurrent themes in his sonnets are love, beauty, gratitude, etc. Time and Death are
considered to be the unbeatable enemies of man and are discussed in many of his
sonnets. Sonnets are fourteen-lined poems. There are two types of sonnets: Petrarchan
and Shakespearean. The Petrarchan sonnet is divided into two stanzas: Octave (abba
abba) and Sestet (cdecde or cdcdcd). The Shakespearean sonnet consists of three
quatrains followed by a couplet. Most of Shakespeare’s works were published
posthumously in 1623.
About Sonnet 116:
The sonnet explores the theme of love. It is a profound meditation on the nature of true
love, highlighting its steadfastness and enduring quality. Sonnet 116 celebrates true
love's transcendent, immortal quality, portraying it as a spiritual union that endures
life's inevitable changes and challenges. The poem offers a powerful and romantic
view of love as eternal and unchanging, highlighting its resilience against time and
adversity. It eloquently captures the essence of unconditional and unwavering love,
defining it as steadfast and unaffected by external circumstances. Shakespeare's vivid
imagery, metaphors, and rhetorical devices convey the sonnet’s themes.
********
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Sonnet 116
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Glossary
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11. 'Rosy lips and cheeks' are destroyed by
a. a bending sickle
b. tempests
c. time
12. According to the poet, true love lasts……………. (forever, for brief hours and
weeks; till doomsday)
13. ‘Constancy’ is the theme of the sonnet. Indicate the words, phrases, and images
that suggest the theme.
14. Pick out the images which suggest constancy and change.
1. Why does the poet compare true love to a beacon and a star?
2. “Love is not Time's fool”. Explain.
3. How does the final couplet of Sonnet 116 emphasise the poet's conviction about
the nature of love?
4. Why is true love compared to a lighthouse and a star in Shakespeare's Sonnet 116?
5. The poet has used many ‘negatives’ to make his statement in this sonnet. Discuss.
6. Write a note on the imagery used in the sonnet.
1. Pick out the words and expressions related to the sea and voyage. How does the
poet use them to glorify true love?
2. Is the poet convinced about his claim about love? Why does he use the word 'if' in
the couplet?
3. As envisaged in 'Sonnet 116’, true love is an ideal form of love. Discuss.
4. Do you agree with the poet's view of love as eternal and unchanging? Justify.
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Suggested Reading
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3. AN ASTROLOGER’S DAY
R.K. Narayan
Pre-Reading Activity:
Born in 1906 to a Tamil Brahmin family, R.K. Narayan was the second of eight
children. He grew up in the Madras Presidency of British India. From a young age,
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Narayan was an enthusiastic reader, enjoying works by some of the finest authors of
his age: Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, Arthur Conan Doyle, and P.G. Wodehouse.
Inspired by these literary giants, he developed a keen interest in writing.
Narayan's writing style was straightforward and infused with a natural sense of
humour. He often focused on ordinary people, making his characters feel like next-
door neighbours or relatives, which helped readers connect more deeply with his
stories. His mentor and friend, Graham Greene, played a crucial role in finding
publishers for Narayan's first four books, including the semi-autobiographical trilogy
of "Swami and Friends," "The Bachelor of Arts," and "The English Teacher." The
fictional town of Malgudi, first introduced in "Swami and Friends," became a hallmark
of his work. "The Financial Expert" was acclaimed as one of the most original works
of 1951, while the Sahitya Akademi Award-winning "The Guide" was adapted into a
film (winning a Filmfare Award for Best Film) and a Broadway play.
His notable awards include the Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, Sahitya Akademi
Fellowship and Benson Medal. R.K. Narayan was also nominated as a member of the
Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of Indian Parliament, in 1980. He was nominated to the
Rajya Sabha for his extraordinary contributions to literature. The legendary writing
career of R.K. Narayan came to an end with his final book, "Grandmother's Tale", in
1992. R.K. Narayan died on May 13, 2001, at 94 in Chennai.
R.K. Narayan stands as a monumental figure in Indian literature, acclaimed for his
talent in depicting the intricacies of Indian life with clarity, humour, and empathy. His
creation of the fictional town of Malgudi and its residents continues to captivate
readers globally, solidifying his status as one of the most cherished and enduring
literary voices.
About the Story:
The story's theme focuses on a single day in the life of an ordinary astrologer who
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suddenly faces past life in the present drastic situation. The story has a twist in the
tale. The otherwise adventureless life of the astrologer suddenly poses a grave
problem from his past life and demands alertness to tackle the situation. The story
describes a single day in the lives of the sleepy town of Malgudi. The story also
deals with the darker side of human nature, i n c l u d i n g hypocrisy, trickery,
revenge, shrewdness and selfishness. The characters in the story are no exception
to these qualities of human nature. Finally, all is well, and it ends with the astrologer
coming out with flying colours in his examination of befooling his opponent, saving
his life, and also seeing to it that he will not face the man again.
********
An Astrologer’s Day
Punctually at midday, he opened his bag and spread out his professional equipment,
which consisted of a dozen cowrie shells, a square piece of cloth with obscure mystic
charts on it, a notebook, and a bundle of palmyra writing. His forehead was resplendent
with sacred ash and vermilion, and his eyes sparkled with a sharp, abnormal gleam
which was really an outcome of a continual searching look for customers, but which
his simple clients took to be a prophetic light and felt comforted.
The power of his eyes was considerably enhanced by their position—placed as they
were between the painted forehead and the dark whiskers which streamed down his
cheeks: even a half-wit’s eyes would sparkle in such a setting. To crown the effect, he
wound a saffron-coloured turban around his head. This colour scheme never failed.
People were attracted to him as bees are attracted to cosmos or dahlia stalks. He sat
under the boughs of a spreading tamarind tree, which flanked a path running through
the town hall park. It was a remarkable place in many ways: a surging crowd was
always moving up and down this narrow road morning till night. A variety of trades
and occupations was represented all along its way: medicine sellers, sellers of stolen
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hardware and junk, magicians, and, above all, an auctioneer of cheap cloth, who
created enough din all day to attract the whole town. Next to him in vociferousness
came a vendor of fried groundnut, who gave his ware a fancy name each day, calling
it “Bombay Ice Cream” one day, and on the next “Delhi Almond,” and on the third
“Raja’s Delicacy,” and so on and so forth, and people flocked to him. A considerable
portion of this crowd dallied before the astrologer too. The astrologer transacted his
business by the light of a flare which crackled and smoked up above the groundnut
heap nearby.
Half the enchantment of the place was due to the fact that it did not have the benefit of
municipal lighting. The place was lit up by shop lights. One or two had hissing
gaslights, some had naked flares stuck on poles, some were lit up by old cycle lamps,
and one or two, like the astrologer’s, managed without lights of their own. It was a
bewildering crisscross of light rays and moving shadows. This suited the astrologer
very well, for the simple reason that he had not in the least intended to be an astrologer
when he began life; and he knew no more of what was going to happen to others than
he knew what was going to happen to himself next minute. He was as much a stranger
to the stars as were his innocent customers. Yet he said things which pleased and
astonished everyone: that was more a matter of study, practice, and shrewd guesswork.
All the same, it was as much an honest man’s labour as any other, and he deserved the
wages he carried home at the end of a day.
He had left his village without any previous thought or plan. If he had continued there
he would have carried on the work of his forefathers—namely, tilling the land, living,
marrying, and ripening in his cornfield and ancestral home. But that was not to be. He
had to leave home without telling anyone, and he could not rest till he left it behind a
couple of hundred miles. To a villager it is a great deal, as if an ocean flowed between.
He had a working analysis of mankind’s troubles: marriage, money, and the tangles of
human ties. Long practice had sharpened his perception. Within five minutes he
understood what was wrong. He charged three paise8 per question, never opened his
mouth till the other had spoken for at least ten minutes, which provided him enough
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stuff for a dozen answers and advices. When he told the person before him, gazing at
his palm, “In many ways you are not getting the results for your efforts,” nine out of
ten were disposed to agree with him. Or he questioned: “Is there any woman in your
family, maybe even a distant relative, who is not well disposed towards you?” Or he
gave an analysis of character: “Most of your troubles are due to your nature. How can
you be otherwise with Saturn where he is? You have an impetuous nature and a rough
exterior.” This endeared him to their hearts immediately, for even the mildest of us
loves to think that he has a forbidding exterior.
The nuts vendor blew out his flare and rose to go home. This was a signal for the
astrologer to bundle up too, since it left him in darkness except for a little shaft of green
light which strayed in from somewhere and touched the ground before him. He picked
up his cowrie shells and paraphernalia and was putting them back into his bag when
the green shaft of light was blotted out; he looked up and saw a man standing before
him. He sensed a possible client and said, “You look so careworn. It will do you good
to sit down for a while and chat with me.” The other grumbled some reply vaguely.
The astrologer pressed his invitation; whereupon the other thrust his palm under his
nose, saying, “You call yourself an astrologer?” The astrologer felt challenged and
said, tilting the other’s palm towards the green shaft of light, “Yours is a nature ...”
“Oh, stop that,” the other said. “Tell me something worthwhile....”
Our friend felt piqued. “I charge only three paise per question, and what you get ought
to be good enough for your money....” At this the other withdrew his arm, took out an
anna, and flung it out to him, saying, “I have some questions to ask. If I prove you are
bluffing, you must return that anna to me with interest.”
“If you find my answers satisfactory, will you give me five rupees?”
“No.”
“Or will you give me eight annas?”
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“All right, provided you give me twice as much if you are wrong,” said the stranger.
This pact was accepted after a little further argument. The astrologer sent up a prayer
to heaven as the other lit a cheroot. The astrologer caught a glimpse of his face by the
match light. There was a pause as cars hooted on the road, jutka drivers swore at their
horses, and the babble of the crowd agitated the semidarkness of the park. The other
sat down, sucking his cheroot, puffing out, sat there ruthlessly. The astrologer felt very
uncomfortable. “Here, take your anna back. I am not used to such challenges. It is late
for me today....”
He made preparations to bundle up. The other held his wrist and said, “You can’t get
out of it now. You dragged me in while I was passing.” The astrologer shivered in his
grip; and his voice shook and became faint. “Leave me today. I will speak to you
tomorrow.” The other thrust his palm in his face and said, “Challenge is challenge. Go
on.” The astrologer proceeded with his throat drying up, “There is a woman ...”
“Stop,” said the other “I don’t want all that. Shall I succeed in my present search or
not? Answer this and go. Otherwise, I will not let you go till you disgorge all your
coins.”
The astrologer muttered a few incantations and replied, “All right. I will speak. But
will you give me a rupee if what I say is convincing? Otherwise, I will not open my
mouth, and you may do what you like.” After a good deal of haggling the other agreed.
The astrologer said, “You were left for dead. Am I right?”
“Ah, tell me more.”
“A knife has passed through you once?” said the astrologer.
“Good fellow!” He bared his chest to show the scar. “What else?”
“And then you were pushed into a well nearby in the field. You were left for dead.”
“I should have been dead if some passerby had not chanced to peep into the well,”
exclaimed the other, overwhelmed by enthusiasm. “When shall I get at him?” he asked,
clenching his fist.
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“In the next world,” answered the astrologer. “He died four months ago in a far-off
town. You will never see any more of him.” The other groaned on hearing it. The
astrologer proceeded:
“Guru Nayak—”
“You know my name!” the other said, taken aback.
“As I know all other things. Guru Nayak, listen carefully to what I have to say. Your
village is two days’ journey due north of this town. Take the next train and be gone. I
see once again great danger to your life if you go from home.” He took out a pinch of
sacred ash and held it to him. “Rub it on your forehead and go home. Never travel
southward again, and you will live to be a hundred.”
“Why should I leave home again?” the other said reflectively. “I was only going away
now and then to look for him and to choke out his life if I met him.” He shook his head
regretfully. “He has escaped my hands. I hope at least he died as he deserved.” “Yes,”
said the astrologer. “He was crushed under a lorry.” The other looked gratified to hear
it.
The place was deserted by the time the astrologer picked up his articles and put them
into his bag. The green shaft was also gone, leaving the place in darkness and silence.
The stranger had gone off into the night, after giving the astrologer a handful of coins.
It was nearly midnight when the astrologer reached home. His wife was waiting for
him at the door and demanded an explanation. He flung the coins at her and said,
“Count them. One man gave all that.”
“Twelve and a half annas,” she said, counting. She was overjoyed. “I can buy some
jaggery and coconut tomorrow. The child has been asking for sweets for so many days
now. I will prepare some nice stuff for her.” “The swine has cheated me! He promised
me a rupee,” said the astrologer. She looked up at him. “You look worried. What is
wrong?”
“Nothing.”
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After dinner, sitting on the pyol, he told her, “Do you know a great load is gone from
me today? I thought I had the blood of a man on my hands all these years. That was
the reason why I ran away from home, settled here, and married you. He is alive.”
