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University of Madras
November 2022 University Exam
Question
Paper with Answer Key
Part II – Language through Literature I -
LZ13A
2nd Year 3rd Semester
For
all BA (except BA English) and
B.Com
(Corporate Secretaryship & Cooperation) Programmes
Time: 3 Hours Max. Marks: 50
Answer any FIVE questions.
Each question carries 10 marks.
1. (a) Read the following passage and answer
the questions that follow: (5)
In American restaurants they call for
‘toasted English’, referring to English muffins which, though being made in
America, now retain ‘English’ as a sort of concession to their origin. The same
may be said of their language too. They too went through a phase of throwing
out the British but retaining their language and letting it flourish on
American soil: the resultant language is somewhat different from its British
counterpart; it may be said to have gone through a process of ‘toasting’. One
noticeable result of this toasting is that much of the formalism surrounding
the use of English has been abandoned.
In America, they have freed the language
from the stifling tyranny of the p voice. Where we would say ceremoniously
‘Trespassing Prohibited’, their signboards, as noticed in the parks of
Berkeley, merely say, ‘Newly Planted, Don’t Walk’. Or ‘Absolutely No Parking’
leaves no room for speculation, and no motorist need spend too much time
peering out and studying the notice. In a similar situation our authorities are
likely to plant a twenty-line inscription on the landscape to say, ‘Under
Municipal Act so and so this area has been reserved, etc., etc., and any
vehicle stationed thereon will be deemed to have contravened subsection so and
so of the Motor Vehicles Act, etc., etc.” I saw on many American office doors
just ‘Do Not Enter’. The traffic signs at pedestrian crossings never mince
words; they just say ‘Go’ or ‘Wait’. In a Hollywood studio, I was rather
startled to read ‘Mark Stevens-Keep out’. Mark Stevens is a busy television
personality who did not like to be disturbed by visitors. Incidentally, it left
me wondering why, if Mr Stevens does not like interruptions, he should announce
his name at all on the door! But it is one of the minor mysteries that make
travel through that country so engrossing.
The 'toasting' of English has been
achieved through other means also. Americans have evolved certain basic
keywords which may be used anywhere, anyhow, words which have universal,
multipurpose use. I may make my point clear if I mention the example of the
word ‘check’ which may safely be labelled the American National Expression.
While British usage confines it to its bare dictionary definitions, the
American uses it anywhere, this expression being so devised that one may
blindly utter it and still find that it is appropriate for the occasion. ‘I’ll
check’ means I’ll find out, investigate, examine, scrutinise verify or probe.
‘Your check’ means your ticket, token or whatever you may have to produce.
‘Check room’ is where you leave your possessions for a while. ‘Check girl’ is
one who takes care of your coat, umbrella or anything else you may leave in
custody. Check in’ and ‘Check out (at first I heard it as Chuck out and felt
rather disturbed) refer to one’s arrival in a hotel and departure there from.
And there are scores of other incidental uses for the word. If you are ever
hard up for a noun or a verb you may safely utter the word ’check’ and feel
confident that it will fit in. ‘Fabulous’ is another word that is used in that
country freely, without much premeditation. Of course everyone knows what
fabulous means, but the American usage has enlarged its sense. I found a lady
in Wisconsin declare ‘Oh, those cats of mine are fabulous’, meaning that they
were eccentric. Oh, so and so, be is fabulous!’ may mean anything from a
sincere compliment to an insinuation that so and so displays a mild form of
charming lunacy.
Answer the following.
(i)
What
is known as ‘Toasted English’ in the American restaurants?
Ans:
English muffins is known as ‘Toasted English’ in the American restaurants.
(ii)
What
is the result of roasting English?
Ans:
The
use of English has been abandoned.
(iii) How is ‘Trespassing prohibited’ replaced in
America?
Ans:
In America Trespassing prohibited is replaced as ‘Newly Planted, Don’t Walk’.
(iv)
How do
the American traffic signs direct the pedestrians?
Ans: The
traffic signs direct the pedestrians to ‘Go’ or ‘Wait’.
(v)
What
do mean by ‘Check in’ and ‘Check out’?
Ans:
‘Check
in’ and ‘Check out’ refer to one’s arrival in a hotel and departure there from.
(b) Answer the following.
(i) Find
the etymological derivation of the word ‘multi’.
Ans: multus
(ii)
The cats disappeared under the table. (Convert the sentence into Present
perfect tense)
Ans: The cats have disappeared under the table.
(iii) Every
child has broken into its own money box. All of them know this. (Convert the
following to a compound sentence)
Ans: Every child has broken into its own
money box, though they know this.
(iv) Through
an greater part on recorded history there was nothing of that kind. (Identity the
errors)
Ans: Through a greater part on the recorded
history there was nothing of that kind.
