FEG-01

Bachelor’s Degree Programme

(BDP)

ASSIGNMENT
2009-10

FOUNDATION COURSE IN ENGLISH-01

(FEG-01)

School of Humanities
Indira Gandhi National Open University
Maidan Garhi, New Delhi-110 068

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 FOUNDATION COURSE IN ENGLISH-1 (FEG-01)

Programme: BDP/2009-10
Course Code: FEG-01

Dear Student,

You are required to do one assignment for the Foundation Course in English-01. It is a
Tutor Marked Assignment (TMA) and carries 100 marks. It covers four blocks of the
course.

Aims: The TMA is primarily concerned with assessing your proficiency in English. You
should not reproduce chunks of information from the passage(s) but effectively use the
skills of reading and writing that you may have acquired during the course of study to
compose your answers. These assignments aim to teach as well as to assess your
performance.

Guidelines: You will be required to answer the questions on reading comprehension,

vocabulary, grammar and composition. For the question on transcribing phonetically,
you may consult an appropriate dictionary.

As in day-to-day life, planning is important in attempting the assignment as well. Read

the assignment carefully; go through the units on which the questions are based; jot down
some points regarding each question and then re-arrange them in a logical order. In the
essay-type answer, pay attention to your introduction and conclusion. The introduction
must tell you how to interpret the given topic and how you propose to develop it. The
conclusion must summarize your views on the topic.

Make sure that your answer:

a) is logical
b) is written in simple and correct English
c) does not exceed the number of words indicated in your questions
d) is written neatly and clearly.

Please remember that it is compulsory to submit your assignment before you can
take the Term End Examination. Also remember to keep a copy of your assignment
with you and to take a receipt from your Study Centre when you submit the
assignment.

Last Date for Submission of Assignment:

For June Examination 31st March

For December Examination 30th September

Good Luck!

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 Foundation Course in English – 1 (FEG-01)
Assignment

Course Code: FEG-01

Assignment Code: FEG 1/TMA/2009-10
Max. Marks: 100
Answer all the questions

1 Read the passage below and answer the questions:

Okonkwo was well-known through the nine villages and even beyond. His fame
rested on solid personal achievements. As a young man of eighteen he had
brought honour to his village by throwing Amalinze the Cat. Amalinze was the
great wrestler who for seven years was unbeaten, from Umuofia to Mbaino. He
was called the Cat because his back would never touch the earth. It was this man
that Okonkwo threw in a fight which the old men agreed was one of the fiercest
since the founder of their town engaged a spirit of the wild for seven days and
seven nights.

The drums beat and the flutes sang and the spectators held their breath. Amalinze
was a wily craftsman, but Okonkwo was as slippery as a fish in water. Every
nerve and every muscle stood out on their arms, on their backs and their thighs,
and one almost heard them stretching to breaking point. In the end Okonkwo
threw the Cat.

That was many years ago, twenty years or more, and during this time Okonkwo’s
fame had grown like a bush-fire in the harmattan. He was tall and huge, and his
bushy eyebrows and wide nose gave him a very severe look. He breathed heavily,
and it was said that when he slept, his wives and children in their out-houses
could hear him breathe. When he walked, his heels hardly touched the ground and
he seemed to walk on springs, as if he was going to pounce on somebody. And he
did pounce on people quite often. He had a slight stammer and whenever he was
angry and could not get his words out quickly enough, he would use his fists. He
had no patience with unsuccessful men. He had no patience with his father.
(Source: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe)
i Why had Okonkwo become famous? (1)

ii Which paragraph describes the fight between Okonkwo and Amalinze? (1)

iii Which one quality in each wrestler is highlighted by the writer? (1)

iv Pick out phrases that describe Okonkwo’s: (3)

a. physical appearance;
b. manner of walking;
c. speech.

v What did Okonkwo think of his father? Why? (2)

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vi Choose the most suitable heading for the passage and give the reason for your
choice. (2)

vii The word ‘founder’ used in the passage is formed by adding the suffix ‘-er’ to the
verb ‘found’. Say which of the following verbs can be changed into nouns by
adding the suffix ‘-er’: (5)

find direct protect export murder

spray narrate plead select edit

2 The following passage contains a set of instructions on how to use a mosquito

repellent. However there is one mistake in each instruction. Pick out the mistake
and write the correction. One mistake has been corrected for you as an example.

