B.E./B.TECH.

DEGREE MODEL EXAMINATION, MAY 2013

Date : 25.05.2013
Second Semester
HS2161 TECHNICAL ENGLISH - II
(Regulation 2008)
Common to all branches
Time : Three hours

Maximum : 100 marks

Answer all questions

Part A - (10 x 2 = 20)

1. Choose the right meaning for the underlined words given in the passage.
(4 = 2)
A Motor Car is, broadly, any self-powered vehicle with more than two wheels
and an enclosed passenger compartment, capable of being steered by the
driver and designed for use on a road or street. The term is used more
specifically to denote any such vehicle designed to carry two to seven people.
Larger vehicles designed for more passengers are called buses, and those
designed to carry freight are called lorries.
(i) enclosed:
(a) attached
(b) surrounded by wall or something
(c) ensured
(d) closed with wall or something
(ii) steered
(a) stop the vehicle
(b) remotely control the vehicle
(c) design the vehicle
(d) control the direction of the vehicle
(iii) specifically
(a) for a special person
(b) for many reasons
(c) for a particular reason
(d) for a special person
(iv) freight
(a) goods carried from place to place
(b) transportation
(c) people carried from place to place
(d) travel charges
2. Fill in the blanks with suitable tense forms.
(4 = 2)
(i) Everybody will be at the office at about 9.30 tomorrow as the meeting
______________ (start) at ten oclock.
(ii) Urbanization _____________ (always / be) a problem which causes several
environmental challenges ever since people started migrating to cities.
(iii) When I _________ (come) home this evening, my brother __________ (go)
out for a walk.
3. Rewrite the following numeric expressions.
(4 = 2)
(a) a cricket match lasting for five days (b) a pen drive with 8 gigabytes
of memory space.
(c) a report which has 100 pages

(d) a meal consisting of 7 courses

4. Match the causes in column A with their effects in column B and form sentences
using appropriate causal expressions.
(4 = 2)
Column A
The crowds were throwing bottles
Vinay was sick with fever
There was a power cut for four hours
The audience protested at the regressive
story.

Column B
I did not complete my assignment
The television show was cancelled.
The match got cancelled
He did not do well in his exams

5. Fill in the blanks by adding suitable prefixes to the words given in brackets:
Re-, pre-, post-, super-, over
(i)
We hope the bus wont be ___________ (crowded).
(ii)
After she got a Ph.D in Physics, she did _________ work at Cambridge
University. (doctoral)
(iii)
The tourist guide promised the tourists that they would get a _________ if
they did not like the trip. (fund)
(iv)
My father took _________ against burglary by installing alarms. (cautions)
6. Define any TWO of the following in a single sentence.
(a) Internet
(b) Library
(c) Inverter

(2 1 = 2)

7. Fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions.

(4 = 2)
(between, in, through, before, by, with)
The trip __________ the mountains was an exhilarating experience. We left just
__________ dawn in a van loaded ___________ passengers and luggage. We
believed that the trip would take ________ six and eight hours, and we hoped to
arrive at our destination before dark.
8. Write the purpose of the following items using the hints given below in the
appropriate structure.
(4 = 2)
(i) Photocopier: to make multiple copies of a document or image
(ii) Mobile phone: to communicate with your friends
(iii) Application form: to join a course in an institute
(iv) Safety glasses: to protect your eyes while working with fire or any such
dangerous things.
9. Make two sentences for each word by using them in different parts of speech (noun
& verb).
(4 = 2)
(a) work
(b) object
10. Fill in the blanks with right connectives given below.
(4 = 2)
(i) I enjoy reading this new magazine. ___________ it has good articles.
(a) moreover
(b) nevertheless
(c) however
(ii) Youd better take an autorickshaw. ___________ youll arrive late.
(a) consequently
(b) furthermore
(c) otherwise
(iii) The students didnt study. __________ they failed the course.
(a) therefore
(b) nonetheless
(c) otherwise
(iv) Hes extremely rich; _________hes not snobbish.
(a) hence
(b) however
(c) otherwise
2

