Reg. No.

MANIPAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

(Constituent of Manipal University)

I/II SEM. B.E. DEGREE END SEMESTER EXAMINATION--NOV., 2008

SUBJECT: COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN ENGLISH (ENG 101/102)
(Credit System)

Time: 3 Hours Max. Marks: 50

Instructions to Candidates

ALL QUESTIONS ARE COMPULSORY

I. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below:

Many of us believe that science is something ‘modern’, though the truth is that man has been
using science for a very, very long time. However, it has probably had a greater effect of human
lives in the last 25 or 30 years than in the hundreds of years since the invention of the plough or
the wheel. The marvelous gifts of science, which make modern life so comfortable as well as
exciting, are there for everyone to see. But what cannot always be clearly seen are the problems
that science has brought us, which were unknown to man a few years ago. Science is certainly
very ‘modern’ if we consider some of the problems it has created for us today.

One of these problems, which may become worse in the years to come, is that of ’jet lag’.

With the coming of modern jets, flying at more than 900 kilometres an hour, the world has
become very small indeed. Today you can leave New Delhi at 4.00 in the morning, eat an early
breakfast in the sky, over Kabul, and be in London in time for lunch, by about 1.00 pm.

Unfortunately, it will not be lunch time in London when you arrive, but only time for breakfast:
7.30 a.m., London time.

Although you have been flying for 8 hours, time seems to have moved forward, for you, by only
3 ½ hours. You find that you have suddenly been pushed backwards in time.

Since you had to wake up at 3.00 a.m. (in order to reach the airport in time), your body is tired
and you are ready for bed by about 8.00 p.m., Delhi time. However, it is then only 2.30 p.m. in
London: people are still busy working. If you are in London on important business, you may be
fighting to keep yourself awake when the others are full of energy. Naturally, you are at a
disadvantage.

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Though you have left Delhi thousands of kilometers behind your body and mind still seem to be
controlled by the things happening there. The watch on your wrist is now adjusted to London
time, but you have been unable to adjust the biological ‘clock’ inside you, which is still
following Delhi time, making you feel that it is time for breakfast when everyone else in London
is fast asleep in bed. Of course, your ‘clock ‘ will adjust itself to London time in a few days, and
you will begin to eat, sleep and work like a normal human being in London; but before that
happens completely, you may be back in Delhi. The process of adjustment will have to begin all
over again.

All living things, from cabbages and cockroaches to kings, are adjusted, or ‘tuned’, to a 24-hour
day. Our bodies follow a certain rhythm; there are periods of great activity, when every cell
seems to be working busily, followed by periods of rest. These ‘cycles’ seem to follow the cycle
of day and night. For example the temperature of the body rises and falls at regular hours, as if
controlled by an alarm clock. It is highest by about 10.00 a.m., but comes down to its lowest
point a few hours after midnight – which is why you reach, in your sleep, for that extra sheet or
blanket at 4.00 a.m. Similarly, our kidneys seem to be controlled by the clock. They are busy
throughout the day, but ‘go to sleep’ at night, producing very little urine. Imagine how
uncomfortable you would be if your kidneys were not ‘switched off’ at night!

All our activities -- our habits of sleep, work and hunger follow the ‘biological clock’ which
controls the rhythms of the body. If these rhythms are disturbed, there is trouble. High speed
travel, which is one of the gifts of modern science, seems to be one of the greatest enemies of
these natural rhythms. In the old days, when people travelled from one place to another at gentle
speeds, the body was able to adjust itself to changes at gentle speeds, in ‘local time’; but jet
planes which almost as fast as the sun give the body no time to re-set its biological clock.

Today, as more and more people travel round the world at high speeds, the problem of jet lag is
receiving a great deal of attention. The people who suffer from it most are jet pilots, who are
constantly on the move, from one ‘time zone’ to another; but even an ordinary traveler, who may
have to fly not more than once in a fortnight, can suffer the effects of jet lag.