(v) Discrimination
against woman start at birth itself. (Correct the sentence)
Ans: Discrimination against woman starts at
birth itself.
2. (a) Read the following lines and answer
the questions that follow. (5)
The
world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting
and spending, we lay waste our powers;—
Little
we see in Nature that is ours;
We
have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
This
Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The
winds that will be howling at all hours,
And
are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For
this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It
moves us not. Great God! I’d rather be
A
Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So
might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have
glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have
sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or
hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.
Answer the following.
(i) What
is the genre of the poem?
Ans: The World is Too Much With Us is written
in Petrarchan sonnet.
(ii)
What does ‘The world is Too Much With Us’ lament?
Ans: The poem laments how we are completely
out of touch with Nature and her great beauty and power.
(iii) Why
have people given up the life of harmony with nature, according to the poet?
Ans: According
to the poet, people
given up the life of harmony with nature because of increasing materialistic
demands.
(iv)
Why does the poet want to be a Pagan?
Ans: The poet wants to be a Pagan, because
they were close to nature and knew how to respect and cherish nature.
(v)
Does the poet believe that the beauty of nature disappeared?
Ans: No, The beauty of nature did not disappeared.
Humans forget to connect with nature.
(b) Answer the following. (5)
(i) The
poet expresses his despair over humanity’s inability to be comforted by nature.
(Identify the content word)
Ans:
Human being absorbed in materialism and distancing itself from nature.
(ii) Wordsworth said My heart leaps up when I behold a rainbow in
the sky
Ans: Wordsworth said, “My heart leaps up
when I behold a rainbow in the sky!”
(iii) Create two words using the following
words as prefixed. (1. Post, 2. Tele)
Ans:
1. Postpone, Postgraduate, Posthumous.
2.
Telegram, Television, Teleport.
(iv) Emily
Dickinson emphasises the importance of hope. (Convert this into Passive voice)
Ans:
The importance of hope is emphasised by Emily Dickinson.
(v) Pen
is mightier than the sword. (Identify the figure of speech)
Ans:
Metonymy
3. (a) Write a brief essay on
the following in 200 words. (5)
Narrate
the story of ‘How Much Does A Man Need’.
Ans:
In How much land does a man need? Pahom is a peasant determined to rise
to the upper class by purchasing as much land as he possibly can. He boasts
that if he had enough land, he would not even fear the Devil. Over time, Pahom
becomes very possessive of his newly acquired land and hostile with his neighbours.
He moves from place to place, always dissatisfied with what he has, and always
in search of more and more land. When a stranger comes to him and tells him
that a clan in a distant community is selling their excellent land at extremely
cheap prices, Pahom is moved by his greed and goes to investigate. The chief of
the clan agrees to sell Pahom as much land as he can walk around in one day –
the caveat is that he must return to the exact point he started, or the land
and money will be forfeited. Pahom sets out to encircle so much land that by
the afternoon he realizes he has created too big of a circuit. Panicked, he
begins to run and is ultimately driven to exhaustion. As the sun is setting
Pahom falls down and dies. His servant buries him, noting that all he ever
really needed was six feet of land for his grave.
(b) Write
a letter to your friend giving your view about online examination. (5)
Ans:
Dear Suganya,
I
am doing fine here and hope you do the same. I am writing this letter to share
my experience of online classes. Due to this Covid Pandemic disease, our school
started virtual classroom and online teaching.
The online classes make me engaged throughout
these lockdown days. I was excited to see all our friends and teaches in the
online learning class. But I missed our physical classroom and sometimes face
network connectivity issues. Our online classes’ process was gone through ZOOM
app, teachers were explaining very well, everyone was enjoying this type of
classes.
My exams were taken in viva mode. I was
really scared for the viva because I am only used to written exams. But I got
better about three days before my first exam and I worked really hard. My exams
went much better than I expected.
I hope you are safe and your studies are going well. Say hello to uncle and aunty. Write to me about your examinations, are they in the online or offline mode.
Stay home! Stay safe!!
With love,
V. Usha
4. (a) What are the
implications of the explosion of information, in post-truth world. According to
Chi Luu. (5)
Ans:
Chi
Luu says that now we cannot be sure that the words and the truths we refer to
are stable. We know that language change and changes in meaning are inevitable,
but this process is usually steady and slow. However, due to the all-consuming
nature of the internet and social media, this change takes place faster than it
ever has before. The dominant control of offline and online news stories by
media corporations coupled with high levels of media consumption has resulted
in these language innovations being disseminated to millions of people. This
helps the spread of fake news that panders to all kinds of biases and feelings
that some cannot identify as false. In such a situation, it is better to be
indirect. This sets up the framework for people to believe what they choose to
from a certain context. Plausible deniability has become easier due to the
shifting nature of language and cleverly worded suggestions. In the post-truth
era, public discourse can be confusing as words can develop new meanings and connotations
for different groups resulting in an unmanageable complexity.
