HS 1101-Technical English-I

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COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING Department of Humanities and Science Technical English-1 (Common to all branches)

PART-A
(Each question carries 2 marks- 10x2=20)

I. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate forms of words:

(4X1/2=2)

Verb 1. Apply 2. __________ 3. __________ 4. Experiment 5. __________ 6. Believe 7. Dispose 8. _________ 9. _________ 10. ________ 11. ________ 12. Inform 13. ________ 14. Qualify 15. ________ 16. Assistant 17. _________ 18. _________ 19. __________ 20. __________

adjective _________ _________ enjoyable _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ ` digestive expressive arguable _________ compulsive _________ continual _________ __________ punishable _________ __________

noun ________ description _________ _________ breakage _________ _________ operation _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ verification __________ requirement production (4X1/2=2)

II. Expand the following compound words. 1. Address book 2. Black board 3. Computer memory 4. Calculation speed 5. Circuit diagram 6. Roller mill

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HS 1101-Technical English-I 7. Water supply 8. Temperature drop 9. Video screen 10. Resource utilization 11. Information centre 12. Petrol engine 13. Mercury thermometer 14. Control centre 15. Glass jar 16. Computer design 17. Air supply 18. Battery car 19. Communication satellite 20. Radio waves III. Fill in the blanks in the following sentences with appropriate forms of adjectives. (4X1/2=2) 1. This is the ________(hot) news today. 2. My house is _______ (big) than my brothers house. 3. This is the _______ (popular) book in fashion technology. 4. Kerosene costs__________ (little) than petrol. 5. Platinum is _____________ (expensive) than gold.. 6. Nylon is_________ (hard) than rubber. 7. He is the --------------- (top) scorer in this sports meet. 8. The ant is_________ (industrious) than the bee. 9. Mini computers are________ (small) than main frames. 10. That room is not so ---------- (large) as this one. 11. A wise enemy is________ (good) than a foolish friend. 12. Petrol is _________ (costly) than kerosene. 13. Liberty is the ________ (important) factor for adults. 14. She is as ---------- (intelligent) as her husband. 15. Fear of death is _________ (bad) than the actual death. 16. The tiger is the ------- (ferocious) animal in the forest. 17. In mountain regions, day travel is as __________( difficult) as night travel. 18. It is the ------- (easy) sum in this unit. 19. He is -------- (popular) than any other actors. 20. You are _______ (modern) than my sister. IV. Add prefixes, suffixes to the following words in accordance with the meanings given against them: (4X1/2=2) 1. ____________ culture 2. _____________developed 3______________ form 4. _____________marine 5. _____________sensitive : concerned with cultivation : not developed : to change : under water : having more sensitivity Kings College of Engineering

HS 1101-Technical English-I 6______________ function 7. _____________pollution 8. ____________purity 9. __________ violet 10. __________standard 11. Beauty ___________ 12. Sensitive__________ 13. Advantage ________ 14. Bond _____________ 15. computer__________ 16.acquaint__________ 17. require __________ 18. micro _________ 19. vigor__________ 20. geo ___________ : not working properly. : against pollution : not pure : having wavelength beyond the violet end of spectrum : not having the required or normal quality : verb form : noun form : having advantage : noun form : form a verb : form a noun : something which is required : instrument to see : strong : study of earth (4X1/2=2)

V Write American usage for the following words: 1. glue 2. van 3. post 3. car park 4. sweets 5. main road 6. paraffin 7. torch 8. public school 9. theatre 10. postbox 11. skilful 12. Holiday 13. free phone 14. Honour 15. luggage 16. play time 17. motor way 18. phone box 19. chemist 20. zebra crossing VI. Check the following sentences for the subject-verb agreement: 1. Each of the boys are hardworking. 2. Every one of the prisons are tall. 3. Rajesh or his friends goes to the computer class daily. 4. The collector with his subordinates were present.

