DRIVE FALL 2013

PROGRAM BA - ENGLISH
SEMESTER III
SUBJECT CODE & NAME
BAE 301 – ENGLISH FOR PRACTICAL PURPOSES

Q.No1List any ten tips for improving Reading Skills.

Answer:
1. Read Early in the Day
Many people can double their reading speed and improve their concentration by reading the material
that’s important to them early in the day.  

2. Prioritize Your Reading

Create three piles for your reading materials – important, moderately important, and least important.
Then read the material in their order of importance. You’ll improve your reading speed by doing this, and
improve your reading comprehension by getting to the important material first, when your mind is clear
and sharp.  

3. Skim Material First for Main Ideas

Speed read for main ideas in nonfiction works like how-to books and educational texts. Scan the table of
contents and first and last sentences of each paragraph. You’ll improve your reading speed and
comprehension if you understand a book’s structure first. This will help you know which parts of the book
to skim and which parts to read more carefully.  

4. Form a Question
Improve your reading comprehension, reading speed, and concentration by turning headings and
subheadings in textbooks and other nonfiction books into questions. Then scan the text for the answers.
Your reading speed improves by doing this, and you become focused on your material.  

5. Read in the Proper Environment

Prop your book or magazine using a bookstand – angling your reading material at 45 degrees improves
your reading speed and reduces eyestrain. Avoid reading difficult or important material in bed, where
your mind and body tend to relax. You’ll stay alert if you sit at a desk instead.  

6. Write a Course of Action on Correspondence

Improve your reading speed and avoid re-reading correspondence by jotting brief notes immediately after
reading each piece of correspondence. Simply refer to your notes on each piece when you’re reading to
respond some time later.  

7. Avoid Highlighting
Although readers believe that highlighting in yellow (or any other color, for that matter) improves their
reading speed and comprehension, the reverse is actually true. Highlighting simply means they don’t want
to bother learning the material right now. The result: They end up reading the material twice, and possibly
not understanding or remembering it either time!  

8. Preview Before Reading

Look through material first to get a sense of what’s interesting and important to you, and what you might
be able to skip. Then focus on the sections that you need to understand and remember, and skim or skip
the rest. 

9. Use a Flexible Reading Speed

Some reading material must be read slowly and carefully: legal contracts, mathematical equations, and
poetry are a few examples. Other reading material can be read at much faster speeds: newspapers,
magazines, and novels. Adjust your reading speed to the type of reading material and your reading
purpose. 

10. Enroll in a Speed Reading Class

Avoid on-line speed reading courses and do-it-yourself speed reading software. They don’t work. Speed
reading is best learned in a speed reading class taught by a knowledgeable, experienced, speed reading
expert.

2What is reading speed? What are the four steps that can be taken to increase reading
speed?

Answer:

Speed reading is a technique used to improve one's ability to read quickly. Speed reading methods include
chunking and eliminating subvocalization. The many available speed reading training programs include
books, videos, software, and seminars.
Because of poor childhood reading habits, most people read up to 10 times slower than they actually
could. That being said, it's important to know that some simple techniques can alleviate slow reading
habits and make any textbook, manual or novel a breeze to read for anyone. Not only that, but reading
smarter and faster may allow you to retain information better than if you were reading at a slower speed.

While an average reader can't expect to become a "speed-reader" overnight, these basic techniques along
with some consistent practice will increase your reading speed and accuracy without taking away from
your overall reading comfort.

So, you want to read faster? In that case, find a book and a quiet place to read, and let's get started.

step 1

Identify why you're reading

Before you start reading, you need to seek out your motivation. Why you read is essential for deciding
how fast to read. Think about why you're reading the book in front of you. Is it for fun? A job? School?
Your reasoning will help you find the right frame of mind for the task and aid in absorbing the
information more efficiently.

