Soft Skills Lab 2

UNIT – 1
COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE
VERBAL ABILITY

Experiment – 1 Date:
In this experiment, the student learns and practices verbal analogy and sentence
completion exercises which are most commonly asked ones in placement tests and
various entrance tests like CAT, GRE, GATE, MAT, bank exams, railway exams, etc.

1.1 Verbal Analogy

1.1.1 What is verbal analogy?
Verbal analogy questions test the student’s vocabulary skills and also the student’s
ability to identify the relationship between words. The student is asked to identify and
assess the logical relationship between a given pair of words in the question, then must
choose a pair of words from the options given that exhibit the same logical relationship
as the original pair in the question.
Example: ARTIST: PAINTING::
a) driver: car b) composer : symphony c) surgeon : operation d) novel : author
How to understand the relation?
First read the initial pair of words, substituting words for the colons. The first colon (:)
is translated ‘is to’ and the two colons (::) are translated ‘as’.
‘Artist is to painting as …’ can be related that ‘an artist creates a painting’.
The relation in the given pair is that the second word in the pair is created by the first.
Answer may be ‘b’, ‘c’ or ‘d’. But ‘c’ is not correct as operation is made by surgeon and
‘d’ is not possible as the author is not created by the novel. So, the answer is ‘b’.
1.1.2 Critical points to observe:
The seven critical points to observe are
i. Gain familiarity with the pattern and learn to identify the trap.
ii. Make it a point to create a short sentence that expressed the relationship between thegiven
pair of words.
iii. While defining the logical relationship between the component parts of a question,
remember that analogies involve an exactness and precision to their solving.
iv. Use infinitive form of the verb to define the logical relationship. For example, SKIM:READ
is understood that ‘To skim is to read fast’.
v. Often, you might need to reverse the order of the words while stating the logical
relationship. Be extra cautious about options that might have the same relationship as theoriginal
pair of words – but in the opposite order.
vi. If the given pair is noun and adjective, the answer pair will also be a noun and
an adjective in that order.
vii. Often, questions are formed in such a manner, that they contain an option that
remind you of the original pair, but might have a totally different relationship.
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For example, DEMOCRACY: MONARCHY:: ( b)
a) anarchy : government b) laptop : desktop
1.1.3 Strategies for solving the problem when the meaning of the words is not known:

Strategy 1: Put the unknown word/s into a context.

Strategy 2: Change the word into a more common form.
Example: Tempestuous can be made a common word like ‘Tempest or Temper’.
Voluminous can be made a common word like ‘Volume’.
Bejeweled can be made as a common word like ‘Jewelry’.
Strategy 3: Use the roots both the prefixes and suffixes within the word.
Strategy 4: Test words for positive and negative connotations. For example, words
have ‘mal’, ‘de’, ‘dis’, ‘anti’, ‘a’, ‘re’, etc.
Strategy 5: Be alert to secondary meanings of the original word.
1.1.4 Common Relationships Appear:

Type Relation Example

Type 1 Synonyms EXTEMPORANEOUS : IMPROMPTU
Type 2 Antonyms ZEALOUS : INDIFFERENT
Type 3 Degree of Intensity ENTHUSIASTIC : FANATICAL
Type 4 Part to Whole PARAGRAPH : WHOLE
Type 5 Actor to Action LAWYER : LEGISLATE
Type 6 Cause and Effect TREMBLE : FEAR
Type 7 Member and Class BALLET : DANCE
Type 8 Definition PHILANTHROPIST : ALTRUISM
Type 9 Function TRAINING : SKILL
Type 10 Symbol and OLIVE BRANCH : PEACE
Representation
Type 11 Defining Characteristics FIRE STATION : FIRE ENGINE
Type 12 Manner STRUT : WALK
Type 13 Articles Made by a Worker CARPENTER : TABLE
Type 14 The Worker and his Tools PROGRAMMER : COMPUTER
Type 15 The Worker and his Task TEACHER : TEACHES
Type 16 The Worker and theWork Place TELLER : BANK
Type 17 The Tool and theObject SCISSORS : PAPER
Type 18 The Tool and theAction SCISSORS : CUT
Type 19 Sequence of Time BEGINNIG : END
Type 20 Action and their SILE : PLEASURE
Significance
Type 21 Gender DUKE : DUCHES
Type 22 Age TADPOLE : FROG

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1.1.5 Practice Exercises:

Exercise – 1: Identify the relationship between the set of words and make a sentence
out of it.
S No Word Pair Sentence
1 Scene : Play A play is composed of scenes.
2 Mechanic : Repair The mechanic repairs bikes.
3 Shiver : Cold Shiver is a result of being cold/Shiver is the effect of cold.
4 Olive Branch : Peace Olive branch is the symbol for peace.
5 Carpenter : Table Carpenter makes a table.
6 Fire Station : Fire Engine Fire station has a special equipment fire engine
7 Opening : Closing Opening is opposite to closing
8 Hammer : Nail Hammer is used to fix nails
9 Frown : Displeasure Frown is an expression of displeasure
10 Artist : Paint Brush Artist uses paint brush

Exercise -2

1) CACOPHONOUS: HARMONIUS :: (a )
a) bellicose : pacific b) distant : faraway c)damp : drench d) arid : dry
2)SNAKE : REPTILE :: (c )
a) snake : cobra b) bird : mammal c) wasp : insect d)lion: amphibian

3) ILLITERATE : EDUCATION :: (a )
a) naïve : experience b)well-mannered: rude c)miserly: money d)pristine: elegance

4) SKIN : DERMATOLOGIST :: (c )
a)physician: medicine b)conductor: orchestra c) bone: osteopath d)ventriloquist: throat

5) PENCIL:GRAPHITE:: (a )
a) pen : refill b) house : bricks c) car : steel d) dress : wool

6) SOUND : DECIBEL :: (d )
a) earthquake : tremors b) noise : intensity c)light : radiance d) length : meters

7) CHRISTMAS: CHRISTIANITY (d )
a) Holi : Jews b) Sabbath : Hindus c) Eid : Parsis d)Diwali : Hindus

8) DISAGREEMENT: HARMONY :: (d )
a) predictability: routine b) predicament: dilemma
c) advantage: agreement d) impartiality : prejudice

9) CATERPILLAR : LEAVES :: (a )
a) moth : wool b) silkworm : silk c) oyster : shell d) anthracite : coal

10) KEY : IGNITION :: (b )

a) helmet : motorcycle b) switch : light c) boot : saddle d) pad : helicopter

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11) UNVEILING : STATUE :: (a )

a) premier : movie b) rookie : football c)debutante: teenager d) ruler : subject
12) DANCER : SPECTATORS :: (d )
a) king : country b)yardstick: dimension c)barometer: weather d) singer : audience
13) PROTEIN : MEAT :: (c )
a) cream : calories b) salt : salty c)starch : potatoes d) diet : cyclamates

14) CONDENSATION : REFRIGERATE :: (a )

a) evaporation : heat b)consumption: heat c) oration : listen d) exhaustion : buy

15) HAMMER : IRONSMITH :: (c )

a) car : driver b) seeds : farmer c)axe: woodcutter d) medicine : doctor

1.1 Sentence Completion / Choosing the Right Word

1.1.1 What is sentence completion?
Sentence completion questions test the student’s vocabulary skills as well as the reading
ability. These questions contain a single sentence expressing a complete idea that can be
understood without any additional information. Each sentence contains one, two or three
blanks, which need to be filled up appropriately from the options given.
These questions test the student’s ability to understand the main idea of the sentence and
the logical structure of the sentence. They also test the student’s ability to anticipate what
idea conveyed by a particular word will most aptly fit into the blank provided. In order
to complete these sentences successfully, the student should have a strong understanding
of the relationships within the sentence. These relationships include the use of
equivalents, analogies, parallel sets, contrasts and word clusters.
1.2.2 Strategy to be adopted:
The three-step process is a conscious proactive strategy to solve sentence completion
exercise.
Step 1: Understanding the message and the tone of the author
a. Understanding the message: The student should focus on identifying the principal
subject/idea of the sentence – about what or whom the sentence is trying to talk. In case
of more than one idea, the key is to understand how the two ideas are connected to each
other. The key words should be identified which the author used to convey his message.
The key words include therefore, because, similarly, although, in contrast, etc.
b. Identify the logical structure of the sentence: While doing this, the student should
look for whether the sentence has one or more parts, i.e. whether it is simple sentence,
or it is a complex sentence having more than one part/s, which are connected to each
other through a sentence connector.
c. Understanding the tone: The student should identify the tone of the author i.e. he is
talking about the subject in a positive, neutral or negative way and also identify the
degree/level of the tone.
Step 2: Anticipating words
It implies anticipating the meaning of the word/s that will fill in the blank appropriately
and in particular, that it should be in sync with what the author’s message and tone are.

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Step 3: Scanning
In this process, firstly scan the options to see if the word you have thought in these
options. If it is not found, look for a synonym of the word. Next, try each answer option
in the blank to see which one suits best.

Step 4: The Final answer

The student should reread the sentence with the answer choice and make own
assessments about the flow of the idea.
1.2.3 Types of sentence structures and key words
The four common types of sentence structures are Cause & Effect, Reiteration,
Similarities / Parallelisms and Contrast.

Type 1. Cause and Effect

A sentence contains two ideas, where one causes the other and the two ideas are related
to the same principal topic.

Key words / Linking words: Because, as a result, thus, resulting from, hence, therefore,
consequently, causes, leading to, due to.
The typical sentence structure of cause and effect are as follows. The two ideas are A
and B related to the same principal topic, let A be the effect of B, which is the cause of
A i.e. B → A
i) A because B ii) Because B, hence A iii) A as a result of B
iv) B thus A v) B therefore A vi) B causes A
vii) A due to B viii) B consequently A ix) B leading to A

Example 1: Because of Jim Carrey’s reputation as a comic actor, suited best for playing
hilarious roles, the director was considering him for the more serious role of the
solemn monk.
a) discouraged from b) encouraged to c) irrelevant to d) ambivalent to
Procedure:
Step 1: i) What is the sentence talking about? Jim Carrey’s reputation as a comic actor
ii) Identify the two ideas. A & B:
iii) What is the linking word? Because of
iv) What is the tone here? negative
Step 2: What is your anticipating word?
Step 3: Scan the other choices. Is any other choice
suitable?Step 4: Reread the sentence with your answer
choice. Discouraged from

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Example 2: As several shops have ___across the street, the old dictionary is .
a) relocated … obsolete b) reversed … enticing c) transferred … dismantled
d) transferred … up to date
Procedure:
Step 1: i) What is the sentence talking about? Several shops
ii) Identify the two ideas. A & B
iii) What is the linking ward? As
iv) What is the tone here? negative
Step 2: What is your anticipating word?
Relocated … obsolete
Step 3: Scan the other choices. Is any other choice suitable?
Step 4: Reread the sentence with your answer choice.

Type 2: Reiteration or Restatement / Parallelisms

These sentences generally have two ideas, one of which clarifies or further supports the
other. The ideas will have the same meaning, but will be restated in a slightly more
explanatory way.

Key words/Linking words: In fact, in other words, surely, to be sure, and, namely, that
is, furthermore and likewise
The typical sentence structure is
i) A in fact B ii) A in other words B iii) A and B iv) A likewise B
v) A that is B vi) A namely B vii) A surely B

Example: He was the most person he had ever met; in fact, his magnanimity
knew no limits.
a) charitable b) miserly c) reclusive d) prolific
Procedure:
Step 1: i) What is the sentence talking about? A person kindnes
ii) Identify the two ideas. A & B
iii) What is the linking word? In fact
iv) What is the tone here? positive
v) As the second idea B is complete, identify the main word in B and find
synonym for it in the options.
Step 2: What is your anticipating word? charitable
Step 3: Scan the other choices. Is any other choice suitable?
Step 4: Reread the sentence with your answer choice.
Type 3: Similarity / Parallelism / Support
These types of sentences compare distinct but similar ideas. When you choose a word
to fill the blank, you must find for a word that is similar in meaning.

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Key words/Linking words: Likewise, in the same way, for instance, similarly,
furthermore, as, same, just as, specifically, such as, as an example, resembles, like and
also
The typical sentence structure is
i) A likewise B ii) Just as A, similarly B iii) A like B

Example: Just as television surpassed radio as the major source of entertainment and
information for the world, it seems destined that the Internet will eventually television.
a) invigorate b) alter c) eliminate d) supplant
Procedure:
Step 1: i) What is the sentence talking about? Howa a television replaces a radio
ii) Identify the two ideas. A & B
iii) What is the linking word? Just as
iv) What is the tone here? Negative
v) As the first idea A is complete, identify the main word in A and find synonym
for it in the options.
Step 2: What is your anticipating word? supplant
Step 3: Scan the other choices. Is any other choice suitable?
Step 4: Reread the sentence with your answer choice.

Type 4: Contrasts
Contrast sentences contain ideas that are opposite to one another or are dissimilar to each
other.
Key words/Linking words: Although, but, despite, in spite of, however, as against, as
opposed to, whereas, on the contrary, yet, on the other hand, surprisingly, unlike, in
contrast, rather, and even though.

The typical sentence structure is

i) A although B ii) A yet B iii) A on the contrary B iv) On the one hand A on
the other B v) A unlike B vi) A in contrast to B

Example: If mankind has to survive for long, it must and deliberately renounce the fruits of
and whirling technology.
a) wilfully … wild b) honestly … responsible c) sincerely … labour d) effectively
… sliding
Procedure:
Step 1: i) What is the sentence talking about? Survival of mankind
ii) Identify the two ideas. A & B
iii) What is the linking word? If
iv) What is the tone here? neutral
v) As the first idea A is complete, identify the main word in A and find
synonym for it in the options.
Step 2: What is your anticipating word? Wilfully --- wild

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Step 3: Scan the other choices. Is any other choice suitable?
Step 4: Reread the sentence with your answer choice.

1.2.4 Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Choose the best option.
1) The committee was in favour of the proposal but the president ____ it. (a )
a) vetoed b) countenance c) sanctioned d) condoned e) assented
2) The president has ____ to the demands to release secret documents related to the army.
a) acceded b) refused c) endorsed d) vetoed e) incited (a )
3) Although similar to moths in many ways, butterflies may be _____ moths by the beauty
of their wings. (d )
a) akin to b) in comparison with c) listed as d) distinguished from e) equal to the
4) Her parents were _________ when, despite losing the first three games, Sandy _______
to win the set by a 6-3 score. ( b)
a) surprised …. failed b) relieved …. came back c) puzzled ….. refused d) alarmed
….attempted
5) The earthquake warnings and the fragility of our houses make us certain that disaster is
_____. (b)
a) available b) imminent c) forthcoming d) catastrophic
6) Mother Teresa was _____ about her achievements and unwilling to _____ them before
anyone. (a )
a) modest … discuss b) proud … promote c) unsure … reveal d) ignorant … eulogise
e) immodest … play
7) The instruction manual that came with the computer is no masterpiece of ____ prose
because its instructions are so _____ that we still do not know how to set up the computer.
a) clear … garbled b) valuable … intelligent c) worthless … clear d) confused … varied
e) worth … muffled ( a)
8) The ____ and _____ happenings in many talk shows annoy many viewers.
a) aggravating … irritating b) trite … predictable c) happy … playful d) dramatic …
eventful e) ranting … jocular (b )
9) Paper money is merely a representation of wealth; therefore unlike gold or any other
precious metal, it has no ____ value. (e)
a) financial b) fiscal c) inveterate d) intrinsically e) intrinsic
10) In poor and under developed countries, trucks are the only means of getting about town,
the public transportation being virtually ____ (d )
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a) indecipherable b) ubiquitous c) inadequate d) non-existent e) negligent
11) Either Japanese dishes are ______, or the one I had was a poor example. (b )
a) delicious b) overrated c) underestimated d) unpopular e) horrible
12) The goodwill of its clients is a genuine ____ asset for any business. ( c)
a) redolent b) dismissive c) intangible d) vigilant e) indolent
13) ______ by her children, Radha Devi ultimately agreed to sell the house. ( b)
a) decimated b) importuned c) interpolated d) designated e) apportioned
14) The football team was once _____ by injuries; of 11 members, only 5 were fit to play.
a) decimated b) isolated c) boycotted d) heckled e) ambushed (a )
15) Because of his indecisive nature, Mr Bhushan has a reputation for ______ ( d)
a) impartiality b) tenacity c) prevarication d) vacillation e) wandering
16) Vinay is much too _____ in his writings: he writes a paragraph when a sentence should
suffice. (c)
a) benevolent b) skilled c) verbose d) lucid e) crafted
17) The report was _____ since the information on which it was based was erroneous, but it
was brilliantly presented. ( c)
a) intelligent b) wonderful c) worthless d) verbose e) elegant
18) The bank is negotiating with Group 4 security to devise a system to provide ____ security
to account holders. (c )
a) accurate b)prompt c) reliable d) tough e) proactive
19) As the rate of life expectancy has increased due to tremendous progress in medical
science, the over-population problem has ______. (a )
a) aggravated b) minimised c) distorted d) encouraged e) unfazed
20) At the world’s finest educational institutes, only students with the _____ to succeed are
selected. ( b)
a) luck b) drive c) resources d) experience e) reliable

Signature of the Faculty

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VERBAL REASONING

Experiment: 2 Date:

Questions on completing statements form an important part of the section on verbal

ability/verbal reasoning in every competitive exam.
2.1 Completing Statements
Completing statements/ Sentence completion questions aim to test the student’s reading
ability and evaluates the student’s sentence-logic understanding.
There are possibly four types of sentence completion:
1) Restatement
The two clauses given in the statement support each other. The importance of the first
clause is restated by the second clause.
The key words to identify these types of statements are ‘in other words, in fact, that is,
etc.
2) Comparison
The clauses that we use in this type reflect a comparison between two subjects in two
clauses.
The key words are: likewise, and, just as, as like as, similarly, etc.
3) Contrast
In this type, the words reflect a stark and definite contrast between two or more clauses.
The key words are: though, yet, although, but, on the other hand, however, despite, or,
on the contrary
4) The chain of causation (Cause and effect)
The cause-and-effect type comprises words that act as consequential evidence of some
previous action or cause or present and impactful situation post an action.
The key words are: therefore, consequently, because of, due to, as a result, leads to, etc.