She gasped. “You tried to kill!”
“Yes, in our village, when I was a silly youngster. We drank, gambled, and quarrelled
badly one day—why think of it now? Time to sleep,” he said, yawning, and stretched
himself on the pyol.
Glossary:
Cowrie shells: Small, glossy shells historically used as currency in parts of Africa and
Asia.
Palmyra: A type of palm tree, the palm leaves of this tree were used for writing in
ancient India.
Resplendent: Shining brilliantly; gleaming.
Vermilion: A bright red pigment made from mercury sulphide (kumkuma).
Vociferousness: The quality of being loud and noisy.
Tilling: Preparing and cultivating land for crops.
Perception: The ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses.
Incantations: Series of words that are said to be a magic spell or charm.
Cheroot: A cylindrical cigar with both ends clipped during manufacture.
Jutka: A type of horse-drawn carriage used in India.
Disgorge: To surrender or yield something, especially something acquired.
Semidarkness: Partial darkness; dimly lit.
Haggling: Disputing or bargaining persistently, especially over the cost of something.
Pyol: A raised platform or veranda in front of a house, common in South Indian
homes.
Pice: A coin of India of small value
Anna: A former coin of India that was equal to four Pice
Rupee: This is equal to 16 annas.
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Impetuous: Acting quickly and without thought or care; impulsive.
Paraphernalia: Miscellaneous articles, especially the equipment needed for a
particular activity.
Piqued: Feeling irritated or resentful.
Comprehension:
I. Answer the following in a phrase or sentence:
1. Describe the setting where the astrologer conducts his business.
2. What items does the astrologer use for his practice, and what purpose do they
serve?
3. How do the astrologer's appearance and mannerisms affect his clients?
4. Why did the astrologer leave his village, and how far did he travel?
5. Explain the astrologer's strategy for advising his clients.
6. How does the astrologer handle the challenge posed by the stranger?
7. What does the astrologer reveal about Guru Nayak's past during their
conversation?
8. What advice does the astrologer give to Guru Nayak at the end of their
encounter?
9. How does the astrologer feel after encountering Guru Nayak, and why?
10.What is the significance of the astrologer's wife's reaction to the extra money he
brings home?
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3. What happens during the astrologer's encounter with Guru Nayak? How does
the astrologer deal with the situation?
4. How does the astrologer's meeting with Guru Nayak resolve his past? What does
he tell his wife, and why is it important?
5. How does the busy town setting affect the story? What does it tell us about the
astrologer's life and work?
6. How does the story use irony (saying one thing but meaning another)? Give
examples from the story.
7. How does the astrologer trick his clients, and how does his past trick him? What
does the story say about truth and deception?
Suggested Reading:
"Malgudi Days" by R.K. Narayan is a collection of short stories set in the fictional
town of Malgudi. It showcases Narayan's talent for depicting everyday life in India.
"The Guide" by R.K. Narayan is a novel about Raju, a tour guide who transforms
into a spiritual guide. It explores themes of identity and redemption.
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"Swami and Friends" by R.K. Narayan - The story of a young boy named Swami
and his adventures in Malgudi.
Extended Activity:
Create a collage that presents the key themes, characters and scenes from "An
Astrologer's Day."
Students are to create a "Prediction Board" to make predictions about classmates.
Watch “Malgudi Days”.
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4. WITH THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Stephen Leacock
Pre-Reading Activity:
Have you observed that humans are obsessed with beauty and perfect looks?
Have you ever had your photograph taken by a professional photographer? How
was the experience?
Research the process of taking photographs in the early 20th century. Find out
what kind of equipment was used, what the role of a photographer was, and what
the photographer's experiences were with his/her subjects.
Did you know that Stephen Leacock was known for his wit and humour?
Leacock's works often poke fun at human nature and societal conventions.
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Leacock was awarded the Royal Society of Canada’s Lorne Pierce Medal in 1937 for
his academic work. The Stephen Leacock Memorial Award for Humour, named after
him, is a prestigious honour given annually to encourage Canadian humour writing.
Later in his life, he also published biographies of Twain and Dickens. Some of his
popular literary works include "Literary Lapses" (1910), "Nonsense Novels" (1911),
"Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town" (1912), "Arcadian Adventures with the Idle
Rich" (1914), and "The Boy I Left Behind Me" (1946).
“Oh, there’s nothing to see yet,” he said, “I have to develop the negative first. Come
back on Saturday and I’ll let you see a proof of it.”
The photographer beckoned me in. I thought he seemed quieter and graver than before.
I think, too, there was a certain pride in his manner.
34
“Yes.” he said quietly, “it is you,” and we went on looking at it.
“The eyes,” I said hesitatingly, “don’t look very much like mine.” “Oh, no,” he
answered, “I’ve retouched them. They come out splendidly, don’t they?”
“Fine,” I said, “but surely my eyebrows are not like that?” “No, “said the photographer,
with a momentary glance at my face,
“The eyebrows are removed. We have a process now–the Delphide– for putting in new
ones. You’ll notice here where we’ve applied it to carry the hair away from the brow.
I don’t like the hair low on the skull.”
“No, “he went on, “I don’t care for it. I like to get the hair clear back to the superficies
and make out a new brow line.”
“What about the mouth?” I said with a bitterness that was lost on the photographer; “Is
that mine?”
“It’s adjusted a little,” he said, “Yours is too low. I found I couldn’t use it.”
“The ears, though,” I said, “strike me as a good likeness; they’re just like mine.”
“Yes.” said the photographer thoughtfully, “that’s so; but I can fix that all right in the
print. We have a process now–the Sulphide–for removing the ears entirely. I’ll see if
––”
Glossary:
Ceased: Stopped.
36
Comprehension:
1. Why does the narrator feel he did an unwarrantable thing by visiting the
photographer?
2. What does the photographer look like, and how does he act when the narrator
first sees him?
3. What does the photographer do before clicking the picture, and what does this
tell us about him?
4. How does the narrator feel about the photographer's comments and actions while
adjusting his face and posture?
5. Why is the photographer happy when he says he caught the narrator's features
in a moment of animation?
6. What changes did the photographer make to the photograph, and how did the
narrator react?
7. Give examples of humour in the story.
8. How does the story show the theme of identity through the narrator's
experience?
9. What does the narrator's final speech say about his feelings towards the
photograph and the process?
10.What does the story say about photography and how it affects how we see
ourselves?
1. Describe the main character's initial feelings about having his photograph taken.
How do these feelings change throughout the story?
2. What challenges and misunderstandings does the main character face while
interacting with the photographer? Provide specific examples from the story.
37
3. How does the photographer's attitude and behaviour contribute to the main
character's experience? Discuss any instances of humour that arise from their
interactions.
4. How does the setting of the photography studio add to the mood and themes of
the story?
5. Why does the photographer want to change the narrator's appearance in the
photograph? How does this connect to the main themes of the story?
6. What message or lesson is at the end of the story? What do you think Stephen
Leacock wants readers to learn from the narrator's experience?
1. How does the photographer treat the narrator? According to Stephen Leacock,
what does this tell us about society or professions?
2. How do the narrator and the photographer interact, and what does this say about
who has control? Use examples from the story to explain.
3. What does the story say about what's real versus ideal? How do the
photographer's changes to the narrator's picture make us think about truth and
being genuine?
4. Examine the use of satire in the story. What aspects of society or human nature
does Stephen Leacock criticise through the events and characters in "With the
Photographer"?
5. What is the narrator's reaction to the final photograph? What does this reveal
about him and his experience?
Suggested Readings:
Extended Activity:
Display a few humorous photographs and ask the students to give suitable
captions.
Students can be divided into groups and made to research the history of
photography and make a presentation in class.
39
5. THE NECKLACE
Guy de Maupassant
Pre-Reading Activities:
1. How significant is wealth in our society?
2. Do people judge others based on their appearance? If so, how?
3. Think about a time when you wanted something very badly. Write a brief
reflection on what you were willing to do to get it and how it made you feel.
He was a famous writer during his lifetime and had the good fortune to see his stories
widely read. As a young man, he fought in the Franco-Prussian War. He drew heavily
40
on that experience, and that war provided the setting for many of his stories, which
often depict the tragedy and suffering of innocent civilians caught in war's path. He
also found inspiration in the not-so-admirable behaviour of the bourgeoisie and made
them targets of his biting pessimism and skewering pen.
Guy de Maupassant suffered from mental illness in his later years and attempted
suicide on January 2nd, 1892. He was committed to a private asylum in Paris and died
the following year.
THE NECKLACE
She was one of those pretty and charming girls who are sometimes, as if by a mistake
of destiny, born in a family of clerks. She had no dowry, no expectations, no means of
being known, understood, loved, wedded, by any rich and distinguished man; and she
let herself be married to a little clerk at the Ministry of Public Instruction.
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She dressed plainly because she could not dress well, but she was as unhappy as though
she had really fallen from her proper station; since with women there is neither caste
nor rank; beauty, grace, and charm act instead of family and birth. Natural fineness,
instinct for what is elegant, suppleness of wit, are the sole hierarchy, and make from
women of the people the equals of the very greatest ladies.
She suffered ceaselessly, feeling herself born for all the delicacies and all the luxuries.
She suffered from the poverty of her dwelling, from the wretched look of the walls,
from the worn- out chairs, from the ugliness of the curtains. All those things, of which
another woman of her rank would never even have been conscious, tortured her and
made her angry. The sight of the little Breton peasant who did her humble house-work
aroused in her regrets which were despairing, and distracted dreams. She thought of
the silent antechambers hung with Oriental tapestry, lit by tall bronze candelabra, land
of the two great footmen in knee-breeches who sleep in the big arm-chairs, made
drowsy by the heavy warmth of the hot-air stove. She thought of the long salons fitted
up with ancient silk, of the delicate furniture carrying priceless curiosities, and of the
coquettish perfumed boudoirs made for talks at five o’clock with intimate friends, with
men - famous and sought after, whom all women envy and whose attention they all
desire.
When she sat down to dinner, before the round table covered with a table-cloth three
days old, opposite her husband, who uncovered the soup-tureen and declared with an
enchanted air, “Ah, the good pot-au-feu! I don’t know anything better than that,” she
thought of dainty dinners, of shining silverware, of tapestry which peopled the walls
with ancient personages and with strange birds flying in the midst of a fairy forest; and
she thought of delicious dishes served on marvellous plates, and of the whispered
gallantries which you listen to with a sphinx-like smile, while you are eating the pink
flesh of a trout or the wings of a quail.
She had no dresses, no jewels, nothing. And she loved nothing but that; she felt made
for that. She would so have liked to please, to be envied, to be charming, to be sought
after.
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She had a friend, a former school-mate at the convent, who was rich, and whom she
did not like to go and see any more she suffered so much when she came back.
But, one evening, her husband returned home with a triumphant air, and holding a
large envelope in his hand.
“There,” said he, “here is something for you.”
She tore the paper sharply, and drew out a printed card which bore these words:
“The Minister of Public Instruction and Mine, Georges Ramponneau request the honor
of M. and Mine. Loisel’s company at the palace of the Ministry on Monday evening,
January 18th.
Instead of being delighted, as her husband hoped, she threw the invitation on the table
with disdain, murmuring:
“What do you want me to do with that?”
“But, my dear, I thought you would be glad. You never go out, and this is such a fine
opportunity. I had awful trouble to get it. Every one wants to go; it is very select, and
they are not giving many invitations to clerks. The whole official world will be there.”
She looked at him with an irritated eye, and she said, impatiently:
“And what do you want me to put on my back?” He had not thought of that; he
stammered:
“Why, the dress you go to the theatre in. It looks very well, to me.”
He stopped, distracted, seeing that his wife was crying. Two great tears descended
slowly from the corners of her eyes towards the corners of her mouth. He stuttered:
“What’s the matter? What’s the matter?”
But, by a violent effort, she had conquered her grief, and she replied, with a calm voice,
while she wiped her wet cheeks:
“Nothing. Only I have no dress, and therefore I can’t go to this ball. Give your card to
some colleague whose wife is better equipped than I.”
He was in despair. He resumed:
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“Come, let us see, Mathilde. How much would it cost, a suitable dress, which you
could use on other occasions, something very simple?”
She reflected several seconds, making her calculations and wondering also what sum
she could ask without drawing on herself an immediate refusal and a frightened
exclamation from the economical clerk.
Finally, she replied, hesitatingly:
“I don’t know exactly, but I think I could manage it with four hundred francs.”
He had grown a little pale, because he was laying aside just that amount to buy a gun
and treat himself to a little shooting next summer on the plain of Nanterre, with several
friends who went to shoot larks down there, of a Sunday.
But he said:
“All right. I will give you four hundred francs. And try to have a pretty dress.”