Another thing to consider is the type of book and which key points you want to retain from the reading
experience. A training manual demands a different level of concentration when compared to a novel — so
does a textbook or a lengthy business proposal. As you'll see, speed-reading isn't just a sprint through the
pages. It's about selectively knowing when to pick up the pace and knowing when to slow down and
absorb carefully. When you know why you're reading, what you're reading and what you need to
remember, you're already ahead of the game.

step 2

Avoid subvocalization

The worst reading habit of slow readers is subvocalization — the tendency to read the words to yourself as
you see them on the page. This habit comes from childhood when students were taught to read aloud and
eventually to themselves. While it promotes enunciation, it's a bad habit in adulthood that puts the brakes
on reading quickly since our minds are restricted by our own internal speech. Most people who
subvocalize will max out at about 300-350 words  per minute when they are capable of going significantly
faster.
 
Here's how to reduce subvocalization: Aim to read faster than your internal speech and closer to the speed
of your mind. This means going fast enough to make an internal word dictation impossible. Try a slow
number count (to 10) in your head while reading — just enough to distract you from subvocalization, but
not enough to keep your mind from absorbing the words that it needs. As with any anti-subvocalization
methods, always practice. At your target speed, you should maintain a solid retention of words without
requiring any internal speech. Once you have found the balance that offers higher speed and accurate
retention, you are well on your way.

step 3

Narrow in on the important parts

 Don't try to power through each page at top speed. A good speed-reader is also smart. Learn to read
selectively and change speeds. Think back to your initial reading goals. If you know which topics are
essential, don't be afraid to slow down during the important areas to maximize your retention.

Conversely, you should also be ready to skip paragraphs and unnecessary words. Don't let a looming
paragraph get the best of you. Take a knowledgeable approach and only read what you need. Opt to read
blocks of words instead of individual ones, then pay attention to a paragraph's key sentences early on, and
skim or skip the rest if it's not essential. One of the mind's strengths is its capacity to understand. By
zoning in on what you need and leaving other words out, you're aiding your mental comprehension skills
and letting the rest slide.

step 4

Use a guide

Training your eyes to pick up the reading pace and maintain it is the final step. Naturally, the eyes tend to
pause or drift from the page — even for a split second — during regular reading. In reading an entire book,
the amount of time lost can be significant, so it's critical to retrain the eyes to stay on the page.

The easiest way to control them is with a guide, which can be as simple as your index finger or a pen.
Trace your guide along each sentence as you read, making sure that the pace is comfortable and effective
in keeping your eyes where they should be. Logic dictates that the speed that you move your guide will
have a direct impact on your reading speed. It takes some time to get used to a guide, but the time saved
in the long run makes it worthwhile.

3 Discuss the purpose of a CV and its preparation.

Answer: The purpose of a resume is to provide a summary of your skills, abilities and accomplishments.
It is a quick advertisement of who you are. It is a "snapshot" of you with the intent of capturing and
emphasizing interests and secure you an interview. It is not an autobiography. Since your resume is a
primary tool in your job search, it needs to be carefully written and critiqued. The rest of this website is
designed to guide you through the process.

Preparing a Curriculum Vitae

A curriculum vitae (CV) is an organized listing of one's achievements and experiences in the areas of
education, professional experience, organizational membership, presentations and publications, honors
and awards, and community service. The Latin words curriculum vitae mean literally the course or outline
of [your] life. The CV, sometimes called a "long resume," is longer and more detailed than resumes
prepared for most job interviews.
A well-composed CV is easy to read and contains information about your strongest attributes and
experiences. Remember that a CV is a living document and that dates are very important. Start with the
most recent information and work backward. For students, the following sections should be included:
 Education
 Work Experience
 Clerkship Rotations
 Presentations and Publications
 Honors and Awards
 Membership in Organizations (include offices held)
 Professional and Community Service
 Other Special Experiences or Skills

Cover Letter

When applying for a residency, append a brief cover letter to your CV, stating the program for which you
are applying [e.g., a postgraduate year one (PGY1) pharmacy residency], why this particular program
appeals to you, and the special interests or skills that make you a good candidate. 
CV Do’s

 Do focus on professional information. Pharmacy-related information should precede all other topics
(such as hobbies and community service activities).
 Do include everything positive about your achievements that you can honestly state.
 Do describe offices held or professional/community service activities. Go beyond naming the office or
service, and briefly describe the scope of responsibility and/or impact (e.g., how many people in the
organization/ committee, how many attended the event, size of the budget, funds raised, etc.).
 Do prepare your CV on a computer.
 Do update your CV regularly to reflect work experience, publications, and presentations.
 Do check your CV carefully for spelling and grammatical errors.
 Do use résumé or business paper, conservative paper color, and simple fonts.
 Do identify your preceptors, work supervisors, and/or references by title (Pharm.D., Ph.D., R.Ph., etc.).

