Final Exam (Take Home) Spring - 2020

Subject: Academic & Professional Writing Submission Day: Monday

Instructor: Farzana Alam Submission Date: 15-06-2020
Program: BBA Max. Marks: 40

Department of Media Sciences

Q.No.1. Read the following comprehension and write answers of following questions.

Time: 30Minutes. Total marks :10

RUBRICS FOR ASSESMENT:

1. All relevant and meaningful answers will be accepted: 3 marks
2.The length of the answers can be from 1 to 3 sentences: 2 marks
3. Use of your own words in writing the answers is encouraged:3 marks
4. The meanings of words or phrases, when asked, should be provided in context: 2marks

NEW YEAR RESOLUTION

The New Year is the time for resolution. Mentally, at least most of us could compile formidable
lists of ‘do’s and ‘don’ts’. The same old favorites recur year in and year out with the children, do
a thousand and one job about the house, be nice to people we don’t like, drive carefully, and take
the dog for a walk every day. Past experience has taught us that certain accomplishments are
beyond attainment. If we remain deep rooted liars, it is only because we have so often
experienced the frustration that results from failure.

Most of us fail in our efforts at self-improvement because our schemes are too ambitious and we
never have time to carry them out. We also make the fundamental error of announcing our
resolution to everybody so that we look even more foolish when we slip back into our bad old
ways. Aware of these pitfalls, this year I attempted to keep my resolution to myself. I limited
myself to two modest ambitions, to do physical exercise every morning and to read more in the
evening. An overnight party on New Year’s Eve provided me with a good excuse for not carrying
out either of these new resolutions on the first day of the year, but on the second, I applied myself
assiduously to the task.

The daily exercise lasted only eleven minutes and I proposed to do them early in the morning
before anyone had got up. The self-discipline required to drag myself out of bed eleven minutes
 earlier than usual was considerable. Nevertheless, I managed to creep down into the living room
for two days before anyone found me out. After jumping about in the carpet and twisted the
human frame into uncomfortable positions. I sat down at the breakfast table in an exhausted
condition. It was this that betrayed me. The next morning the whole family trooped into watch the
performance. That was really unsettling but I fended off the taunts and jibes of the family good
humoredly and soon everybody got used to the idea. However, my enthusiasm waned, the time I
spent at exercises gradually diminished. Little by little the eleven minutes fell to zero. By
January10th I was back to where I had started from. I argued that if I spent less time exhausting
myself at exercises in the morning. I would keep my mind fresh for reading when I got home
from work. Resisting the hypnotizing effect of television, I sat in my room for a few evenings
with my eyes glued to a book. One night, however, feeling cold and lonely, I went downstairs and
sat in front of the television pretending to read. That proved to be my undoing, for I soon got back
to the old bad habit of dozing off in front of the screen. I still haven’t given up my resolution to
do more reading. In fact, I have just bought a book entitled ‘How to Read a Thousand Words a
Minute’. Perhaps it will solve my problem, but I just have not had time to read it.

Questions:

1) Why most of us fail in our efforts for self-improvement?

2) Why is it a basic mistake to announce our resolution to everybody?
3) Why did the writer not carry out his resolution on New Year’s Day?
4) Find out the words in the above passage which convey the similar meaning to the following:

(a) intimidating (b) peril (c) dwindle (d) repel (e) barb

5) Do you agree with the writer? Support your answer with reason.

Q.No.2. Write an essay on any ONE of the following about 300-400 words.

Marks:15-Time: 60 Minutes

RUBRICS:
a) Content/Ideas/relevance: 04 marks,
b) Structure of the essay (Introduction, Body & Conclusion 06 marks,
c) Language Cohesion &coherence, use of transitional signals & Accuracy 05 marks)

a) The impact of advertisement on our youth

b) Are educational apps useful?
c) Compare and contrast online shopping vs traditional shopping
Q.No.3. Summarize the following text to 200 words.

Summary Writing Rubrics: Marks: 10-Time: 40minutes

1. Coverage of main points 03 marks

2. Use of own words 03 marks
3. Use of language 02 marks
4. Length 02 marks

Attacking Environmental Problems

The protection of our environment is a hot topic today. Everyone talks about it, but no one seems
to know what to do about the problems of cleaning up our world. People say, “I am really
concerned about the environment, but I am only one person. What can one person do to make a
difference?” Instead of shrugging our shoulders and silently lamenting our lost paradise, we must
begin to look at the ways each person can make an impact on improving environmental
conditions, individuals can take several steps to reduce the present environmental problems.

The first step is a political one. Citizens must get involved in the governing processes that leads
to protection, not destruction, of our environment. Money speaks the loudest of all; we can
support right -thinking candidates with our contributions and our volunteer efforts. We can also
actively support community efforts at recycling by encouraging our relatives and friends to
participate in the programs.

Another way to defend our environment is to change our habits of buying and discarding products.
Everyone can contribute to recycling efforts by using only products that can be reused. At
supermarket, we can pass by the paper plates, napkins, and diapers. It may take more effort on our
part to wash more dishes and do more laundry, but our landfills will not become enormous trash-
filled burdens on our children and their children if we stop throwing away tons of paper products.
Other ways to cut down on waste include recycling newspaper and other paper publications, glass
bottles and jars, aluminum and steel cans, and plastic containers. It takes a bit of planning and
extra time to separate recyclables from other trash, but each individual can make a difference by
making the effort.
Finally, individuals can make political and economic statements to the community by supporting
environmentally responsible businesses. We can eat only at fast food restaurants that use recycled
paper products and avoid those companies that pollute the environment. Everyone can check
labels for packing and ingredients information to avoid buying products that are not
environmentally safe. Letter writing campaigns and letters to the editors of newspapers might
encourage business to cut down on excess packaging. We can also buy products in bulk lots to
reduce the amount of packaging needed. Smart businessmen will take notice of sales volumes that
 increase because of their environmental responsibility or, conversely, decrease the public refuses
to support wastefulness and harm to our world.

It may be true that one drop of water will not fill the entire ocean; however, if we put many drops
together, we can begin to make a difference. By taking an active role in fighting pollution in our
environment, all individuals can help to solve this world wide problem
.

Q.NO.4 Rephrase the text given below.

Marks:05Time:20 minutes
Rubrics:
1. Retention of meaning: 1 mark
2. Use of synonym: 2 marks
3. Change of sentence structure: 1 mark

People who have attended boarding schools often have no realization of the effect that leaving
their parents at a very young age has had on their emotional development because the signs of this
effect generally do not become sufficiently apparent until middle age and are often due to a kind
of subconscious repression which is why such subjects do not make the connection between their
current levels of over-emotiveness and their childhood lack of parental affection.