The day of the ball drew near, and Mine. Loisel seemed sad, uneasy, anxious. Her
dress was ready, however. Her husband said to her one evening:
“What is the matter? Come, you’ve been so queer these last three days.” And she
answered:
“It annoys me not to have a single jewel, not a single stone, nothing to put on. I shall
look like distress. I should almost rather not go at all.”
He resumed:
“You might wear natural flowers. It’s very stylish at this time of the year. For ten
francs you can get two or three magnificent roses.”
She was not convinced.
“No; there’s nothing more humiliating than to look poor among other women who are
rich.” But her husband cried:
“How stupid you are! Go look up your friend Mme. Forestier, and ask her to lend you
some jewels. You’re quite thick enough with her to do that.”
She uttered a cry of joy:
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“It’s true. I never thought of it.” The next day she went to her friend and told of her
distress.
Mine. Forestier went to a wardrobe with a glass door, took out a large jewel-box,
brought it back, opened it, and said to Mine. Loisel:
“Choose, my dear.”
She saw first of all some bracelets, then a pearl necklace, then a Venetian cross, gold
and precious stones of admirable workmanship. She tried on the ornaments before the
glass, hesitated, could not make up her mind to part with them, to give them back. She
kept asking:
“Haven’t you any more?”
“Why, yes. Look. I don’t know what you like.”
All of a sudden she discovered, in a black satin box, a superb necklace of diamonds;
and her heart began to beat with an immoderate desire. Her hands trembled as she took
it. She fastened it around her throat, outside her high-necked dress, and remained lost
in ecstasy at the sight of herself.
Then she asked, hesitating, filled with anguish:
“Can you lend me that, only that?” “Why, yes, certainly.”
She sprang upon the neck of her friend, kissed her passionately, then fled with her
treasure.
The day of the ball arrived. Mine. Loisel made a great success. She was prettier than
them all, elegant, gracious, smiling, and crazy with joy. All the men looked at her,
asked her name, endeavored to be introduced. All the attaches of the Cabinet wanted
to waltz with her. She was remarked by the minister himself.
She danced with intoxication, with passion, made drunk by pleasure, forgetting all, in
the triumph of her beauty in the glory of her success in a sort of cloud of happiness
composed of all this homage, of all this admiration, of all these awakened desires, and
of that sense of complete victory which is so sweet to woman’s heart.
45
She went away about four o’clock in the morning. Her husband had been sleeping
since midnight, in a little deserted anteroom, with three other gentlemen whose wives
were having a very good time.
He threw over her shoulders the wraps which he had brought, modest wraps of
common life, whose poverty contrasted with the elegance of the ball dress. She felt
this and wanted to escape so as not to be remarked by the other women, who were
enveloping themselves in costly furs.
Loisel held her back.
“Wait a bit. You will catch cold outside. I will go and call a cab.”
But she did not listen to him, and rapidly descended the stairs. When they were in the
street they did not find a carriage; and they began to look for one, shouting after the
cabmen whom they saw passing by at a distance.
They went down towards the Seine, in despair, shivering with cold. At last they found
on the quay one of those ancient noctambulant coupés which, exactly as if they were
ashamed to show their misery during the day, are never seen round Paris until after
nightfall.
It took them to their door in the Rue des Martyrs and once more, sadly, they climbed
up homeward. All was ended, for her. And as to him, he reflected that he must be at
the Ministry at ten o’clock.
She removed the wraps, which covered her shoulders, before the glass, so as once more
to see herself in all her glory. But suddenly she uttered a cry. She had no longer the
necklace around her neck!
fall upon him, by the prospect of all the physical privations and of all the moral tortures
which he was to suffer, he went to get the new necklace, putting down upon. the
merchant’s counter thirty- six thousand francs.
When Mine. Loisel took back the necklace, Mme. Forestier said to her, with a chilly
manner: “You should have returned it sooner, I might have needed it.”
She did not open the case, as her friend had so much feared. If she had detected the
substitution, what would she have thought, what would she have said? Would she not
have taken Mine. Loisel for a thief?
Mine. Loisel now knew the horrible existence of the needy. She took her part,
moreover, all on a sudden, with heroism. That dreadful debt must be paid. She would
pay it. They dismissed their servant; they changed their lodgings; they rented a garret
under the roof.
She came to know what heavy housework meant and the odious cares of the kitchen.
She washed the dishes, using her rosy nails on the greasy pots and pans. She washed
the dirty linen, the shirts, and the dish-cloths, which she dried upon a line; she carried
the slops down to the street every morning, and carried up the water, stopping for
breath at every landing. And, dressed like a woman of the people, she went to the
48
fruiterer, the grocer, the butcher, her basket on her arm, bargaining, insulted, defending
her miserable money sou by sou.
Each month they had to meet some notes, renew others, obtain more time.
Her husband worked in the evening making a fair copy of some tradesman’s accounts,
and late at night he often copied manuscript for five sous a page.
And this life lasted ten years.
At the end of ten years they had paid everything, everything, with the rates of usury,
and the accumulations of the compound interest.
Mine. Loisel looked old now. She had become the woman of impoverished
households— strong and hard and rough. With frowsy hair, skirts askew, and red
hands, she talked loud while washing the floor with great swishes of water. But
sometimes, when her husband was at the office, she sat down near the window, and
she thought of that gay evening of long ago, of that ball where she had been so beautiful
and so feted.
What would have happened if she had not lost that necklace? Who knows? who
knows? How life is strange and changeful! How little a thing is needed for us to be
lost or to be saved!
But, one Sunday, having gone to take a walk in the Champs Elysées to refresh herself
from the labors of the week, she suddenly perceived a woman who was leading a child.
It was Mme. Forestier, still young, still beautiful, still charming.
Mme. Loisel felt moved. Was she going to speak to her? Yes, certainly. And now that
she had paid, she was going to tell her all about it. Why not?
She went up.
“Good-day, Jeanne.”
The other, astonished to be familiarly addressed by this plain good-wife, did not
recognize her at all, and stammered:
“But—madame!—I do not know—You must have mistaken.” “No. I am Mathilde
Loisel.”
Her friend uttered a cry.
49
“Oh, my poor Mathilde! How you are changed!”
“Yes, I have had days hard enough, since I have seen you, days wretched enough—
and that because of you!”
“Of me! How so?”
“Do you remember that diamond necklace which you lent me to wear at the ministerial
ball?” “Yes. Well?”
“Well, I lost it.”
“What do you mean? You brought it back.”
“I brought you back another just like it. And for this we have been ten years paying.
You can understand that it was not easy for us, us who had nothing. At last it is ended,
and I am very glad.”
Mme. Forestier had stopped.
“You say that you bought a necklace of diamonds to replace mine?” “Yes. You never
noticed it, then!’ They were very like.”
And she smiled with a joy which was proud and naïve at once. Mme. Forestier,
strongly moved, took her two hands.
“Oh, my poor Mathilde! Why, my necklace was paste. It was worth at most five
hundred francs!”
Glossary:
Incessantly: Continuously
Tureen: A covered dish from which soup is served on the table.
M.: Abbreviation for ‘Monsieur’ (a form of address for a man in French)
Mme: Abbreviation for ‘Madame’ (a form of address for a woman in French)
Vexation: State of being distressed
Ruinous: Disastrous
Usurers: Money-lenders, especially those who lend money at a high rate of interest.
Sou: A former French coin of low value
Awry: Not in the correct position or shape; twisted
50
Garret: A small, often dismal attic room
Breton: Refers to a person from Brittany, a region in France known for its distinct
culture and traditions.
Tapestry: A heavy fabric with woven or embroidered designs, often hung on walls for
decoration.
Candelabra: A large, branched candle holder, often ornate, used to hold multiple
candles.
Breeches: Short trousers fastened just below the knee. In the story, the term refers to
the formal, elegant clothing associated with wealth and high society at the time.
Sphinx: Mysterious or enigmatic
Disdain: A feeling of contempt or scorn
Stutter: To speak with involuntary breaks or pauses
Vestibule: An entrance hall or lobby next to the outer door of a building.
Comprehension:
I. Answer the following questions in a phrase or a sentence:
1. What is the occupation of Madame Loisel's husband?
2. Where does the majority of the story take place?
3. What is the significance of the necklace in the story?
4. How does Madame Loisel feel about her social status at the story's beginning?
5. What event marks the turning point in Madame Loisel's life?
6. What kind of life did Madame Loisel dream of having?
7. Why was Madame Loisel unhappy when her husband brought home the invitation
to the party?
8. How did Madame Loisel get a necklace for the party?
9. What happened to the necklace after the party?
10. What did the Loisels do to replace the lost necklace?
51
II. Answer the following questions in about a page:
1. Analyze the character of Madame Loisel. How does her perception of wealth and
social status drive the narrative of the story?
2. Discuss the theme of deception and appearance versus reality in “The Necklace”.
3. What sacrifices did the Loisels make to replace the lost necklace?
4. How does the loss of the necklace change Madame Loisel's life?
Suggested Reading:
‘The Dowry’ by Guy de Maupassant
‘A Cup of Tea’ by Katherine Mansfield
‘The Bet’ by Anton Chekov
Extended Activities:
Ask students to collect information about people who have fallen victim to their
vanity and pride or societal pressures.
Conduct interviews or surveys with friends, family, or community members
about their views on materialism, social status, and honesty.
Role-play or real-life situations in which themes like honesty, pride, or the
desire for social status are present.
52
6. GO KISS THE WORLD
Subroto Bagchi
(Subroto Bagchi, then CEO of Mind Tree, delivered this speech to the Class of 2006
at IIM (Indian Institute of Management), Bangalore.)
Pre-Reading Activities:
Subroto Bagchi (born on May 31, 1959) is a renowned Indian entrepreneur and
business leader, celebrated for co-founding Mindtree Ltd., a global information
technology and outsourcing company based in Bengaluru. Hailing from Patnagarh,
Odisha, Bagchi's ascent from modest beginnings to becoming a visionary in the IT
industry is remarkable. His career, featuring significant roles in leading corporations
such as Wipro and Lucent Technologies, exemplifies a story of self-made success. In
addition to his entrepreneurial achievements, Bagchi is a prolific author and thought
leader. His insights into leadership, entrepreneurship, and management are captured in
53
several acclaimed books, including "Go Kiss the World: Life Lessons for the Young
Professional," which shares his personal journey and professional values to inspire
young professionals. His writings reflect his business acumen and strong commitment
to ethical leadership and professional integrity.
Throughout his entrepreneurial journey, Bagchi's principles were consistently tested.
His dedication to transparency, integrity, and empathy played a crucial role in shaping
Mindtree's culture and fulfilling the company's promises to clients, stakeholders, and
employees. His mother's guiding words, “Go kiss the world,” remind him to approach
every challenge with humility and a sense of service.
About the Speech:
"Go Kiss the World" is an inspiring speech delivered by Subroto Bagchi to the class
of 2006 at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM). In this speech, Bagchi shares his
words of wisdom and the lessons imparted by his parents. These lessons illuminate the
true meaning of success and are closely tied to significant events from Bagchi's life.
********
I was the last child of a small-time government servant in a family of five brothers.
My earliest memory of my father was as that of a District Employment Officer in
Koraput, Orissa. It was, and remains as back of beyond as you can imagine. There was
no electricity; no primary school nearby and water did not flow out of a tap. As a result,
I did not go to school until the age of eight; I was home-schooled. My father used to
get transferred every year. The family belongings fit into the back of a jeep – so the
family moved from place to place and without any trouble, my mother would set up
an establishment and get us going. Raised by a widow who had come as a refugee from
the then East Bengal, she was a matriculate when she married my father.
My parents set the foundation of my life and the value system, which make me what I
am today and largely, defines what success means to me today.
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As District Employment Officer, my father was given a jeep by the government. There
was no garage in the Office, so the jeep was parked in our house. My father refused to
use it to commute to the office. He had told us that the jeep was an expensive resource
given by the government- he reiterated to us that it was not “his jeep” but the
government’s jeep. Insisting that he would use it only to tour the interiors, he would
walk to his office on normal days. He also made sure that we never sat in the
government jeep – we could sit in it only when it was stationary.
That was our early childhood lesson in governance – a lesson that corporate managers
learn the hard way, some never do.
The driver of the jeep was treated with respect due to any other member of my Father’s
office. As small children, we were taught not to call him by his name. We had to use
the suffix ‘dada’ whenever we were to refer to him in public or private. When I grew
up to own a car and a driver by the name of Raju was appointed – I repeated the lessons
to my two small daughters. They have, as a result, grown up to call Raju, ‘Raju Uncle’
– very different from many of their friends who refer to their family driver, as ‘my
driver’. When I hear that term from a school- or college-going person, I cringe.
To me, the lesson was significant – you treat small people with more respect than how
you treat elderly people. It is more important to respect your subordinates than your
superiors.
