Sem 4 Model Paper English Language and Proficiency

 

AEC - ENGLISH PROFICIENCY AND LIFE SKILLS

Q1. Choose the correct option. ( (10 marks)

1. What was written on the arch of an old board with new paint?
1. Postmaster 
2. Post office
3. Post letters 
4. New building 
2. What does the idiom “cost an arm and a leg“ mean?
1. It’s very easy
2. Agree with someone
3. Is very expensive
4. Solve two problems at once
3. What does the word immigration mean?
1. Height
2. Having a similar meaning to
3. Moving to another country
4. A break in a journey
4. How many sheeps did Ilyas own by the time he was 35?
1. 1200
2. 1000
3. Three
4. 900
5. Why did Ali go to the post office everyday?
1. He was waiting for his daughters’ letter
2. He wanted to visit the building 
3. He liked walking 
4. He worked in the post office
6. Why did the narrator need the medical form?
1. She wanted a visa to go to Australia 
2. She wanted to pursue her masters
3. Both A and B
4. None of the above
7. Name the writer who is also known as ‘Dhumaketu’?
1. Gowri Shankar Govardhandas Joshi
2. Sudha Murthy
3. Rutangye Crystal Butungi
4. Leo Tolstoy 
8. What does the phrasal verb “spring up“ mean?
1. Appear quickly
2. Start suddenly
3. Take care of
4. Go past
9. How did the African-American custom officer know about India?
1. Through his friends
2. By reading, lots of article articles related to Indian culture
3. Through Indian restaurants
4. He visited India 
10. Where did the narrator see corruption?
1. At the post office 
2. At the clinic
3. At the airport 
4. At the bank
11. How many gold coins did Ali give to Laxmidas?
1. 10
2. 15
3. 5
4. 7
12. What was the name of the thin-lipped girl whom Mr. Muhangazima wanted the narrator to be friends with?
1. Lizzy 
2. Daisy
3. Noor
4. Sera

Q2. A. Answer in brief (Any Two) (4 marks)

1. What do you consider to be the right approach to understanding the worth of an individual?
2. How are employees supposed to spend their time in an office? How do organisations make it possible for employees to want to do their job well?
3. Are you similar with any other culture? What are some of the values, practices or events associated with them?
4. What are some of the qualities of Ilyas as an employer as depicted in the story?

Q2. B. Expand the idea in maximum 75 words. (Any one) (4 marks)

1. Strangers, only what he knows
2. If you want people to understand you, speak their language.

Q2. C. Attempt Case study or Real life experience in a paragraph not more than 150 words. (Any one) (7 marks)

1. Write about an employee who did not treat his or her customer well on account of the latter’ old age. The workplace may be any context, not necessarily government offices.
2. Write about how your mother and father try to balance their lives and responsibilities with their own dreams and wishes. What do you think would really make them happy and why?

Long question answer 

1. Self esteem skills - Legal Alien by Rutangye Crystal Butungi

This question is taken from the section  self-esteem skills.  The story connecting self-esteem skills is “Legal Alien” by  Rutangye Crystal Butungi. The skills required are  self awareness, self acceptance, self responsibility, self assertiveness, and resilience.

The protagonist, Wamma experiences a profound inferiority complex, triggered by her return to Uganda after living in Australia. For the individual, this false understanding of worth is deeply unhealthy. The protagonist feels alienated and ashamed when she cannot converse with a clinic receptionist in her tribal tongue. Academically, this is viewed as a "barrier" that prevents authentic connection. Constant feelings of inadequacy lead to chronic stress and social withdrawal, as seen when she wishes to hide from her classmates who laugh at her accent. This self-doubt prevents her from feeling "whole," trapping her between two cultures where she belongs to neither.

Impact on the Organisation:

In an organisational or school setting, this mindset is equally damaging:
Reduced Participation: An employee or student feeling inferior, like the narrator, avoids taking on new tasks or asking questions due to fear of embarrassment.
Loss of Talent: When individuals feel "socially and emotionally othered," their confidence erodes. This can lead to high turnover intentions, as people who do not feel they "fit" the organization’s culture are less likely to stay and contribute their unique skills.

Stifled Innovation: A culture where members feel like "aliens" prevents the diverse exchange of ideas necessary for growth.
The significant element in the story is the close connection between mother, tongue and personal identity, that is self-esteem. The story brings out the importance of learning and understanding and using one’s mother-tongue for the cultivation of positive self-esteem in individuals, which will go long way enhancing peoples workplace awareness. 

2. Customer relations skills - The Letter by Gaurishankar Govardhandas Joshi - Dhumaketu

This question is taken from the section customer relation skills. The story that connects with customer relationship skills, the letter by Gouri Shankar Govardhan Das Joshi, who used to write under the pen name Dhumaketu. The skills connected with customer relationship management are adaptability, problem-solving, effective communication, active, listening, and empathy.

