ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD

(Department of English Language & Applied Linguistics)

Dear Student, We welcome you to the BA/BS Compulsory English I Communication Skills Course, (Code 1423). As the name indicates that the course is essentially communicative in nature and seeks to develop your communication skills. In the text book there are dialogues, reading and writing passages and activities that will enable you to perform better in your routine life. We hope you find these passages and dialogues useful and interesting. If you face some difficulty, please do not hesitate to seek your tutors guidance in tutorial meetings. Also remember that attendance and full participation in meetings in very important. Since, this is a distance learning course; it requires self-study, regular attendance in tutorials and punctuality in assignments. Assignments play very important role in your studies. They help you to understand the units and prepare you for the examination. If you solve there assignments on your own, you have a very bright chance to pass the examinations. Try to finish your assignments in time. If any of your assignments is late then neither your tutor nor the course coordinator will accept it. Your B.A/BS Compulsory English I (1423) study package should include: a. b. c. d. e. Textbooks (One) Assignments (Two) Audio Cassette (One) Assignment Forms (Six) Assignment and Tutorial Schedule

If you find any of the above mentioned item missing in your study package, please contact your nearest regional office or write to the Mailing Officer on the address given below: Mailing Officer Mailing Section Allama Iqbal Open University Services & Operational Block Sector H-8, Islamabad. We wish you best of luck

Course Coordinator
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ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD (Department of English Language & Applied Linguistics) WARNING
1. 2. PLAGIARISM OR HIRING OF GHOST WRITER(S) FOR SOLVING THE ASSIGNMENT(S) WILL DEBAR THE STUDENT FROM AWARD OF DEGREE/CERTIFICATE, IF FOUND AT ANY STAGE. SUBMITTING ASSIGNMENTS BORROWED OR STOLEN FROM OTHER(S) AS ONES OWN WILL BE PENALIZED AS DEFINED IN AIOU PLAGIARISM POLICY.

Course: Compulsory EnglishI (1423) Level: BA/BS

Semester: Autumn, 2010 Total Marks: 100 Pass Marks: 40

ASSIGNMENT No. 1
(Units 14)
Q.1 In Unit 1, you have learnt about the formation of Wh- questions. Suppose you are newspaper journalist and you have been asked to interview a famous public figure who can be politician, a sportsman or a TV celebrity. Write ten Wh-questions that you would ask during an interview. (10) Q.2 Read the following statements and then form questions by reversing the sentence order. (read Unit 1 for guidance). (05)

Example: i. ii. iii. iv. v.

He can work hard. Can he work hard? They can come tomorrow. She will go to Lahore. He has bought some apples. They need some rest. Ahmed likes playing foot ball.

Q.3 Put the verb given in the brackets into the correct simple present tense form. (05)

Example: i. ii. iii. iv. v.

She (teach) ___________ school children. She teaches school children. Saira (play) _________ piano. It (get) __________ late some time at work. It (take) ___________ four hours to get to Lahore from Islamabad. The business mall (open) ____________ at 10.00 am. Asim (catch) _________ the bus.

Q.4 In Unit 1, section C, you have read about guessing the meaning of words. Below are some sentences given, write the meanings of words given in bold according to the context. (10)
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i. ii. iii. iv. v.

The robbers were hiding in residential area and the people were scared. Aslam is an eye witness of the murder so he has to answer the questions of the police Inspector. The Vice Chancellor chaired the meeting of all the staff members. The government of Punjab has been directed to help and support the victims of bomb blast. He has moved to this area recently, he was living in another location previously.

Q.5 In Unit 1, Section D, you have learnt to make connected sentences. Practice using the basic joining words such as, and, but, or, so in the following sentences. (05) i. The wedding was postponed, ________________ we went home. ii. The hotel was very nice ________ the food was average. iii. The children are going to the fast food restaurant___________ they will eat Pizza there. iv. Saima was cold, _________ she put on a coat. v. Nasir has two choices either to stay at home__________go to work. Q.6 (A) Unit 2 is about Seeking Confirmation. You have seen and read that we normally use tag questions at the end of statements to ask for confirmation. Add tag questions at the end of given statements to seek confirmation. (05)

Example: Its a beautiful night. Its a beautiful night, isnt it? i. You are not staying at the party,_______________________? ii. Its not expensive gift,_______________________________? iii. You dont mind going out with me,____________________? iv. We all are students,_________________________________? v. It wasnt a good movie,______________________________? (B) In Unit 2, section D, you have been taught about Informal or Personal Letters. Go through that section again and answer the following questions: (10) i. What is an informal or personal letter? ii. Why do people write personal or friendly letters? iii. What are the different kinds of personal letters we write? iv. What are the five parts most letters have? v. What is a complimentary close in a letter? Give one example.