Our day used to start with the family huddling around my mother’s chulha – an earthen
fire place she would build at each place of posting where she would cook for the
family. There was neither gas, nor electrical stove. The morning routine started with
tea. As the brew was served, Father would ask us to read aloud the editorial page of
The Statesman’s ‘muffosil’ edition – delivered one day late. We did not understand
much of what we were reading. But the ritual was meant for us to know that the world
was larger than Koraput district and the English I speak today, despite having studied
in an Oriya medium school, had to do with that routine. After reading the newspaper
aloud, we were told to fold it neatly. Father taught us a simple lesson.
55
He used to say, “You should leave your newspaper and your toilet, the way you expect
to find it”. That lesson was about showing consideration to others. Business begins
and ends with that simple precept.
Being small children, we were always enamored with advertisements in the newspaper
for transistor radios – we did not have one. We saw other people having radios in their
homes and each time there was an advertisement of Philips, Murphy or Bush radios,
we would ask Father when we could get one. Each time, my father would reply that
we did not need one because he already had five radios – alluding to his five sons.
We also did not have a house of our own and would occasionally ask Father as to
when, like others, we would live in our own house. He would give a similar reply,”
We do not need a house of our own. I already own five houses”. His replies did not
gladden our hearts in that instant.
Nonetheless, we learnt that it is important not to measure personal success and sense
of well being through material possessions.
Government houses seldom came with fences. Mother and I collected twigs and built
a small fence. After lunch, my mother would never sleep. She would take her kitchen
utensils and with those she and I would dig the rocky, white ant infested surrounding.
We planted flowering bushes. The white ants destroyed them. My mother brought ash
from her chulha and mixed it in the earth and we planted the seedlings all over again.
This time, they bloomed. At that time, my father’s transfer order came. A few
neighbors told my mother why she was taking so much pain to beautify a government
house, why she was planting seeds that would only benefit the next occupant. My
mother replied that it did not matter to her that she would not see the flowers in full
bloom. She said, “I have to create a bloom in a desert and whenever I am given a new
place, I must leave it more beautiful than what I had inherited”.
That was my first lesson in success. It is not about what you create for yourself, it is
what you leave behind that defines success.
My mother began developing a cataract in her eyes when I was very small. At that
time, the eldest among my brothers got a teaching job at the University in
56
Bhubaneswar and had to prepare for the civil services examination. So, it was decided
that my mother would move to cook for him and, as her appendage, I had to move too.
For the first time in my life, I saw electricity in homes and water coming out of a tap.
It was around 1965 and the country was going to war with Pakistan. My mother was
having problems reading and, in any case, being Bengali, she did not know the Oriya
script. So, in addition to my daily chores, my job was to read her the local newspaper
– end to end. That created in me a sense of connectedness with a larger world. I began
taking interest in many different things. While reading out news about the war, I felt
that I was fighting the war myself. She and I discussed the daily news and built a bond
with the larger universe. In it, we became part of a larger reality. Till date, I measure
my success in terms of that sense of larger connectedness. Meanwhile, the war raged
and India was fighting on both fronts. Lal Bahadur Shastri, the then Prime Minster,
coined the term “Jai Jawan, Jai Kishan” and galvanized the nation in to patriotic fervor.
Other than reading out the newspaper to my mother, I had no clue about how I could
be part of the action. So, after reading her the newspaper, every day I would land up
near the University’s water tank, which served the community. I would spend hours
under it, imagining that there could be spies who would come to poison the water and
I had to watch for them. I would daydream about catching one and how the next day,
I would be featured in the newspaper. Unfortunately for me, the spies at war ignored
the sleepy town of Bhubaneswar and I never got a chance to catch one in action. Yet,
that act unlocked my imagination.
Imagination is everything. If we can imagine a future, we can create it, if we can create
that future, others will live in it. That is the essence of success.
Over the next few years, my mother’s eyesight dimmed but in me she created a larger
vision, a vision with which I continue to see the world and, I sense, through my eyes,
she was seeing too. As the next few years unfolded, her vision deteriorated and she
was operated for cataract. I remember, when she returned after her operation and she
saw my face clearly for the first time, she was astonished. She said, “Oh my God, I did
not know you were so fair”. I remain mighty pleased with that adulation even till date.
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Within weeks of getting her sight back, she developed a corneal ulcer and, overnight,
became blind in both eyes. That was 1969. She died in 2002. In all those 32 years of
living with blindness, she never complained about her fate even once. Curious to know
what she saw with blind eyes, I asked her once if she sees darkness. She replied, “No,
I do not see darkness. I only see light even with my eyes closed”. Until she was eighty
years of age, she did her morning yoga every day, swept her own room and washed
her own clothes.
To me, success is about the sense of independence; it is about not seeing the world but
seeing the light.
Over the many intervening years, I grew up, studied, joined the industry and began to
carve my life’s own journey. I began my life as a clerk in a government office, went
on to become a Management Trainee with the DCM group and eventually found my
life’s calling with the IT industry when fourth generation computers came to India in
1981. Life took me places – I worked with outstanding people, challenging
assignments and traveled all over the world.
In 1992, while I was posted in the US, I learnt that my father, living a retired life with
my eldest brother, had suffered a third degree burn injury and was admitted in the
Safderjung Hospital in Delhi. I flew back to attend to him – he remained for a few days
in critical stage, bandaged from neck to toe. The Safderjung Hospital is a cockroach
infested, dirty, inhuman place. The overworked, under-resourced sisters in the burn
ward are both victims and perpetrators of dehumanized life at its worst. One morning,
while attending to my Father, I realized that the blood bottle was empty and fearing
that air would go into his vein, I asked the attending nurse to change it. She bluntly
told me to do it myself. In that horrible theater of death, I was in pain and frustration
and anger. Finally when she relented and came, my Father opened his eyes and
murmured to her, “Why have you not gone home yet?” Here was a man on his deathbed
but more concerned about the overworked nurse than his own state. I was stunned at
his stoic self.
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There I learnt that there is no limit to how concerned you can be for another human
being and what the limit of inclusion is you can create.
My father died the next day. He was a man whose success was defined by his
principles, his frugality, his universalism and his sense of inclusion.
Above all, he taught me that success is your ability to rise above your discomfort,
whatever may be your current state. You can, if you want, raise your consciousness
above your immediate surroundings. Success is not about building material comforts
– the transistor that he never could buy or the house that he never owned. His success
was about the legacy he left, the mimetic continuity of his ideals that grew beyond the
smallness of a ill-paid, unrecognized government servant’s world.
My father was a fervent believer in the British Raj. He sincerely doubted the capability
of the post-independence Indian political parties to govern the country. To him, the
lowering of the Union Jack was a sad event. My Mother was the exact opposite. When
Subhash Bose quit the Indian National Congress and came to Dacca, my mother, then
a schoolgirl, garlanded him. She learnt to spin khadi and joined an underground
movement that trained her in using daggers and swords. Consequently, our household
saw diversity in the political outlook of the two. On major issues concerning the world,
the Old Man and the Old Lady had differing opinions.
In them, we learnt the power of disagreements, of dialogue and the essence of living
with diversity in thinking.
Success is not about the ability to create a definitive dogmatic end state; it is about the
unfolding of thought processes, of dialogue and continuum.
Two years back, at the age of eighty-two, Mother had a paralytic stroke and was lying
in a government hospital in Bhubaneswar. I flew down from the US where I was
serving my second stint, to see her. I spent two weeks with her in the hospital as she
remained in a paralytic state. She was neither getting better nor moving on. Eventually
I had to return to work. While leaving her behind, I kissed her face. In that paralytic
state and a garbled voice, she said,
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“Why are you kissing me, go kiss the world.” Her river was nearing its journey, at the
confluence of life and death, this woman who came to India as a refugee, raised by a
widowed Mother, no more educated than high school, married to an anonymous
government servant whose last salary was Rupees Three Hundred, robbed of her
eyesight by fate and crowned by adversity was telling me to go and kiss the world!
Success to me is about Vision. It is the ability to rise above the immediacy of pain. It
is about imagination. It is about sensitivity to small people. It is about building
inclusion. It is about connectedness to a larger world existence. It is about personal
tenacity. It is about giving back more to life than you take out of it. It is about creating
extra-ordinary success with ordinary lives.
Thank you very much; I wish you good luck and God’s speed. Go! kiss the world.
Glossary:
Refugee: A person who has been forced to leave their country to escape
Confluence: The coming together of two or more things to the same point
Continuum: A continuous extent, series, or whole.
Comprehension:
I. Answer the following questions in a phrase or sentence:
1. What was Subroto’s earliest memory of his father?
2. How does the speaker Subroto Bagchi define success towards the end of his life?
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3. What did his mother mean by saying, “Go kiss the World”?
4. How did having two opposing ideas at home benefit the narrator?
5. Why were Subroto Bagchi’s children not allowed to call their driver by his name?
6. What is the morning ritual in Bagchi's house?
7. How does Subroto Bagchi define success?
8. Subroto Bagchi started his career as a ______.
9. Subroto and his brothers were enamoured with advertisements in ____.
(Newspaper, transistor)
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Suggested Reading:
“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”-Roald Dahl,
“Little Women”-Louisa May Alcott
Extended Activity:
Collect the five best motivational speeches
Conduct a discussion on the “Positive impact of good parenting on Children.”
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7. THE RHETORIC OF ADVERTISING
Stuart Hirschberg
Pre-Reading Activity:
What advertisements do you remember from your childhood? Why do you think
they were memorable?
How do advertisements influence your purchasing decisions? Can you think of
a time when you bought something because of an ad?
What makes an advertisement effective or ineffective, in your opinion?
Stuart Hirschberg is an academician and author known for his work in rhetoric and
composition. He has co-authored several textbooks on developing writing and
analytical skills, often used in college-level courses. His works emphasise the
importance of effective communication, critical thinking, and the role of language in
shaping ideas and arguments. Hirschberg's contributions to rhetoric and composition
have been instrumental in helping students and professionals improve their writing and
analytical skills. His works are widely used in educational settings to teach effective
communication strategies and the critical analysis of texts.
About the Essay
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nostalgia, or patriotism, while negative appeals create anxieties the product promises
to resolve.
********
WHETHER ads are presented as sources of information enabling the consumer to
make educated choice between products or aim at offering memorable images or witty,
thoughtful or poetic copy, the underlying intent of all advertising is to persuade
specific audiences. Seen in this way, ads appear as mini-arguments where strategies
and techniques of persuasion can be analyzed just like a written argument. We can
discover which elements are designed to appeal to the audience’s emotions (pathos
according to Aristotle), which elements make their appeal in terms of reasons,
evidence, or logic (logos), and how the advertiser goes about winning credibility for
itself or in terms of the spokesperson on behalf of the product (the ethos dimension),
like arguments. Ads can be effective if they appeal to the needs, values, and beliefs of
the audience. Advertisers use a variety of visual and verbal means to encourage their
audience to identify, with the people in the ads, the experience the ads depict, and the
values the ads promote. Although the verbal and visual elements within an ad are
designed to work together, we can study these elements separately. We can look at
how the composition of the elements within the ad is intended to function. We can
look at the role of language and how it is used to persuade. We can study how objects
and settings are used to promote the audience’s identification with the products being
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sold. We can judge ads according to the skill with which they deploy all these resources
while at the same time being critically aware of their intended effects on us.
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• By showing cigarette packs set against the background of grass glistening with
morning dew or bubbling streams or cascading waterfalls, they subtly guide the
audience’s response away from what is dry, hot, congested, or burning towards what
is open airy, moist, cool and clean.
• In some brands, menthol flavoring and green and blue colors are intended to promote
theses associations.
Thus, ads act as do all other kinds of persuasion to intensify correlations that work to
the advertiser’s advantage and to suppress associations that would lessen the product’s
appeal.
The kinds of associations audiences are encouraged to perceive reflect a broad range
of positive emotional appeals that encourage the audience to finds self-esteem through
the purchase of a product that by itself offers a way to meet personal and social needs.
The most common manipulative techniques are designed to make consumers want to
consume to satisfy deep-seated human drives. Of course, no one consciously believes
that purchasing a particular kind of toothpaste, perfume, lipstick, or automobile will
meet real psychological and social needs, but that is exactly how products are sold-
through the promise of delivering unattainable satisfactions through tangible
perishable objects or services. In purchasing a certain product, we are offered the
chance to create ourselves, our personality, and our relationships through
consumption.
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These ads address the consumers as “You” (“wouldn’t `you’ really rather have a
Buick?”). The “You” here is plural but is perceived as being individual and personal
by someone who has already formed the connection with the product. Ironically, the
price of remaining in good standing with this “group” of fellow consumers requires
the consumer to purchase an expensive automobile. In this sense, ads give consumers
a chance to belong to social groups that have only one thing in common- the purchase
of a particular product.