(2X1=2)

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HS 1101-Technical English-I 5. Nobody who watches the clock are successful. 6. Either of the advertising campaigns are costly. 7. Every boy and girl were ready. 8. The speaker and politician are present. 9. The quality of the fruits are not good. 10. The cost of computers are dropping day by day. 11. Each boy have a story to say. 12. The file with all the papers are missing. 13. These scissors is blunt. 14. The group attend the conference. 15. The family have an apartment. VII. Fill in the blanks with appropriate forms of the verbs given in brackets: (4X1/2=2) 1. Every one _________ (expect) to be given priority to land. 2. By December 2007 we __________ (finish) the project. 3. It is very cloudy and I am sure it _______ (rain). 4. He _________ (go) to bed at nine oclock every night. 5. What ______ you________ now? (Do) 6. When I _____ (have) my dinner my friend came. 7. Computer experts _________ (be) in great demand today. 8. India __________ (launch) its first satellite in the year 1990. 9. The earth __________ (behave) like magnete. 10. A team of experts _______(visit) the flood-hit areas now. 11. It began to rain, while we _______(play) cricket. 12. The Prime minister _______(meet) the President tomorrow. 13. Two buses ______ (collide) near the petrol bunk the other day. 14. Listening _______(be) as important as speaking in a Group Discussion. 15. Kolkata ________ (stand) on the banks of Hoogly. 16. We ________ (buy) some clothes yesterday. 17. I _______(go) to Ooty every summer. 18. The earth ______ (revolve) around the sun. 19. He ______(wait) in the bus stop now. 20. He _______(attend) the conference yesterday. VIII. Change the following into Passive Voice. 1. We can use coal to produce detergents, explosives and paints. 2. We can alter the characteristics of steel in various ways. 3. We clamp the two metal plates together. 4. They change the plan every five years. 5. We can generate heat on welding in several ways. 6. We pass electric current across the electrodes. 7. They will start the work soon. 8. We must lubricate bearings . Kings College of Engineering (2X1=2)

HS 1101-Technical English-I 9. You should observe safety precautions at all times. 10. The workers should complete this building by the end of next year. 11. The Forests perform many ecological and social functions. 12. NASA has used a Robot to explore oil spurts. 13. They carried out the survey properly. 14. They classify the materials into various categories. 15. They present flow chart symbol systematically. IX. Rewrite the following sentences as per directions. (2X1=2)

1. His only aim is to earn money.(into gerund) 2. I dont like to waste my time. (Into gerund) 3. I like to read books on philosophy. (Into gerund) 4. They like to watch TV programmes. (Into gerund) 5. His main motive is to punish the criminals. (Into gerund) 6. Modernizing sick industries is difficult. (Into infinitive) 7. He stopped visiting his friend. (Into infinitive) 8. The manager likes criticizing his subordinates. (Into infinitive) 9. Introducing new products is the aim of this company. (Into infinitive) 10.It is tiresome to stand in long queues. (Into gerund) 11. To visit China will open new avenues of business (Into gerund) 12. His main ambition is to become an entrepreneur. (Into gerund) 13. To see is to believe. (Into gerund) 14. He loves to play guitar. (Into gerund) 15. I am not afraid to speak the truth. (Into gerund) X. Complete the following conditional sentences. (2X1=2)

1. If I were a bird, ______________________________. 2. ____________________, I will report it to the mechanic. 3. If the processing speed of your system is slow, _____________________. 4. If the motor is operated regularly, ___________________. 5. Had you improved your communication skills, __________________. 6. If I had a net connection, __________________. 7. If I were you, _______________________. 8. If you go for a walk everyday, ___________________. 9. If you eat more,______________________. 10. If the new material had come in time, ______________ 11. If he had consulted me in advance, _______________________. 12. If she had tried again,_______________________. 13. If they play well, _____________. 14. If I had enough money,___________. 15. _________________, I will take him to the college.

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HS 1101-Technical English-I

PART- B

(5x16=80)

11. (a) Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below (16 marks)

The study of control processes in electronic, mechanical and biological systems is known as cybernetics. The word was coined in 1948 by the Amercian mathematician Norhert Wiener from the Greek word meaning pilot or steersman. Cybernetics is concerned with the analysis of the flow of information in both living organisms and machines, but it is particularly concerned with systems that are capable of regulating their own operations without human control. Automatic regulation is accomplished by using information about the stale of the end product that is fed back to the regulating device, causing it to modify or correct production procedures if necessary. The concept of feedback is at the very heart of cybernetics and is what makes a system automatic and self-regulating. A simple example of a self-regulating machine is a thermostat, which reacts to continual feedback about the outside temperature and responds accordingly to achieve the temperature that has been programmed into it. The applications of cybernetics are wide reaching, appearing in science, engineering, technology, sociology, economics, education and medicine. Computers can keep a patient alive during a surgical operation making instantaneous modifications based on a constant flow of information. In education, teaching machines use cybernetic principles to instruct students on an individual basis. In the home, automation is present in such everyday products as refrigerators, coffeemakers, and dishwashers. In industry, automation is increasing its applications, although it is currently applied primarily to the large-scale production of single units. In industries in which a break in the flow of production can ruin the product, automatic controls are invaluable. Chemical and petroleum plants are now almost completely automatic, as are industries involved in the production of chemicals and atomic energy. Automation has become the answer when human safety is the number one priority. (a) Choose the correct answer (6x1=6) (i) Cybernetics is the study of control processes in all of the systems except (1) ecological (2) biological (3) mechanical (4) electronic (ii) The word cybernetics was coined from the Greek that means (1) information (2) automatic (3) pilot (4) regulator

