Term-End Examination
December, 2OO7
CS-610 : FOUNDATION COURSE IN ENGLISH FOR COMPUTING
Time : 2 hours Maximum Marks : 50
Note : Attempt all the questions.
1. Read the passage and answer the questions that follow :
The Industrial Revolution saw a great increase in the population of
Europe. These people wanted goods, tools, clothes, houses and all the things that
make civilized life possible. The goods which they wanted had to be fairly
cheap, cheap enough to be purchased out of the wages earned in factories or
workshops. There were no restrictions on the manufacture of goods as there are in
times of war, and each factory competed with its rivals in finding markets for its
products. The demand for goods was great, both at home and overseas.
In deciding which goods to buy everyone is influenced by two considerations, price
and quality. The ever increasing demand was for goods of high quality at low
prices. That factory and that country prospered whose goods competed successfully
with its rivals as regards quality and price. In the nineteenth century, the
desire to produce high quality goods at low prices led to, what is now called,
mass production.The phrase nowadays is especially associated with the name of
Henry Ford, who so successfully applied mass-production methods to the manufacture
of motor cars. His business rivals were quick to imitate him, thus proving the
truth of the old proverb, Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.' But Mr.
Ford was by no means the inventor of mass production. It is difficult, indeed, to
say who was. When the first large mills for the manufacture of cloth were built,
then , we may say that mass production began. The invention of the steam-engine
gave manufacturers the cheap power which they needed. Brilliant men perfected
cotton gins and looms. When one huge machine began to perform rapidly the
operations previously done slowly and laboriously by hand, the age of mass
production was born.
(i) What did the people of Europe want during the time of the Industrial
Revolution ? (2)
(ii) Why did the Europeans want the goods to be cheap ? (2)
(iii) What are the two considerations in deciding which goods to buy ? (2)
(iv) What is Henry Ford known for ? (2)
(v) Who, in your opinion, invented mass production methods ? (2)
2. (a) Rewrite the following sentences in the passive voice : (2)
(i) The female Anopheles mosquito transmits malaria.
(ii) They are going to build a new wing in the administrative block.
(b) Fill in the blanks choosing the suitable option from the ones given in the
brackets : (3)
(i) I __________ (had gone, went) to Kashmir last year.
(ii) Lucknow_____________ (is, has been) situated on the banks of river Gomti
(iii) I (am, have been) an early riser since childhood.
3. Rewrite the following sentences removing the errors, if any : (5)
(i) You can't get good marks unless you don't work hard.
(ii) Manjeet has always been best cadet of the academy.
(iii) The bunch of keys have been kept on the shelf.
(iv) The travellers were sitting below the shade of the mango tree.
(v) By the time I reached home my mother went to the market.
4. Do as directed : (5)
(i) As soon as I reached the station the train left. (Rewrite using no sooner)
(ii) Rita is too weak to run. (Rewrite removing too)
(iii) You are not tired. (Add a question tag)
(iv) Rajni said, "Rita, how can you be so cruel to animals?" (Rewrite in indirect
speech)
(v) Give the antonyms of the following words :
belief, cruel
5 . Write a composition in about 300 words, on any one of the following topics :
(15)
(i) Will. computers lead to large scale unemployment ?
(ii) Population Control : an urgent need
(iii) Deforestation ----a big disaster
6. Summarize the following passage in 150 words : (10)
For thousands of years, dreams have interested, puzzled and even frightened
people. It used to be thought that dreams always came true. People thought that
the figures appearing in dreams were messengers from the gods and that special
kinds of dreams had special meanings. A dream of flowers might mean good luck.
Since the end of the 19th century, physicians, psychologists, and
other scientists have been studying dreams. Although they still have much to
learn, today they believe that dreams do not appear from some mysterious place
outside the person. Rather, they think that the dreamer creates dreams himself.
There are two kinds of dreaming : day dreaming, which is done while the dreamer is
awake, and night dreaming, which is done.
while he is asleep. Both day dreams and night dreams occur when the dreamer is so
relaxed that he pays no attention to what goes on around him. Then his thoughts
can wander wherever they want. For this reason, both sorts of dreams are often
about strange persons, animals or situations which could not possibly exist in
real life. Night dreams are even more unusual and unrealistic than day dreams,
because in sleep people have almost no control over what they think.
Although nearly anything may appear in a dream, there are certain sorts of dreams
which almost , everybody has. Most persons, at sometime or other, have dreams in
which their dearest wish is granted, or in which they become somebody they would
like to be. A boy or a girl who is bored in school may daydream that he or she is
out fishing or playing ball. A woman who is tired of doing housework may daydream
that she is a famous singer and she may become so lost in her dream that she does
not hear the doorbell. All persons whether they are children or adults, wish and
hope for things they cannot have. Many persons get these things in dreams...
Most persons occasionally dream they are being chased by robbers, or are
falling or are in danger of fire or flood. These are frightening dreams.
Children's frightening dreams are likely to contain witches, ghosts,or animals
that bite. These very frightening dreams are called nightmares. People usually
have nightmares when they are frightened or upset about something in their lives.