One variation on the emotional need to belong to a designated social group is the
appeal to status or “snob appeal.” Snob appeal is not new. In 1710, The Spectator, a
popular newspaper of the time, carried an ad that read:
An incomparable Powder for Cleaning Teeth, which has given great satisfaction to
most of the Nobility Gentry in England. (Quoted in W Duncan Reckie, Advertising:
Its Place in Political and Managerial Economics, 1974.)
Ads for scotch, expensive cars, boats, jewellery, and watches frequently place their
products in upper class settings or depict them in connection with the fine arts
(sculpture, ballet etc.) The value warrant in these ads encourages the consumer to
imagine the purchase of the items will confer qualities associated with the background
are activities of this upper class world on to the consumers.
In other ads the need to belong takes a subtler form of offering the product as a way to
become part of a time in the past the audience might look back to with nostalgia.
Grandmotherly figures wearing aprons and holding products that are advertised as
being “like Grandma used to make” offer the consumer an imaginary past, a family
tradition, or a simpler time looked back to with warmth and sentimentality… Ads of
this kind are often photographed through filters that present misty sepia-tone images
that carefully recreate old-fashioned kitchens with the accompanying appliances,
dishes, clothes, and hairstyles. The ads thus supply us with false memories and invite
us to insert ourselves into this imaginary past and to remember it as if it were our own.
At the farthest extreme, ads employing the appeal to see us part of a group may try to
evoke patriotic feelings so that the prospective consumer will derive the satisfactions
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of good citizenship and sense of participation in being party of the collective psyche
of an entire nation. The point is that people really do have profound needs that
advertisers can exploit, but it would be a rare product indeed that could really fulfil
such profound needs.
Ads of course, can elicit responses by attempting to manipulate consumers through
negative as well as positive emotional appeals. Helen Woodward, the head copywriter
for an ad agency, once offered the following advice for ad writers trying to formulate
a new ad for baby food: “Give’em the figures about the baby death rate-but don’t say
it flatly … if we only had the nerve to put a hearse in the ad, you couldn’t keep the
women away from the food” (Stuart Ewen, Captains of Consciousness: Advertising
and the Social Roots of Consumer Culture, 1976). Ads of this kind must first arouse
the consumer’s anxieties and then offer the product as the solution to the problem that
more often than not the ad had created.
For example, an advertisement for Polaroid evokes the fear of not having taken
pictures of moments that cannot be re-created and then offers the product as a form of
insurance that will prevent this calamity from occurring. Nikon does the same in
claiming that “a moment is called a moment because it doesn’t last for ever. Think of
sunsets. A child’s surprise. A Labrador’s licky kiss. This is precisely why the Nikon
N50 has the simple ‘Simple’ switch on top of the camera.”
Large industrial conglomerates, whether in oil, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, or
agribusiness, frequently use advertising to accomplish different kinds of objectives
than simply persuading the consumer to buy a particular product. These companies
often seek to persuade the general public that they are not polluting the environment,
poisoning the water, or causing environmental havoc in the process of manufacturing
their products. The emotional appeal they use is to portray themselves as concerned
“corporate citizens, vitally interested in the public good as a whole, and especially in
those communities where they conduct their operations… Companies sensitive to
accusations that they are polluting the air and water can mount an advertising
campaign designed to prove that they are not simply exploiting the local resources
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(whether timber, oil fish, coal) for profits but are genuinely interested in putting
something back into the community. The folksy good neighbour tone of these ads is
designed to create a benign image of the company.
Glossary:
`em: Them
Anorak: Warm clothing with a hood
Aveda: A company manufacturing cosmetics
Benign: Beneficial, harmless
Buick: A well-known brand of car manufactured in the us
Cascading: Falling
Coercion: To compel by threat or force
Conglomerates: Gather together, combine several companies joined together
Credibility: Trust
Emphysema: A condition in which the air cells in the lungs lose their elasticity,
causing difficulty in breathing
Folksy: Giving the appearance of being simple and friendly
Fraudulent: Deceitful or dishonest
Gasoline: Fuel used to run motors and automobiles
Hearse: A carriage for conveying the dead to the grave
LL Beans: A company manufacturing apparel
Rhetoric: Oratory; the art of speaking or writing effectively and persuasively;
sometimes insincere
Sepia-tone: Brownish tinge, to make something appear old
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STP: A multinational company manufacturing petroleum products
Weasel words: This term was popularised by Theodore Roosevelt (the President of
the US, 1901-1909) in a speech he gave in St. Louis on May 31, 1916, when he
commented that notes from the Department of State were filled with “weasel words”
that retract the meaning of words, they are next to, just as a weasel (a type of small
flesh-eating animal) that can suck the meat out of an egg.
Comprehension:
Suggested Reading
Captains of Consciousness: Advertising and the Social Roots of the Consumer Culture
by Stuart Ewen.
Advertising and Society: An Introduction by Carol J. Pardun
Extended Activity:
Divide students into small groups and have them create an advertisement for a
fictional product. They should consider the target audience, message, and
persuasive techniques. Each group can present their ad to the class.
Create a short survey with questions about students' favourite advertisements, the
types of ads they find most persuasive, and how often they feel influenced by ads.
Discuss the survey results as a class.
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Language
Component
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1. READING COMPREHENSION
The word ‘comprehension’ means the ability to understand what you listen to or what you
read. It is an exercise to improve or test one’s language understanding. The fundamental
skills required in efficient reading comprehension, such as knowing the meaning of
words, understanding the meaning of a word from the context, and following the
passage's organisation, are all within your control as a reader. These skills enable you
to draw inferences from a passage about its contents, identify the main thought of a
passage, answer questions, recognise the devices or propositional structures used, and
determine its tone. Understanding the situational mood conveyed for assertions,
questioning, commanding, refraining, etc., and determining the writer’s purpose,
intent, and point of view further emphasise your role and responsibility in the
comprehension process.
Some of the fundamental skills required in efficient reading comprehension are the
ability to:
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determine the writer's purpose, intent, and point of view, and draw inferences
about the writer (discourse-semantics)
Read the passage given below and learn the technique of skimming and
scanning.
THE OLD MAN AND HIS GOD- Discovering the Spirit of India
Sudha Murthy
A few years back, I was travelling in the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu. It was
getting dark, and due to a depression over the Bay of Bengal, it was raining heavily.
The roads were overflowing with water, and my driver stopped the car near a village.
‘There is no way we can proceed further in this rain,’ said the driver. ‘Why don’t you
look for shelter somewhere nearby rather than sit in the car?’ Stranded in an unknown
place among unknown people, I was a bit worried. Nevertheless, I retrieved my
umbrella and marched out into the pelting rain. I started walking towards the tiny
village, whose name I cannot recall now. There was no electricity, and it was a trial
walking in the darkness and the rain. In the distance, I could just make out the shape
of a small temple. I decided it would be an ideal place to take shelter, so I made my
way to it. Halfway there, the rain started coming down even more fiercely and the
strong wind blew my umbrella away, leaving me completely drenched. I reached the
temple soaking wet. As soon as I entered, I heard an elderly person’s voice calling out
to me. Though I cannot speak Tamil, I could make out the concern in the voice. In the
course of my travels, I have come to realize that voices from the heart can be
understood irrespective of the language they speak. I peered into the darkness of the
temple and saw an old man of about eighty. Standing next to him was an equally old
lady in a traditional nine-yard cotton sari. She said something to him and then
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approached me with a worn but clean towel in her hand. As I wiped my face and head,
I noticed that the man was blind. It was obvious from their surroundings that they were
very poor. The Shiva temple, where I now stood, was simple with the minimum of
ostentation in its decorations. The Shivalinga was bare except for a bilwa leaf on top.
The only light came from a single oil lamp. In that flickering light a sense of calm
overcame me, and I felt myself closer to God than ever before. In halting Tamil, I
asked the man to perform the evening mangalarati, which he did with love and
dedication. When he finished, I placed a hundred-rupee note as the dakshina. He
touched the note and pulled away his hand, looking uncomfortable. Politely he said,
‘Amma, I can make out that the note is not for ten rupees, the most we usually receive.
Whoever you may be, in a temple, your devotion is important, not your money. Even
our ancestors have said that a devotee should give as much as he or she can afford to.
To me you are a devotee of Shiva, like everyone else who comes here. Please take
back this money.’ I was taken aback. I did not know how to react. I looked at the man’s
wife expecting her to argue with him and urge him to take the money, but she just
stood quietly. Often, in many households, a wife encourages the man’s greediness.
Here, it was the opposite. She was endorsing her husband’s views. So, I sat down with
them, and with the wind and rain whipping up a frenzy outside, we talked about our
lives. I asked them about themselves, their life in the village temple and whether they
had anyone to look after them. Finally, I said, ‘Both of you are old. You don’t have
any children to look after your everyday needs. In old age one requires more medicines
than groceries. This village is far from any of the towns in the district. Can I suggest
something to you?’ At that time, we had started an old-age pension scheme and I
thought, looking at their worn-out but clean clothes, they would be the ideal candidates
for it. This time the wife spoke up, ‘Please do tell, child.’ ‘I will send you some money.
Keep it in a nationalized bank or post office. The interest on that can be used for your
monthly needs. If there is a medical emergency, you can use the capital.’ The old man
smiled on hearing my words and his face lit up brighter than the lamp. ‘You sound
much younger than us. You are still foolish. Why do I need money in this great old
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age? Lord Shiva is also known as Vaidyanathan. He is the Mahavaidya, or great doctor.
This village we live in has many kind people. I perform the pooja and they give me
rice in return. If either of us is unwell, the local doctor gives us medicines. Our wants
are very few. Why would I accept money from an unknown person? If I keep this
money in the bank, like you are telling me to, someone will come to know and may
harass us. Why should I take on these worries? You are a kind person to offer help to
two unknown old people. But we are content; let us live as we always have. We don’t
need anything more.’ Just then the electricity came back, and a bright light lit up the
temple. For the first time I saw the couple properly. I could clearly see the peace and
happiness on their faces. They were the first people I met who refused help in spite of
their obvious need. I did not agree with everything he had just said, but it was clear to
me that his contentment had brought him peace. Such an attitude may not let you
progress fast, but after a certain period in life it is required. Perhaps this world, with
its many stresses and strains, has much to learn from an old couple in a forgettable
corner of India.
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The village doctor & the villagers help them, so there is no need for help from
unknown people.
Electricity came back & noticed peace & happiness on their faces.
Read the Passages and Answer the Questions That Follow Them:
Passage 1
We were standing on the bridge, trying to catch some fish for supper, when a small red
plane flew almost directly above our heads. We could even see the pilot's face. "What
on earth is he up to?" I asked. I felt rather annoyed. "I think he's in trouble," Jack said.
"His engine is making a strange noise." "Well, we can't do anything, can we?" I said.
"We can't even phone from here." We were on a boating holiday and we were miles
from the nearest town. "We can follow the plane down the river," Jack said. "Come
on! Let's go!" I must admit I liked the idea. There weren't many fish in that part of the
river, and I was bored. We dropped our fishing lines and ran towards our boat. It lay
under some bushes about a hundred yards down the river. Luckily, the engine started
almost at once, and soon we were roaring down the river. "But can the pilot land here?"
I asked Jack. He came to this part of the country for a holiday almost every year and
he knew the area well.
"There's a lake about fifteen miles down the river," Jack said. "If the pilot really is in
trouble, he’ll probably try to land there." The river was already becoming wider. We
went round a bend, and there was the lake in front of us. "Can you see anything?" Jack
asked. I looked across the lake. "No, absolutely nothing," I replied. "Wait a minute,
though. There's something in the water, near that island in the middle." It was a small
red plane! We raced across the lake. By the time we reached the island, the pilot was a
very young woman! - was sitting on top of the plane. "Hi!" she called out to us.
"Thanks for coming to help me. I'm sorry I disturbed you while you were fishing.
Anyway, would you like some fish for supper?"
She reached into the plane and pulled out a large fish, "There's plenty more in here!"
she said, laughing.
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1. What were Jack and the narrator doing when the plane flew over their head?
2. What was Jack’s idea?
3. Where did their boat lay?
4. How did Jack know the area well?
5. What was the pilot doing when Jack and the narrator reached there?
Passage 2
The two boys walked slowly across the valley. Then suddenly Fred stopped and sat
down on a large stone. "It's no use," he said. "I can't go any further. I'm absolutely
exhausted!" George looked at him for a minute. "Oh, come on!" he said. "It's not very
far now. Only five or six miles at the most." "Yes, but it's uphill most of the way," Fred
said. He pointed to the path in front of them. It went straight up the side of the valley.