(b) Write a blog on fitness and
the need to keep fit. (5)
Ans:
Exercise
and physical activity are good for just about everyone, including older adults.
No matter your health and physical abilities, you can gain a lot by staying
active. In fact, studies show that “taking it easy” is risky. Often, inactivity
is more to blame than age when older people lose the ability to do things on
their own. Lack of physical activity also can lead to more visits to the
doctor, more hospitalizations, and more use of medicines for a variety of
illnesses.
Here are some exercise ideas to help you lift
your mood:
§Walking, bicycling, or dancing. Endurance activities increase your breathing, get your heart pumping, and boost chemicals in your body that may improve mood.
§Yoga: This mind and body practice typically combines physical postures, breathing exercises, and relaxation.
§ Tai Chi: This "moving meditation" involves shifting the body slowly, gently, and precisely, while breathing deeply.
§ Activities you enjoy: Whether it’s gardening, playing tennis, kicking around a soccer ball with your grandchildren.
Here are some other benefits you may get with regular physical activity:
- Helps you quit smoking and stay tobacco-free.
- Boosts
your energy level so you can get more done.
- Helps
you manage stress and tension.
- Promotes
a positive attitude and outlook.
- Helps
you fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly.
- Improves
your self-image and self-confidence.
- Helps
you spend more time outdoors.
5. (a) How does ‘A Marriage
Proposal’ highlight the tendency of affluent people while seeking alliances?
(5)
Ans: A Marriage proposal based on the tendency
of two wealthy families who seek ties with each other to increase their estates
by encouraging marriage that would improve their wealth.
The
play presents the human weakness and the realistic problems of common people.
This story revolves around three characters Chekhov, his daughter Natalia and
his friend Lombok. These two friends are also neighbours. Natalia is a very
beautiful girl and Lombok loves her. He wants to marry her but he is very shy
to express his feelings before his friend Chekhov. His friends too wants to
marry her daughter to Lombok. But he doesn’t know how to put the proposal
before Lombok. One day Lombok came to his friend’s house with the proposal to
marrying his daughter. Listening this news he becomes very happy and gets ready
to marry his daughter to Lombok. Suddenly forgetting this matter both of them
(Natalia and Lombok) started quarrelling over their disputed property and their
respective dogs. Lombok faints while quarrelling.
Natalia
and Chekhov become worried. When Lombok returns to his senses Natalia accepts
the marriage proposal. By this way there comes the happy end.
(b) Create a web for yourself. (5)
Ans:
6. Write an essay in 300 words, on any of the
following: (10)
(a) Global
warming and climate change
Ans:
Global
Warming and Climate Change are two sides of the same coin. Both are
interrelated with each other and are two issues of major concern worldwide.
Greenhouse gases released such as carbon dioxide, CFCs, and other pollutants in
the earth’s atmosphere cause Global Warming which leads to climate change.
Black holes have started to form in the ozone layer that protects the earth
from harmful ultraviolet rays. Human activities have created climate change and
global warming. Industrial waste and fumes are the major contributors to global
warming. Another factor affecting is the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation
and also one of the reasons for climate change.
Global warming has resulted in shrinking mountain glaciers in
Antarctica, Greenland, and the Arctic and causing climate change. Switching
from the use of fossil fuels to energy sources like wind and solar. When buying
any electronic appliance buy the best quality with energy savings stars. Don’t
waste water and encourage rainwater harvesting in your community.
(b) Ageing
populations and its impact.
Ans:
As
people live longer and the populations of developed countries grow older,
several related problems can be anticipated. The main issue is that there will
obviously be more people of retirement age who will be eligible to receive a
pension. The proportion of younger, working adults will be smaller, and
governments will therefore receive less money in taxes in relation to the size
of the population. In other words, an ageing population will mean a greater tax
burden of working adults. Further pressures will include a rise in the demand for
healthcare, and the fact young adults will increasingly have to look after
their elderly relatives.
There
are several actions that governments could take to solve the problems described
above. Firstly, a simple solution would be to increase the retirement age for
working adults, perhaps from 65 to 70. Nowadays, people of this age tend to be
healthy enough to continue a productive working life. A second measure would be
for governments to encourage immigration in order to increase the number of working
adults who pay taxes. Finally, money from national budgets will need to be
taken from other areas and spent for vital healthcare, accommodation and
transport facilities for the rising numbers of senior citizens. In conclusion,
various measures can be taken to tackle the problems that are certain to arise
as the populations of countries grow older.