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HS 1101-Technical English-I (iii)

(b)

(c)

Automatic regulation is accomplished by (1) modifying and correcting production procedures (2) feeding information to the regulatory device (3) analyzing the flow of information to the organism (4) modifying cybernetic principles (iv) Cybernetics is primarily concerned with systems that (1) are controlled by humans (2) analyze flaws of information (3) are self-regulating (4) have wide reaching applications (v) What makes a system automatic and self-regulating? (1) information (2) production procedure (3) human control (4) feedback (vi) Which of the following is not mentioned as an area which cybernetics has applications? (1) Technology (2) Engineering (3) Philosophy (4) Education Mention whether the following statements are true or false: (6x1=6) (i) Cybernetics is the study of all systems (ii) Free flow of information is the key to self-regulation. (iii) Teaching machines can replace teachers. (iv) Automation is useful to housewives also. (v) Human safety in industries cannot be ensured without automation. (vi) Automation in industries is primarily used in producing small amounts of many different products. Choose the appropriate definition for the given words or phrases as they are used in the text: (4x1=4) (i) continual (1) with pause (2) without pause (3) new again (4) renewal (ii) reaching (1) arriving (2) striking out (3) stretching out (4) making (iii) instantaneous (1) simultaneous (2) delayed (3) immediate (4) mediate

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HS 1101-Technical English-I (iv) ruin (1) (2) (3) (4) destroy disable disadvantage decipher

(b) Read the following passage and answer the questions given below. Professor Gavraud is an engineer who almost gave up his post at an institute in Marseilles because he always felt ill at work. He decided against leaving when he discovered that the recurrent attacks of nausea only worried him when he was in his office at the top of the building. Thinking that there must be something in the room that disturbed him, he tried to track it down with devices sensitive to various chemicals, and even with a Geiger counter, but he found nothing until one day, just as he was about to give up, he leaned back against the wall. The whole room was vibrating at a low frequency. The source of this energy turned out to be an air-conditioning plant on the roof of the building across the way, and his office was the right shape and the right distance from the machine to resonate in sympathy with it. It was this rhythm, at seven cycles per second that made him sick. Fascinated by the phenomenon, Gavraud decided to build machines to produce infrasound so that he could investigate it further. In casting around for likely designs, he discovered that the whistle with a pea in it issued to all French gendarmes produced a whole range of low-frequency sounds. So he built a police-whistle six feet long and powered it with compressed air. The technician who gave the giant whistle its first trial fell down dead on the spot. A post-mortem revealed that all his internal organs had been mashed into a jelly by the vibrations. Gavraud went ahead with his work more carefully and did the next test out of doors, with all observers screened from the machine in a concrete shelter. When all was ready, they turned the air on slowly- and broke the windows of every building within a half mile of the test site. Late they learnt to control the strength of the infrasound generator more effectively and designed a series of smaller machines for experimental work. One of the mopst interesting discoveries to date is that waves of low-frequency can be aimed and that two generators focused on a particular point even five miles away produce a resonance that can knock a building down as effectively as a major earthquake. These frequency-7 machines can be built very cheaply.

(a) Choose the correct answer. (i) Professor Gavraud fell ill because (1) there were chemicals in his room (2) his office was too high up (3) he was affected by vibrations (4) he was a very sensitive man.

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HS 1101-Technical English-I (ii)

He constructed a very large copy of a police whistle because he wanted to (1) Produce low-frequency sounds. (2) Improve its design (3) Compare it with a organ (4) See the effect it had on people. the first experiment with the machine (1) caused a major earthquake (2) broke all the windows in nearby building (3) made a noise like an organ (4) Killed the man who switched it on. Which of the following precautions was not taken by Professor Gavraud in his second experiment? (1) The observers were protected by a concrete shelter. (2) The experiment was done outside. (3) The compressed air was turned on slowly. (4) A smaller machine was used.