George sat down, too. For a while, the two boys said nothing. Then Fred pointed to
some trees about half a mile ahead. "There's a hut among those trees," he said. "Perhaps
we can spend the night there." "I'll go and take a look," George said. He ran down the
path towards the hut and vanished among the trees. Fred followed more slowly.
"What's it like inside?" he asked when he reached the hut.
"Not bad," George called back. "It feels a little damp, but there's some wood in one
corner so that we can light a fire." The two boys cleaned out the hut and lit a fire. Then
they had supper. They were both tired, and they did not talk much. Before they went
to bed, they put plenty of wood on the fire. George fell asleep almost at once, but Fred
lay awake for a long time, watching the flames. Then he, too, fell asleep. Suddenly, he
was awake again. The fire was nearly out. He could hear noises outside. It sounded
like voices. He woke up George. "It's only the wind," he grumbled. "Go to sleep
again!" But it wasn't the wind! The voices came nearer until they were just outside the
hut. The door opened, and a light shone on their faces. "They're here!" a voice called
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out. A policeman was standing in the doorway. He addressed the two boys. "You've
given us a lot of trouble," he said. "We looked all over the valley for you two!"
Passage 3
Depression is a highly under-diagnosed illness. Many people are not even aware when
they are suffering from it. Also, depression is confused with sadness or grief or an
attitude problem. But it is not just sadness and grief — it is an illness. Sadness and
grief are normal parts of life but depression isn’t- the difference is like that between a
common cold and pneumonia. Often people try to ignore depression or treat it with
prescriptions for physical ailment or worse still, with drugs and alcohol. The result will
be the same as what would happen to a person taking medicines for cold and fever
when affected by pneumonia. Left untreated, depression can become a serious
condition, crippling life or causing mortality. Gloomy facts apart, the best news is that,
depression can be effectively treated and cured in many cases with modern medicine.
When depression becomes so severe that it makes a person dysfunctional for extended
period of time causing irreversible damage to relationships or life conditions, it is
generally referred to as clinical depression, and it requires professional treatment. Even
though most depressed persons lack will and motivation to seek help, it is imperative
that family members or well-wishers persuade and encourage the person to get
treatment. Depression is a whole person illness — it affects the body, feelings, thoughts
and behaviour. There is certainly a bio- chemical process in depression, but it also
affects the individual’s thinking process, and ignites a variety of (negative) emotions.
When it becomes unmanageable, it paves way for severe depression. Mental health
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professionals generally classify depression by its cause: Endogenous depression is
caused by a chemical imbalance within the mind. Reactive depression is caused as a
response to a disturbing event or series of events. The first one responds better to
medication. In the second case, medication may increase the symptoms, but it is
necessary to resolve the issues that triggered it off, otherwise when medication is
stopped, there can be a relapse. Simple, cheap and highly effective anti- depressants
are now available on prescription from a qualified doctor. The medicines should not
be misused since the long-term effects can be adverse. At the other end of the spectrum,
there are people who believe they should never ever use anti- depressants because of
there are horrible side effects and the medicine becomes addictive. This is absolutely
not true. People regularly taking anti-depressant under medical supervision can lead
absolutely normal day to day lives, without any serious side effects. And tapered off
properly by the doctors, the patient will not have any addiction or craving for them and
can get on with life.
1. Why do people in general not treat depression as an illness?
2. If sadness and grief is like common cold, then depression is like
………………….
3. Which of the following statement is false?
a. Depression can be triggered by a disturbing event.
b. Depression can cause a person to develop negative emotions.
c. Medicines should be taken life long, stopping them causes relapse.
d. Depression can be caused by chemical imbalance in the brain.
4. Mention any two compound words from the passage.
5. Give a suitable title to the passage.
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Passage 4
Archaeology as a profession faces two major problems.
First, it is the poorest of the poor. Only paltry sums are available for excavating and
even less is available for publishing the results and preserving the sites once excavated.
Yet archaeologists deal with priceless objects every day.
Second, there is the problem of illegal excavation, resulting in museum-quality pieces
being sold to the highest bidder.
I would like to make an outrageous suggestion that would at one stroke provide funds
for archaeology and reduce the amount of illegal digging. I would propose that
scientific archaeological expeditions and governmental authorities sell excavated
artifacts on the open market. Such sales would provide substantial funds for the
excavation and preservation of archaeological sites and the publication of results. At
the same time, they would break the illegal excavator’s grip on the market, thereby
decreasing the inducement to engage in illegal activities.
You might object that professionals excavate to acquire knowledge, not money.
Moreover, ancient artefacts are part of our global cultural heritage, which should be
available for all to appreciate, not sold to the highest bidder. I agree. Sell nothing that
has unique artistic merit or scientific value. But you might reply, everything that comes
out of the ground has scientific value. Here we part company. Theoretically, you may
be correct in claiming that every artifact has potential scientific value. Practically, you
are wrong.
I refer to the thousands of pottery vessels and ancient lamps that are essentially
duplicates of one another. In one small excavation in Cyprus, archaeologists recently
uncovered 2,000 virtually indistinguishable small jugs in a single courtyard, even
precious royal seal impressions known as melekh handles have been found in
abundance — more than 4,000 examples so far.
The basement of museums is simply not large enough to store the artifacts that are
likely to be discovered in the future. There is not enough money even to catalogue the
finds; as a result, they cannot be found again and become as inaccessible as if they had
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never been discovered. Indeed, with the help of a computer, sold artifacts could be
more accessible than are the pieces stored in bulging museum basements. Prior to sale,
each could be photographed and the list of the purchasers could be maintained on the
computer A purchaser could even be required to agree to return the piece if it should
become needed for scientific purposes. It would be unrealistic to suggest that illegal
digging would stop if artefacts were sold in the open market. However, the demand
for the clandestine product would be substantially reduced. Who would want an
unmarked pot when another was available whose provenance was known, and that was
dated stratigraphically by the professional archaeologist who excavated it?
Passage 5
Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on Earth, encompassing the different plants,
animals, and microorganisms, the genetic information they contain, and the
ecosystems they form. It is essential for ecosystem stability, human health, and the
planet's overall functionality. Ecosystems with rich biodiversity are more resilient to
changes and stresses, such as climate change and pollution, because they can adapt
more quickly.
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A healthy biodiversity provides a wide range of benefits to humans, often referred to
as ecosystem services. These include provisioning services such as food, clean water,
and medicine; regulating services like climate regulation and disease control;
supporting services such as nutrient cycling and soil formation; and cultural services,
which include recreational, spiritual, and educational benefits.
Passage 6
The Role of Trees in Urban Environments
Trees play a pivotal role in urban environments, offering myriad benefits to city
dwellers. Beyond their visual appeal, trees contribute significantly to the well-being of
urban populations. They help ameliorate air quality by absorbing pollutants such as
carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides while emitting oxygen.
Furthermore, trees alleviate the urban heat island effect by providing shade and cooling
through transpiration.
Urban trees also enhance residents' mental and physical health. Research indicates that
green spaces, including those with trees, can alleviate stress, enhance mood, and
promote physical activity. Additionally, trees can diminish noise pollution by acting
as sound barriers, thereby fostering more serene and tranquil urban settings.
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Economically, trees augment property values and attract businesses by enhancing the
aesthetics of city streets and neighbourhoods. They also contribute to reducing energy
consumption, as shaded areas necessitate less air conditioning during summer months.
Moreover, trees support urban biodiversity by serving as habitats for diverse species
of birds, insects, and small mammals.
However, urban trees confront various challenges, such as limited space for root
expansion, soil compaction, pollution, and damage from construction activities.
Effective urban forestry management is imperative to overcome these challenges and
ensure the sustainability of urban tree populations. This involves meticulous planning,
regular maintenance, and community participation in tree planting and care initiatives.
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4. What is the antonym of "serene" used in the passage?
a) Tranquil
b) Calm
c) Turbulent
d) Peaceful
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2. VOCABULARY
Words are important. If you cannot say what you mean, you will never mean what
you say. And you should always mean what you say. This is paraphrased from the
film “The Last Emperor”.
Have you ever found articulating your thoughts or ideas in English challenging?
Maybe you are trying to find the ideal word to convey a feeling, but it remains out of
reach. This common struggle often stems from a limited vocabulary. A robust
vocabulary is essential for effective communication and language proficiency.
Vocabulary encompasses the words we use to communicate effectively. It is essential
for understanding and being understood in spoken and written language. Vocabulary
can be categorised into active vocabulary (used regularly) and passive vocabulary (we
know but do not use it often).
Read Regularly
Keep a Vocabulary Journal
Engage in Conversations
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Learn a Word a Day
Read Aloud
Write Regularly
Use a Thesaurus
Listen to Podcasts and Audiobooks
Watch English Shows/Movies
Synonyms
A synonym is a word that means the same thing as another word. They can be used
interchangeably in many contexts to avoid repetition and add variety to writing and
speech.
Antonyms
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Accord Agreement, Harmony Discord
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Consolidate Solidify, Strengthen Separate, Weaken
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Gloomy Bleak, Cloudy Gay, Bright
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Liable Accountable, Bound Unaccountable, Apt To
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Quarantine Seclude, Screen Befriend, Socialise
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Utterly Completely, Entirely Deficiently, Incomplete
Exercises:
1. ABASH
2. ACCOMPLICE
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(a) friend (b) criminal (c) abetter (d) thief
3. ALLEGIANCE
4. BIASED
5. INTENSIFY
6. REPULSIVE
7. PROHIBIT
8. CALLOUS
9. COLLOSSAL
10. DELUSION
11. AMICABLE
12. BRUTAL
13. EXQUISITE
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(a) clumsy (b) graceful (c) rough (d) unrefined
14. CONCISENESS
15. CANDID
16. BOISTEROUS
17. EXTEMPORE
18. ACUMEN
19. ABSTAIN
20. ABASE
B. In each of the following sentences, one word has been italicised. Under each
sentence, four alternative words, marked a-d, are given. Select, from these
alternatives, the word which conveys more or less the same meaning as the
italicised word in the sentence:
5. The nexus between the Punjab militants and the J&K terrorists has been
condemned.
10. They connived to alert the police to the possibility of a bomb blast.
Antonyms
1. TIMID
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(a) fearful (b) bold (c) tasteless (d) busy
2. ANCIENT
3. IDLE
4. ADMONITION
5. SANCTITY
6. DISASTROUS
7. CONSISTENCY
8. SLUGGISHNESS
9. ACCOMPLISHED
10. CONFIDENT
11. EXTERIOR
12. DULL
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(a) clever (b) bright (c) coloured (d) youthful
13. RELIGIOUS
14. ACQUITTAL
15. SAGE
16. MOIST
17. MASK
18. CALLOUS
19. BEGUILE
20. VIRTUE
Homonyms are words with the exact spelling and pronunciation but different
meanings.
Examples:
Lie (untruth)
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Fair (reasonable)
Bark:
Bat:
Date:
Nail:
Wave:
Exercise
I. Frame two sentences using the following homonyms to show the difference in
meanings:
1. Bear 7. Right
2. Bank 8. Close
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3. Board 9. Light
Homophones are words pronounced alike but have different meanings and spellings.
Examples:
Pair / Pear
Pair: I bought a new pair of shoes.
Pear: She ate a juicy pear for breakfast.
Aisle / Isle
Aisle: Please walk down the aisle to your seat.
Isle: They vacationed on a remote isle in the Caribbean.
Flour / Flower
Flour: She needs flour to bake the cake.
Flower: The garden is full of blooming flowers.
Eight / Ate
Eight: She has eight cats.
Ate: He ate his lunch quickly.
Bee / Be
Bee: The bee buzzed around the garden.
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Be: It’s essential to be kind to others.
Brake / Break
Brake: He had to brake suddenly to avoid the dog.
Break: She needed a break from her work.
Mail / Male
Mail: She received a lot of mail today.
Male: The male peacock has vibrant feathers.
Right / Write
Right: She turned right at the corner.
Write: Please write your name on top of the paper.
Plain / Plane
Plain: The dress was plain and simple.
Plane: The plane took off on time.
Tail / Tale
Tail: The dog wagged its tail happily.
Tale: She read a fairy tale before bed.
To / Too / Two
To: She is going to the store.
Too: He ate too much at dinner.
Two: They have two children.
Knew / New
Knew: She knew the answer immediately.
New: He bought a new car yesterday.
I. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words given in the brackets:
2. The young prince was the next ______ ( air/heir) of the conquered kingdom.
3. The ______ (aisle/isle) in the crowded hall was narrow to walk through.
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4. God was placed on high _______ (altar / alter).
