APPSC Group 1 Mains 2008 GENERAL ENGLISH Paper

APPSC Group 1 Mains 2008

GENERAL ENGLISH

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Time : 3 Hours                                   ,                                                                Max. Marks: 150

Note : Attempt all the questions.

1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow :                          20

At The Boardless there was constant speculation about Selvi's early life. Varma heard at the gossip table that Selvi had been brought up by her mother in a back row of Vinayak Mudali Street, in a small house with tiles falling off, with not enough cash at home to put the tiles back on the roof and had learnt music from her, practising with her brother and sister accompanying her on, their instruments.

At this time Mohan had a photo studio on Market Road. Once Selvi's mother brought the girl to be photographed for a school magazine after she had won the first prize in a music competition. Thereafter Mohan visited them casually now and then as a sort of well-wisher of the family, sat in the single chair their home provided, drank coffee, and generally behaved as a benign god to that family by his advice and guidance. Sometimes he would request Selvi to sing, and then dramatically leave the chair and sit down on the floor cross-legged with his eyes shut, in an attitude of total absorption in her melody, to indicate that in the presence of such an inspired artist it would be blasphemous to sit high in a chair.

(i)        What was Selvi's work ?

(ii)      How many persons are referred to in the paragraph ? Who are they ?

(iii)     Why could the house not be repaired ?

(iv)     Who taught Selvi music ?                                                                              '

(v)       How did Mohan meet Selvi ?

(vi)     Why did Selvi's mother take her for a photograph ?

(vii)    How do we know that they had very little furniture in the house ?

(viii)  What was the relationship of Mohan with the family ?

(ix)     What was the reaction of Mohan to Selvi's singing ?

(x)       In the last sentence to whom does the phrase 'inspired artist' refer ?

2.     Read the passage given below and make a precis of it in one-third its original length. Give an appropriate title for the passage.

Photoaxis is the automatic movement of an organism either towards or away from a light. Have you ever seen moths flocking to the nearest source of bright ' light, and wondered why this was so ? Well, now you know that the source of this phenomenon lies in photoaxis. Creatures like cockroaches and moths make a beeline for the nearest source of light, no matter how dangerous that source might be. Butterflies and moths come from an insect group called Lepidoptera, the fourth largest insect group in. ! terms of species diversity. The name Lepidoptera means 'scale wings' and moths fit this description wonderfully as their wings are covered with thousands of tiny scales that are less than l/100th of an inch wide.Moths have been around for about 140 million years and studies tell us that they are sensitive to particular wavelengths of light* For instance, a white light will attract more moths than a yellow light. Scientific research has shown that some types of moths are known to migrate, and they depend on the night sky for navigation. In fact, studies have shown that moths might use the moon as the central reference point so that they move through the night following the • moon's path across the night sky.Moths can't distinguish between the moon and any other source of light — that , is why they are generally confused when they end up near another source, like a light bulb or a fire.So, if they are confused, why do moths stay fluttering around lights ? This is because a moth's eyes contain light sensors which they adjust according to the > v amount of light that these sensors detect. But once they come too close to a bright light, the moth's eye sensors experience difficulty going back into the dark, as the tiny creature is rendered blind for a while.

3.     Rearrange the following sentences in sequential order to form a meaningful and coherent paragraph :                                                                                                                              10

(i)        When she was taken to Madras the doctors tried hard to stop the growth of the infection.

(ii)      The family had gone there for their annual pilgrimage.

(iii)   'About eight years ago, Sudha was a promising seventeen-year-old dancer.

(iv)  : Finally, they were forced to amputate her right leg from about eight

centimetres below the knee.

[1]       In the terrible months that followed, Sudha's search began — to find a way of dancing again.

(vi)  M3be had given more than eighty performances.

(vii)      Perhaps, she was not treated properly at the local hospital to which she was rushed.

(viii)  ?Then, one day she was injured in a road accident about twenty-five kilometres from Tiruchchirappalli, Tamil Nadu.

(ixH In any case, her injuries resulted in gangrenous infection.

(x).r Almost everyone in the audience knew the story of Sudha's courage.

4.       Correct any ten of the following sentences :                                                                      20

(i)  " It is now or ever.