PART B (5 16 = 80)
11. Read the following passage and answer the following questions.
(16 marks)
Amazing Black Holes.
How many things can you see in the night sky? A lot! On a clear night you might see
the Moon, some planets, and thousands of sparkling stars. You can see even more with
a telescope. You might see stars where before you only saw dark space. You might see
that many stars look larger than others. You might see that some stars that look white
are really red or blue. With bigger and bigger telescopes you can see more and more
objects in the sky. And you can see those objects in more and more detail.
But scientists believe there are some things in the sky that we will never see. We
won't see them with the biggest telescope in the world, on the clearest night of the
year. That's because they're invisible. They're the mysterious dead stars called black
holes.
You might find it hard to imagine that stars die. After all, our Sun is a star. Year after
year we see it up in the sky, burning brightly, giving us heat and light. The Sun
certainly doesn't seem to be getting old or weak. But stars do burn out and die after
billions of years.
As a star's gases burn, they give off light and heat. But when the gas runs out, the star
stops burning and begins to die. As the star cools, the outer layers of the star pull in
towards the center. The star squashes into a smaller and smaller ball. If the star was
very small, the star ends up as a cold, dark ball called a black dwarf. If the star was
very big, it keeps squashing inward until it's packed together tighter than anything in
the universe.
Imagine if the Earth were crushed until it was the size of a tiny marble. That's how
tightly this dead star, a black hole, is packed. What pulls the star in towards its center
with such power? It's the same force that pulls you down when you jump the force
called gravity. A black hole is so tightly packed that its gravity sucks in everything
even light. The light from a black hole can never come back to your eyes. That's why
you see nothing but blackness.
So the next time you stare up at the night sky, remember: there's more in the sky than
meets the eye! Scattered in the silent darkness are black holes the great mystery of
space.
A. Choose the correct answer from the given options.
(1) According to the article, what causes a star to die?
a) As its gases run out, it cools down.
b) It collides with other stars.
c) It can only live for about a million years.
d) As it gets hotter and hotter, it explodes.
(2) Which of the following statements is NOT a fact?
a) Black holes are dead stars.
b) Black holes have gravity.
c) Black holes are invisible.
d) There is nothing as mysterious as a black hole.
(3) What happens AFTER a star dies?
a) It becomes invisible.
b) It falls to Earth.
c) It burns up all of its gases.
d) It becomes brighter and easier to see.

(6 1 = 6)

(4) Why can't you see light when you look at a black hole?
a) because most black holes are so far away
b) because the gravity of a black hole is so strong that it sucks the light inward
c) because as the star's gases burn, it stops giving off heat and light
d) because as a star cools, its outer layers pull in toward its center
(5) What can you see on a clear night?
(a) sun, moon and stars
(b) moon, some planets and stars
(c) all planets
(d) nothing
(6) What is the great mystery of the space?
(a) black holes
(b) stars
(c) planets
(d) moon
B. Choose one of the given options that best represent the meaning of each of the
words below.
(4 1 = 4)
(1) Mysterious
(a) ordinary
(c) bright
(b) strange
(d) common
(2) Tiny
(a) timid
(c) cute
(b) small
(d) weak
(3) Sparkling
(a) clear
(c) noisy
(b) bright
(d) glittering
(4) dark
(a) closed
(c) black
(b) complexion
(d) dirty
C. State whether the following statements are True or False.
(6 1 = 6)
(1) A black hole is so tightly packed that its gravity sucks even light.
(2) When the star gas runs out, the star stops burning and begins to grow.
(3) Black holes can be seen only by the biggest telescope in the world.
(4) Many stars look larger than other when viewed through a telescope.
(5) The white colour stars are actually blue or red in colour.
(6) Sun is definitely not a star but a planet.
12. (a) Write a set of eight instructions for students who are going to Delhi to take part
in an international sports meet.
(16 marks)
OR
(b) You are the cultural secretary of your college. You have arranged an
intercollegiate cultural. Prepare a checklist of minimum eight items that has to be
verified before the inaugural function.
(16 marks)
13. (a) You came to know about a vacancy in a reputed software company Logical
Solutions Limited, located at Bombay. You are interested in applying for Senior
Programmer post as it is a multinational company. Write a letter of application
along with your resume to the HR Manager of the company.
(16 marks)

OR
(b) Respond to the following advertisement by sending your application along
with your CV.
(16 marks)
Mindscape Technologies requires Computer Science Engineers with good
communication skills! B.E/ B.Tech graduates from Computer Science & IT
stream are preferred. Masters in networks would be an added qualification.
Candidates with updated knowledge of latest languages and with awareness of
Network Security would be given preference. Expertise is valued more than
experience. Interested candidates should send in their job application along with
their CVs to:
Mr. Rishab Khanna
HR Manager
Mindscape Technologies Pvt Ltd.,
260, Indira Gandhi Marg,
M.G.Road,
New Delhi 110 004.

14. (a) You are the Manager of a firm which manufactures computer parts for
exporting. On 30.04.2013 there was a burglary at the godown where computer parts
are stored. Goods worth lakhs were stolen. You have been asked by your Managing
Director to investigate the robbery and give a detailed report about it along with
recommendations to avoid such incidents in future.
(16 marks)
OR
(b) You are the Business Development Manager of Shashank Pharmaceuticals. The
company has launched a new product for treating cold. You have been asked to
conduct a survey to check the effectiveness of the product and awareness about this
new product among the public. Submit a report after your survey with your
recommendations.
(16 marks)
15. Write a short essay of not more than 300 words on any one of the following
topics.
(16 marks)
(a) Should the death penalty be mandatory for people who kill other people? Justify
your views.
OR
(b) Inequality and poverty in India
____________________________________