2.1.1 Procedure:
Example 1: His behavior is so unpredictable that he … ( )
a. never depends upon others for getting his work done
b. is seldom trusted by others
c. always finds it difficult to keep his word
d. always insists on getting the work completed on time
Step 1: Identify the type of statement and tone of the statement :

Cause and effect; negative

Step 2: Focus on the given completed clause

Step 3: Identify the meaning and the linking word : So
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Step 4: Choose the right option that fits in the blank (b)
Step 5: Reread the statement with your choice

2. Mahesh need not have purchased the bag, means … (a)

a. it was not necessary for Mahesh to purchase the bag but he has purchased it
b. it was not necessary for Mahesh to purchase the bag but he has not purchased it
c. it was necessary for Mahesh to purchase the bag and he has not purchased it
d. it was necessary for Mahesh to purchase the bag and he has purchased it
e. Mahesh already has a bag but still he purchased another one
Step 1: Identify the type of statement and tone of the statement
Step 2: Focus on the given completed clause
Step 3: Identify the meaning and the linking word
Step 4: Choose the right option that fits in the blank
Step 5: Reread the statement with your choice

Exercise 1:
1. Because he believes in democratic principles, he always ... (d )
a. decides all the matters himself
b. listens to other’s views and enforces his own
c. shows respect to other’s opinions if they match his own
d. reconciles with the majority views and gives us his own
e. imposes his own views on others
2. “Anand stuck up a friendship with Mahesh in just 2 days” ( e)
means ….
a. Anand friendship with Mahesh came to an end recently
b. Anand found out the other friends of Mahesh
c. Anand fixed a deal with Mahesh in 2 days
d. Anand friendship with Mahesh lasted for 2 years
e. Anand became a friend of Mahesh in less than 2 days

3. Although initial investigations pointed towards him … (d)

a. the preceding events corroborated his involvement in the crime
b. the additional information confirmed his guilt
c. the subsequent events established that he was guilt
d. the subsequent events proved that he was innocent
e. he gave an open confession of his crime
4. A new report based on a study of more than 24,500 cases (a)
indicates …
a. that, three drinks a day is enough to cause liver cancer
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b. liver cancer can be caused by three drinks in a day

c. that having three drinks a day are enough to cause liver cancer
d. that in a day, three drinks will cause liver cancer
5. The Food Corporation is saddled with 27 million tons of (a)
substandard wheat which has short shelf life and …
a. will have to be used in 8-10 months
b. to be used in 8-10 months
c. used in -10 months
d. for use by 8-10 months
6. Parts of the Chinese Great Wall have disappeared because (a)
even though the walls are built of bricks and stones, …
a. they cannot withstand the perennial exposure to wind and rain
b. they are firmly cemented to the base, often atop hills
c. it can be a victim of the extreme weather
d. it has been seeing a lot of neglect
7. Vijender Singh, after taking the decision to become a (d)
professional boxer, told the Press…
a. that he will play to make his country proud
b. that he can still play and make the country proud
c. that he will like to make his country proud
d. that he wanted to make his country proud with good performance
8. She never visits any zoo because she is strong opponent of (e)
the idea of …
a. setting the animals free into forest
b. feeding the animals while others are watching
c. watching the animals in their natural abode
d. going out of the house on a holiday
e. holding the animals in captivity for our joy

2.2 Cause and effect (In detail)

Cause and effect questions test the student’s logical ability. In this type of questions, the
student has to understand the events whether it is cause or effect. It is also needed to
understand the events and the cause or the effect is same of some other event.
In cause and effect statements, generally it can be said that the cause occurs first and
effect comes after some time. In some statements, the cause and effect are related in a
direct way or indirect way. Sometimes, both the statements are not logically connected.
Cause is the reason of an event that has occurred and effects are the outcomes of a cause.
The necessary condition for an event to occur is a cause which supplements and event
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to occur.
For a cause to be valid, it must be either sufficient or necessary.
1) Necessary condition for an event to take place is that condition without which the
event will not occur.
2) Sufficient condition for an event to take place is that condition under whose presence
event must occur.
Example: For life to exist on earth, we require
a) air b) water c) food

Condition ‘a’, ‘b’, and ‘c’ together makes sufficient conditions for life to exist on Earth
but individually they are necessary condition for life to exist on Earth.
Therefore, we can say that there may be more than one necessary conditions for the
occurrence of an event and all those necessary conditions must be included in the
sufficient conditions.
2.2.1 Different type of causes:
Immediate cause: An immediate cause is one which occurs immediately before the
effect.
Example: I slapped Rohan after that he slapped me.
Principal cause: It is the most important reason behind the effect.
Example: Rohit falls in annual exam because he does not study.
Common cause: Two effects given in two statements may be caused by a third
unmentioned event which is called the common cause of the given events.
Statement 1: Global warming is increasing.
Statement 2: The glaciers are melting.
Here, the common cause will be the ‘amount of carbon dioxide’ is increasing.

2.2.2 Types of Questions

Type 1: Statement and direction-based questions
In this type of questions, two statements are given and the candidate has to identify
whether they are independent causes or effects of independent causes or a common cause
etc.
Example: In the given questions, there are given two statements A and B. These
statements may be either independent causes or a common cause. One of these
statements may be the effect of the order statement. Read both the statement and decide
which of the following answer choices correctly depicts the relationship between these
two statements.
Give Answer
a) If statement A is the cause and statement B is its effect.
b) If statement B is the cause and statement A is its effect.
c) If both the statements A and B are independent causes.
d) If both the statements A and B are effects of independent causes.
e) If both the statements A and B are effects of some common cause.
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Example 1:
A: Ahmed is a healthy boy.
B. His mother is very particular about the food he eats.
Ans: Since, Ahmed’s mother takes care of what he eats, Ahmed has a good health. Hence
(B) is the cause and (A) is effect. Therefore, (b) is correct.
Example 2: A. The staff of airport authorities called off the strike they were observing in protest
against privatization.
B. The staff of airport authorities went on strike, anticipating at threat to their jobs.
Ans: Clearly, calling off the strike and going on strike are events that may not be backed
by the same cause. Therefore, they must have been effects triggered by separate
independent causes. Therefore, (d) is correct.
Example 3: A. Party ‘X’ won clear majority in the recently held state assembly elections.
B. Of late, there was unrest in public and also among the members of the ruling party of
the state.
Ans: It can be safely assumed that party “X” was earlier in the opposition and has
benefitted from anti-incumbency. But A and B are consequences of a common cause,
i.e., bad governance by the ruling party. Therefore, the answer is (e).

Type 2: Direct cause and effect-based questions

In this type of questions, a cause or an effect is given followed by 4 or 5 options. The
candidate has to choose the correct effect or cause from the options which suits the given
statement most.
Example 1: A severe cyclonic storm swept away most part of the state during the
lasttwo days.
Which of the following cannot be a possible effect of the above cause?
a) Heavy rainfall was reported in most part of the state during the last two days.
b) Many people were rendered homeless as their houses were flown away.
c) The communication system of the state was severely affected and continue to be out
of gear.
d) Government has ordered that all the offices and schools should be kept open.
e) All above are possible effects.
Ans: In such a scenario, the Government is likely to order the closure of offices and
schools. Therefore, answer is (d)

Example 2: The prices of food grains and vegetables have increased by about 30%
inthe past three months.
Which of the following cannot be a probable cause of the above effect?
a) The farmers have decided to change their farming style
b) The prices of other products have increased more than 30%
c) The number of farmers has reduced
d) Occupation of farming has not been viewed as a reputed work
e) None of the above
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Ans: The prices of food grains and vegetables have increased by about 30% due to
increase of more than 30% in the price of other products, because farmers will need 30%
more funding for purchasing other products. Therefore, the answer is (b).

2.2.3 Tips to crack questions on cause and effect

Tip 1: Generally, statements that happened in the past are the cause while statements in
the present are the effect.
Example: Statements 1: There has been mass recruitment of IT professionals by Indian
IT companies.
Statement 2: Many developed countries are increasingly outsourcing IT related
functions to India and China.
Options: a) Statement 1 is the cause and statement 2 is its effect
b) Statement 2 is the cause and statement 1 is its effect
c) Both statements are independent causes
d) Both statements are effects of independent causes
e) Both statements are effects of some common cause
Ans: The outsourcing has led to creation of jobs in IT n India. So, answer must be (b)

Tip 2: Read each statement very carefully to understand the nature of the cause and
effect relationship.
Options: a) Statement 1 is the cause and statement 2 is its effect
b) Statement 2 is the cause and statement 1 is its effect
c) Both statements are independent causes
d) Both statements are effects of independent causes
e) Both statements are effects of some common cause

Example: Statements 1: The braking system of the tourist bus carrying 40 passengers
failed while negotiating a stiff climb on a hilly road.
2: The tourist bus fell into the gorge killing at least ten passengers and seriously injuring
all the remaining.
Ans: Brake failure led to the accident. So, the answer must be (a)

Tip 3: Do not try to force fit the statements into a cause and effect relationship as they
could be the effects of a common cause or two independent causes.
Example: Statement 1: The price of aircraft fuel has risen during the past few months.
Statement 2: Many passenger airlines in India have been forced to cut their air fares by
about 10%.
Options:
a) Statement 1 is the cause and statement 2 is its effect
b) Statement 2 is the cause and statement 1 is its effect
c) Both statements are independent causes
d) Both statements are effects of independent causes
e) Both statements are effects of some common cause
Ans: Statement 1 is usually the effect of the hike in global petroleum prices. Because of
some cause. Similarly, statement 2 is usually the effect of competition in aviation, due
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 Soft Skills Lab 2
to some cause. But the causes of these effects seem to be different and independent. So,
answer is (d)

Tip 4: Use general knowledge to link the statements

Statement 1: There has been an increase in the underground water level column at all
place in Delhi due to the last year’s monsoon rains.
2: Many trains had to be cancelled last year due to water-logging on the railway tracks.
Options:
a) Statement 1 is the cause and statement 2 is its effect
b) Statement 2 is the cause and statement 1 is its effect
c) Both statements are independent causes
d) Both statements are effects of independent causes
e) Both statements are effects of some common cause
Ans: Both the statements are clearly the result of monsoon rains in Delhi. So, the correct
answer is (e).

2.2.4 Exercise:

1) Statement I: The government imposed a stock limit on storage of pulses by traders.

Statement II: The prices of pulses went out of reach of the common man. (b)
Options:
a) Statement I is the cause and statement II is its effect
b) Statement II is the cause and statement I is its effect
c) Statement I is the effect but II is not its cause
d) Statement II is the effect but I is not its cause
e) Statement I and II are effects of independent causes
2) Statement I: The Reserve Bank of India reduced the interest rates.
Statement II: Housing loans witnessed an increase. (a)
Options:
a) Statement I is the cause and statement II is its effect
b) Statement II is the cause and statement I is its effect
c) Statement I is the effect but II is not its cause
d) Statement II is the effect but I is not its cause
e) Statement I and II are effects of independent causes

3) Statement I: Ram visits temples regularly and feeds the devotees at temples at least
once every three months.
Statement II: Ram is an honest man and is respected by many people. ( e)
Options:
a) Statement I is the cause and statement II is its effect
b) Statement II is the cause and statement I is its effect
c) Statement I is the effect but II is not its cause
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 Soft Skills Lab 2

d) Statement II is the effect but I is not its cause

e) Statement I and II are effects of independent causes
4) Statement I: There was a lot of excitement at the college campus during the visit by
recruitment companies.
Statement II: The economy has been witnessing a downtrend during (b)
the past few years; hence many companies have reduced their staff.
Options:
a) Statement I is the cause and statement II is its effect
b) Statement II is the cause and statement I is its effect
c) Statement I is the effect but II is not its cause
d) Statement II is the effect but I is not its cause
e) Statement I and II are effects of independent causes

5) Statement I: The vegetable prices in the local market have increased manifold during
the past few years.
Statement II: Incessant rains have created flood like situation in most (b)
rural parts of the state.
Options:
a) Statement I is the cause and statement II is its effect
b) Statement II is the cause and statement I is its effect
c) Statement I is the effect but II is not its cause
d) Statement II is the effect but I is not its cause
e) Statement I and II are effects of independent causes

6) Statement I: The municipal corporation had repaired the roads before the monsoon,
but all roads now have big potholes.
Statement II: Several people developed spine injuries while travelling (c)
on the highways.
Options:
a) Statement I is the cause and statement II is its effect
b) Statement II is the cause and statement I is its effect
c) Both the statements are independent causes
d) Both the statements are effects of independent causes
e) Both the statements are effects of some common cause

7) Statement I: The government has decided to deregulate the prices of petrol and diesel
and allow the petroleum companies to fix the prices themselves.
Statement II: Most car manufactures are not increasing their prices in (d )
spite of an increase in the input costs.
Options:
a) Statement I is the cause and statement II is its effect
b) Statement II is the cause and statement I is its effect

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 Soft Skills Lab 2

c) Both the statements are independent causes

d) Both the statements are effects of independent causes
e) Both the statements are effects of some common cause

8) Statement I: Indian people are one of the most religious people in the world.
Statement II: India has innumerable places of worship of all faiths. (a)
Options:
a) Statement I is the cause and statement II is its effect
b) Statement II is the cause and statement I is its effect
c) Both the statements are independent causes
d) Both the statements are effects of independent causes
e) Both the statements are effects of some common cause

9) Statement I: The government decided to ban selling of eggs in the state.

Which of the following can be a possible cause for this effect? ( c)

a) A pro-vegetarian activism group demanded the ban

b) Shopkeepers were charging a heavy price for eggs
c) A contagious virus was found in egg samples
d) There was fear of hurting the religious sentiments of a group of people

10) The beaches are now full of people having a family holiday, having surfing
lessonsand engaging in other leisure activities such as para-sailing.
Which of the following can be the most immediate cause of the effect? (c)
a) The weather has become very pleasant.
b) The people’s lives have become very stressful.
c) The people’s disposable income has increased.
d) Beaches are advertised as holiday destination.

Signature of the Faculty

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 Soft Skills Lab 2

SPOTTING ERRORS

Experiment: 3 Date:

Spotting errors is one of the most crucial topics in any competitive exams. This segment
basically checks the student’s command over English grammar.
These questions test the student’s ability to identify written English that is grammatically
correct. They also test the ability to understand the essential message being given-and
find out the most concise and grammatically correct way of conveying the same.

3.1 Question Pattern:

3.1.1 Question Type 1: Each question will begin with sentences, parts of which have
been underlined. You are then presented with 4 different options presenting alternative
ways of stating the underlined portion of the text. The first answer choice will repeat the
text without any changes.
The other choices will rewrite the text. Wrong options are created by testing for its
grammar and accuracy.