5. A _____ of robbers were ______ from entering the village. (band/ banned)
7. The boy had to _____ the poem; in the open ____though he did not have ______.
(site/sight/cite)
8. The _______ cloth became the subject of the ______ for the fashion designing
students. (coarse / course)
9. They lost the ______ in the river but managed to reach the mining _____. (ores/
oars)
10. The mountaineers just had a _____ of the mountain _____. (peek /peak)
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III. Fill in the blanks with the suitable words given in the brackets:
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3. COMMUNICATION: VERBAL AND NON-VERBAL
Definitions:
Communication is a process by which people create and share information with one
another in order to reach a common understanding”. – Rogers
Communication is the sum of all things, one person does when he wants to create
understanding in the mind of another. It is a bridge of meaning. It involves a systematic
and continuous process of telling, listening and understanding.” Allen Louis
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Communication – the human connection – is the key to personal and career success. -
Paul J. Meyer
Elements of Communication
The elements of communication are as follows:
1. Sender: A Sender is a person who conveys his thoughts or ideas to the receiver.
The sender represents a source of communication.
2. Message: This is the content of ideas, feelings, suggestions, order, etc., to be
communicated.
3. Encoding: It is the process of converting the message into communication
symbols such as words, pictures and gestures.
4. Medium: It is the path through which an encoded message is transmitted to
the receiver. The channel may be written, face-to-face, phone call, interest, etc.
5. Decoding: It is the process of converting encoded symbols of the sender.
6. Receiver: The person who receives communication from the sender.
7. Feedback: It includes all actions of the receiver indicating that he has received
and understood the sender's message.
8. Noise: Noise is an obstruction or hindrance to communication. It may affect the
sender, message, or receiver.
Some examples of noise are:
*Ambiguous symbols that lead to faulty encoding
* An inattentive receiver
The sender or encoder chooses the appropriate medium based on several factors, such
as the receiver, message, urgency, etc. The sender may select a non-verbal signal, body
language, speech, writing or any other available medium to transmit the encoded
message. The message gets transmitted to the receiver. The receiver decodes and
perceives the message; misinterpretation may arise even if there is interference in the
medium. The receiver’s response or reaction is the feedback that the sender gets. The
feedback may again be a signal or an action.
Objectives of Communication
Why do we communicate at all?
1. We communicate to persuade: This means that we want someone to do
something, and we communicate our desire. The mother patting the child to stop
crying, the advertiser displaying a model in a new T-shirt, and the politician addressing
his audience to vote for him all have the same objective of persuading while
communicating it differently.
Types of Communication
Communication is indispensable in our lives. One needs good communication skills to
excel in personal and professional life. On an organisational level, communication is
of utmost importance. People exchange their ideas, opinions, and perceptions through
communication. Communication can be oral/ verbal or written. Oral communication
includes speaking out and talking to each other regarding different things, while
written communication includes writing down to communicate with the person. Sign
language is also a part of communication, and people use various signs and symbols to
communicate with other people. Body language, eye contact, expressions, etc., are
essential aspects of communication.
Non-verbal communication
Non-verbal communication includes any other communication that is not verbal, such
as gestures, signs, facial expressions, etc. Verbal communication is frequently
supplemented by non-verbal communication. However, it can also be used as the sole
mode of communication, such as sign language. Using sign language is a form of
communication.
Nonverbal communication also includes body posture, eye contact, touch, and body
movements, as well as the tone, pitch, and quality of the voice.
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According to the Oxford Dictionary of Media and Communication, verbal
communication is “human interaction through the use of words or messages in
linguistic form.”
Written Communication
Written Communication refers to the process of conveying a message through written
symbols. In other words, any message exchanged between two or more persons that
uses written words is called written communication. Written communication refers to
exchanging information, ideas, or messages through written words.
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Brochures and billboards—All forms of advertising that are physically supported on
the street, social networks, or the Internet and are forms of written communication,
including slogans, logos, images, etc.
Press, books, magazines—These products can be consumed physically or online and
are a form of written communication.
Oral Communication vs Written Communication
The main difference between oral and written communication is that oral
communication is an exchange of information through spoken words, while written
communication is an exchange of information through written words. Here are some
aspects of Oral and Written communication:
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Includes facial expressions, tone,
Non-Verbal Cues Relies solely on written words
gestures, etc.
You must know how to speak to You must know how to write to
Requirements communicate a message and to send a message and read to
hear to receive it receive it
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6) Flexibility: Verbal Communication can be adapted to suit the audience and the
situation. Individuals can adjust their communication style accordingly, whether it's a
formal presentation, a casual conversation, or a negotiation.
7) Cultural understanding: Verbal Communication allows people from different
cultural backgrounds to engage in dialogue, fostering cross-cultural understanding and
reducing misunderstandings arising from written Communication.
8) Immediate resolution of issues: Verbal Communication is ideal for addressing
conflicts and resolving issues promptly. It allows individuals to discuss concerns,
clarify misunderstandings, and find mutually agreeable solutions.
9) Enhanced learning: Verbal Communication is crucial for effective teaching and
learning in educational settings. Teachers can explain complex concepts, answer
questions, and engage students in discussions, promoting better comprehension.
10) Emotional expression: Verbal Communication provides a platform for
expressing emotions, whether sharing joy, offering support, or conveying empathy
during difficult times. It strengthens interpersonal relationships.
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f) Practice expressing ideas: Engage in conversations, debates, or presentations to
practice articulating your ideas and thoughts fluently.
g) Seek feedback: Request feedback from trusted individuals on your communication
skills. This will allow you to identify areas for improvement and refine your Verbal
Communication abilities.
h) Observe effective communicators: Observe and learn from skilled
communicators, such as public speakers or professionals, to gain insights into effective
Verbal Communication techniques.
i) Embrace confidence: Cultivate confidence in your speaking abilities by practising
and visualising successful communication scenarios.
j) Seek professional development opportunities: Attend workshops, seminars, or
courses on enhancing verbal communication skills to gain valuable insights and
techniques.
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Effective questioning
Effective questioning is a powerful technique for gathering information and seeking
support. Closed-ended questions seek brief responses, while open questions encourage
elaboration and deeper engagement. Both questions serve different purposes in
directing conversations and facilitating meaningful dialogue.
Reflection and clarification
Reflection involves restating the speaker's message in your own words, demonstrating
understanding and active listening. It allows for clarification and confirmation, shows
respect for the speaker's perspective, and fosters a deeper connection and mutual
understanding.
Summarising
Summarising involves providing a concise overview of the main points or critical
issues discussed. It serves to review and validate the shared understanding between
communicators, ensuring effective communication and guiding further action.
Closing communication
The closing of a conversation is just as important as its opening. Verbal cues, namely
expressing gratitude or signalling the need to conclude, are worth noting. Along with
nonverbal cues like maintaining eye contact or engaging in appropriate parting
gestures, they help bring conversations to a natural and respectful close.
Conclusion
Verbal Communication can be described as a key driver of success. It enables clear
expression, fosters learning, and strengthens relationships. Mastering this skill
empowers us to influence, collaborate, and navigate challenges confidently. By honing
your Verbal Communication skills, you can explore many opportunities for growth
and achievement in your personal and professional career path.
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Non-Verbal Communication
We do not communicate through words alone or only through writing, speaking and
listening. Another equally important aspect of communication is the non-verbal (non-
word) aspect. Communication that involves neither written nor spoken words but takes
place without the use of words. It is communication without the use of words. It
includes gestures, signs, facial expressions and body language. The message is
conveyed through posture, stance, gaze, tone, voice modulation, eye contact, physical
distance between the sender and the receiver of the message, signboards and images,
general characteristics of the environment colour and layout/design, and other kinds
of visual and/or audio signals that the communicator may devise. It forms the more
significant part of the overall communication activity. Studies have shown that
nonverbal communication constitutes an important aspect of our communication:
Verbal communication– 7%, Bodily movements, gestures– 55%, Voice tone,
inflexion, etc.– 38%. This shows the relevance of body language.
Nonverbal Communication Types: While these signals can be so subtle that we are
unaware of them, research has identified eight types of nonverbal communication.
These nonverbal communication types are:
1. Facial expressions
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2. Gestures
4. Body language
7. Appearance
Facial Expressions
Facial expressions are responsible for a considerable proportion of nonverbal
communication. Consider how much information can be conveyed with a smile or a
frown. The look on a person's face is often the first thing we see, even before hearing
what they say.
While nonverbal communication and behaviour can vary dramatically between
cultures, facial expressions of happiness, sadness, anger, and fear are similar
worldwide.
Gestures
Deliberate movements and signals are an essential way to communicate meaning
without words. Common gestures include waving, pointing, and giving a "thumbs up"
sign. Other gestures are arbitrary and related to culture.
For example, in the U.S., putting the index and middle finger in the shape of a "V"
with your palm facing out is often considered a sign of peace or victory. Yet, this
gesture can be viewed as an insult in Britain, Australia, and other parts of the world.
Nonverbal communication via gestures is so powerful and influential that some judges
limit which ones are allowed in the courtroom, where they can sway juror opinions.
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For instance, an attorney might glance at their watch to suggest that the opposing
lawyer's argument is tedious. Or they may roll their eyes during a witness's testimony
to undermine that person's credibility.
Paralinguistics
Paralinguistics refers to vocal communication that is separate from actual
language. This form of nonverbal communication includes tone of voice, loudness,
inflexion, and pitch.
For example, consider the powerful effect of tone of voice on a sentence's meaning.
When said firmly, listeners might interpret a statement as approval and enthusiasm.
The exact words said hesitantly can convey disapproval and a lack of interest.
Proxemics
People often refer to their need for "personal space." This is known as proxemics and
is another important type of nonverbal communication.
Several factors influence the distance we need and the space we perceive as belonging
to us. These include social norms, cultural expectations, situational factors, personality
characteristics, and level of familiarity.
The personal space needed when conversing casually with another person can vary
between 18 inches and four feet. The distance needed when speaking to a crowd is
usually around 10 to 12 feet.
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Eye Gaze
The eyes play a role in nonverbal communication, with important cues in looking,
staring, and blinking. For example, when you encounter people or things you like, your
rate of blinking increases, and your pupils dilate.
People's eyes can indicate a range of emotions, including hostility, interest, and
attraction. People also often use eye gaze cues to gauge a person's honesty. Regular,
steady eye contact is usually taken as a sign that a person is trustworthy and telling the
truth. On the other hand, shifty eyes and an inability to maintain eye contact are
frequently seen as indicators or being deceptive.
Haptics
Communicating through touch is another important nonverbal communication
behaviour. Touch can communicate affection, familiarity, sympathy, and
other emotions.
In her book Interpersonal Communication: Everyday Encounters, author Julia Wood
writes that touch is often used to communicate status and power. High-status
individuals tend to invade other people's personal space with greater frequency and
intensity than lower-status individuals.
Sex differences also affect how people utilise touch to communicate meaning. Women
tend to use touch to convey care, concern, and nurturance. Conversely, men are more
likely to use touch to assert power or control others. Substantial research has been done
on the importance of touch in infancy and early childhood.
Appearance
Our choice of clothing, hairstyle, and other appearance factors are also considered a
means of nonverbal communication. Research on colour has demonstrated that
different colours can evoke different moods. Appearance can also alter physiological
reactions, judgments, and interpretations.
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Just think of all the subtle judgments you quickly make about someone based on their
appearance. These first impressions are important, so experts suggest that job seekers
dress appropriately for interviews with potential employers.
Researchers have found that appearance can even affect earnings. Attractive people
tend to earn more and receive other fringe benefits, including higher-quality jobs.
Culture is an important influence on how appearances are judged. While thinness tends
to be valued in Western cultures, some African cultures relate full-figured bodies to
better health, wealth, and social status.
Artefacts
Artefacts are unique in nonverbal communication, conveying messages about social
status and personal history. In communication, an artefact is any physical object
conveying a message. Status symbols, like luxury cars or designer clothing,
communicate wealth and prestige to others.
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4. TENSES
Tenses are modified verbs used to indicate the time and state of an action/event;
specify when an event or action took place, whether it is complete or in continuation.
Tenses can be classified into three categories:
Note: According to the Advanced Grammar Rules in Modern Linguistics, the Future
is indicated as a Time Reference and not a Tense Category. However, many Grammar
books maintain that the Future is a Tense Category.
a) Simple Tense
b) Continuous Tense
c) Perfect Tense
Present Tense
Simple Present
2. He hates mangoes.
Note: If the subject is third person singular (he/she/it/singular noun), then ‘s’ or ‘es’
is added to the main verb.
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Structure of an Interrogative Sentence
If the subject is third person singular, the sentence starts with the auxiliary verb
“does”. The sentence begins with the auxiliary verb “do” if the subject is plural.
Present Continuous
It is also known as the present progressive tense. It describes actions happening in the
present, which are happening at the time of speaking.
Subject +Auxiliary Verb + Present Participle (base form of the verb + ing)
1. I am reading a book.
Subject + Auxiliary Verb + Not + Present Participle (base form of the verb+ ing)
Auxiliary Verb + Subject + Present Participle (base form of the verb + ing)
Or
Question Word+ Subject+ Auxiliary Verb+ Present Participle (base form of the verb
+ ing)
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1. Is he driving the car?