(iii)

(iv)

(b) Mention whether the following statements are True or False: (i) Professor Gavraud left his job because he felt sick. (ii) The case of the sickness was not in his room. (iii) The air-conditioning plant had nothing to do with his sickness. (iv) The result of the first trial was worrying. (v) He did his second test indoors. (vi) Later on he designed even bigger generators. (c) Choose the appropriate definition for the given words or phrases as they are used in the text: (i) infrasound (1) high frequency sound (2) low frequency sound (3) medium frequency sound (4) heavy frequency sound (ii) to track down (1) to smell (3) to examine to give up (1) to go on (3) to collapse turned out to be (1) was shown to be (3) was thought to be

(2) to detect (4) to remove

(iii)

(2) to stop (4) to find out

(iv)

(2) hoping for (4) was known to be

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HS 1101-Technical English-I 10 (v) casting around (1) looking for (3) asking for went ahead (1) delayed (3) hurried (2) hoping for (4) sending for

(vi)

(2) proceeded (4) changed

12. Convert the following bar diagram into a meaningful paragraph: (16 marks)

(a) Study the following table which gives the details about the petroleum products boiling points and uses. Write a paragraph presenting the information using expressions or comparison.

Product
Gas Petroleum ether Gasoline or Petrol Kerosene Fuel Oil or Diesel Oil Lubrication Oil Residual Material

Approximate Boiling Point ( in degrees)

Below room temperature 30-90 40-200 175-275 Above 275 Above 300 Above 350

Uses
Gaseous fuel Solvent Motor fuel Illuminant Fuel for Diesel Engines Lubricants Vaseline

(b) Look at the following bar chart which describes the expenditure on education and defense of the total expenditure incurred by different countries. Write a paragraph presenting the information contained in it using expressions of comparison. Also give your comment in about 100 words, on defense expenditure and whether you think it is necessary or not.(Total= 200 words)
45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Egypt USA Israel Australia Canada Uk india USSR Japan Defense Education

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HS 1101-Technical English-I 11 (c) Look at the following bar chart which describes the sales figures of products A and B for the period from January to June in respect of a firm. Write a paragraph presenting the information contained in it using expressions of comparison.
4 3.5 3 2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 Jan Feb March April May June Product A Product B

(OR) 13. Arrange the following Jumbled Sentences.

(8X2=16)

(a) 1. The other means of supplementing speech is the use of facial expression. 2. There are other ways of communication which do not make use of language. 3. This however is not the only way through which human beings communicate. 4. Some of these replace speech and supplement speech. 5. We think of communication generally in terms of words and sentences. 6. The most obvious of the latter are gestures of various kinds which we make while speaking. 7. We make use of gestures even when we are speaking over the telephone. 8. The word gesture refers to some significant movement of the arms, hands or head. (b) 1. They are better at sports than right-handed people. 2. However, they are not as good at mathematics and languages. 3. Left-handed people can do certain things better than right-handed people. 4. The reason for this lies in the construction of the brain. 5. Therefore, left-handed people are better at music, sports and dance. 6. The left controls reasoning or logical thinking. 7. In left-handed people, the right hemisphere of the brain is highly developed. 8. They are better at music and dance too. 9. But right-handed people are better at mathematics and languages. (c) 1. When completely satisfied with its new mobile home, the hermit crab will emerge one last time, turn the shell over and make a final entrance.

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HS 1101-Technical English-I 12 2. Once the shells opening has been located, the crab uses its claws to remove an foreign material before preparing to enter. 3. The hermit crab may encounter empty shells in the course of their daily activity, but the vacant shell is usually spotted by sight. 4. It rises above the opening, flexes its abdomen, and enters the shell backward. 5. Its visual response increases with the size of an object and its contrast against the background. 6. If the size is right, the crab investigates its shapes and texture by rolling it over between its walking legs and running its claws over the surface. 7. The shell interior is monitored by the abdomen, and enters the shell backward. 8. It then sizes the shell with its walking legs and climbs on it, monitoring its size. 14. Develop a paragraph with the following topic sentence in about 200 words (16 Marks) a. Technology is a double-edged sword. b. Electronic media and its impact on society. c. Education in India and abroad. d. Revenge is a kind of wild justice. e. Introduction of computers in industries will lead to unemployment. f. Influence of cinema on younger generation. (OR) 15. Write a paragraph on the following in about 200 words. (16 Marks) a. Write a paragraph comparing computer with human brain. b. Write a paragraph comparing computer and calculator. c. Describe the uses of iron. d. Describe the different types of pollution. e. Write a paragraph comparing human beings with robots. f. Write a paragraph about the advantage and disadvantage of nuclear power. 16. Letter writing a. (16 marks)