Example: The world today is totally different than, we have seen in the last century.
a) than, we have seen b) from what we have seen
c) from what we seen d) than from that we have seen
Ans: b

3.1.2 Question Type 2: These questions are similar to type-1. The only difference is
there is no underlined part of the sentence. Incorrect choices are formed by any one or
more of the following methods.
1) Grammatical mistakes
2) Incorrect sentence structure
3) Changing the meaning
4) Verbosity in the sentence

Example: My grandmother seldom ever wants to try and face the facts.
a) My grandmother seldom ever wants to try and face the facts.
b) My grandmother seldom if ever wants to try and face the facts.
c) My grandmother seldom ever wants to try to face the facts.
d) My grandmother seldom wants to try to face the facts.
e) My grandmother seldom wants to try face the facts.
Ans: d

3.1.3 Question Type 3: These questions consist of 4 sentences, out of which you have
to identify the correct sentences.

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 Soft Skills Lab 2

Example: A) She has a fair chance of winning the first prize. (a)
B) Fair weather is forecasted for tomorrow.
C) There’s a fair on at the park this very week.
D) Don’t forget to wind down your watch.
a) A only b) A and C c) A, B, and C
d) None of the above are correct e) Only A and B

3.1.4 Question Type 4: These questions consist of 4 sentences, out of which you have
to identify the incorrect sentences.

3.2 How to solve?

1. Eliminating answer choices that are grammatically incorrect
2. Focusing on small/minute differences among the different answer choices
3. Looking for spelling / punctuation errors

3.3 Common grammatical errors in sentence correction questions:

3.3.1 Error type 1: Subject-verb agreement
While looking out for this error, it is needed to be careful of
i) The conjugation of irregular verbs
ii) The disguising of the subject by creating a complex sentence structure having
multiple messages between the subject and the verb.

Task 1: Find out the error in each of the following sentences and write the correct
answer. If there is no error in the sentence, write ‘e’.
1) The request for the special reservation (a) / to women in various organisations (b)
/were supported the majority (c) / by of leaders in the parliament (d) / No error (e)
Ans: c (The request for the special reservation to women in various organisations was
supported the majority by of leaders in the parliament.)
2) The prequisites to (a) / the white-collar jobs (b) / makes them even more attractive
(c) / than the salary offered (d) / No error
Ans: c (The perquisites to the white-collar jobs make them even more attractive than the
salary offered.)
3) The knowledge you acquire (a) / depend upon the people (b) / you associate
yourselves (c) / with wise and good-natured people (d) / No error
Ans: b (The knowledge you acquire depends upon the people you associate yourselves
with wise and good-natured people.)

4) Patience as well as (a) / perseverance are necessary (b) / for success (c) / in life /
No error
Ans: b (Patience as well as perseverance is necessary for success in life.)
5) Every mother in the (a) / world definitely hopes that their (b) / son will be a
humble and kind (c) / man when he grows up (d) / No error (e)
Ans: b (Every mother in the world definitely hopes that her son will be a humble and
kind man when he grows up.)
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 Soft Skills Lab 2

3.3.2 Error type 2: Errors of modifiers

Incorrect written English, the modifier has to be kept as close as possible to the word or
clause it modifies. Placing the modifiers at the wrong position in a sentence often has
the effect of changing the meaning of sentences.
Example: Bruised and battered, Ravi gave his car to the mechanic.
Bruised and battered, the car was given to the mechanic by Ravi.

Task 2: Find out the error in each of the following sentences and writethe
correct answer. If there is no error in the sentence, write ‘e’.
1) All the members of parliament (a) / gave their consent to (b) / the act, few
opponents only (c) / reprimanded it. (d) / No error (e)
Ans: c (All the members of parliament gave their consent to the act, only few opponents
reprimanded it)
2) You were enough smart (a) / to give a strong reply to (b) / her questionbut you
(c) / didn’t give a damn (d) / No error (e )
Ans: a (You were smart enough to give a strong reply to her question but you didn’t
give a damn)
3) She wore the hat on her head, which she bought yesterday.
Ans: She tried the hat which she bought yesterday, on her head.
4) Waiting for the train a brick fell on my foot.
Ans: While I was waiting for the train a brick fell on my foot.
5) I almost listened to the whole album.
Ans I listened to almost the whole album.

6) We read that Janet was married in her last letter.

Ans: In her last letter, we read that Janet was married.
7) Chicken is ready to eat.
Ans: Chicken is ready to be eaten.
8) Often experiencing stress on their jobs, employees are encouraged by
management to take more vacations.
Ans: Employees who experience stress on their jobs often are encouraged by
management to take more vacations.
3.3.3 Error type 3: Errors in the usage of pronouns
The pronouns used in a sentence should agree with their antecedents. There should be
no ambiguity about which noun the pronoun is replacing.
Example: Amit told Ameer that he should take his car to the party. (Ambiguity of
pronouns)
Task 3: Find out the error in each of the following sentences and write the correct
answer. If there is no error in the sentence, write ‘no error’.
1) The Party Chief / and the Chief Minister / expressed his views / on
demonetization in India. / No Error
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 Soft Skills Lab 2

Ans: The Party Chief and the Chief Minister expressed their views on
demonetization in India
2) I, you and he / must attend / the seminar / on career guidance. / No Error
Ans: You, he and I must attend the seminar on career guidance.
3) He introduced to / the Chairman as / the Host of the / event. / No Error
Ans: He introduced himself to the Chairman as the Host of the event.

4) Many a / warrior has met / their death / in the battlefield. / No Error

Ans: Many a warrior has met his death in the battlefield.

5) None of these / two officers / has been looking after / his department well.
/ No Error
Ans: Neither of these two officers has been looking after his department well.
6) His elder / brother is / more intelligent / than him. / No Error
Ans: His elder brother is more intelligent than he.
7.) You and I / are expected to do your duty / in the interest of the students /
No error
Ans: You and I are expected to do our duty in the interest of the students
8) Both he as well as I / are going to Delhi / tomorrow to buy a new motor
bike / No error
Ans: Both he as well as I is going to Delhi tomorrow to buy a new motor
bike
9) Myself and Gopalan / will take care of / the function on Sunday / No error
Ans: Gopalan and I will take care of the function on Sunday
10) Being a very / hot day I / remained indoors / No error.
Ans: Being it a very hot day I remained indoors.

3.3.4 Error type 4: Errors in the tense of verbs

The sentence should reflect the correct order in which the sequence of events occurs.
For this purpose, it is crucial that the verbs used are in the correct tense.
Example: If the experiment works, it will be representing a giant leap forward for human
sciences. (Will represent – the correct usage)
Task 4: Find out the error in each of the following sentences and write the
correct answer. If there is no error in the sentence, write ‘no error’.
1) After you will return / from Mumbai / I will come to meet you / No error
Ans: After you return from Mumbai, I will come to meet you.
2) I used to study / till 10 pm and / then I go to bed / No error.
Ans: I used to study till 10 pm and then I went to bed.

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 Soft Skills Lab 2

3) Air pollution caused by industrial fumes has been studied / for years, but
only recently has / the harmful effects of noise pollution become known / No
error
Ans: Air pollution caused by industrial fumes has been studied for years, but only
recently have the harmful effects of noise pollution become known
4) The judge asked the man / if the bag he had lost / contain five thousand
rupees / No error
Ans: The judge asked the man if the bag he had lost contained five thousand
rupees.
5) Having work / in both public and private sector banks / she is the most
suitable person to take over the post of the chairman / No error
Ans: Having worked in both public and private sector banks she is the most
suitable person to take over the post of the chairman
6) He started a very small business to years ago / but it grew very fast / as the
country is experiencing a boom at that time / No error
Ans: He started a very small business to years ago but it grew very fast as the
country was experiencing a boom at that time
7) Since I had lived there for many years / the villagers were very comfortable
/ talked to me about all their problems / No error
Ans: Since I had lived there for many years the villagers were very comfortable
talking to me about all their problems
8) The principal announced / in the school assembly that the school fees / will
be hiked from the beginning of the next academic session / No error
Ans: The principal announced in the school assembly that the school fees would be
hiked from the beginning of the next academic session
9) Had I known / the weather forecast earlier / I would not make plans to go
out / No error
Ans: Had I known the weather forecast earlier I would not have made plans to go
out.
10) On many occasions / we did helped the poor / people by way of giving
them food to eat and clothes to put on / No error
Ans: On many occasions we helped the poor people by way of giving them food to
eat and clothes to put on.
3.3.5 Error type 5: Errors of parallel forms
Multiple ideas of the same level and category should be presented within one part of the
sentence.
Example: In India today, an investor might invest his money in stocks, in real estate or
in debt based mutual funds. (Same category)
Task 5: Find out the error in each of the following sentences and write the
correct answer. If there is no error in the sentence, write ‘no error’.
1) For Lisa to change her email settings, she had to log in, choose settings and then
clicked on preferences.
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 Soft Skills Lab 2

Ans: For Lisa to change her email settings, she had to log in, choose settings and
then to click on preferences.
2) Rebecca likes to spend time with her son by participating in his activities, like
riding bikes, playing video games and she watches his favorite movies.
Ans: Rebecca likes to spend time with her son by participating in his activities, like
riding bikes, playing video games and watching his favorite movies.
3) I baked a cake, cookies, and made Lasagna.
Ans: I baked a cake and cookies, and made lasagna.
4) I finished my paper and submit it to Blackboard.
Ans: I finished my paper and submitted it to Blackboard.
5) Norah enjoys running, hike, and to camp.
Ans: Norah enjoys running, hiking, and camping.
6. Attaining a college degree is neither cheap nor will it be easy.
Ans: Attaining a college degree is neither cheap nor easy.
7) My dog is not only friendly but he is also playful/ My dog is not only friendly
but also playful.
Ans: My dog is not only friendly but he is also playful.
8) Sally needs a new stove, dishwasher and knives for her kitchen.
Ans: Sally needs a new stove, dishwasher and set of knives for her kitchen.

9) The president promised to reform health care, preserve social security, and a
balanced budget.
Ans: The president promised to reform health care, preserve social security, and to
balance budget.
10) What counts isn't how you look but your behavior.
Ans: What counts isn't how you look but how you behave.

3.3.6 Error type 6: Errors in the use of singular words, idioms and phrases
Example: The French grand Prix is considered as/to be one of the most arduous races.
The correct idiom is ‘to be’
Task 6: Find out the error in each of the following sentences and write the correct
answer. If there is no error in the sentence, write ‘no error’.
1) Some of the richest / business magnate / live in Mumbai / No error
Ans: Some of the richest business magnates live in Mumbai.
2) This is an urgent / matter which may admit / of few delays / No error
Ans: This is an urgent matter which may admit of few delays.
3) Outside, the rain beats down / in floods and the sea gives forth / a sound
like an alarm bells / No error
Ans: Outside, the rain beats down in floods and the sea gives forth a sound like
an alarm bells.
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 Soft Skills Lab 2

4) The girl was cut of in the bloom of her life.

Ans: The girl was cut off during the bloom her life.
5) Who is carrying your business?
Ans: Who is carrying on your business?
6) He has fallen in bad company.
Ans: He has fallen with bad company.
7) She looks on his mother.
Ans: She looks after his mother.
8) She is calling him a bad name.
Ans: She is calling him by bad names.
9) Plague carried many men.
Ans: Plague carried off many men.
10) Please carry to the next page.
Ans: Please carry over to the next page.

3.7 Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Identify the correct usage of the sentence in each of the four options
given.
1) Except for you and I, everyone brought a present for the little (d)
birthday boy.
a) Except for him and I, everyone brought a present for the little boy.
b) With the exception of you and I, everyone brought a present for the little birthday boy.
c) Except for you and I, everyone had brought a present for the little birthday boy.
d) Except for you and me, everyone brought a present for the little birthday boy.
e) Excepting you and I, all brought present for the little boy.

2) The Indian cricket team’s winning it’s first game of the 2007 World (d)
Cup excited the fans of the team.
a) The Indian cricket team’s winning it’s first game of the 2007 World Cup excited the
fans of the team.
b) The Indian cricket team having won its first game of the 2007 World Cup, excited the
fans of the team.
c) The Indian cricket team’s having won its first game of the 2007 World Cup excited
the fans of the team.
d) The Indian cricket team’s winning its first game of the 2007 World Cup excited the
fans of the team.
e) The Indian cricket team’s had won its first game of the 2007 World Cup excited the
fans of the team.

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 Soft Skills Lab 2

3) The shopkeeper hadn’t hardly any of those kinds of goods. (d )

a) The shopkeeper hadn’t hardly any of those kinds of goods.
b) The shopkeeper hadn’t hardly any of those kinds of goods.
c) The shopkeeper had hardly any of those kinds of goods.
d) The shopkeeper had hardly any of those kinds of goods.
e) The shopkeeper had not hardly any of those kinds of goods.

4) The entire cast and crew of the film, enjoyed splashing in the pool, (d)
bathing in the ocean, and, particularly, to sun bathe on the shore.
a) The entire cast and crew of the film, enjoyed splashing in the pool, bathing in the
ocean, and, particularly, to sun bathe on the shore.
b) The entire cast and crew of the film, enjoyed splashing in the pool, to have a bath in
the ocean, and, particularly, to sun bathe on the shore.
c) The entire cast and crew of the film, enjoyed swimming in the pool to bath in the
ocean, and, particularly sun bathing on the shore.
d) The entire cast and crew of the film, enjoyed swimming in the pool, bathing in the
ocean, and, particularly, sun bathing on the shore.
e) The entire cast and crew of the film, enjoyed splashing in the pool, bathing in the
ocean, particularly to sun bathing on the shore.

5) When one travels by Air Lahara, you often find that the prices are (d )
high and that the journey experience is extremely poor.
a) When one travels by Air Lahara, you often find that the prices are high and that the
journey experience is extremely poor.
b) When one travels by Air Lahara, one often finds that the prices are high and that the
journey experience is extremely poor.
c) As you travel by Air Lahara, you often find that the prices are high and that the journey
experience is extremely poor.
d) If you travel by Air Lahara, you often find that the prices are high and that the journey
experience is extremely poor.
e) When you are travelling by Air Lahara, you often find that the prices are high and the
journey experience is extremely poor.

Exercise 2: identify the best way of writing to the underlined part of the sentence.
1) Start the engine, and then you should press the accelerator. (b)
a) Start the engine, and then you should press the accelerator.
b) Start the engine and then press
c) Start the engine, then go on pressing
d) Starting the engine, then pressing
e) Starting the engine go on pressing
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 Soft Skills Lab 2

2) In rural India, many mango trees are planted at the end of a villageor at (b)
the boarder of a district for providing excellent shade during
summer, and shelter during winter.

a) for providing excellent shade during summer, and shelter during winter
b) to provide excellent shade in summer, and shelter in winter
c) in order to provide excellent shade in summer, and shelter in winter
d) so as to excellently provide shade in summer, and shelter in winter
e) for providing excellent shading during summer and shelter in winter

3) He is an asset to the organisation, although he seems to be an eccentric (d)

and he is a loner.
a) He is an asset to the organisation, although he seems to be an eccentric and is a loner
b) Although he is eccentric, he is an asset to the organisation and wants to be a loner
c) Although he is eccentric, he is an asset to the organisation although he wants to be a
loner
d) Although he is eccentric and wants to be a loner, he is an asset to the organisation
e) He is an asset to the organisation, seeming an eccentric and a loner although

4) Mental intelligence and common sense are essential for outstanding (d)
achievement because they involve your natural ability to comprehend
difficult concepts quicker and to analyse them clearly and incisively.

a) your natural ability to comprehend difficult concepts quicker and to analyse them
clearly and incisively
b) one’s natural ability for the comprehension of difficult concepts quickly and analysing
them clearly and incisively
c) your natural ability of comprehension of difficult concepts quickly and clear and
incisive analysis of it
d) one’s natural ability to comprehend difficult concepts quickly and to analyse them
clearly and incisively
e) one has natural ability to comprehension of difficult concepts quickly and to analyse
them clearly and incisively
5) Panchayati Raj institutions are now entrusted upon the execution of (c)
all rural upliftment schemes and programs in India.
a) entrusted upon the execution of all rural upliftment schemes and programs in India
b) entrusted with the execution of all rural uplift schemes and programs
c) entrusted with the execution of all rural upliftment schemes and programs
d) entrusted within the execution for all rural uplift programs and
schemes
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 Soft Skills Lab 2

e) entrusted of the execution of all rural upliftment schemes and

programs
Exercise 3: Identify the correct sentence/s for the following questions.
1) A) When you look up a word, the main thing that you want to (a )
know was its basic meaning.
B) It’s time to winding up the discussion now.
C) A great many various words in English have more than one meaning
D) That wasn’t a very fair thing to say!
a) D only b) A and D
c) A, B and D d) All of the above are correct c) None of the above
2) A) I don’t like recorded music; I prefer the real thing. (b)
B) These items are the genuine articles.
C) You can give a wide summary of something.
D) You can describe something in minute detail.
a) A and C b) A and B c) B and D
d) C only e) None of these

3) A) It’s something I feel powerfully about. (d)

B) If I remember perfectly, it happened at about six-thirty.
C) It is useful to learn which adverbs most typically modify particular types
ofobjectives.
D) The majority of these adjectives has a negative connotation.
a) C only b) B and C c) A only d) None of these e) All of these
4) A) She works in a shop that sells lady’s clothes. (c)
B) Do you like the new shades that I’ve got?
C) Did you see that documentary about Wales on TV last night?
D) Have you met Amita’s newish boyfriend?
a) C only b) B only c) B and C d) D only e) C and D
5) A) He is the nicest person you can hope to come across. (d)
B) Six Indians were awarded the Order of Merit by the foreign dignitary.
C) You should treat everyone with equal respect.
D) Man is a severely competent person.
a) A only b) B and C only c) A and C d) A, B and C e) None of the above

Exercise 4: Read each sentence to find out whether there is any grammatical
error in it.
The error, if any will be in one part of the sentence. The letter of that part is
theanswer. If there is no error, the answer id ‘D’.

