ENGLISH PROFICIENCY ASSESSMENT TEST NOV/DEC 2016

READING SKILLS PRACTICE MATERIALS

Question Paper - 7
Q.I. Read the following passage and answer the questions given below:
Marie Curie was one of the most accomplished scientists in history. Together with her
husband, Pierre, she discovered radium, an element widely used for treating cancer, and
studied uranium and other radioactive substances. Pierre and Marie's amicable collaboration
later helped to unlock the secrets of the atom.
Marie was born in 1867 in Warsaw, Poland, where her father was a professor of physics. At
an early age, she displayed a brilliant mind and a blithe personality. Her great exuberance for
learning prompted her to continue with her studies after high school. She became disgruntled,
however, when she learned that the university in Warsaw was closed to women. Determined
to receive a higher education, she defiantly left Poland and in 1891 entered the Sorbonne, a
French university, where she earned her master's degree and doctorate in physics.
Marie was fortunate to have studied at the Sorbonne with some of the greatest scientists of
her day, one of whom was Pierre Curie. Marie and Pierre were married in 1895 and spent
many productive years working together in the physics laboratory. A short time after they
discovered radium, Pierre was killed by a horse-drawn wagon in 1906. Marie was stunned by
this horrible misfortune and endured heartbreaking anguish. Despondently she recalled their
close relationship and the joy that they had shared in scientific research. The fact that she had
two young daughters to raise by herself greatly increased her distress.
Curie's feeling of desolation finally began to fade when she was asked to succeed her
husband as a physics professor at the Sorbonne. She was the first woman to be given a
professorship at the world-famous university. In 1911 she received the Nobel Prize in
chemistry for isolating radium. Although Marie Curie eventually suffered a fatal illness from
her long exposure to radium, she never became disillusioned about her work. Regardless of
the consequences, she had dedicated herself to science and to revealing the mysteries of the
physical world.

Answer each question in about 25 30 words

1. Mention the reason why Marie Currie left Poland.
2. What was Maries experience in Sorbonne?
3. Explain the hardships faced by Marie.
4. Give the gist of the passage?
5. Give a suitable title for the above passage and justify it.
Q.II. Fill in the blanks with appropriate words:
(glass, social, cheap, imagine, costly, environmental , build , built, durable, inexpensive,
pollute, clean, climate, weather, structures)

When you think of houses and what they are made of, you probably think of
wooden or brick ____(1)___. You might even think of houses made of __(2)___ or
steel. Today, for economical and __(3)_______reasons, some houses are made of dirt. Can
you____(4)____ a house made from dirt? It is not as far out as it may seem. Houses made of
dirt have been around for a long time. Rammed earth homes are made of dirt that is rammed
or compacted into bricks. Rammed earth homes are economical to____(5)___. The dirt
is______(6). Very often it is free. It is so easy to use that workers can learn the necessary
skills in a few hours. Several environmental concerns make rammed earth homes an
attractive alternative. Homes made of rammed earth are ____(7)__to heat and cool. The
construction of these homes does not deplete scarce resources as dirt is plentiful
worldwide. Large manufacturing plants that __(8)____the water or air are not needed. A
common question is whether or not rammed earth is ____(9)____. It is strong enough
to hold up under extreme ___(10)_____ conditions, and there are rammed earth houses
today that have endured for 400 years!
Q. III. Read the given passage and match the words given in column A with those in
column B
Excerpt from Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter from the Birmingham City Jail
You may well ask, Why direct action? Why sitins, marches, etc.? Isn't negotiation a better
path?" You are exactly right in your call for negotiation. Indeed, this is the purpose of direct
action. Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such creative
tension that a community that has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the
issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. I just referred to the

creation of tension as a part of the work of the nonviolent resister. This may sound rather
shocking. But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word tension. I have earnestly
worked and preached against violent tension, but there is a type of constructive nonviolent
tension that is necessary for growth. Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a
tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and halftruths
to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, we must see the need of
having nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from
the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and
brotherhood. So the purpose of the direct action is to create a situation so crisispacked that it
will inevitably open the door to negotiation. We, therefore, concur with you in your call for
negotiation. Too long has our beloved Southland been bogged down in the tragic attempt to
live in monologue rather than dialogue
We must use time creatively, and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right. Now
is the time to make real the promise of democracy, and transform our pending national elegy
into a creative psalm of brotherhood. Now is the time to lift our national policy from the
quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of human dignity.
COLUMN A

COLUMN B

1. crisis

slavery

2.confess

Strict

3.Bondage

intolerance

4.unfettered

funeral song

5.prejudice

serious

6.bogged down

Lavishly

7.elegy

critical moment

8.negotiation

admit or acknowledge

9.earnestly

Tolerant

10.dignity

unrestricted
slowing down the progress
Stubborn
compromise
Deliberation
self-respect

Q. IV. Read the following passage and match Column A with Column B.

Persuasion is the art of convincing someone to agree with your point of view. According to
the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, there are three basic tools of persuasion: ethos,
pathos, and logos. Ethos is a speakers way of convincing the audience that she is a credible
source. An audience will consider a speaker credible if she seems trustworthy, reliable, and
sincere. This can be done in many ways. For example, a speaker can develop ethos by
explaining how much experience or education she has in the field. After all, you would be
more likely to listen to advice about how to take care of your teeth from a dentist than a
firefighter. A speaker can also create ethos by convincing the audience that she is a good
person who has their best interests at heart. If an audience cannot trust you, you will not be
able to persuade them.
Pathos is a speakers way of connecting with an audiences emotions. For example, a speaker
who is trying to convince an audience to vote for him might say that he alone can save the
country from a terrible war. These words are intended to fill the audience with fear, thus
making them want to vote for him. Similarly, a charity organization that helps animals might
show an audience pictures of injured dogs and cats. These images are intended to fill the
viewers with pity. If the audience feels bad for the animals, they will be more likely to donate
money.
Logos is the use of facts, information, statistics, or other evidence to make your argument
more convincing. An audience will be more likely to believe you if you have data to back up
your claims. For example, a commercial for soap might tell you that laboratory tests have
shown that their soap kills all 7,000,000 of the bacteria living on your hands right now. This
piece of information might make you more likely to buy their brand of soap. Presenting this
evidence is much more convincing than simply saying our soap is the best! Use of logos
can also increase a speakers ethos; the more facts a speaker includes in his argument, the
more likely you are to think that he is educated and trustworthy.
Although ethos, pathos, and logos all have their strengths, they are often most effective when
they are used together. Indeed, most speakers use a combination of ethos, pathos, and logos
to persuade their audiences. The next time you listen to a speech, watch a commercial, or
listen to a friend try to convince you to lend him some money, be on the lookout for these
ancient Greek tools of persuasion.

Column A
1. I

paragraph

Column B
effective result of using the tools of persuasion

2. II paragraph

communicating with people using persuasion effectively

3. III paragraph

methodology of using persuasion

4. IV paragraph

getting awareness of persuasion among people

trying to convince people with evidence
persuading others by anger
essential tools of persuasion
trying to convince people with emotions

Q. V. Rearrange sentences ABCD in the logical order. Pick the right answer from the
given options. Sentences S1 and S6 are in the correct position.

S1. All the land was covered by the ocean.

A: The leading god fought the monster, killed it and chopped its body in to two
halves.
B: A terrible monster prevented the gods from separating the land from the water.
C: The god made the sky out of the upper part of the body and ornamented it with
stars.
D: The god created the earth from the lower part, grew plants on it and populated it
with animals.
S6: The god molded the first people out of clay according to his own image and
mind.

1. DCBA

2.CDBA

3. BACD

4.ABCD