Employees in government and private sectors are obligated to fulfill their duties in order to achieve organisational goals as well as provide services to the citizens of a country and other clients. 

In Joshi's story, the postmaster and the postmen are paid government servants but the way in which they behave in the post office cannot be appreciated by anyone. They ridicule an old man who misses his daughter (she's gotten married and moved away) for coming to the post office every day for five years in anticipation of a letter from her. The lonely father is interested in knowing about the welfare of his daughter and more importantly in feeling connected with his daughter through the letter. However, the office staff, including the postmaster, have no empathy or sympathy for this man simply because they don't believe he is important enough.

When the postmaster is anxiously waiting for a letter from his daughter to know about her well-being, he understands the heart of a father who has been waiting for five years to hear from his own child. By then, the old man dies. It is a matter of speculation whether the kind words of the staff could have enabled the old man to have lived longer. It is true that kind words cost nothing, especially while performing jobs with and for people who need some sense of connectivity with the world. The letter is not a piece of paper but a heart which throbs with life in kinship with others. A job done for the sake of salary is not going to help people live their life meaningfully. 

Kindness and empathetic understanding are the primary qualities needed for employees and people in general today. Understanding and treating your customers properly and with respect, regardless of their social or economic status, is a must for any one being employed today, especially in service industries.

3. Cross cultural communication skills - Changing Indian by Sudha Murty

This question is taken from the section cross cultural communication skills. The content that connects cross cultural communication skills is an autobiographical text, Changing India by Sudha Murthy. The skills connected with cross-cultural communication skills are cultural awareness, active, listening, adaptability, empathy, non-verbal communication, and emotional intelligence.

When different cultures come in contact, there is bound to be some kind of conflict between them. This conflict arises mainly from the different perceptions and stereotyping of a particular cultural group by another. The narrator in this personal story is the well-known Indian personality Sudha Murty, chairperson of the Infosys Foundation. She gives two contrasting accounts of her visits to the US, one in 1979 and another in 2009. 

Her first visit to the US was bitter and unpleasant not only because of her long, roundabout flight, but also because of the strict stamp procedures and the tough and culturally insensitive questions she was asked by the immigration officer Ignorance of the culture of another country leads the officer to ask absurd questions about India. The image of India as being a land of snake charmers, maharajas and elephants was created during the colonial period and this continued perception of India in 1979 was naturally a shock for Sudha Murty who was trained as an engineer and worked as the first woman engineer with the Tata Company in Pune.

This critical situation of a failure to communicate due to cultural differences can be bridged by an active interest in another culture as exemplified by the African American in Sudha Murty's second account of her experience at Miami airport Unlike the two immigration officers in the first account, the African American visits Indian restaurants, eats good food there, enjoys watching Hindi movies, hums Hindi songs, and even appreciates Kajol as talented artist. Unlike the documentary referred to by the second officer in the first account, good movies can certainly throw light on another culture, especially if the culture is quite different from one's own.

Similar cultural gaps exist between people from different language groups in our own country, but information and communication technologies such as television, the Internet, Whatsapp, etc., have recently helped people understand each other better. As Sudha Murty points out, it is the responsibility of each culture to communicate itself to others in terms of political, social, economic and technological and advancements to facilitate a better perception of that culture.

4. Holistic and Visionary skills - Ilyas by Leo Tolstoy

This question is taken from the section, holistic and visionary skills. The story that connects holistic and missionary skills is “Ilyas," Leo Tolstoy.  The skill connected with holistic and visionary skills are creativity, social and emotional development, statistics, thinking, positive mindset, and innovation.
The short story is a parable about wealth, humility, and true happiness. The title character, Ilyas, is a wealthy Bashkir farmer known throughout the region for his large flocks and prosperity. However, he and his wife, Sham-Shemagi, become arrogant and miserly, valuing their possessions over all else and neglecting hospitality. 
The story highlights the visionary skill of planning for future prosperity, as Ilyas works hard over decades to build his fortune. Yet, his narrow focus on material wealth represents a lack of holistic skill—the inability to see that true fulfilment extends beyond money to family, community, and inner peace. 
A series of misfortunes—a cattle plague, bad harvests, and the theft of his horses—leads to the "assent of Ilyas" (his fall from wealth). He loses everything and is forced to become a hired servant to a neighbour. It is only in this state of poverty that Ilyas and his wife find genuine contentment. 
The narrative suggests that a truly holistic approach to life requires balancing material pursuits with spiritual well-being and strong relationships. The story concludes that lasting happiness is found not in accumulating possessions, but in a simple life of work, mutual love, and piety.