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 Soft Skills Lab 2

1) Solve as per the direction given above.

a) An Indian ship ( )
b) laden with merchandise
c) got drowned in the Pacific Ocean
d) No error
Ans: c (drown for living things and sink for non-living things)
2) a) The Indian radio ( )
b) which was previously controlled by the British rulers
c) is free now from the narrow-vested interests.
d) No error
Ans: c (free now is the right phrase)
3) a) The brakes and steering failed ( )
b) and the bus ran down the hill
c) without anyone being able control it
d) No error
Ans: c ( without being controlled by anyone)
4) a) When he was asked what is wrong with him ( )
b) he said that he was not well
c) and asked for leave of absence for one day
d) No error
Ans: a (when he was asked what was wrong with him)
5) a) Remember that you are part of ( )
b) the team and your success depends on the support
c) you are able to give and get from your other team members
d) No error
Ans: a (remember that you are a part of)
6) a) It is an established fact that the transcendental American poets and ( )
philosophers
b) who lived in the latter half of the nineteenth century
c) were more influenced by Indian philosophy, in particular by Upanishadic
Philosophy
d) No error
Ans: c (were much influenced by Indian Philosophy in particular by
Upanishadic Philosophy)
7) a) Since the attachment of air conditioned sleeping cars to all ( )
important trains,
b) travelling became very pleasant
c) especially during the summer season

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 Soft Skills Lab 2

d) no error
Ans: b (travelling has become very pleasant)
8) a) A leading textile manufacturer, one of the fastest growing in the ( )
industry
b) is looking for a marketing manager
c) to look up the marketing network of the company
d) No error
Ans: c ( to look after the marketing network of the company)
9) a) Though he stoutly persisted in denying his involvement in ( )
the case
b) the facts made it very clear
c) that he had hand in the cruel murder of his wife
d) No error
Ans: c (that he had involved in the cruel murder of his wife)
10. a) The eminent speaker’s speech ( )
b) was broadcasted over
c) all the major radio-stations
d) No error
Ans: b (was broadcast over)

Signature of the Faculty

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VERBAL REASONING - 2
Experiment: 4 Date:
Theme detection, paragraph jumbles, and paragraph completion some of the major
inevitable topics in all competitive exams which test the student’s logical and reasoning
ability, and language interpretation ability. These questions test the ability of the
student’s accuracy and efficiency in understanding the text and identifying the minute
details of it.
4.1 THEME DETECTION
In these questions, a short paragraph is trailed by four to six statements that can be on
any subject. The passage will be followed by some options. The student should
understand the topic of the passage well to answer the questions.
4.1.1 Procedure:
While reading the paragraph, one has to identify argument in order to properly
understand the idea of the paragraph. This is usually the first sentence but not always.
To find the sated claim:
 Read the paragraph
 Ask ‘what is the paragraph about?’
 Summarize the content in your own words
 Find the sentence within the paragraph that best matches the summary
4.1.2 Tips
 Skim the options one by one
Quickly read the given options one by one and detect the theme of given option before
moving to the second option. It is not advisable to move to the second option without
comprehending the theme of the first option as it can lead to confusion.
 Avoid facts and details and stick to an overall idea
A theme can be comprehended just by analyzing the overall idea and there is no need to
go into details such as facts, data, etc.
 Do not get discouraged by seeing difficult vocabulary
Sometimes terms, related to finance or research, are used in such questions which makes
understanding of the context difficult. However, in some cases such words do not
contribute much to the theme and can be easily avoided as a theme of the context is
related to an overall idea not to individual words.

Example-1: Through advertising, manufacturers’ exercise a high degree-of control over

consumer’s desires. However, the manufacturer assumes enormous risks in attempting
to predict what consumers will want and in producing goods in quantity and distributing
them in advance of final selection by the consumers.
The paragraph best supports the statement that manufactures –

a) distributes goods directly to the consumers

b) can eliminate the risk of over production by advertising
c) always take moderate and calculated risk
d) can predict with great accuracy the success of any product they put on the market
e) must depend upon the final consumers for the success of their undertakings
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Solution:
According to the passage, it is very difficult for the manufacturer to predict the
consumers’ response to his products. But by advertising, he can stimulate the consumers
to buy his product.
(a) is incorrect because it is mentioned in the paragraph that manufactures distribute
goods in advance of their demands and not directly to the consumers.
(c) is wrong because according to the passage, manufactures take enormous risks but not
moderate.
(d) is wrong because it is mentioned in the passage that manufactures take great risk in
predicting what the consumers want.
(e) is a true statement but it does not depict the complete theme of the passage.
So, the theme of the paragraph is best mentioned in (b).
Hence, (b) is the answer.

4.1.3 Exercise: 1
1. There is a shift in our economy from a manufacturing to a service orientation. The
increase in service-sector will require the managers to work more with people
rather than with objects and things from the assembly line.
This passage best supports the statement that: (c)

a) managers should have a balanced mind

b) assembly line will exist in service organisations
c) interpersonal skills will become more important in the future work place
d) manufacturing organisations ignore importance of people
e) service organisations will not deal with objects and things

2. The school has always been the most important means of transferring the wealth
of tradition form one generation to the next. This applies today in an even higher
degree than in former times for, through the modern development of economy, the
family as bearer of tradition and education has becomeweakened.
This passage best supports the statement that for transferringthe (c)
wealth of tradition from one generation to the next –
a) there are means other than the school
b) several different sources must be tried
c) economic development plays a crucial role
d) modern technology must be put to use
e) family, as ever, is the best potent means

3. The prevention of accidents makes it necessary not only that safety devices beused
to guard exposed machinery but also that mechanics be instructed in safety rules
which they must follow their own protection, and that lighting in the plant be
adequate.

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The passage best supports the statement that industrialaccidents (d)

–
a) are always avoidable
b) may be due to ignorance
c) cannot be entirely overcome
d) can be eliminated with the help of safety rules
e) usually result from inadequate machinery

4. To forgive an injury is often considered to be a sign of weakness; it is really a sign

of strength. It is easy to allow oneself to be carried away by resentment and hate
into an act of vengeance; but it takes a strong character to restrain those natural
passions. The man who forgives an injury proves himself to be the superior of the
man who wronged himself and puts the wrong-doer to shame.
The passage best supports the statement that – (d)
a) the sufferer alone knows the intensity of his sufferings
b) people tend to forgive the things happened in the past
c) natural passions are difficult to suppress
d) mercy is the noblest form of revenge
e) a person with calm and composed nature has depth of thought and vision
5. Due to enormous profits involved in smuggling, hundreds of persons have been
attracted towards this anti-national activity. Some of them became millionaires
overnight. India has a vast coastline both on the Eastern and Western Coast. It has
been a heaven for smugglers who have been carrying on their activities with great
impunity. There is no doubt, that from time to time certain seizures were made by the
enforcement authorities, during raids and ambush but even allowing the smugglers
made huge profits.
The passage best supports the statement that – (d)
a) smuggling hampers the economic development of a nation
b) smuggling ought to be curbed
c) authorities are taking strict measures to curb smuggling
d) smuggling is fast increasing in our country owing to the quick profit it
entails
6. Though the waste of time or the expenditure on fashions is very large, yet fashions
have come to stay. They will not go, come what may. However, what is now required
is that strong efforts should be made to displace the excessive craze for fashion from
the minds of these youngsters.
The passage best supports the statement that – (c)
a) fashion is the need of the day
b) the excessive craze for fashion is detrimental to one’s personality

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 Soft Skills Lab 2

c) the hoard for fashion should be done away with so as not to let down the
constructive development
d) work and other activities should be valued more than the outwardappearance

7. The press should not be afraid of upholding and supporting a just and righteous
cause. It should not be afraid of criticising the government in a healthy manner. The
press has to be eternally vigilant to protect the rights of the workers, backward and
suppressed sections of the society. It should also give a balanced view of the things
so that people can be helped in the formation of a healthy public opinion.

The passage best supports the statement that (c)

a) the freedom of press is essential for the proper functioning of democracy
b) the press is the only means to project to the masses the policies of the
government
c) press has a great role to play in democracy

d) the press can be used by the governments as an effective media

for theupliftment of the backward sections of society
8. Industrial exhibitions play a major role in a country’s economy. Such exhibitions,
now regularly held in Delhi, enable us to measure the extent of ourown less advanced
industrial progress and the mighty industrial power and progress of countries like
the U.K., U.S.A., and Russia whose pavilions are thecentres of the greatest attention
and attractions.

The passage best supports the statement that industrial exhibitions – (d)
a) greatly tax the poor economies
b) are more useful for the developed countries like U.S.A. whose
productsstand out superior to those of the developing countries.
c) are not of much use to the countries who are industrially backward
d) boost up production qualitatively by analytical comparison of a
country’sproducts with those of the developed countries
9. Exports and imports, a swelling favourable balance of trade, investments and
bank-balances, are not an index or a balance sheet of national prosperity. Tillthe
beginning of the Second World War, English exports were noticeably greater
than what they are today. And yet England has greater national prosperity today
than it ever had. Because the income of average Englishmen, working as field
and factory labourers, clerks, policemen, petty shopkeepers and shop assistants,
domestic workers and other low-paid workers, has gone up.
The passage best supports the statement that – (a)

a) a country’s economic standard can be best adjudged by per capital income

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 Soft Skills Lab 2

b) a country’s balance of trade is the main criteria of determining its

economicprosperity
c) a nation’s economy strengthens with the increase in exports
d) English trade has continually increased since the Second World War
10. It is up to our government and planners to devise ways and means for the
mobilisation of about ten crore workers whose families total up about forty crore
men, women and children. Our agriculture is over-manned. A lesser number of
agriculturists would mean more purchasing or spending power to every
agriculturist. This will result in the shortage of man-power for many commodities
to be produced for which there will be a new demand from a
prosperous agrarian class. This shortage will be removed by surplus man-
power released from agriculture as suggested above.
The passage best supports the statement that – (b)

a) employment in production is more fruitful than employment in agriculture

b) Indian economy is in a poor shape basically due to improper mobilisationof
man-power
c) a shift of labour from agricultural sector to the industrial sector would uplift the
living standard
d) the industrial sector is labour-deficient while the agricultural sector is over-
manned in our country

4.2 PARAGRAPH JUMBLES

These questions test the student’s logical ability, language interpretation ability, and
depth in vocabulary. It also tests the student’s comprehension abilities since the solving
of a para jumble involves very often, the grasping of diverse messages from a wide range
of topics.
Solving these questions is both an art and a science. Because it requires the specific
usage of skills under various conditions and a science because there are certain thumb
rules that exist, which can be used effectively to improve one’s ability to solve paragraph
jumbles.
4.2.1 Process for solving paragraph jumble questions

A paragraph is a collection of sentences and normally, is used to convey a concise idea

within a larger idea structure of a passage. In general, paragraphs can be either top heavy
or bottom heavy. A top-heavy paragraph is one which conveys its main idea at the start
of the passage – and then it tapers off in its content; while a bottom-heavy paragraph has
its main idea towards the end of the paragraph with the start of the paragraph being
usually light in content. Generally top-heavy paragraphs are much more common than
bottom heavy paragraphs.
Step 1: Grasping Idea
In this first step, the focus should be on identifying the main and supplementary ideas
which constitute the message being conveyed by the paragraph. This gives us a clear
picture of the main and the supplementary themes running through the passage.
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Step 2: Identifying Paragraph Structure

This step is most important as it involves in identifying the structure of the paragraph.
A correct identifying of the logical structure of the paragraph will make your job easy
to identify the correct clues in solving the question. In this stage, the reader has to focus
on identifying the author’s tone and style of writing and the structure which the author
used to present his/her ideas.
Step 3: Understanding Specifics
In this phase, the reader has to try to fit the content into the logical structure identified
above, the minor details of the key words used. The reader has to identify the logical
sequence of the sentences and also try to fill in the minor gaps in his/her understanding
of the jumbled sequence.
Step 4: Incorporating
At this final stage, the student has to integrate the ideas presented in the sentences in
his/her own thought process and try to apply them in a structured logical string to test
whether the chosen sequence conveys the idea or theme accurately.
4.2.2 The types of paragraph structures
1) Cause & effect
This paragraph consists of two parts – the cause, leading to the effect. The structure is
A, hence B or A causes B (where A and B are ideas such that A is the cause and B is the
effect)
Key words: Hence, because, causes, leads to, as a result, thus, resulting from, therefore,
consequently, due to, etc.
2) Generic to specific
In this paragraph, the author talks about a generic idea and then backs it up with specific
examples of the same. The paragraph flows from the general to the specific.
3) Contrast
This paragraph is based on the contrast or opposite of one idea against another. In such
presentations of ideas, there is transformation from one point of view to the opposite
point of view. Typically, both the points of view are presented with equal force and the
author does not give away his/her biases towards either of the opposite points of view.
This type of paragraph is often signified by a turnaround point between two parts of a
paragraph.
Key words: but, on the other hand, as against, however, although, etc.
4) Parallelisms
Two parallel points of view are presented one after the other in this type of paragraph.
Key words: likewise, similarly, just as, equally, in the same manner, etc.
5) Idea – Explanation / Elaboration
One sentence will present an idea and then it is either explained in detail or elaborated
(expanded) or completed in the subsequent sentence/s.
6) Chronological

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In this type of paragraph successive sentences will be demarcated on the basis of the
time dimension. Normally, successive sentences will take you further along in time. All
action sequences have chronological sequences involved.
7) Action sequence
Action sequences depict a set of actions, logically connected to each other.
8) Idea transformation
In this type of paragraph, a concept is introduced in the first sentence and the following
sentence draws from that concept and presents a new dimension associated with the
concept. The key difference between this type and the idea-elaboration type is that the
latter elaborates and explains the idea introduced in the initial part of the sequence, while
this type uses the idea presented in the start of the sequence, while this type uses the idea
presented in the start of the sentence sequence and portrays a totally different dimension
to it.
9) Idea reiteration
Sentence sequences which use this structure of argumentation will start off by giving a
point of view, followed by one or more sentences reiterating the fact.
4.2.3 Tips
1) Find the starting sentence
One of the keys to solving a question correctly is the location of the starting sentence.
Very often, a paragraph jumble question will get solved only by identifying the starting
sentence. For example, the cause will mostly be the starting sentence in a typical cause
and effect sentence structure. Similarly, the starting idea in a sentence sequence
involving a contrast is likely to be the starting sentence of the paragraph.

2) Locating the topic sentence

Mostly, one of the sentences in a paragraph will introduce the main topic of the
paragraph. This sentence will give us the key to the entire paragraph. Very often, the
topic sentence might be the clue to the first sentence of the passage, but that is not an
absolute rule.
3) Finding the general theme
Finding the general theme or main idea from the jumbled sentences may require some
skill, but careful reading can reveal which idea is the central or the main one, and can be
found if it is most frequently used or when most of the other sentences relate to it.