Q.7 In Unit 2, section C deals with synonym and antonyms. Below are given some words. Find The synonyms and antonyms as directed: a. Write synonyms of the following words: (05) i. Huge ii. Gorgeous iii. Pupil iv. Monster v. Bright
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Write antonyms of the following words: i. Honest ii. Harmful iii. Damage iv. Hungry v. Lost

(05)

Q.8 In Unit 3, you have learnt about how to write a Letter of Apology. Write a Letter of Apology in the given situation: (15) Suppose you have lost your precious mobile phone at a bank. You complained about this to the Bank Manager blaming some person from the bank who might have stolen it. Later when you went home are realized that phone is in some corner of your purse. You felt very bad and now write a letter of Apology to the bank Manager for what happened. Q.9 This question is based on exercise 3, page 81, recorded text 13 of unit 3. Listen to the conversation between an Interviewer and the DG Pakistan Environment Protection Agency. Make a list of expressions where the DGs is agreeing and disagreeing. (15) Q.10 In Unit 4, section C you have done some exercises on skimming and scanning. Read the following text carefully, may be more than once because it is a difficult text and tick () the correct answer. (10) What are some of the things doctors know about the brain? The brain has three parts: the medulla, the cerebellum and the cerebrum. The medulla is at the top of the spinal cord. It is inside the skull at the bottom part of the brain. The medulla is that busiest part of the brain. All information that the brain gets must come through the medulla. All answers must go through the medulla on their way back to the body. A hit to the back of the neck can kill a person if it hurts the medulla. The cerebellum is above and behind the medulla. It is about the size of small ball. People can walk, dance, and play games because of the cerebellum. Some doctors say the medulla and cerebellum are parts of an older brain. This brain was in animals before there were human beings. We feel hungry because our old, or lower, brain is working. We breathe and our hearts work because of this part of the brain. Some times scientists call the old brain, the feeling brain. The cerebrum is the thinking brain, or the higher brain. It is the biggest part. It is above the medulla and cerebellum. The cerebrum takes up most of the space in the head. It is the part of the brain that makes us intelligent human beings.
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True

i. The brain has three parts: the medulla, the cerebellum, and the

False

cerebrum.

ii.

The cerebellum is at the top of the spinal cord.

iii.

The medulla is the busiest part of the brain.

iv.

A hit at the back of the neck can kill a person if it hurts the

medulla.

v.

The cerebrum is above and behind the medulla. It is about the

size of a small ball.

vi.

Some doctors say the medulla and cerebellum are parts of an

older brain.

vii.

We feel hungry because our old, or lower, brain is not working.

viii.

Sometimes scientists call the old brain, the feeling brain.

ix.

The cerebrum is the thinking brain, or the higher brain.

x.

The cerebrum takes up most of the space in the body.

Pass Marks: 40

ASSIGNMENT No. 2
(Units 59) Total Marks: 100
Q.1 In Unit 5, you have learnt about two language Functions, which are Expressing Certainty, and Expressing Obligation. Write 5 sentences to express each language function. a. Expressing Certainty i. ii. iii. iv. v. Expressing Obligation. i. ii. iii. iv. v. (05)

b.

(05)

Q.2 The following sentences are in Active voice. Rewrite them into passive voice. (Unit 5, section B) (10) i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. vii. viii. ix. x. People throw garbage in the streets. AIOU offers graduate and post-graduate programme every semester. He took breakfast very late. More than five million people use mobile phone in Pakistan. Oxford University press prints English textbooks. Pakistan has introduced a lot of good cricketers in the world. Factories have added pollution to the air. Ahmed wears glasses. Asim hit Aziz. They will investigate.

