Department of English

Final Examination
Semester: Fall, 2021
Course Code: ENG 101 Course Title: Basic English Section: 11
Course Instructor: SBA

Total Time: 70 minutes Total Marks: 20

Part 1 Reading

Read the article carefully and answer the questions:

The Wonder that is the Royal Bengal Tiger

The word tiger invokes a majestic image in our mind. We associate this big cat with strength, intrepidity,
and ferocity, exacting both awe and fear. Consequently, the tiger remains in the center of our attention,
spawning innumerable tales. Some of these tales are exotic gossip, while the others are real. This
attention paid to tigers is not confined to the nature lovers alone; the general population is equally
enamored with the beast. Hence the mystery prevails about the tiger in popular culture.

The Bengal tiger is one of the subspecies of Panthera tigris tigris that is endemic to the Indian sub-
continent. Our Royal Bengal Tiger belongs to this subspecies. Contrary to common belief, the Royal
Bengal tiger that dwells in the Sundarbans lacks any regality in its character. To put simply, it’s not as
royal as one thinks. In comparison to the Siberian tiger, it is smaller in size and weight. The grandeur we
take granted for a royal Bengal tiger actually, is a myth perpetuated by oral tradition. Numerous cross-
comparison to other varieties have confirmed the fact over the years. What makes the tiger of the
Sundarbans unique, is its habitat and the resultant behavior.

The Royal Bengal Tiger is one of its kind that survives in a mangrove. Consequently, it had to adapt to
the peculiarity of its habitation. For instance, it must live in a hot and humid region, devastated by
cyclones and tidal waves frequently. The shrinking of the forest compels it to live relatively in a
congested area alongside human dwellings. Besides, it must drink the saline water, as fresh water is
scarce.

The food base is also narrow and consists mostly of wild boar and deer. For a tiger, it takes eighty
charges to catch a kill yet the meat content is low, since boar and deer are small in size. These factors
complicate its health issue. The tiger gets an ulcer in the stomach and its teeth in the interior fall early
for drinking saline water. It becomes famished, due to inadequate food content. The end result is its bad
temper that we like to believe to be its royal attitude. (Written by the instructor; Word Count: 358)
1. Answer the following questions (CLO 3): 2X5=10

a. Why do the tigers occupy a central position in our collective imagination?

b. How does the Royal Bengal tiger fair in comparison to its Siberian counterpart?
c. What makes the Royal Bengal tiger unique as a beast?
d. What makes the meat content of the Royal Bengal tiger’s consumption so low?
e. Why are the health conditions of the tiger population so bad?

Part 2 Paragraph Writing (CLO 2 & 4)

2. Within 130 words, write a paragraph on any one of the following topics. The outline is excluded
from the word limit.
2+8= 10
a) Write an argumentative paragraph on reckless students being the only cause of accidents in front of
educational institutions.
b) How to succeed academically in ENG 101 class.