4) Finding logical relationships

Once the general theme is found, you should relate the ideas and opinions found in the
sentences and place them in a logical sequence. You can look for the interrelation of
ideas in the sentences to form a whole. Supporting facts, words or phrases that signal
emphasis or a shift in thought, and the relation of one idea to another – for example, the
cause and effect relationship, help in finding the logical relationship and thus give clues
about the structure of the paragraph.
5) Finding the concluding sentence
The concluding sentence will normally wind up the argument, without leaving any loose
ends.
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 Soft Skills Lab 2
Example- 1: Rearrange the following sentences in the proper sequence to form a
meaningful paragraph and then answer the questions given below.
a) Globally, it took roughly 45 days for the first 100,000 cases. It is likely to take nine
days for the next 100,000.
b) That is how epidemics work – they gather steam as infected individuals go on to infect
even more people.
c) Could this really be the case that we have fared better than everyone else?
d) As the COVID-19 pandemic fells country after country, many in India are wondering
if we are somewhat different.
e) But the confirmed cases in India, as of today stand at 18, much lower than small
countries such as Iceland (250).
f) The global death count is now doubling every nine days and stands at 8,248 with
207,518 confirmed cases.
1) d, a, f, b, e, c 2) a, b, c, d, e, f 3) f, a, e, d, c, b 4) c, d, a, b, e, f
Procedure:
1) What is the idea of the paragraph?
2) Identify the type of paragraph:
3) Identify the topic sentence:
4) Identify the beginning sentence which is independent and have complete sense. And
which introduces the theme of the paragraph:
Ans: 1
Explanation: Among the given statements, D being an independent statement set the
theme of the passage which is related to COVID cases and India’s performance in a
similar context. Here, statement A will follow D considering how the case began rising
across the globe. It will then be followed by F which mentions the process of the spread
of a disease and its transition towards an epidemic. Simultaneously, the passage has
established a contrast by mentioning the condition prevalent in India in statement E. this
will then be followed by C which related the numbers to the performance of the country
in controlling the infection. Therefore, the correct sequence will be DAFBEC
Example 2:
a) A transplant from my younger brother, Philip, effectively gave me a second life.
b) Feeling that whatever years, I now had ahead of me were a bonus, I initiated the
exploration of the western shore of Lake Turkana.
c) I was lucky.
d) Following our first tentative prospecting came remarkable finds, some of them
technically stunning, some emotionally thrilling.
e) The discoveries were worth waiting for, as I shall recount.
1) e, d, c, a, b 2) a, b, c, d, e 3) b, c, d, e, a 4) c, a, b, e, d
Procedure:
1) What is the idea of the paragraph?
2) Identify the type of paragraph:
3) Identify the topic sentence:
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 Soft Skills Lab 2
4) Identify the beginning sentence which is independent and have complete sense. And
which introduces the theme of the paragraph:
Ans: 4
Explanation: In the above example, the sentence sequence C and A uses an idea
elaboration structure, while from A to B it is a cause and effect sentence sequence.
Sentence sequence E and D is also in the form of an idea elaboration, where E introduces
the idea of the discoveries, while D elaborates the same.
Example 3:
a) But this point is so obvious that it needs no elaboration.
b) I am not prepared to maintain that economic justice requires an exactly equal income
for everybody.
c) It would be utterly absurd to maintain that the men who inherit great wealth deserve
better of the community than those who have to work for their living.
d) Economic injustice is perhaps the most obvious evil of our present system.
e) Some kinds of work require a larger income for efficiency than others do; but there is
economic injustice as soon as a man has more than his share, unless it is because his
efficiency in his work requires it, or as a reward for some definite service.
1)a, b, c, d, e 2) d, c, b, e, a 3) c, d, b, a, e 4) b, a, c, d, e
Procedure:
1) What is the idea of the paragraph?
2) Identify the type of paragraph: _____________
3) Identify the topic sentence:
4) Identify the beginning sentence which is independent and have complete sense. And
which introduces the theme of the paragraph:
Ans: 2
Explanation: In the above question we see a mixture of two levels of idea elaboration
(in the sentence sequence d and c as also in b and e. Further, the sentence sequence b
and e follow up the idea introduced and elaborated in d and c. Thus, the correct option
is 2.
4.2.4 Exercise

I. a) On one of our walks, three lads cycled past. (3)

b) I am short and stocky with grey hair and beard.
c) My dog was also short and stocky and had grey hair.
d) I heard one of them say, “That’s a strange one.”
e) The second boy agreed, exclaiming, “yes – It’s all grey and fluffy.”
1) a, d, c, e, b 2) c, a, d, e, b 3) b, c, a, d, e d) d, c, a, b, e e) b, c, d, a, e

II. a) Indian culture has deep-rooted family values. (4)

b) Unfortunately, our attitude towards the community is very different from our attitude
towards the family.

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c) Although we keep our homes spotlessly clean, when we go out we do not thinktwice before
littering.
d) Parents make enormous sacrifices for their children; children consider it theirduty to take
care of aged parents.
e) And marriage is held to be a sacred union with husband and wife bonded for life.
1) a, e, b, c, d 2) a, c, b, e, d 3) d, e, b, c, a 4) a, d, e, b, c 5) d, a, b, c, e
III. a) When a man is his son’s hero, it’s about the best thing that God gave us on ( 1 )
this planet.
b) I can see it now with my son Anthony, who’s been travelling with me anddocumenting my
work.
c) I was doing a lecture recently.
d) And he was out in the audience with a camera, and I caught his face, that twinkles for
a second, where his eyes said to me, that’s my dad.
1) a, b, c, d 2) a, c, b, d 3) b, a, c, d 4) c, b, a, d 5) d, a, b, c

IV.a) If you are like me, your toughest decisions will come in your reference files. ( b )

b) My personal rule of thumb is that if I haven’t used a piece of information for two years, I get
rid of it.
c) Of course, it’s a law of nature that whenever you finally get rid of something, you will always
need it the very next day.
d) I recommend going through your files once a year, discarding information that is old or
out-of-date
1) d, b, a. c 2) d, a, b, c 3) c, b, a, d 4) a, c, b, d 5) a, b, c, d

V. a) Similarly, turning to caste, even though being lower caste is undoubtedly a separate cause of
disparity, its impact is all the greaterwhen the lower-caste families also happen to be poor.
(2 )
b) Belonging to a privileged class can help a woman to overcome many barriers
that obstructs women from less thriving classes.
c) It is the interactive presence of these two kinds of deprivation – being low class and
being female – that massively impoverishes women from the less privileged classes.
d) A congruence of class deprivation and gender discrimination can blight the
lives ofpoorer women very severely.
e) Gender is certainly a contributor to societal inequality, but it does not act
independently of class.
1) e, a, b, d, c 2) e, b, d, c, a 3) d, a, e, b, c 4) b, e, c, d, a

VI. a) But in the industrial era destroying the enemy’s productive capacitymeans
bombing the factories which are located in the cities. ( 3 )

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 Soft Skills Lab 2

b) So, in the agrarian era, if you need to destroy the enemy’s productive capacity, what
you want to do is burn his fields, or if you’re really vicious, salt them.
c) Now in the information era, destroying the enemy’s productive capacity means
destroying the infrastructure.
d) How do you do battle with your enemy?
e) The idea is to destroy the enemy’s productive capacity, and depending upon the
economic foundation, that productive capacity is different in each case.
f) With regard to defence, the purpose of the military is to defend the nation and
beprepared to do battle with its enemy.
1) f, d, e, b, a, c 2) f, c, a, b, e, d 3) d, e, b, a, c, f 4) d, f, e, b, a, c
VII) a) Branded disposable diapers are available at many supermarkets and drug
stores. ( 3)
b) If one supermarket sets a higher price for a diaper, customers may buy that brand
elsewhere.
c) By contrast, the demand for private-label products may be less price-sensitive since
it is available only at a corresponding supermarket chain.
d) So the demand for branded diapers at any particular store may be quite price
sensitive.
e) For instance, only SavOn Drugs stores sell SavOn Drugs diapers.
f) Then stores should set a higher incremental margin percentage for private label
diapers.
1) a, b, c, d, e, f 2) a, b, c, e, d, f 3) a, d, b, c, e, f 4)a, e, d, b, c, f

VIII. a) In the central nervous system of other animal species, such a

comprehensive regeneration in injured neurons has not yet been proven (
beyond doubt. (1)
)
b) Biologists from the University of Bayreuth have discovered a uniquely rapid formof
regeneration in injured neurons and their function in the central nervous system of
zebrafish.
c) They studied the Mauthner cells, which are solely responsible for the escape
behaviour in fish, and previously regarded as incapable of regeneration.
d) However, their ability to regenerate crucially depends on the location of the injury.
1) b, c, d, a 2)b, c, a, d 3) d, b, c, a 4) b, a, c, d
IX. a) A popular response is the exhortation to plant more trees. (1)
(

)
b) It seems all but certain that global warming will go well above two-degreesquite
how high no one knows yet.
c) Burning them releases it, which is why the scale of forest fires in the Amazonbasin
last year garnered headlines.
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 Soft Skills Lab 2

d) This is because trees sequester carbon by absorbing carbon dioxide.

1) b, a, d, c 2) a, b, c, d 3) b, c, a, d 4) b, d, a, c

X. a) Before plants can take life from atmosphere, nitrogen must (2)
undergo transformation similar to ones that food undergoes in our
digestive machinery.
b) In its aerial form nitrogen is insoluble, unusable and is in need of transformation.
c) Lightning starts the series of chemical reactions that need to happen to nitrogen,
ultimately helping it nourish our earth.
d) Nitrogen – an essential food for plants – is an abundant resource, with about 22
million tons of it floating over each square mile of earth.
e) One of the most dramatic examples in nature of ill wind that blows goodness is
lightning.
1) e, d, c, a, b 2) e, c, d, b, a 3) d, a, b, e, c 4) d, a, b, c, e

4.3 PARAGRAPH COMPLETION

Exercise: Complete the paragraphs with the most appropriate sentences so that the
paragraph flow is not taken.
1) If you are under stress, you are eating habits are making the problem worse. .
First, cut down on coffee, tea and cola drinks. They all contain caffeine, which makes
you feel better for a few minutes, but which also destroys the vitamins in our bodies.
Try not to eat sweets, biscuits and cakes as well. (b )
a) In the long term, alcohol causes depression.
b) The effects of stress can be lessened by following some simple advice related to
your diet.
c) They consume sweets, biscuits and cakes frequently.
d) Remember to eat a good breakfast to start the day well.
e) If you eat too quickly, you can have problems with your stomach in the long term.

2) The surveillance system put in place by the Health Ministry succeeded in

identifying three adults infected with Zika virus between November 2016 and
February 2017 in Gujarat. . Even the World Health Organisation was informed
about the three cases as recently as May 15, more than five months after the first case
was laboratory-confirmed. Information regarding the cases came to light when the
WHO posted the information on its website on May 26. ( b)

a) But it is not clear whether the person who brought the infection into the country has
been identified.
b) But the Ministry acted less than responsibly by withholding the information from
everyone.

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 Soft Skills Lab 2

c) As the virus remains present in the semen for a long time, the WHO recommends
that couples abstain from sex for at least six months after the onset of symptoms.
d) Secrecy about Zika outbreaks, even if seen only in isolated cases, can lead to a
public health disaster.
e) The ministry’s decision to keep the information under wraps to avoid creating
‘panic’ is totally unconvincing.
3) The Goods and Services Tax (GST) is being flaunted as the single-biggest economic
reform since the economic liberalisation of 1991. Even critics of the tax, who complain
about its complex four-slab rate structure, agree that it is a step in the right direction.
The primary reason is that it does away with the present system of multipleCentral and
State taxes, replacing it with a much simpler tax system. . In
the process, it is said, the new tax system does away with the barriers to free trade
within and between states, effectively turning Indian into a single free market for
goods and services. ( b )

a) Two, the number of taxes does not necessarily reflect the actual burden imposed on
business by any tax system.
b) Another supposed benefit of GST is that it is a tax on consumption, which replaces
the current web of ‘cascading’ taxes in the production chain that increases prices and
distorts production.
 c) A single, low tax rate might also turn out to be more burdensome if the cost of
bureaucratic compliance is higher than under multiple, higher tax rates.
d) Such distortion of production can lead to the rise in the prices of certain goods dueto
lower supply and a fall in the prices of others due to greater supply, which is clearlynot
the same as a general increase in prices.
e) For skeptics, there is good reason to doubt all these claimed benefits of the GST.

4. Residents of five states are currently struggling to cope with the effects of intense
rainfall. Many of those lucky to have been rescued owe it to the National Disaster
Response Force, but such response systems naturally have limited efficacy in
predominantly rural states such as Bihar. . Capacity-building to
handle catastrophic weather events is poor, and serious attention is not given to setting
up relief camps, creating crisis-proof health infrastructure and stockpiling dry rations
and medicines. ( c)
a) In Bihar’s case, the shifting patterns and breaches of the Kosi have added to the
complexity of the problem, which requires a deeper understanding of the areas most
at risk.
b) An integrated approach to managing floods requires a sound understanding of the
patterns that rivers such as the Ganga and its tributaries display during the monsoon.
c) What stands out in the annual cycle of floods is the generally tardy pace of
preparation for rescue and relief.

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 Soft Skills Lab 2

d) India’s vulnerability to severe flooding during the monsoon is spectacularly

demonstrated year after year.

e) There are cascading outcomes of infections and the absence of care for pregnant
woman.
5. Out of all the taxes, corporate taxes imposed on multinational corporations (MNCs)
are major sources of revenue for most economies. But in the event of these corporate
tax payers shifting their tax liabilities from a high tax jurisdiction to a low- or no-tax
jurisdiction, massive revenue losses are imminent for the fiscal jurisdiction where the
taxes should have been ideally paid. . With a mileage of some creative
accounting techniques and existing loopholes in different fiscal jurisdictions across
the world, tax evasion has emerged as a global woe in the last few decades ( e )
 a) Both historical and contemporary perceptions of tax have characterised it is a
necessary extraction, a penalty.
b) Despite some major limitations, various fiscal jurisdictions have already gone
ahead with signing such agreements.
c) Tax evasion is where a seepage in the boundaries set by fiscal laws is discovered,
and which is then used to escape the tax net to a great extent or altogether.
d) Various countermeasures have been deployed by states, either at an individual level
or as members of different economic groups.
e) Once riddled with incidents of double taxation, the MNCs have now outsmarted the
system and have moved into an era of double non-taxation.

Signature of the Faculty

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READING COMPREHENSION

Experiment: 5 Date:
Reading comprehension exercises are one of the most critical parts of any competitive
examination. They test the ability of the student’s knowledge, ability to understand the
text and comprehend information and facts, and make the distinction between main ideas
and supporting details.

5.1 Identify what type of reader you are.

Task 1: Tick your option

a) The poor reader
This category of students has had no exposure to reading in English. Generally the
students from vernacular medium schooling background encounter this problem.
b) The average reader
This category students do not have a basic problem in reading and understanding
English, as these students have advantage of having studied in English medium schools.
But they encounter a problem when an unfamiliar or a complex topic is given because
they have not developed their reading skills.
c) The good reader
This category students have developed a good habit of reading skills and have exposure
of reading novels, stories, newspapers, etc. But these students are in comfortable zone
and face a problem when the text is beyond their level.
d) The excellent reader
These students read a lot on diverse topics and at varying levels of language usage. They
are able to easily identify the context and tone of the text given and make connections
between the ideas presented in the text.

Task 2: Identify and describe your problem in reading comprehension.

5.2 What to read to develop reading skills

If a student wants to become an excellent reader, he/she has to be familiar with the
following topics:
i. Economics vi. Humanities xi. Miscelleneous
ii. Management vii. Philosophy
iii. History viii. Psychology
iv. National and International Polity ix. Art, Music and Culture
v. Sociology x. Science and Technology

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Task 3: Write at least five topics from the above list that you are most interested to read.

1. 2. 3.

4. 5. 6.

Task 4: Write any three topics from the above list that you need to develop interest.

1. 2. 3.

5.3 The seven-dimension approach to better reading skills

The reading skills that one need to develop to improve one’s reading ability can be
categorized into seven dimensions.
1) Understanding vocabulary in context
The word is the most basic building block of any piece of writing. During the process of
reading, we often come across particular words where we are unaware of their meaning.
These unfamiliar words either totally breaks the comprehension of the sentence leading
uncertainty in the interpretation of the passage or the meaning of the word can be
understood based on the context in which it is used.
Generally contextual clues are seen in the form of
i) Illustrations and examples
Example: The impoverished state of the castle told a sorry tale of holding on to past
glories – the walls were barren; the paint had peeled off and the glory of the past had
clearly worn off.
In the above sentence, meaning of the word impoverished can be understood as poor.
ii) Cause & effect relationship
Example: Asked to explain the rosier outlook, manufacturers cite one factor above all –
the sharp decline in interest rates in the past five years, which besides beautifying
company balance sheets is encouraging consumers to borrow, to buy cars, for example
and build houses.
In the above sentence, meaning of the word rosier can be understood as optimistic.
iii) Synonyms (Parallelisms or similarities)
Example: The exhilaration experienced by the parents when their child starts to walk is
common to all cultures. The child’s first step give a feeling of intense happiness to the
parents.
In the above sentence, the meaning of the word exhilaration can be understood from
this synonym intense happiness.
iv) Antonyms (Opposites or contrasts)
Example: A sedentary lifestyle is the root cause of all diseases, hence, regular exercise
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 Soft Skills Lab 2
to stay active is a must to prevent disease.
The two words sedentary and stay are antonyms.
v) General sense of the paragraph or passage
In many cases of reading comprehension, the contextual clues can be seen on the basis
of the general sense of the paragraph.