4Explain the five steps involved in writing process.

Answer:
The writing process consists of five steps:
Writing
Planning Drafting Revising Proof
Reading
Formatting
Planning
This is the first step in the writing process. Planning a message involves the following components:
• Knowing the purpose of the message
• Knowing the audience
• Determining the contents of the message
• Gathering and collecting information
• Organizing the message

Begin the writing process by determining the purpose of the message, that is, whether the message is
meant to give information to, persuade, request, or instruct the reader. Try and determine the purpose as
specifically as possible. Knowing the purpose of the message helps the writer in determining what his
writing style would be. The next step of planning the writing is to analyse the audience, that is, to
determine who will be reading the message, what one’s relationship is with the audience and how the
audience is expected to react to the message. The content, organization and tone of the message depend
upon these factor. The tone of the message, that is, the degree of formality of the message, is affected by
the relative status of the reader and the writer. The content will be influenced by the
knowledge of the audience, the interest of the audience and the demographic characteristics of the
audience. Anticipation of the audience reaction also has to be taken into account
while planning the writing. If the reader reaction is likely to be positive, you can use a direct approach by
beginning with important details and coming straight to the actual point in the message. A possibly
neutral reaction of the audience can be converted into a positive reaction by using the first few lines to
catch the readers’ attention and convince the reader of the importance of what you as a
writer are trying to convey. In case you anticipate a negative reaction, build a rapport with the reader in
the introduction of the message. Start with a neutral statement and supply lots of evidence and arguments
in support of your statements and, through logic, increase the acceptability of the message.
The next step is to determine the content, that is, what goes into the message. Based on the purpose and
the analysis of the audience, determine what should be the content of the message. Avoid including
irrelevant information that wastes the time of the reader. At the same time, do not leave out information
which may be vital to the communication. Scot Ober has suggested two techniques to determine what
should go into the content of the message.

(i) Brainstorming: One useful strategy is brainstorming, which involves jotting down ideas, possible
leads, and anything else you think might be helpful in constructing your message. Aim for quantity not
quality. Do not evaluate your output unless you have run out of ideas. Then begin to refine, delete,
combine and otherwise revise your ideas to form the basis of your message.

(ii) Mind mapping: Another possible strategy is mind mapping (also called clustering), a process that
avoids the step-by-step limitation of lists. Instead, write the purpose of your message in the middle of the
page and circle it. Then as you think of possible points to add, write them down and
link them by a line either to the main purpose or to another point. As you think of other details, add them
where you think they might fit. The visual outline offers flexibility and encourages free thinking.
Once you plan the content, gather all the information that you will need to facilitate your writing. The
various sources include reports, past correspondence, journals, newspapers and sales reports.
The final step in the planning process is the organization of the message, that is, deciding what goes where
in the message. Use the direct approach, which involves presenting the major idea first followed
by supporting details for routine and good news messages. For persuasive and bad news messages and
messages in which you anticipate a negative reaction use an indirect approach. Here, you first prepare the
reader to receive the message and then convey the message. The supporting ideas are presented first
followed by the main idea.

Drafting
Once you have the information and a plan to organize the information, start writing. Compose the first
version of the message. In the first draft, do not pay much attention to the style or format of the message.
Concentrate more on the content part of the message. Just put your ideas in written form on the paper.
Remember that it is not possible to have a perfect message in the first draft itself. Leave it for the next
stage of the writing process.

Revising
Once the draft is ready, revise the writing You may need two or more revisions to get the writing in the
shape you intend it to be. Revise the writing for content, style and correctness.

Formatting
The presentation of the written message in an impressive layout with an appealing appearance is
essential. Some documents need to follow a standard format. Formatting helps the reader to find certain
information in a particular position. It gives a neat and visually appealing look to the document.

