ST.

FRANCIS COLLEGE FOR WOMEN

OPEN ELECTIVE- COMPETITIVE SKILLS IN ENGLISH

SUPPLEMENTARY- SEMESTER –IV

Total marks-30

Time 1 hour

I.Fill in the blanks with appropriate idioms given below(10marks)

1. The committee did not want to select Radha as the captain as she was a bit ………………………….
2. Just before the performance, I had …………………….
3. Sammy was ……………………………………………. and not answering my querry.
4. In today’s world, people are not ready to compromise in any situation. They
want…………………………
5. One cannot change past actions.There is no use…………………………….
6. It is better not to put all your money as safe deposites in banks. Havent you heard…………………
7. Shamu slapped his dear friend ………………………
8. He was so well prepared that the job interwiew was ……………………….. for him.
9. Ravi shared his helplessness with his friend and said “I am in the …………………………. as you”.
10. The lady is very humble and ………………………. . She shall help us in solving the problem.

(a piece of cake;same boat ;butterflies in the stomach;don’t put all your eggs in one basket;in the heat
of the moment;beat around the bush;down to earth;wet behind the ear;best of both the worlds;crying
over spilt milk)

II.For the following sentences, do as directed (10marks)

1.everywhere/for /have/ you /we/ been/ looking (arrange the words to form a sentence)

2.shade/as/ trees/ give/ as / us/ fruits/well (arrange the words to form a sentence)

3. Chose the correct sequence of the sentences:

A. But he wanted more than that.

B. He did not want to spend the rest of his life caring for pigs and goats.

c. Hari,the young village boy ,was an only child.

D. His parents were old and he needed to be with them and look after the animals and farm
1.ABCD 2.BDCA 3.CDAB 4.ABDC

4. . Chose the correct sequence of the sentences:

A.Follow it up by arranging the pieces

B. As a first step ,put all the pieces on a flat surface

C. To solve this puzzle,you must sit with a calm mind

D. Soon you will be rewarded with a beautiful scenary.

1. ABCD 2. CBAD 3. CDBA 4.ADCB

5.Stress is a silence killer(correct the sentence)

6. There house is on the top of a hill.(correct the sentence)

7. The captain ,along with his teammates, were present at the inaugural function.( correct the sentence)

8.He has completed quite ………………………..(few,a few) of the mathematical problems(. Complete the
sentence by choosing the correct option)

9.By the time we reached the station,the train (already left,had already left,has already left) .( Complete
the sentence by choosing the correct option)

10.The pet wanted ………..(its,it’s)toy to play (Complete the sentence by choosing the correct option)

Answers:

III.Read the following Passage and answer the following: (10marks)

Ever since I can remember, I always felt I was stupid, really stupid. I lost my father when I was
three. Since I was a sick child, a polio victim, I lived with my grandmother in Mumbai so I could
avail of the metro’s advanced medical facilities. I remember being on the streets all day, playing
or lazing around.

When I turned ten, my mother and my sister came to live in Mumbai too. My sister was a bright
student, always securing high grades. She and my mother encouraged me to study, but I just
could not bring myself to concentrate on any subject. I would get bored and feel sleepy when
forced to open my books. After innumerable lectures on the importance of studying had failed,
mother tried threats as well, but nothing worked, I truly believed I was stupid; no matter how
much I worked, it wouldn’t help.
One afternoon, as always, I was sitting under a tree in the school premises eating potato wafers
when I saw a former classmate approaching me. Aditi and I had been in the same class the year
before. I had failed sixth grade and had to repeat the year; Aditi had topped the class and was the
brightest student of the seventh grade too. I flinched a little as I saw Aditi walk towards me. ‘Hi,’
she said. ‘Hi,’ I replied, but not with much enthusiasm; I wanted her to leave. I continued to eat
my chips. Ignoring my coldness, she sat down next to me. For five minutes neither of us spoke
and then she asked, ‘Is Devika your real sister?’ ‘Yes, she is, ‘I answered.

‘So how come she doesn’t teach you so that you too can do well? she asked. I peered at her,
wondering if she was making fun of me, but all I could see on her face was earnestness. No, she
is not trying to tease me, I decided. This time I answered a little more warmly, ‘She tries to, but I
don’t like studying.’ ‘Why not? I’m sure you can get good grades too,’ she said emphatically.
‘No, I can’t. I have no brains. God forgot to give me brains, health or beauty. He gave me
nothing.’

“That’s not true. And anyway, health and beauty can’t be helped, but God has given brains to
everyone, we only have to learn to use it.’ I shook my head, ‘No, I have difficulty in
concentrating, and books bore me; there is no hope for me. Please leave me alone. I am stupid,
and always will be.’ With the gentlest tone that she could muster she said, ‘I can prove it to you
that you are not stupid. Give me one chance, I will teach you to study.’

Though I was softening from inside, I still held on to my low self-esteem. ‘You’ll be wasting
your time.I cannot study, I am not as bright as you are nor lucky as my sister,’ I said ‘Let me try
and help you, please. I will show you the right way to study. You just have to cooperate with me.
Will you try?’ Her belief in me proved more powerful than my doubts about myself. She won
and I relented.From that day onwards a new journey began.

1. What opinion did the narrator of the passage had about herself ?(2 marks)
2. Why was she upset to see her friend Aditi walk towards her?(1mark)
3. What measures did the narrator’s mother take to encourage her to take up studies
seriously(2marks)
4. Find the words from the passage which mean the same(2marks)
a)Look carefully at something ,to see it clearly.(para 4)
b) Finally agree to something after refusing (para 6)

5. Write whether the statements are true or false(2marks)

1. The narrator had a sister who was disinterested in studies.

2.Aditi was a haughty and arrogant girl.

6. Choose the correct option(1mark)

A.The narrator of the passage

1. Was indeed dull and stupid

2. Believed that she was dull and had low self esteem
3. Had brain deformity and low IQ