2) Identifying and understanding ideas

a) Ability to identify and understand main ideas: Since reading comprehension passages
do not have the title, the first objective should be to identify the topic of the passage.
Once the topic is found, the next step is to find the main idea which the author is trying
to convey. The main idea is generally presented in one or two sentences, in rare cases it
is spread in the entire paragraph.
The idea / topic sentence is usually supported by all the information in the remaining
part of the paragraph. The idea sentence can occur at either the start or the middle or the
end of the paragraph.
b) Identifying implied main ideas: In some cases, the main idea may not be expressed in
one sentence. In such cases, the reader needs to be able to figure out the main idea by
stringing together multiple statements giving the idea.
c) Identifying central points: A passage is a series of paragraphs connected to each other
through a logical idea flow. Each paragraph has its own main idea. The ideas of each
paragraph support the central idea of the passage. Being able to identify the central point
is a critical skill in the development of reading comprehension skill.

3) Identifying supporting details

Supporting details are generally in the form of illustrations, reasons, factual evidences,
examples, etc. that explain a main idea. These details can be identified by using a
strategy of finding a list of words.
i) a few ii) some iii) a series of iv) several v) a number of vi) first of all
or
i) on top of ii) moreover iii) also iv) in addition to v) next vi) after this vii) lastly
viii) finally ix) secondly, etc.
4) Identifying relationship between ideas
a) Understanding the use of transition and idea organisation patterns

Most writes have a tendency to use structures/words/phrases that show relationships

between ideas. The use of these structures/words/phrases in writing, guides the reader in
a similar way as a road sign.
These relationship structures and words/phrases can be understood with the help of
transition words like addition words (also, further, secondly, next, in addition,
furthermore, firstly, lastly, finally, moreover, another, etc.) and chronology words
(before, eventually, first, last, soon, previously, finally, until, while, since, preceding,
immediately, frequently, subsequently, as soon as, etc.)
b) Idea organisation patterns
Very often, authors use standard structures to connect between different ideas. The ideas
might be supportive to or illustrative of the central idea.

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Idea organisation occurs in one of the following formats:

i) The list of items format
ii) The chronological format
iii) The comparison formats
iv) The cause and effect format
5) Identifying facts, opinions and inferences
A fact is information that can be proved through objective evidence. On the other hand,
an opinion can be seen as someone’s point of view about an issue. It is basically a belief,
judgment or conclusion that might be based on observable facts, but cannot be
objectively proved true.
Example 1: Opinion: Around the turn of the century, Sachin Tendulkar was the greatest
batsman in the world.
Fact: During his playing career, Sachin Tendulkar went on to make the highest number
of test centuries by any batsman in the world.
Example 2: Opinion: The government has met all its promises in the first hundred days
of its office.
Fact: The government has been in office for hundred days.
The relationship between fact and opinion is similar to a pillar supporting a building
structure. Writer state facts in order to give to their opinions. In the absence of facts to
support one’s opinions, they are unlikely to stand the test of any logical interrogation.
An inference is an idea that the reader picks up in reading between the lines and makes
a conclusion. In essence an inference is akin to an implied idea, and is extremely crucial
for a full understanding of the author’s ideas.
Making inferences is critical for reading comprehension. It helps you closer to the idea
structure of the author. It gives you an indication of the direction the author is likely to
take. It gives you a better hold on questions based on inferences, implied meanings and
questions that go beyond the passage.
For example, you see a cavalcade of cars going on the road, and infer that someone
important is inside the same.

6) Identifying purpose and tone

The author has his own purpose for writing the passage, and typically conveys the ideas
he wants to convey by using a particular tone – something that gives us an insight into
his attitude and feeling.
Identifying the author’s purpose of writing helps us in several ways: it improves our
connection with the author and it helps to improve the anticipation about the direction
the author is likely to take.
There are three common purposes for writing any piece:
a) Informative/Descriptive writing
b) To persuade
c) To amuse/entertain

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7) Recognizing arguments and their common structures

Generally, the full and final argument of the author will be clear at the end of the article.
Some authors write in such a style so as to leave enough clues for the reader to
understand the drift of the argument prior to actually stating it. It is obvious that the
earlier you are able to catch the argument, the better it will be for you.

5.4 Types of questions asked from reading comprehension passage

1) Global questions
The answers to global questions are to be found throughout the length of the passage.
These include questions about: the main idea about the passage, logical structure of the
passage, and questions that ask about the style and tonality of the passage.
2) Inferential questions
There are broadly two types of inferential questions: questions that ask for inferences
based on information presented in a passage and questions that ask how information
given in a passage can be applied to a context outside the passage.
3) Logical or cause and effect questions
These questions are relatively easier to solve since they are very direct and most of the
time, are explicitly stated in the passage. The only skill required in such questions is
your ability to distinguish between the cause and effect. The cause always comes before
the effect.
4) Specific detail questions
These are one of the most common type of questions. In these questions, a specific
part/phrase/sentence from the paragraph is taken and a question is created with respect
to the reason for citing the detail and/or what the detail represents. These details are
specifically stated in the passage.

5.5 Analyzing a passage

Task 4: Analyze the passages

Passage 1: Opera refers to a dramatic art form, originating in Europe, in which the
emotional content is conveyed to the audience as much through music, both vocal and
instrumental, as it is through the lyrics. By contrast, in musical theatre an actor’s
dramatic performance is primary, and the music plays a lesser role. The drama in
opera is presented using the primary elements of theatre such as scenery, costumes,
and acting. However, the words of the opera, or libretto, are sung rather than spoken.
The singers are accompanied by a musical ensemble ranging from a small
instrumental ensemble to a full symphonic orchestra.
1) Identify the central theme of the passage
2) Identify how the ideas are organised. ( )
a) descriptive b) comparison c) cause and effect
3) Identify the purpose of the passage ( )
a) informative b) persuade c) entertainment
4) Identify the linking words

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5) Frame at least three different types of questions.

i)
ii)
iii)

Passage 2:
Erosion of America’s farmland by wind and water has been a problem since
settlers first put the prairies and grasslands under the plough in the nineteenth
century. By the 1930s, more than 282 million acres of farmland were damaged
by erosion. After 40 years of conservation efforts, soil erosion has accelerated
due to new demands placed on the land by heavy crop production. In the years
ahead, soil erosion and the pollution problems it causes are likely to replace
petroleum scarcity as the nation’s most critical natural resource problem.
1) Identify the central theme of the passage
2) Identify how the ideas are organised. ( )
a) descriptive b) comparison c) cause and effect
3) Identify the purpose of the passage ( )
a) informative b) persuade c) entertainment
4) Frame at least three different types of questions.
i)
ii)
iii)

5.6 Task 5: Read the following passage and answer the questions below.

Passage 1:
White House security entrance at 2:15 PM on Tuesday, October 17: There are six
Indians in immaculate sherwanis that the secret service is trying to clear through by
matching their passports or drivers’ licences to the information they have on their
computers. Four clear and two have problems. One of them is me. The problem is my
passport has no last name. Even though I have met with candidate Trump, President
– Elect Trump, and then President Trump, at least a dozen ties, it’s never been at the
White House.
Diwali at the White House was scheduled to begin at 3:15 pm. For 30 minutes four
different white officials tried to get me cleared, but these secret service guys refused
to break the protocol no matter who the visitor. It is 3:00 PM now. Finally, seeing no
solution in sight the Secret Service offer a way out – I could go in as long as I am
escorted by an official all the time. Three members of our group of six had already
gone in, and finally the rest of us dash to the Roosevelt room, right next to the Oval
Office just in time at 3:30 pm.

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There was a total of 26 guests, most of them currently working for the Trump
administration such as Nikki Haley, Seema Verma, Ajit Pai, Raj Shah, Vanilla Singh,
along with six members of the Republican Hindu Coalition (RHC) that had played a
major role in the election of President Trump. I am the RHC India Ambassador.
After a 10-minute wait in the Roosevelt room, all 26 of us line up in the Oval Office.
President Trump walks in, and comes over to us, the Kumar family which includes
my dad Shalbah ‘Shali Kumar, his son Vikram Adiya Kumar and of course me.
The President then proceeded to read his statement and light the diya with Nikki Haley
and Seema Verma to his right and Shalabh Kumar and me to his left. (The writer is
the RHC India Ambassador and winner of the Times of India Femina Miss India
contest in 2010.)
a) The crisis the author describes in the opening paragraph in that (iv)
theauthor and five other Indians

i) do not have ii) are not suitably iii. they are late for the
valid passports dressed function
iv) the information on their documents does not match with the information US
security officials have
b) Finally, the White House security officials allowed the author to
enterthe White House if (iii)
i) she could prove that she had met president Trump several times earlier
ii) she went in without a camera or iii) a security officer remained
a microphone with her all the time
iv) her father Shalabh Kumar took guarantee of her behaviour
c. The author was part of the 26-member team that celebrated Diwali
with President Trump. Because she ( iv)

i) belonged to the Kumar family ii) was the Ambassador of RHC

iii) Neither of these iv) both of these
d. The Diwali celebrations were held
(iii)

i) on the lawns of the White House ii) in the Roosevelt Room

iii) in the Oval Office iv) in President Trump’sdrawing-room
e. ‘Scheduled’ in para 2 means (i)
i) arranged ii) decided iii) looked after iv) stationary

f) ‘Dash’ in para 2 means (ii)

i) reach on ii) rush iii) wait iv)play colour time

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Passage 2:
Nearly a century ago, biologists found that if they separated an invertebrate animal
embryo into two parts at an early stage of its life, it would survive and develop as
two normal embryos. This led them to believe that the cells in the early embryo
are undetermined in the sense that each cell has the potential to develop in a variety
of different ways. Later biologists found that the situation was not so simple. It
matters in which plane the embryo is cut. If it is cut in a plane different from the
one used by the early investigators, it will not form two whole embryos.
A debate arose over what exactly was happening. Which embryo cells are
determined, just when do they become irreversibly committed to their fates, and
what are the “morphogenetic determinants” that tell a cell what to become? But
the debate could not be resolved because no one was able to ask the crucial
questions in a form in which they could be pursued productively. Recent
discoveries in molecular biology, however, have opened up prospects for a
resolution of the debate. Now investigators think they know at least some of the
molecules that act as morphogenetic determinants in early development. They
have been able to show that, in a sense, cell determination begins even before an
egg is fertilized.
Studying sea urchins, biologist Paul Gross found that an unfertilized egg contains
substances that function as morphogenetic determinants. They are located in the
cytoplasm of the egg cell; i.e., in that part of the cell’s protoplasm that lies outside
of the nucleus. In the unfertilized egg, the substances are inactive and are not
distributed homogeneously. When the egg is fertilized, the substances become
active and, presumably, govern the behavior of the genes they interact with. Since
the substances are unevenly distributed in the egg, when the fertilized egg divides,
the resulting cells are different from the start and so can be qualitatively different
in their own gene activity.
The substances that Gross studied are maternal messenger RNA’s –products of
certain maternal genes. He and other biologists studying a wide variety of
organisms have found that these particular RNA’s direct, in large part, the
synthesis of histones, a class of proteins that bind to DNA. Once synthesized, the
histones move into the cell nucleus, where sections of DNA wrap around them to
form a structure that resembles beads, or knots, on a string. The beads are DNA
segments wrapped around the histones; the string is the intervening DNA. And it
is the structure of these beaded DNA strings that guide the fate of the cells in
which they are located.
Based on the passage, answer the following questions:
a) It can be inferred from the passage that the morphogenetic ( )
determinants present in the early embryo are
i) located in the nucleus of the embryo cells

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ii) evenly distributed unless the embryo is not developing normally

iii) inactive until the embryo cells become irreversibly committed to their final
function
iv) identical to those that were already present in the unfertilized egg
v) present in larger quantities than is necessary for the development of a single
individual

b) The main topic of the passage is ( )

i) the early development of embryos of lower marine organisms
ii) the main contribution of modern embryology to molecular biology
iii) the role of molecular biology in disproving older theories of embryonic
development
iv) cell determination as an issue in the study of embryonic development
v) scientific dogma as a factor in the recent debate over the value of molecular
biology

c) According to the passage, when biologists believed that the cells

inthe early embryo were undetermined, they made which of the ( )
following mistakes?

i) They did not attempt to replicate the original experiment of separating an

embryo into two parts.
ii) They did not realize that there was a connection between the issue of cell
determination and the outcome of the separation experiment.
iii) They assumed that the results of experiments on embryos did not depend on
the particular animal species used for such experiments.
iv) They assumed that it was crucial to perform the separation experiment at an
early stage in the embryo’s life.
v) They assumed that different ways of separating an embryo into two parts would
be equivalent as far as the fate of the two parts was concerned

d) It can be inferred from the passage that the initial production of ( )

histones after an egg is fertilized takes place

i) in the cytoplasm ii) in the maternal genes

iii) throughout the protoplasm iv) in the beaded portions of the DNA strings
v) in certain sections of the cell nucleus
e) It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following is ( )
dependent on the fertilization of an egg?
i) Copying of maternal genes to produce maternal messenger RNA’s

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ii) Synthesis of proteins called histones

iii) Division of a cell into its nucleus and the cytoplasm
iv) Determination of the egg cell’s potential for division
v) Generation of all of a cell’s morphogenetic determinants

f) According to the passage, the morphogenetic determinants ( )

present in the unfertilized egg cell are which of the following?
i) Proteins bound to the nucleus ii) Histones
iii) Maternal messenger RNA’s iv) Cytoplasm
v) Non-Beaded intervening DNA

Passage 3:
Archaeology as a profession faces two major problems. First, it is the poorest of the
poor. Only paltry sums are available for excavating and even less is available for
publishing the results and preserving the sites once excavated. Yet archaeologists
deal with priceless objects every day.
Second, there is the problem of illegal excavation, resulting in museum-qualitypieces
being sold to the highest bidder.
I would like to make an outrageous suggestion that would at one stroke provide funds
for archaeology and reduce the amount of illegal digging. I would propose that
scientific archaeological expeditions and governmental authorities sell excavated
artefacts on the open market. Such sales would provide substantial funds for the
excavation and preservation of archaeological sites and the publication of results.
At the same time, they would break the illegal excavator’s grip on the market,
thereby decreasing the inducement to engage in illegalactivities.

You might object that professionals excavate to acquire knowledge, not money.
Moreover, ancient artefacts are part of our global cultural heritage, which shouldbe
available for all to appreciate, not sold to the highest bidder. I agree. Sell nothing
that has unique artistic merit or scientific value. But you might reply, everything
that comes out of the ground has scientific value. Here we part company.
Theoretically, you may be correct in claiming that every artefact has potential
scientific value. Practically, you are wrong.
I refer to the thousands of pottery vessels and ancient lamps that are essentially
duplicates of one another. In one small excavation in Cyprus, archaeologists
recently uncovered 2,000 virtually indistinguishable small jugs in a single
courtyard, even precious royal seal impressions known as melekh handles have
been found in abundance — more than 4,000 examples so far.

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The basement of museums is simply not large enough to store the artefacts that
are likely to be discovered in the future. There is not enough money even to
catalogue the finds; as a result, they cannot be found again and become as
In accessible as if they had never been discovered. Indeed, with the help of a
computer, sold artefacts could be more accessible than are the pieces stored in
bulging museum basements. Prior to sale, each could be photographed and the list
of the purchasers could be maintained on the computer A purchaser could even be
required to agree to return the piece if it should become needed for scientific
purposes. It would be unrealistic to suggest that illegal digging would stop if
artefacts were sold in the open market. But the demand for the clandestine product
would be substantially reduced. Who would want an unmarked pot when another
was available whose provenance was known, and that was dated stratigraphically
by the professional archaeologist who excavated it?
Based on the Passage, answer the following questions:
a) The primary purpose of the passage is to propose ( )

i) An alternative to museum display of artefacts

ii) A way to curb illegal digging while benefiting the archaeological profession
iii) A way to distinguish artefacts with scientific value from those that have no
such value
iv) The governmental regulation of archaeological sites
v) A new system for cataloguing duplicate artefacts

b) The author implies that all of the following statements about

( )
duplicate artefacts are true EXCEPT:

i) A market for such artefacts already exists.

ii) Such artefacts seldom have scientific value.
iii) There is likely to be a continuing supply of such artefacts.
iv) Museums are well supplied with examples of such artefacts.
v) Such artefacts frequently exceed in quality in comparison to those already
catalogued in museum collections

c) Which of the following is mentioned in the passage as a ( )

disadvantage of storing artefacts in museum basements?
i) Museum officials rarely allow scholars access to such artefacts.
ii) Space that could be better used for display is taken up for storage.
iii) Artefacts discovered in one excavation often become separated from each
other.