Proof Reading
This is the final step in writing. This is the last opportunity the writer has to make any changes to the
message before it passes on to the reader. Proof reading ensures the accuracy of the communication. The
message must be proofread for content, typographical and format errors. Content errors may arise if some
relevant information is left out or if inconsistent information— contradictory or factually incorrect
information—is presented. Most of the content errors are taken care of in the revising stage.
Typographical errors include spelling and punctuation mistakes, a word, a line or a complete paragraph
being missed out while typing, duplication of words or typing figures or words incorrectly from the
manuscript. Using the spellcheck function available in most word processing softwares helps identify
many of these errors. Formatting errors relate to inappropriate font size, font, heading subheading,
position, numbering of sections and subsections, and so on.

5Explain the formats followed in in making notes.

Each point carries 2 marks, 2 x 5 = 10 marks

Answer: Formats of notes

(a) Tabular notes
Notes can be set out in a tabular format with fixed headings, into which we can insert the relevant
information. These should be kept as brief as possible without sacrifising clarity. For example, the
following tabular note shows the name, capital and currency of various countries.

Pie chart
A pie chart is a circle which is divided into parts and each part shows the quantity of some item. For
example, the following pie chart shows how people in city A travel to work. Figures in pie charts are
usually expressed in percentages.

Tree diagram
This method involves breaking down a topic into many parts. The diagram that is created clearly shows
how each part relates to another. For example, the following tree diagram shows the different approaches
to reading.

Point-by-point notes
This method of making notes is the most common and well known. It involves writing down in points the
important things to be remembered or learnt. For example, look at the following passage:
‘Knowledge of the dates of past events gives an idea of their correct sequence. If we get to know about past
events in the correct order, we can have an idea of what happened first, and what came after that. This
way, we can learn about the progress of events more clearly. There are several sources from which we may
get information about the past. Each of these has a part to play in telling us about our past. Two main
types of source material are literary and archaeological. Archaeological sources refer to things from the
past which have survived till now. These could be ruins of buildings, pieces of pottery, jewellery or pieces
of stone. Literary sources refer to written accounts. Literary works provide information about social,
political, economic and cultural conditions during the time period in which they were written.’

Point-by-point notes on this passage would read as follows:

• Knowledge of dates helps us understand the order in which events happened.

• There are two main sources of history— literary and archaeological.

• Archaeological sources refer to things from the past which have survived till now.
• Literary sources refer to written accounts that provide information about social, political, economic and
cultural conditions of the past.
(e) Linear notes
Linear notes are the simplest form used in note making and is widely used by students during their class
lectures. As per this method, a person jots down notes as the information comes along simultaneously
starting a new line for every point. In the linear method, key words, phrases and brief sentences are used.
The notes can also be put in bullet format or numbering can be given to each point.
6 Explain any five efforts to be taken up by the listener.

Answer: Effort has to be made by the listener to improve his listening ability and develop effective
listening skills. Following are some important points that can help improve our listening skills:

1. Concentration: To be a good listener, we must pay attention to the speaker. When a speaker is boring
or when it is difficult to understand the speaker because of problems like a bad accent and so on, we must
make an effort not to be distracted.
2. Preparation: Sometimes it is better to make some preparation beforehand in order to improve
listening. This is more important in the case of difficult topics. Preparations may include gathering
information about the topic or removing distractions in the environment. This will help in developing an
interest in what the speaker is saying and also help in focussing on the message.

3. Show interest: It is important to show that we want to listen by being and looking attentive. It is
important not only to focus on the speaker but also to use body language (such as eye contact, head nods
and smiles) to let the speaker know that he is being heard. It is essential to ask questions at the right time
to show we are interested in what is being said.

4. Listen to the whole message: We should listen not only with our ears
but also with our other senses in order to get the complete message. This includes looking for the meaning
in both verbal and non-verbal messages (body language) and listening for ideas, feelings and facts. We
should pay attention to voice clarity, body movements and so on, while listening to the speaker so that the
total message is received.

5. Empathy: Empathize means to understand and share the feelings of others.

Empathize with the speaker; this means putting ourselves in the speaker’s shoes. This will help us to
better understand what the speaker is trying to say rather than only what we want to understand. For
listening to be effective and to achieve its objective, it is important that we understand the message
from the speaker’s point of view.