Write a letter to the Editor of a newspaper about the fraudulent labour agencies which recruit illiterate people for employment in the Gulf countries. Suggest appropriate methods to protect the innocent people against such agencies. Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper highlighting any four problems faced by commuters in city buses. Write a letter to the Personnel Manager, ASEAN solutions, Ahemedabad for getting permission to undergo in-plant training for a week. Write a letter to the Editor of a Newspaper on the evils of street begging. (OR)

b.

c.

d.

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HS 1101-Technical English-I 13 17. Acceptance or declining letter a. (16 marks)

Write an invitation to the HR manager of a company to preside over and deliver a lecture in an inter-collegiate Management function. Assume yourself as Inspector General, North Zone, Chennai, and express your acceptance to be the chief guest for the Sports Day Celebration to be held at XYZ College of Engineering and Technology, Chennai. Assume yourself as Vice-Chancellor, Anna University, Trichy and decline the request to be the Chief Guest on the occasion of the Convocation Day at XYZ College of Engineering & Technology, Trichy. Write a letter declining the invitation by District Collector of your area to inaugurate the NSS Camp in a village adopted by your college for the purpose of rural development. (16 marks)

b.

c.

d.

18. Dialogue writing a. b. c d. .

Write a dialogue between a bank manager and a student on educational loan. Write a dialogue between a sister and a brother about the uses of internet. Write a dialogue between a father and a son on the present education system. Write a dialogue between a student and a counsellor about the ways to come out from stress during examination. Write a dialogue between two friends on spending vacation in useful way. Write a dialogue between a final year student and a placement officer about preparing for campus interview.

e. f.

g.

Write a dialogue between two school students about preparing the project to exhibit in the science exhibition. (OR) 19. Complete the dialogue writing (16 marks)

a. Complete the following dialogue by framing suitable questions: Interviewer : _________________________________? Scientist : Yes, many observations indicate that the worlds climate has changed. Interviewer : ______________________________? Scientist : Human activities and pollution have increased the vulnerability of ecosystem. Interviewer : ______________________________?

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HS 1101-Technical English-I 14 Scientist Interviewer Scientist Interviewer Scientist Interviewer Scientist Interviewer Scientist Interviewer Scientist : Yes. There are many technological options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. : ______________________________? : I will deliver a special lecture on Climate Change in the world science conference. : ______________________________? : I feel very proud that an Indian has received Nobel Prize. : ______________________________? : Yes. We take PG graduates as research students. : ______________________________? : Government gives merit scholarship for outstanding students. : ______________________________? : Yes. We motivate more students coming from rural areas.

b. Complete the following dialogue by framing suitable questions:

Vino: Hai! _______________________________? Nino: I am reading a newspaper. It is interesting. Vino: ________________________________. Nino: But newspaper gives more details and depth of information that TV. Vino: ___________________________________? Nino: Yes, Visual medium is more attractive than printing medium. I accept it. Vino: ___________________________________? Nino: I can take this newspaper anywhere as I like and read at my leisure. Vino: ___________________________________? Nino: Yes. I need to strain physically and mentally than watching TV. Vino: ___________________________________? Nino : Reading newspaper helps to improve my concentration, vocabulary and language. Vino: ___________________________________? Nino: No, both the media are very useful to the society. Vino: ___________________________________. C. Complete the following dialogue Anu : Good morning. I am Anu. Giri : Good morning . ______________________? Anu : Yes, I am a first year ECE student of our college. _____________________________________? Giri: I doing my final IT. _____________________? Anu : I feel comfortable here. Staff and students are friendly. Giri: _______________________________________? Anu : No, I dont find any difficulty in understanding the lessons, though I am a student from vocational group. Giri: _____________________________? Anu: No, I stay in the hostel.________________? Giri : Yes, Thiruvaiyaru is my native place. ____________? Anu: My native place is Madurai. __________________? Giri : I have to go now. Bye Anu : Bye.

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