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iv) Such artefacts are often damaged by variations in temperature and humidity.
v) Such artefacts often remain uncatalogued and thus cannot be located once they
are put in storage
d) The author’s argument concerning the effect of the official sale ( )
ofduplicate artefacts on illegal excavation is based on which of the
following assumptions?
i) Prospective purchasers would prefer to buy authenticated artefacts.
ii) The price of illegally excavated artefacts would rise.
iii) Computers could be used to trace sold artefacts.
iv) Illegal excavators would be forced to sell only duplicate artefacts.
v) Money gained from selling authenticated artefacts could be used to investigate
and prosecute illegal excavators
e) The author anticipates which of the following initial objections ( )
tothe adoption of his proposal?
i) Museum officials will become unwilling to store artefacts.
ii) An oversupply of salable artefacts will result and the demand for them will fall.
iii) Artefacts that would have been displayed in public places will be sold to
private collectors.
iv) Illegal excavators will have an even larger supply of artefacts for resale.
v) Counterfeiting of artefacts will become more commonplace

Signature of the Faculty

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 Soft Skills Lab 2

Unit- 2
Career and Employability Skills
MY CAREER VALUES

Experiment: 6 Date:
In this experiment, students come to know what career values are and they are able to
identify and evaluate their preferences to shape their career path.
6.1 Career vs Job

Task 1: Check your understanding.

1) Career: To do occasional work for hire.
Job: Occupation or profession followed as life’s work True / False
2) Owning a landscape company is a job, but delivering
newspaper is a career. True / False
3) Working for a graphic artist is a career, but working as a
teacher is a job. True / False
4) We work to interact with others with similar interests. True / False
5) Your work cannot contribute to your physical and mental
True / False
health.
6) Artists and musicians use their work to express themselves. True / False

7) Your lifestyle is how you spend your time, energy and True / False
resources.
8) You can establish prestige and lifestyle through your work. True / False

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6.2 What are career values?

Career values, also called work values, are personal ideals, motives, and beliefs that
help you identify what’s most important in your professional career. They are what
motivate you to work and contribute to your overall work satisfaction and success.
Career values are also the personal qualities and principles that guide your conduct at
work.
Understanding your particular professional needs and preferences is an important part
of searching for a job that’s right for you. Identify what matters most to you in terms of
work environment, job duties, leadership styles, compensation and work-life balance
can help you find a role that enables overall professional satisfaction.
6.3 Why is it imperative to identify your core career values that can be key to
clarifying your career path?
1) If you don’t know who you are, you can’t really be true to yourself.
Everyone works for different reasons. Many people work for money to meet their
needs, but some people count their contribution to the work and value it important.
When you are true to your values, life and work is good and fulfilling. Living your
values means that your words match your deeds, which match your beliefs. When you
are living in harmony with your values, you naturally have more energy.
2) It makes decision making easier.
If you know exactly what kind of work you want to do and what kind of work that
gives you satisfaction, it will bring you clarity and help you take the right decisions.
When you are offered a new position at work, decision making will become less
complicated and painful.
3) It helps you identify work environments / situations, people, and things that don’t
support those values.
Sometimes situations, people or things make you uncomfortable. Very often the
negative emotions they evoke are caused by a value that comes under threat. If you
don’t understand that, and if you don’t know which value is being threatened, you use
valuable energy on defending or protecting yourself.
4) It helps you identify work environment/situations, people and things that you want
in your life.
Being clear about what your values are allows you to be proactive, seek
situations/environments, people and things that support those values. It puts you in
charge of your career rather than at the mercy of it. It helps you design a plan of
exactly how you want to see your next career step.
5) It gives you an incredible sense of peace.
When you have clarity of your values, and living your career and life in harmony with
those values, it provides you with inner peace and tranquility. That enables you to
move confidently through life and become more resilient.
6) It enables you to stop reacting and start responding.
When you become clear about your values, it will help you plan appropriate responses
in times of stress, to respond rather than to react defensively.
7) It provides a great benchmark for creating your goals.
When a goal is in harmony with your values, the natural energy/motivation around it
enables you to take action effortlessly. Our values are like our compass, they help us

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 Soft Skills Lab 2
stay on track.
8) It enables you to get rid of goals that aren’t really right for you and to use your
timemore wisely.
It helps us to focus on the goals that you really want to achieve and chose carefully
how you want to invest your time.
9) It enables you to be very clear about the standards you have set for yourself.
Standards re behaviour patterns that you set for yourself, and by behaving in that way
you are role modelling the behaviour you would like to see exemplified in your team.
10) It enables you to be very clear about the boundaries you need to set for
others’behaviour.
Clarity around your values fosters genuine painless relationships. You are not trying to
change people; you are just clear about the behaviour that’s acceptable around you.

Task 2: Match the column A with column B to identify the result of knowing your
values.
1) If you don’t know who you are, you a) You can eliminate negative
can’t really betrue to yourself. (f ) thoughts/people/energy from you
easily.
2) It makes decision makingeasier (h) b) You live with harmony.
3) It helps you identify work c) You can be proactive and solve
environments / situations, people, and (a) the problems
things that don’t support those values.
4) It helps you identify work d) You can reach your set of
environment/situations, people and (j) standards and achieve more.
things that you want in your life
5) It gives you an incredible sense of e) You can invest your time wiselyon
peace (b) what really means to you.
6) It enables you to stop reacting and f) You can work effectively and
start responding (c ) efficiently because you know very
well about you.
7) It provides a great benchmark for g) You can control others
creating yourgoals. (i) intervention in your life.
8) It enables you to get rid ofgoals that h) You can take decisions quicklyas
aren’t really right for you and to use (e) you are very clear about your
your time more wisely priorities.
9) It enables you to be very clear about i) You can reach you goals
the standards youhave set for yourself. (d) effortlessly.

10) It enables you to be veryclear about j) You can create a comfortable

the boundaries you need to set for (g ) environment around you.
others’ behaviour

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6.4 Types of career values:

Intrinsic
Intrinsic career values are those factors that create personal meaning within your role.
These values align with your particular work style preferences and needs. For example,
achievement, creativity, autonomy, benevolence, challenge, leadership, collaboration,
etc.
Extrinsic
Extrinsic values are those external rewards you receive for the work you perform as a
professional. For example, compensation, benefits, job security, promotions,
recognition, influence, etc.
Lifestyle
Lifestyle career values are those factors that contribute to your quality of life outside of
work. While intrinsic and extrinsic values may influence your quality of life, lifestyle
values can define your work-life balance and ability to find fulfilment beyond your
professional life. For example, support, leisure, location, family, diversity and culture,
etc.
Task 3: Identify your values.
Instruction: Mark your values on the scale 1-4. 1 = not important in my work; 2 =
sometimes important in my work; 3 = often important in my work; 4 = always
important in my work.

Work ExtrinsicValues Work IntrinsicValues

(WC) 1 2 3 4 (WI) 1 2 3 4

Aesthetically □ □ □ □ Achievement □ □ □ □
Autonomous □ □ □ □ Balance □ □ □ □
Benefits □ □ □ □ Belonging □ □ □ □
Comfortable Income □ □ □ □ Commitment □ □ □ □
Excitement □ □ □ □ Contributing □ □ □ □
Fast-paced □ □ □ □ EnvironmentalAwareness □ □ □ □
Flexible □ □ □ □ Equality □ □ □ □
High Earnings □ □ □ □ Giving to Community □ □ □ □
Location □ □ □ □ Honesty □ □ □ □
Personal Safety □ □ □ □ Independence □ □ □ □
Predictable □ □ □ □ Influence □ □ □ □
Quiet □ □ □ □ Integrity □ □ □ □
Sense of Community □ □ □ □ Power □ □ □ □
Structured □ □ □ □ Respect □ □ □ □
Time Freedom □ □ □ □ Spirituality □ □ □ □
Security □ □ □ □ Self-respect □ □ □ □

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Work Content Values Work Relationship

(WC) 1 2 3 4 Values (WR) 1 2 3 4
Adventuresome □ □ □ □ Caring □ □ □ □
Advocacy □ □ □ □ Competition □ □ □ □
Analytical □ □ □ □ Cooperation □ □ □ □
Challenging □ □ □ □ Diversity □ □ □ □
Creative □ □ □ □ Friendships □ □ □ □
Decision-making □ □ □ □ Fun □ □ □ □
Detailed □ □ □ □ Harmony □ □ □ □
Helping □ □ □ □ Individualism □ □ □ □
Leading-edge □ □ □ □ Leadership □ □ □ □
Organising □ □ □ □ Loyalty □ □ □ □
Problem Solving □ □ □ □ Management □ □ □ □
Public Contact □ □ □ □ Open Communication □ □ □ □
Research □ □ □ □ Recognition □ □ □ □

Risk-taking □ □ □ □ Support □ □ □ □
Variety □ □ □ □ Teamwork □ □ □ □
Security □ □ □ □ Trust □ □ □ □
(Source: San Jose State University Career Centre; career-values-assessment.pdf)
Task 4: My Top Ten Values
Choose your top ten values and describe each value in your own words.
No Value Value Area Specific Meaning to Me
Ex Flexible WE Opportunity to structure my
own work hours
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Task 5: Describe your career values in a paragraph.

Signature of the Faculty

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MAPPING THE SKILLS WITH THE JOB

Experiment: 7 Date:
In this experiment, the students able to identify what their strengths and skills are and
they are able to map their skills with the skills required for a job.

7.1 Skills vs Strengths

Strengths and skills appear similar, but they are not the same thing. But there is just
enough overlap.
Strengths are our values in action. They are part of our character. They are innate. They
are the frame of our personality built around. They are the key to our success in life and
in our creative endeavours.
Skills are the things that we can do, and they are our abilities to accomplish tasks and
our trades. They are learned by experience and training.
Skills can be learned. Strengths must be nurtured. Skills can be defined in simple and
straightforward terms. Strengths have many and nuanced interpretations and definitions.
Skills come and go. Strengths are perennial.
For example, if you wish to learn how to speak a new language, you will learn speaking
a language. Speaking a language is a skill, but persistence you show to learn the language
is a strength. Coding is a skill but curiosity to learn it is strength.

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24 Strengths

Task 1: Write your top 5 strengths and skills.

S. no Strengths Skills
1
2
3
4
5

7.2 Types of Skills:

1. Experience/Knowledge-Based Skills/Hard Skills: These are the skills you have
acquired directly through education and job experience. Computer, marketing,
accounting, and customer service skills are examples of experience and knowledge-
based proficiencies.
2. Transferable Skills: Skills under this heading are not specific to one work
environment and can be incorporated in a variety of professional roles. Examples of
transferrable skills include competencies in communication, leadership, delegation,
analytics, and problem-solving.
3. Soft Skills: These skills fall into the category of personality traits, and are also
sometimes referred to as emotional intelligence. Traits that fall under this heading may
include positive work ethic, team player, adaptable, and able to work under pressure.

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Task 2: Describe your top five skills (in one sentence, avoid ‘I’).
No Hard skills Soft skills Transferrable skills

7.3 Mapping skills to the employer’s needs

Skills mapping provides a clearer view to the job seekers where their skills can take them
and open a world of new career opportunities. It is needed to perform well in any given
role and comparing that with the existing skills. The comparison allows gaps to be
identified and remedied. Furthermore, skill mapping is not a one-off exercise, something
one does and forgets once get the job. It’s a tool for professional development that one
can embrace and perform well in any given role throughout the career. It helps the job
seekers to find their
1. Available skills
2. Required skills of the company
3. Missing skills
7.4 Tips to map your skills with the job offer
1) Listing out your skills
Make a list of your skills in the descending order. If you want to score the skills on a
scale of 10 to have a clear understanding of what your true capabilities are.
2) Identify what the company is looking for
Take a look into the job description and requirements for the position and list up what
the most important skills the company requires you to possess.
3) Compare them up
Compare your scores in the skills that the company is looking for and see whether you
are good, average or bad in them. This will give you a better idea of what the employer
is expecting from you and how much you will have to work to present before them.
4) Presenting your skill sets in order of importance to the employer
Present your skills in the order of employer’s importance.
5) Provide your evidence for your claims
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Describe each skill at least in one or two sentences providing with supportive
information.
Task 3: Read the job descriptions given here and map your skills with the
employer’s requirement for at least two jobs.
Job: 1 Job: 2: Job Details
Full Job Description Salary: ₹40,000 - ₹60,000 a
Experience: Freshers need to apply month Job Type: Fresher
(2018 and 2019 passed outs) Qualifications: total work: 1 year
The skills required as a graduate/trainee in IT (Preferred) Full Job Description
will vary depending on your chosen area, Hello All,
but we are looking for you to have: Greeting from Ness Tech !!
Problem-solving skills, Up-to-date knowledge We have an immediate open position IT
of technologies, Good organizational and time
management skills, For programming, Business Analyst with Internal projects
knowledge of one or more programming for Multiple locations.
languages relevant to the role Education: Any Graduate /Post
Some may require experience with Graduate
database management systems Job Description: Any Graduate with good
An ability to work to deadlines, A good eye Academic Percentages.
for detail, Willing to work in Business Analytical and Critical
Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh Thinking Communication and
Willing to learn new tools and Interpersonal Skills.
techniques Negotiation and Cost-Benefit
Eligibility: All B. Tech graduates can Analysis Decision-Making Skills
attend the interview if you can demonstrate Programming Skills
an interest in IT, but a relevant degree or Creation of Reports and
qualification would help. This could be in Dashboards Database and SQL
computer science, information technology,
computer engineering or information If anyone interested, please reply
system management. with your latest Resume.
Location: Visakhapatnam, Job Type: Fresher
Andhra Pradesh Salary: ₹40,000.00 - ₹60,000.00 per
Salary Good work culture Equity month
Other benefits Schedule: Day shift
Salary :As per Market Standards Ability to commute/relocate:
Benefits Attractive Visakhapatnam, Andhra
Pradesh: Reliably commute or
planning to relocate before
starting work (Required)
Experience:
total work: 1 year (Preferred)
Job: 3 Job: 4
Jobs for Freshers on CIVIL AutoCAD Trained for Freshers
Appearing candidates apply (Apprentice )
Tec wave is a leading global systems
Timing -Day Shift 8 hours / Days integrator revolutionizing digital
Weekly off - Sunday transformations, headquartered in