Present Perfect
It describes actions that began in the past, continue in the present, or have just been
completed. (Refers to actions completed in the recent past)
Note: We use present perfect with adverbials such as recently, just, only, yet,
already, etc.
Or
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1. Have you sent the consignment?
It refers to actions that began in the past and continue in the present; it also shows when the
action started or for how long it continued.
Subject + Auxiliary Verb (has been/have been) + Present Participle (basic form of
the verb) + ing + Time reference
Note: The words “since” and “for” are generally used to show the time and duration
of the action. “Since” indicates the point in time (when precisely the action started in
the past), and “for” specifies a period of time (the duration).
Subject +Auxiliary Verb (has not been/have not been) + Present Participle (basic
form of the verb + ing + Time-reference
Or
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1. Have you been attending music classes since the beginning of the semester?
Past Tense
1. He lived in Mumbai.
Subject + Auxiliary Verb (did) + NOT + Basic form of the Verb + Object
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Question word/Auxiliary Verb (did) + Subject+ Basic form of the Verb + Object
Past Continuous
It is also called past progressive tense. It indicates ongoing actions of the past. It
describes:
OR
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Question Word+ Auxiliary Verb (was/were) + Subject + Present Participle + Object
/Adverbial
Past Perfect
1. Describe two actions that have taken place in the past, usually one before the
other.
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Structure of an Interrogative Sentence
It is also called past perfect progressive tense. It describes an ongoing action that
started in the past and continued for some time in the past. “Since” usually shows when
the action started in the past, and “for” specifies how long the action lasted.
Subject + Auxiliary Verb (had been) + Present Participle (base form of the verb +
ing) + Object + Time reference
Subject + Auxiliary Verb (had Not been) + Present Participle + Object + Time
reference
1. Children had not been playing in the field for two months.
Future Time
It is used to express actions that will happen in the future. It is classified into:
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Future Simple
Used to describe an action that will happen in the near or far future.
2. I hope she will get the job she has applied for.
Subject + Auxiliary Verb (will) + Not + Base form of the verb + Object
or
Question Word+ Auxiliary Verb (will) + Subject + Base form of the verb+ Object
Future Continuous
It is used for actions that will be in progress in the near or distant future.
Structure of Sentence
OR
Future Perfect
It is used when the speaker assumes that some action will be completed by a
particular time in the future.
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Will + Subject + Have + Past Participle + Object
OR
This describes ongoing actions that will be completed in the future. “Since” is
usually used to show when the action will start, and “for” is used to specify how long
the action will continue.
Subject + Auxiliary Verb (will have been) + Present Participle+ Object + Time
reference
1. She will have been writing her next play by this time next year.
2. By this time next year, I will have been working on this project for a year.
Subject + Auxiliary Verb (will not have been) + Present Participle (base verb + ing)
+object + Time-reference
2. She will not have been waiting for you for seven hours.
Will + Subject + Have been + Present Participle (base verb + ing) + Object
OR
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Question Word+ Will + Subject + Have been + Present Participle (base verb + ing) +
Object
1. Will you have been working in the organisation long before you quit?
Note: Present simple and continuous tenses are also used to indicate the future.
Tenses at a Glance:
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never or several times
actions taking place one
after another
action taking place in the
middle of another action
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Present emphasising the course A: He has been speaking.
Perfect or duration. (not the N: He has not been speaking.
Progressive result) Q: Has he been speaking?
action that recently
stopped or is still going
on.
finished action that
influenced the present.
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Exercises:
IV. Fill each of the blanks with the correct form of the word given in brackets:
a) One day, I _________ (be) in the lunch line, and there I saw a pile of apples. The
teacher-in charge _________ (stare) at me and said, “Just _________ (take) one. God
_________ (watch)”. So, I _________ (take) an apple, and the line ________ (move)
along. At the next table, there ________ (be) a pile of chocolate chip cookies. I
_________ (not know) what to do. “Psst,” the kid behind me __________ (whisper).
“_________ (take) all you want. God’s watching the apples.”
b) During the vacation, Sarah decided to take up (1) ____________ (paint) as a hobby.
She bought all the necessary supplies and started (2) ______________ (attend) a local
art class. Over time, she became more skilled and began (3) _______________ (create)
beautiful artworks. Her friends encouraged her to consider (4) _______________ (sell)
her paintings online.
c) Technology has (1) ____________ (transform) the way we communicate. In the past,
people relied on letters and face-to-face meetings. Now, we use emails, social media,
and video calls for (2) _____________ (instant) communication. This change has
made it easier to stay in touch, but it has also (3) _______________ (introduce) new
challenges, such as the potential for (4) _______________ (misunderstand) due to the
lack of nonverbal cues.
d) When I _______ (be) a child, I _______ (spend) a lot of time with my grandparents.
They _______ (live) in a small village, and I _______ (love) visiting them during my
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school holidays. My grandmother always _______ (cook) delicious meals, and my
grandfather _______ (tell) me stories about his youth. One summer, he _______
(teach) me how to fish, and we _______ (go) to the river every morning. Those days
_______ (be) some of the happiest moments of my childhood.
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5. ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE
Voice is a form of verb that shows whether the subject acts or has acted
upon the verb; sentences are in either the active or passive voice.
Active Voice
Active Voice is a sentence where the verb shows that the subject does an action.
In active form, the subject acts.
Passive Voice
Passive Voice is a sentence in which the form of a verb shows that an action is
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done to the subject.
Characteristics of Passive Voice:
When we change the sentence from active to passive voice, the object
becomes the subject.
We can only use sentences with transitive verbs in the passive voice,
meaning we can change sentences with an object into this voice.
Intransitive verbs do not take passive forms.
Examples:
1. I went to Delhi yesterday.
2. The ship slowly disappeared from view.
Uses:
Passive voice is often used in objective writing where the focus is on
the action.
It is widely used in formal, professional, journalistic, legal writings
and scientific research papers.
It is used to make an impersonal statement.
It is used to eliminate the mention of the agent.
The procedure for cooking rice in the rice cooker is given below.
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II. Rewrite the sentences in Active Voice:
1. The plans for the new building were approved by the city council last week.
2. The ancient manuscript was translated by the scholars over several months.
3. The emergency procedures have been revised by the safety committee.
4. The beautiful painting was admired by all the visitors to the gallery.
5. The final decision will be made by the board of directors tomorrow.
6. The new library was inaugurated by the chief minister.
7. The historical drama was directed by a renowned filmmaker.
8. The project deadlines were extended by the management due to unforeseen
circumstances.
9. The scholarship winners have been announced by the principal.
10.The environmental impact of the construction was assessed by the engineers
III. The following paragraph uses some passive verbs. Rewrite the paragraph
and change the verbs from passive to active. Supply new subjects for some
sentences.
1. Someone broke into a local jewellery shop yesterday. The owner had just locked
up the shop when a robber with a gun threatened him. The robber told him to
unlock the shop and gave him all the diamonds in the safe. Then the robber tied
him up. The police have planned a search for the robber. Doctors are treating the
owner of the shop for shock.
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2. People saw a UFO in the sky above Bengaluru last night. They reported it to the
police. The police sent a helicopter to look at it more closely. The UFO shot the
helicopter down and killed two police officers in it. People have given
photographs of the UFO to the police. Experts are looking at them now.
3. Last year a hurricane was experienced by my family and me for the first time. It
was Hurricane Apache, and much damage to our property and neighbourhood
was caused by its fierce winds of 200 miles per hour and heavy rains.
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6. DIALOGUE WRITING
As social beings, people communicate with one another. When both parties
in a conversation contribute to the topic being discussed, this interaction
can be described as a ‘dialogue’. A dialogue can cover any topic, from a
simple chat about daily chores to a serious discussion about social or
medical issues or planning for an event. The key thing to remember is that
a dialogue is not just any conversation but between two people.
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Apologising I apologise. Very/
I beg your pardon. Extremely/
Kindly excuse me. So sorry
Responding to
an That is okay. That's fine
apology I appreciate your Alright!
apology. Fine!
I hear you ____.
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I am afraid I Sorry, I
can't____. can't___.
I would rather you
didn't ______.
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Leave-taking It was a pleasure Bye.
seeing you. See you
Nice meeting you. later.
Goodbye. I’ll catch
I am afraid I must you later.
go now.
Let me take your
leave.
POINTS TO REMEMBER
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Examples:
Teacher: I am doing fine. What are your plans after the Class 12 Boards
examination?
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Nancy: Well, Ma’am, I am planning to pursue English Literature.
Teacher: I thought so! I know how much you love English. So, did you
decide which college you want to pursue English Honours?
Nancy: Yes, Ma’am, I have made a list of a few colleges; they are pretty
good. Ultimately, it will depend on how well I score on my board exams.
Teacher: I am sure you will fare well in the exams and score the highest
mark!
Teacher: I wish you all the best regarding your board results and future.
Tina: Oh, Rita! How are you? It’s been a long time.
Rita: I am OK, what about you? Yes, we last met during the board
exams.
Rita: Wow! You finally got to study the subject you loved the most in
school.
Tina: True. What about you, Rita? Wasn’t History your favourite
subject?
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Rita: You guessed it right. I studied History at Lady Shri Ram College
for Women in Delhi.
Rita: Bye for now. I have to pick up my sister from tuition. Take care.
1. Manjula calls up Raju to make a plan for New Year. Complete the
dialogue between Manjula and Raju by filling in the gaps.
Manjula: How do you like the idea (ii) _______________ the Nithya’s
party?
Manjula: I’ll come to your house this evening and ask your parents to let
you join me at the party.
Raju: Ok.
Salesman: -----------------------------------------------------------------------
Customer: ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Salesman: -----------------------------------------------------------------------
Customer: ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Salesman: -----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Customer: ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Salesman: -----------------------------------------------------------------------
Customer: ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Salesman: -----------------------------------------------------------------------
Customer: ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Exercises:
1. Write dialogues among three friends talking about the teachers at their
school.
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2. Develop a conversation between a mother and her teenage son in which
she advises him to quit his addiction to mobile phones.
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3. Write a dialogue between a mother and her daughter in which the mother
tries to convince her daughter about the benefits of homemade food.
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5. Write a dialogue between Pavithra and her brother about the merits and
demerits of online exams.
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QUESTION PAPER PATTERN
GENERAL ENGLISH
I SEMESTER
Instructions:
SECTION- A
(7 questions to be given)
(5 questions to be given)
(3 questions to be given)
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SECTION – B
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MODEL QUESTION PAPER
GENERAL ENGLISH
I SEMESTER
Instructions:
SECTION- A
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II. Answer any FOUR in about a page each: (4x5=20)
1) What happens during the astrologer's encounter with Guru Nayak? How does the
astrologer deal with the situation?
2) How does the photographer's attitude and behaviour contribute to the main
character's experience? Discuss any instances of humour that arise from their
interactions.
3) Is the poet convinced about his claim about love in Sonnet 116? Why does he use
the word 'if' in the couplet?
4) Examine the plot structure of "The Necklace." Identify and explain the key
incidents that contribute to the story's rising action, climax, and resolution.
5) How can advertisements manipulate audiences through negative emotional
appeals, according to the essay ‘The Rhetoric of Advertising’?
SECTION – B
(Language Component)
IV. Read the following passage and answer the questions given below: (5)
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The five great human beings I saw in my dream lived at different times. In the modern
world, there are few examples of human beings who embody the qualities that come
from realizing the nature of the mind. Once a child asked me if I had read the
Mahabharata and if so, who my favourite character in it was. The multifaceted
characters in the epic represent almost every aspect of human nature, good as well as
bad. I told the child that I was particularly attracted to the character of Vidura, who
showed grit against the wrongdoings of authority and had the courage to differ when
everyone else chose to surrender before the tyranny of adharma. Today, it is hard for
us to find one true Vidura among our leaders. It is hard for us to imagine such an
enlightened being and even harder for us to aim for such enlightenment. More
discouraging still is the quality of public life today, the low level of discourse and the
presence of so much ego, anger, greed, jealousy, spite, cruelty, lust, fear, anxiety and
turmoil! I felt a new determination dawning inside me. In this my most important
decision I decided to help discover the nature of India’s true self in its children. My
own work and indeed I as a person were relegated to the background. My scientific
career, my teams, my awards, all this became secondary. I wanted instead to be a part
of the eternal intelligence that is India. I hoped to transcend myself and discover the
inner, higher self that is in us through my interaction with joyous children.
1) Fill in the blank with the right synonym given in brackets: (1)
2) Choose the correct antonym for the words given below: (1)
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a) Agree ________ (disagree/ mis agree)
3) Frame two sentences each for the homonym ‘Trunk’ in different contexts.
(2)
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