Q.3

Unit 5, Section D, is about writing a job application letter. How would you write a Job Application Letter in response to the following advertisement: (15)

TEACHERS WANTED
Education Required: MA/MSc Subject: Science, Maths, English. Experience: 2 to 3 years teaching experience. Please send us your C.Vs and other details at Hira Model School , I-10/ Markaz. Islamabad, or Contact us on 051-5051670.

Q.4 Unit 6, two more language functions have been discussed, which are Expressing Preference and Expressing Intention. Express these functions as directed. Follow the examples.

a.

Express preference between the two options.

(05)

i. ii. iii. iv. v. b.

Example: Cotton clothes- Silk clothes. I like cotton clothes better than silk ones. Summer Winter Dark colors - Light Colors Maths English Train Aeroplane Silk Cotton Express your intention about the following ideas: 05

Example: Weekend i. Going fishing. ii. Having a shower. iii. Visiting a cousin

I intend to celebrate my birthday this weekend.

iv. v.

Studying abroad. Getting married.

Q.5 Read the following text and summarize the text into one short paragraph (approximately 40/ 50 words) and give it a suitable title. (Unit 6, p203). (10) Water is a valuable resource and it is depleting fast from the world. According to UN reports, 400 million people are already facing severe water shortages, while many cities throughout Pakistan are predicted to be facing acute water shortage in coming years. The average Pakistani family of four people uses seven gallons of water on a weekly basis equivalent to three years drinking water for one person. To avoid a water stressed future, water conservation should become top priority to all households. We all should use water wisely to help conserve it. Whether you live in a city or in a village, everyone can help save water by finding ways to recycle and conserve. Saving water is easy, effective and beneficial for conservation in your neighborhood, and that contributes to global water conservation. Here are some of the measures that we can adopt to contribute in saving water:

No Showering Use buckets When we shower we use 10 gallons of water compared to 5 gallons of water through taking a bath with water from a bucket. Low Flow Toilets The flush toilets that we are using now use 3.5 gallons of water to flush out waste while now low flow toilets that are in the market use 1.6 or 1.28 gallons of water for flushing. Leak Detection A good way to save on water is early detection of leaking taps. Paying close attention to damaged water pipes, etc. can help you cut down water loss and help save this precious resource from waste.

Laundry Save up to 1,000 gallons of water a month by NOT using automatic washing machines. It is better to wash clothes in an ordinary washing machine or wash small loads of clothes by hand. Dishes It is highly recommended that while applying soap on dirty dishes, keep the water tap closed instead of allowing water to run, only open up the tap when rinsing the dishes. You can also save the rinse water in a container, and use it to water plants. Car Wash Never use a hose pipe when washing your car, instead use a bucket as it will save a great amount of water. Imagine millions of people striving to get clean drinking water and how we misuse this valuable resource for our ordinary chores.
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Q.6

Unit 7 teaches you about Descriptive Essay. Answer the following questions related to descriptive essay. i. ii. What is a descriptive essay and what are the key components/parts/elements of a descriptive essay. (05) Take help from the Unit and write a well-knit descriptive essay on the following topic: (10)

The Spring Season.

Q.7 The following sentences are in Direct Speech. Re-write them into Indirect Speech. (10) i. ii. iii. iv. v. I will meet you at park, she said to me. We will not take you with us to Karachi, they said. No one wants you to go there so dont go there, she said. Never say a single word in front of me again, he said. I will never do this mistake again, he said to his mother.

Q.8 In Unit 9, Recorded text 45, you have read and listen to the story of The gifts of Wali Dad. Answer the following questions based on the story: (15) (3 marks for each answer) i. ii. iii. iv. v. Describe the place where Wali Dad lives. Do you think Wali Dad loved the princess? Describe the character of the Merchant? Why did Wali Dad want to leave his hut at the end of the story? What is the moral of the story?

Q.9 In Unit 9, Section D you have learnt about a narrative essay. Read the unit again and answer the following short questions. (05)

i.
ii.

What is a Narrative Essay? What are the important points to consider while writing a narrative essay?