Model Question Paper

English for Engineers-I (Theory)

Fall Semester-2012
Common for all first B.Tech and MS (SE) students

Duration: 3hrs Max. Marks: 100

I. Read the passage, and identify the ten faulty shifts in the tense. (10 Marks)

As the holiday shopping season get started, children have started begging their parents for the
latest toys. But listen more closely, and that may not be all they were asking for. Marketing to
children is no longer about advertising toys, sweets and cereal in between the cartoons.
Children were now influencing purchasing decisions for grown-up items such as cars and
holidays
One website promoting sports vehicles now offered games and colouring pages to show
children how much fun it was to own a such a vehicle. Another carmaker is about to launch
an advertising campaign on Disney’s ABC Kids channel. And the hotel chain Classic Resorts
has even teamed up with “Sesame Street” (a popular children’s TV programme) to make its
resorts more appealing to children.

II. Identify the mistakes in subject – verb agreement in the given passage. (10 Marks)

One of the most memorable case study on Japanese management was the case of the empty
soapbox, which happened in one of Japan's bigger cosmetics companies. The company
received a complaint that a consumer had bought a soapbox that were empty. Immediately the
authorities isolated the problem to the assembly line, which transported all the packaged
boxes of soap to the delivery department. For some reason, one soapbox went through the
assembly line empty. Management asked it’s engineers to solve the problem. Post-haste, the
engineers worked hard to devise a X-ray machine.

III. Convert the following passage into passive voice. (10 Marks)

A very old friend helped me. He was very kind to me. He was buying new furniture at that
time. I called him when he was home. He responded quickly. Then I sent the information to
him. He was carrying the luggage at that time.

IV. Complete the sentences with proper conditionals. (10 Marks)

1. I will speak with him if he ________

2. If you save some money every month, ___________
3. If I _____ you, I would study French.
4. If the elephant ________ a long neck, it would be a tall animal.
5. I will go for a picnic if ____________
V. Fill in the blanks with appropriate words. (5 Marks)

Nick is going to _________________ (1) a fortnight in London. He’s never __________ (2)
to England before so he’s _____________ (3) forward ____________ (4) his visit. He intends
to travel light as he _____________ (5) want to bother with luggage
VI. Complete the sentences with appropriate prepositions. (5 Marks)
1. I don’t agree ____________ you.
2. He apologized ___________ arriving late.
3. Do you believe __________ UFOs?
4. I’ve applied __________ a new job.
5. He borrowed some money _________ his sister
VII. The sentences given below have ambiguity, rewrite them effectively. (5 Marks)
1. The cliff dropped to reefs seventy-five feet below. The reefs below the steep cliff were
barely visible through the fog.
2. Their car is gassed up. It is ready for the long drive. The drive will take all night.
3. Sometimes Stan went running with Blanche. She was a good athlete. She was on the track
team at school.
4. Taylor brought some candy back from Europe. It wasn't shaped like American candy. The
candy tasted kind of strange to him.
5. Government leaders like to mention the creation of new jobs. They claim that these new
jobs indicate a strong economy. They don't mention that low-wage jobs without benefits
and security have replaced many good jobs.
VII. Letter Writing (10 Marks)
As the Purchase Manager of Infosys 9 Gachibowli, HYD, you had ordered two dozen
personal computers from Hindustan Computers Limited (HCL), 140, MG Road, Bangalore.
When the consignment arrived, you found some of pieces in the damaged condition.
Write a complaint letter to the sales manager of the company asking for repair, replacement
or compensation.
VIII. Paragraph Writing (5X2=10 Marks)
1. Write an expository paragraph on Cricket’s influence on other games.
2. Write a persuasive paragraph on disadvantages of social networking sites.
IX. Answer the following question in about 200 words. - 10 Marks
1. Describe the electrical gadget given below and explain the process about how it works.
X. Read the Case study and answer the following questions. (15 Marks)
Below is a real life situation faced by a student. Read the brief case and respond to the
questions.
My first year of college was full of changes-massive changes. I decided that I needed to move
out of my parents’s home and on to another part of the country. So, I moved from New York
City to Los Vegas, Nevada. Not only was this a geographic change, but it was also a change
of attitude, a change of pace, a change of culture, and a total change in my support network.
The hardest change that bI had to deal with, however, was the loneliness. I was totally alone
for the first time in my life; I had never known the emotion of being”alone”. I was socially
connected and very active in my high school, and this was a completely new experience for
me.
Upon moving to Los Vegas, I had to start from scratch. I had to make new friends, find a new
job, and adjust to a new way of life in a new city. All of these changes were positive, but they
were not without their success. Little did I know that more change and stress was coming.
I began classes at the University of Nevada, Lpos Vegas, as a computer programming
engineer. A few weeks into the semester, I know that I had chosen the wrong career path.
Now not only was I going through the change with geography, attitude, pace, mand friends,
but my MAJOR was changing. If I had ever doubted the old quote, “ Change is the only
constant in life,”, I did not doubt it now.
After my first semester, I changed to an undeclared major. Later, I declared Psychology as my
major. That changed too. I went back to undeclared, then to pre- medicine, and now I’m in
hotel management. I am bringing to wonder if change s all I,ll ever know.
1. Why is a support nerwork important to you and your success?
2. What has been the most difficult change you have faced since beginning college?
Why?
3. What steps could the student have taken to avoid changing majors several times?
4. If the student was on your campus, where could he go to find help with his career
decision?
5. If you had met the student during the first week of classes and he shared his story
with you, how might you have helped him adjust to his “new life”.