(ii)      '      Passengers should reach the station latest half-an-hour before the train time.

(iii)     Because of her illness Radha had to keep away from office.

(iv)     There is interesting programme on TV at 8 pm tonight. (V) . Please collect all your personal thing before leaving.

(vi)     '      Madhusudhan woke up when he hear a noise from the next room.

(vii)    ,      The carpenter has do a good job.

(viii)             -The   truck was overload with coal.

(ix)     Sudhakar is Minister's right-handed man.

(x)       ^v     Can you please guided me to the post office ?

(xi)     Raju was. work in that company iast year. (xii> One of the file is missing.

5.       Give synonyms of any ten of the following :                                                                       10

(i)        begin                                                                                                              ,

(ii)   expand

(iii)  pleased

(iv)      grow

(v)  foolish 

(vi)     attach                                                                                                            /

(vii)    inform

(viii)  adequate

(ix)   forgive

(x)       possess

(xi)  gather

(xii)permit

6.      Give the antonyms of any ten of the following :

" (i)      difficult

(ii)              tiny

(iii)                   weak

(iv)     large

(v)               dry

(vi)     open

(vii)    angry

(viii)                 lend

(ix)     smooth

(x)       increase

(xi)     appear

(xii)   break                                              ,

7.      Fill .in the blanks in any ten of the following sentences using suitable articles/prepositions/conj unctions :

[1]       Once upon a time there was a king ____________  was fond of listening to

stories.                                                                                                        '

[1]       There was only one book___________ the shelf.

[1]       He disliked eating beans ________________  his wife never cooked that

vegetable.

[1]       The barber wanted to know_____________ he could enter the king's court.

[1]       There was ______________ small hole in the net.

[1]       Summer is usually hot_______________ sunny.

(vii)    What did you do ____________ , college yesterday ?

(viii)  Oh ! I liked every minute of_______________ day.

(ix)     At the auditorium the Principal spoke ______________  the college and its

traditions.

(x)       They had arranged an entertainment programme ____________ us.

(xi)     You must make_____________ attempt to learn the language.

(xii)    My uncle came_____________ a friend to my house that evening.

8.      Write the correct spelling of any ten of the following :                                              10

(i)        dangeros

(ii)      begining

(iii)     casette

(iv)     competetion

(v)       anshient

(vi)     recomend                                       '

(vii)    plaaned

(viii)  speciel

(ix)     villan

(x)       tution

(xi)     temprary                                        '.

(xii)    moveble

9.      Make sentences with five of the following pairs of words clearly bringing out the difference in meaning between the two words. Choose any five of the pairs. 10

(i)        Dear — Deer

(ii)      Feet — Feat

(iii)     Son — Sun

(iv)     Fare — Fair

(v)       Bank (as noun) — Bank (as verb)

(vi)     Meet — Meat

(vii)    Cut (as noun) — Cut (as verb)

10.    Give appropriate one-word substitutes for any five of the following items :                    5

(i)        The study of things found on the earth's surface, physical features, climate etc.

(ii)   . Person who sets up a factory.

(iii)     Light food eaten between meals.

(iv)  ' A person who speaks two languages.

(v)       Related to the sense of hearing.

(vi)  * A small room just below the roof where things can be stored.

(vii)    *A  child who has lost both parents.

(viii)  Aii arrangement that is not permanent.

11.    Use any ten of the following idioms and phrases in sentences of your own : 20

(i)  « to make both ends meet

(ii)  ¹ to develop cold feet

(iii)  - to break the news

(iv)     to give away

(v)       to ask for

(vi)     to hold up

(vii)    to look up

(viii)  to carry on

(ix)     to back out

(x)       to be made up of

(xi)     to see through

(xii)    to think highly of

12.    Insert appropriate punctuation marks in the following sentences :                                  5

i understand youre ready to buy a house mr rao yes if it doesnt cost too much

13. In the sentences given below some words are underlined. Identify the parts of speech of the underlined words :

(i)        Electricity comes to a house through cables.

(ii)      In cities the cables are usually laid underground.

(iii)     But in towns they may be carried on poles.

(iv)     Inside the house, this cable is connected with a main switch.

(v)       In an emergency, the power can be turned off at this switch.