(5)
Directions for use:

Each pack contain 5 double coils. contains

Remove one double coil and pulled out ___________________
the two coils gently.
Don’t use too much force. They should ___________________
break.
A stand was provided in the pack. Insert ___________________
its point into the small slot in the centre
of the coil.
Light the outer end of the coil, blows out ___________________
the flame and allow the coil to smoulder.
Close all windows and doors and kept the ___________________
coil burning for 20 minutes.

3 Look at the words and phrases below. Rearrange them to form meaningful
sentences to complete the narration which follows. The first sentence has been
arranged for you. (10)

i from sores / and / on my head / as a boy / on my legs / I suffered terribly

ii at the hospital / I was / where I went / for treatment / one of the best
known patients / twice a day
iii that I first met / called Satvik Sinha / it was / a boy / who became / at the
hospital / my friend
iv on my legs / passionately / in spite of / I became / fond of football / sores
v kicking / and soon / to play with / we started / a tennis ball around / we
were allowed / a real football
vi one of these / that / my second fight / it was / football matches / I was led
into / as a result of

i As a boy I suffered terribly from sores on my legs and my head.

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4a Transcribe the following words, using phonetic symbols: (5)

i Pure
ii Sing
iii Numb
iv About
v Woman

4b Rewrite the following sentences as per the directions given: (5)

i You will miss the bus unless you hurry up.
(Use ‘if …not’)

ii Can anyone count the stars in the sky?

(Change into passive voice)

iii A passer-by said, “Can you tell me the way to the station?”
(Change into indirect speech)

iv I got very wet in the rain. I had an umbrella.

(Combine into one sentence using ‘though’)

v The day went on. The weather got worse.

(Combine into one sentence using ‘as’)

5 Write a composition in about 300 words on one of the topics given below:
(20)
i A good law in the country
ii The Internet has many advantages, but it has some disadvantages as well.
iii If you were compelled to leave your country, which other country would
you choose and why?
iv Ways of preventing further damage to the environment.

6 Write a dialogue in about 150 words, taking about ten turns, on any one of the
following topics: (10)
i You need to buy a present to give your friend. Your father suggests you
should buy a book; you want to buy something else.
ii Your husband/wife wants to join you on a business trip. You think you’ll
be distracted. Persuade him/her not to come.
iii When you get off the plane you can’t find your luggage. Complain to the
airline official and find out what’s happened to it.

7 Mark the stress in the following words: (5)

politics political
number numerical
academy academic
democratic democracy

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 great greatness

8 Choose a verb with either the present perfect or past simple for these sentences.
(10)
agree appear continue disappear have
move reach show solve write

i Research ………………… that cycling can help patients overcome their

illnesses.
ii The rabbit just …… …………… in my garden one day last week.
iii With this promotion, I feel that I ……………… a turning point in my
career.
iv Oh, no! My car … ………………!
v Quite early in the negotiations, they … ……… to lower the prices.
vi In 1788 he ………………… his last great work in Vienna.
vii There’s not much more to do, now that we …………… the main problem.
viii Throughout the summer of 1980 Mahender ……………to divide his time
between Delhi and Mumbai.
ix When he was 13, his parents ………………… to the United States.
x Seema ______________ her friendship with her husband despite the
separation.

9 Rewrite the sentences in direct speech or indirect speech. (5)

i “Sarika has so many things to do,” said Tina, “that she doesn’t know
where to begin.”
ii “We may come for the meeting tomorrow,” said the workers.
iii Bina told Jiya that her sister was going to visit her on Saturday.
iv Miss Vinita said, “the Chao Praya River provides the Thai people with
water for consumption and irrigation.”
v Pratap told us that we hadn’t missed much as the match had just begun.

10 Choose the correct word from the box below to fill in the blanks. Make necessary
grammatical changes: (10)

say tell talk speak

i Can you _________ her to be quiet; I can’t work with all this noise.
ii I hope this teacher ________loud and clearly. I didn’t hear a word of what
the last lecturer __________.
iii How many languages do you _____________?
iv How much Shreya __________! I hope someone would ___________ her
to stop.
v The sign__________ that the road is closed. Let’s ________ to the guard
before we proceed.
vi There’s a ________ on “Child Abuse’ in room no. 22. Rohit __________
that he would like to attend.