1. Science is considered ‘modern’ because ------------

2. Science cannot be considered ‘modern’ because --------------
3. ‘It will not be lunch time in London, but time for breakfast’ means
a. People eat breakfast much later in London than in Delhi.
b. People get up very late in London.
c. The sun appears over London much later than it appears over Delhi.
d. The nights are much longer in London than in Delhi.
4. ‘Jet lag’ is a problem created by Science. TRUE / FALSE?
5. Science is considered ‘modern’ because it has a greater effect on human lives since the
invention of the plough or the wheel. TRUE / FALSE?
6. People who suffer most from jet lag are:
a. Ordinary travelers
b. Jet pilots
c. Business persons
7. The ‘biological clock’ is a myth. TRUE / FALSE?
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 8. Jet lag is receiving a great deal of attention today because:
a. More and more people are traveling
b. People are traveling in high speeds
c. People are traveling in gentle speeds
9. What do you understand by the term ‘biological clock’?
1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+2=10 MARKS

II. Rewrite the following sentences as indicated:

A. This table is so heavy that I cannot lift it. (Use ‘too’ and rewrite the sentence)
B. He has neither shrewdness nor courage . (Use the Adjective form of the words
underlined)
C. The resolution was passed in my absence. (Change into Complex sentence)
D. Unless he works hard, he will fail in the examination. (Change into Negative sentence)
E. Though he was poor he was widely respected. (Change into Simple sentence)
F. There was not at all any hesitation on his part. (Use the Verb form of ‘hesitation ‘)
G. On seeing the monstrous creature she screamed aloud. (Change into Compound sentence)
H. He did not remain in India for many years. (Change into Affirmative sentence)
I. Vice captain said to the Captain, “What did you think of young Gambir’s play today?”
(Change into Indirect Speech)
J. He opened the door quietly to avoid disturbing us. ---- This is Simple sentence. TRUE /
FALSE?
½ x 10 = 5 Marks

III. A. Reckless drivers cause accidents almost every day and many innocent people have lost their
precious lives. Road safety is one of the major concerns these days. Write to the Editor of a
newspaper a letter expressing your concern and criticism on this.

5 Marks

B. Frame sentences using each of the following pairs of words separately so as to

distinguish between the meanings:

1. ADAPT; ADEPT
2. ALLUSION; ILLUSION
3. CONFIDENT; CONFIDANT
½ x 6 = 3 Marks
C. Write the SYNONYMS for the following:

1. Yield
2. Wane
½ x 2 = 1 Mark
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 D. Write the ANTONYMS for the following:

1. Kernel
2. Confident
½ x 2 = 1 Mark

IV. A. Smoking is banned in your college campus and hostels. However, some students smoke
inside their hostel rooms and encourage their friends to smoke. This influences the other
students as well. You feel there is a need for stricter measures to prevent smoking among
students. Write a complaint letter to the Dean of Student Welfare of your college.

5 Marks

B. Frame sentences using the following idiomatic expressions so as to bring out their
meanings:

1. A bird’s eye view

2. To flog a dead horse
3. At helm of affairs
4. The nuts and the bolts
5. Loose talk
6. Burning the candle at both ends ½ x 6 = 3 Marks

C. Substitute each of the following by a single word:

1. Collector of ancient relics

2. Situation that brings action or progress to a standstill
3. Removal of top-soil by rain or wind
4. Party to a law suit
½ x 4 = 2 Marks

V. Imagine that you are the Security Officer in your institution and there is acute shortage of
space for parking vehicles. Prepare a report to be submitted to the Managing Director of your
institution, covering up: the present conditions, various locations and dimensions, ratio of
vehicles (two-wheeler, four-wheeler) vs. parking space, statistics of vehicles, number of
students and staff members, special functions in a year, various security problems, etc. Also,
suggest some areas for converting into suitable parking places. Mention some Eco-friendly
measures to be implemented as per the convenience of the members and the security
authorities (use appropriate Questionnaire).

15 Marks

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