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 Soft Skills Lab 2
Required---Fresher 2022-2023 Houston, TX, USA. We believe in
Skills and Qualifications Can channelize enabling clients to maximize their
activities for impending problem potential and achieve a greater market
Civil Engineering Industry Related with Site with a wide array of technology services,
Construction, Road Construction, Planning including, but not limited to, Enterprise
Civil Engg. structural detailing/ drafting/ Business Services, Cloud, Product
checking. Work shall be checking of Engineering, Application Modernization
drawings, preparation of Bill of Materials, and Development, Analytics, Engineering
checking of purchase requisitions Services, and the Internet of things (IoT).
Role: Apprentice
Dear Candidates,
Experience: Fresher (Diploma / B- Tech)
We are hiring forB E B-TECH in Civil Job type: Permanent role Job Location:
Engineer for 2022-2023 batch Fresher
Khammam
Job Description
Qualification: Diploma or B-Tech with
Graduate engineer trainee GET/ EEE / ECE /Civil /Mechanical(2020, 2021
Diploma engineer trainee DET and 2022) pass out students
Quality / Site Engineer / Design Engineer/ Skills: AutoCAD and GIS
Construction FACILITY: - Food + knowledge is highly preferred.
accommodation (Sunday off)
Good Communication and Analytical
SALARY: -17000 to 35000/- per month Skills is required.
+Incentives Communication Skills; Ensure
Designs Meet LegalGuidelines and Safety Training will be given on Telecomand
Requirements: Fresher civil trade candidates Utilities applications.
willapply.
Employment type: Full-time
Job function: Engineering and Information
Technology
Job: 5 Graduate Engineer Trainee Job: 6
Designation: Graduate Engineer Trainee Technical Support Fresher
- Electronics/Mechanical Experience: Fresher Wipro Pune, Maharashtra, India
Location: Hyderabad Bottom of Form
Job Responsibilities and Duties Direct message the job poster from Wipro
Design, manufacturing, installation and Talent Acquisition Specialist at Wipro
Service of the wireless systems, RF The ideal candidate will be responsible for
components, Subsystems, Antenna. configuring and troubleshooting our
Coordinate implementation at customers product to resolve our customers' technical
sites. issues. You will support the customer by
Required Candidate Profile acting as the liaison between the customer
B.Tech in Electronics or MechanicalShould and other internal teams. Your ability to
have strong basics work in complex networking environment
About Company will also make you an ideal candidate.
Responsibilities:
It was started in 1986, as a small-scale Manage and address electronic tickets
Industry and Registered with SSI and NSIC. efficiently
One of the highly Reputed Vendors to M/s. Voice support is a must
Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL) - Troubleshoot and configure software and
Hyderabad, Defence Research & hardware through call.
Microsoft Application, OS
Development Laboratories (DRDL) - (Windows/MAC/Linux), hardware, servers
Hyderabad, Research Centre Imarat (RCI) - (Protocols/DNS/Active Directory etc.) and
Hyderabad, Bharat Dynamics Ltd. (BDL) - Network(VPN/Routers/LAN/WAN
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Hyderabad, etc. etc.)troubleshooting

Seniority level: Internship Employment International Process
Flexible to work in shifts(Rotational)
type: Full-time Job function: Other Qualifications: Graduates (Passouts) Only.
Freshers can apply (only grads)
Industries: Information Services International Chat/Email Support
Customer service oriented (SD)
Strong English(fluency) written and verbal
skills
Employment type: Full-time
Job function: Information Technology
Industries: IT Services and IT Consulting
Job: 7 HR Analyst Job: 8 Software Engineer- Job Post
Dear Candidates, Ag consultancy services Hyderabad,
Hiring For HR Recruiter Any Graduates Telangana
Fresher's Or Experience Job details: Salary: ₹18,000 - ₹43,208 a
Designation : HR Executive, HR Analyst , month Job Type: Full-time; Fresher
HR Specialties Qualifications : Bachelor's (Preferred)
Recruiter Process: ITES end to end total work (Preferred)
recruitment Full Job Description
Work Location: Bangalore (Infantry Road) Hiii Everyone......
Rounds of Interviews: HR Round Manager We are hiring software freshers Looking for
Round candidates who are desperate and eager to
Job Description make a career in Software Testing
Write and post technical job descriptions for Eligibility: - Any graduation Domain: -
ITES permanent staffing Source potential Python, Testing, Dotnet, Devops, Java,
candidates through databases, social media Digital Marketing, Sales force
and portals Package; 2.4 to 3LPA Location; Hyderabad
Perform Per-screening Calls to Analyse Looking for immediate joiners Ability to
applicants Abilities commute/relocate: Punjagutta, Hyderabad -
Screen candidates’ resumes and job 500082, Telangana: Reliably commute or
applications. planning to relocate before starting work
(Required)
Develop recruiting strategies and identify
qualified candidates through various Education: Bachelor's (Preferred)
recruiting tools. Experience: total work (Preferred)
Evaluate Candidates Strengths Compared
With Clients Requirements.
Assess applicants’ relevant knowledge,
skills, soft skills, experience and aptitudes
On board new employees Provide analytical
and well documented recruiting reports
Shift: Day Shift
Salary: Hike on the present salary
Looking out for Graduate Fresher, Or
Experience In ITES Recruitment
Perks And Benefits Good Incentives

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Job: 9 Service Engineer (Electrical or Job: 10 Mechanical Engineer

Electronics) Sickle Innovations Pvt LTd
Job Type: Full-time, Regular / Permanent Jalor, Rajasthan
Job Type: Full-time, Regular / Permanent Job details Benefits & Perks
Full Job Description: Commuter assistance, Food provided
We are hiring for field service engineer Job Type: Full-time, Fresher, Regular /
Qualification - BE (ECE/EEE) or Diploma in Permanent
ECE/EEE
Qualifications Diploma (Preferred)
Experience - Fresher
Benefits
Location -Raipur, Chhattisgarh. Job
responsibilities Commuter assistance Flexible schedule Food
provided
Planning and undertaking scheduled
maintenance. Full Job Description
Installation and DEMO of equipment We are into FARM MECHANISATION.
Attending to breakdowns and repairing Looking for Mechanical Site Engineers, who
equipment machine at customer's site. can work ANYWHERE in India in any
condition.
Diagnosing faults and carry out inspection
frequently. POST: Site Engineer
Training programs for personnel in clinical Job Profile: Installation, Testing,
engineering department as well as the end Commissioning, Operation & Maintenance
users. of Grading Machines (Fruits and Vegetables)
[Accommodation], [Food] &
Product preventive maintenance and AMC
[Transportation] is provided by Company for
service follow up.
site locations. It is included in the CTC.
Managing stocks of spares and effective
Kindly go through our
utilization of the tools given for the service.
website/google/LinkedIn and understand
Maintaining vital records for e.g., equipment WHAT WE DO!
history/service reports.
It is a transferrable job. Candidates must be
Maintaining the equipment to the best of its willing to travel for work. Interested
performance by organizing a scheduled visit. candidates need to send
Schedule: RESUME through our website under
Day shift CAREER section.
Morning shift

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Job position 1:
No Identify the skills Describe your skill in one or
needed for the job two sentences that matches
with the required skill

Job position 2:
No Identify the skills Describe your skill in one or
needed for the job two sentences that matches
with the required skill

Signature of the Faculty

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RESUME BUILDING

Experiment: 8 Date:
In this experiment the student learns the procedure and the tips for building a
resume and a cover letter.

8.1 Structured vs Unstructured Resume

Task 1: Study the set of resumes thoroughly and write your observations.

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Structured resume Unstructured resume

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8.2 What do I need to know before building my resume?

No Things to be aware of Answer in words
My resume is a medium for branding/advertising myself. Unquestionably
1 a) partially b) unquestionably c) don’t know
2 My resume is to be _ Tailor made
a) tailor made b) fixed
3 How much time on an average does an employer take to screen 8-10 sec
my resume?
a) 8-10 sec b) 20-30 Sec c) 40-50 sec
4 A well-written resume increases my chance to speak about undoubtedly
myself in an interview.
a) partially b) undoubtedly c) don’t know
5 The length of my resume needs to be in one page
a) one page b) two pages c) don’t know
6 Where do I need to put my primary focus while making my what is to mention
resume?
a) how it is to be made b) what is to mention
7 What does an employer generally focus in my resume? a) skills
Give your priority b) achievements
Career objective, education, skills, achievements c) education
d) career objective
8 What happens if I do not focus on presentation of the data? may lose the first
a) may lose the job opportunity impression
b) may lose the first impression
c) may not lose anything
9 How can I make an attractive resume? Can go with c or d
a) using varied colors and font styles
b) using images and pics
c) using bold for headings and black &white only
d) restricted use of one or two colorsand fixed font style
10 Do I need to mention my date of birth, gender, social status, no
marital status?
a) yes b) no
12 Can I use resume builder apps and websites to design my familiar and strong
resume? verbs/words
a) completely b) partially c) never
Do I need to make my resume compliant (compatible) with the Partially
13 applicant tracking system (ATS)? But make your resume
a) yes b) no unique
14 Can I include anything which I am not certain but to impress an yes
employer? Check how ATS works
a) yes b) no
15 Do I need to tell how many interns/workshops I did/attended no
or what I gained from my work?
a) mention the volume of things I have done
b) mention what I have achieved fromthe activities
c) No need to tell because the data that I provide in the skill
section is enough
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16 Can I insert my photo? mention what I have
a) yes b) no c) for certain jobs achieved from the
activities
17 Do I need to provide links of my LinkedIn profile, social for certain jobs
media, blog, etc.?
a) yes b) no c) only when they are strong
18 Do I need to attach proofs of my achievements? only when they are
a) yes b) never c) make hard and soft copies ready strong
19 Do I need to mention my hobbies or interests? make hard and soft
a) yes b) no c) only when strong and proficient copies ready
20 Do I need to include my objective statement? only when strong and
a) yes b) no c)sometimes proficient

Task 2: I build my resume by following these tips.

1. I build my resume very carefully as 10.
it is my branding/a selling agency.
2. 11.

3. 12.

4. 13.

5. 14.

6. 15.

7. 16.

8. 17.

9. 18.

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Task 3: My resume.

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8.3 Cover letter
A cover letter serves as an introduction to your resume and is written with a specific job
in mind. The main role of a cover letter is to introduce yourself to the employer and
encourage them to read your resume. It also aims to show them that you are the right
person for their business.
Your cover letter should outline your qualifications, experience, and positive worktraits
that are relevant to the job. You do this by highlighting relevant skills and experience,
therefore you should always write your cover letter with the position you’re applying for
in mind.
A well written cover letter also shows that you have strong written communication skills.

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Task 4: Observe the model cover letters given below and write a cover letter to the resume you built

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Cover Letter:

Signature of the Faculty

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INTERVIEW SKILLS

Experiment: 9 Date:
In this experiment, the students learn and practice interview skills.
9.1 Interviews
Task 1: Check your knowledge about interviews.
1) The interviewers want to test ASK of the candidates. Can you guess what the candidate
should prove?
a) A _ _ _ _ _ _ e b) S _ _ _ _ s c) K __________ e
Attitude, skills, knowledge
2) The three C’s that a candidate should possess to attend an interview
a) C _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ e b) C _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ y c) C ___________ e
competence, credibility, confidence
3) Why are interviews conducted?

a) To discover (vi) i) potential

b) To know a candidate’s (i) ii) social behaviour and confidence
c) To check a candidate’s (vii) iii) quality
d) To analyse a candidate’s (ii) iv) hard and soft skills
e) To assess a candidate’s (iv) v) body language and smartness
f) To test a candidate’s (iii) vi) a favourable candidate
g) To witness a candidate’s (v) vii) communication and generalskills

4) What are the different types of interview?

Types of interviews Strategy of the interview
a) Structured interview (v) i) tons of questions are askedat the same time, aims to
testthe candidate’s presence of mind and to see how
they manage the crisis at a given time
b) Unstructured (vii ) ii) more than two members test the candidate’s
interview capability, the candidate has to face a variety of
questions
c) Stress interview (i ) iii) economical and less time consuming; testing
intelligence and interpersonal skills in a restricted time

d) One to one interview ( vi) iv) a detail and discovery- oriented interview, more
time is allowed and a free flow of conversation, check
the candidate’s details keenly
e) Panel interview ( ii ) v) traditional form of an interview, standardized
questions are asked, examine the candidate’s skills and
abilities impartially
f) Telephonic interview ( iii) vi) a formal discussion and a face to face, general and
technical questions are asked to check the suitability
g) Video interview (viii) vii) an informal interview, questions are asked
according to the responses of the candidate

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h) Depth interview (iv) viii) the newest form of interviews, inexpensive, saves
time and money, similar to the face to face interview

i) Open call interview ( ix) ix) walk-in interview, questions are asked
accordingto the responses, spot decisions are
taken
5) What are the most common interview formats?
a) Structured interview b) One-to-one interview c) Unstructured interview

9.2 Preparation for an interview

Task 2: Prioritize your tasks before attending an interview

Priority Things to do
5 Prepare a list of expected interview questions
2 Research the company and industry
8 Organise your documents
7 Prepare a list of questions to ask an interviewer
1 Analyse the role and responsibilities of the job
9 Update your social media profile
4 Prepare your resume and cover letter
3 Make your selling points clear/Review your experience and strengths and
weaknesses
6 Practice mock interviews

Task 3: Write at least three things that what you do in each step.
Priority 1: Analyse the role and responsibilities of the job
i) I will check what skills are needed for a job. ii)
iii)

Priority 2:
i)
ii)
iii)
Priority 3:
i)
ii)
iii)
Priority 4:
i)
ii)
iii)

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Priority 5:
i)
ii)
iii)
Priority 6:
i)
ii)
iii)
Priority 7:
i)
ii)
iii)
Priority 8:
i)
ii)
iii)
Priority 9:
i)
ii)
iii)

9.3 On the day of an interview

Task 4: Sequence your tasks on the day of an interview.
Sequence Tasks to do
2 Reach the location earlier and be on time at the venue
5 Listen actively
4 Be conscious of body language
8 Take feedback
1 Maintain dress code
10 Send a thank you note
6 Talk positively
3 Arrange the file
7 Ask questions
9 Understand the follow up procedure
Task 5: Mention your tasks what you do in each step.
1: Maintain dress code 6.
a. _______________________________ a. _______________________________
b. _______________________________ b. _______________________________
c. _______________________________ c. _______________________________
___________________________ d. _______________________________
e. _______________________________ e. _______________________________
2: 7.
a. _______________________________ a. _______________________________
b. _______________________________ b. _______________________________
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c. _______________________________ c. _______________________________
d. _______________________________ d. _______________________________
e. _______________________________ e. _______________________________
3. 8.
a. _______________________________ a. _______________________________
b. _______________________________ b. _______________________________
c. _______________________________ c. _______________________________
d. _______________________________ d. _______________________________
e. _______________________________ e. _______________________________
4. 9.
a. _______________________________ a. _______________________________
b. _______________________________ b. _______________________________
c. _______________________________ c. _______________________________
d. _______________________________ d. _______________________________
e. _______________________________ e. _______________________________
5. 10.
a. _______________________________ a. _______________________________
b. _______________________________ b. _______________________________
c. _______________________________ c. _______________________________
d. _______________________________ d. _______________________________
e. _______________________________ e. _______________________________
Task 6: Differentiate the technical and the non-technical traits given here what
the employer generally looks for in the candidate.

Technical Adoptability Project Graphic design Honesty and

skills management forthrightness
Behavioural Communication Data management Marketing Team work
skills skills
Finance Networking Growth mind set Initiative Subject depth
Critical Awareness of General Common sense Sense of humour
thinking technology awareness

Technical traits Non-technical traits

Task 7: Here is a list of reasons for an employer to select/reject a candidate.

Identify the reasons that would help a candidate to be selected. Tick your options.
Long term potential Over consciousness Exaggeration Willing to learn
Logical thinking Impressive resume Poor listening skills No follow up
Gossiping Ambitious Strong presence Lack of professional
look
Poor voice Cultural awareness Talking negative on Multi tasker
others

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Initiative Less focused Light minded Over emphasizing on
objective any thing
Unnecessary Not care of Mistakes in resume Skills not matched
talking appearance
Open minded Admit mistakes Good questions Over confidence

Unrealistic Asking too much Disorganised Poor body language

expectation ofsalary information thoughts

9.4 How to leave a lasting impression at the end of an interview.

Task 7:
1) Prepare a question that you ask your
interviewer about the job.

2) What would be your closing statement in the

interview?
__________________________

3) What would be your statement to express

your enthusiasm for the job?

4) What would be your thank you statement?

__________________________

9.5 How to follow-up after an interview?

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Task 8: Write a thank you email to your interviewer showing your interest in the
job.

Signature of the Faculty

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WIINNING STRATIGIES OF EFFECTIVE INTERVIEWING

Experiment: 10 Date:
In this experiment, the students will introspect and get clarity how to face HR round in
interviews.

Task: Write your answers in the column B.

10.1 Tell me about yourself.

What you can tell … Introduce yourself
 Your values towards time, money,
career, ethics etc.
 Your strengths
 Your team player abilities
 Your goals and objectives that suit the
company
 Something special about you that the
interviewer should know
 What to avoid: Family background,
weaknesses, unrealistic goals and
objectives, bringing something what you
can’t answer

10.2 Why should I hire you?

 You can tell them about why you think Tell your reasons
your skills and personality suit the
company
 You can talk about your exposure to the
industry, achievements (projects,
workshops, papers)
 Your capabilities in this field
 How your career growth plan is useful to
the company’s growth

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10.3 Tell me about your short-term goals.

 Tell them about where you see yourself Share your goals
5 years from now.
 Show them that you have respect for
time, money, values and also some
concrete plans for your future
 Long term plans imply where you see
yourself 20- 30 years from now
 Have realistic goals or else be prepared
to be grilled
 Until now, you have been a dependent
on parents, now that you will be free,
what do you plan to do with your time
and money?

10.4 How would you rate yourself?

 Always do your ground work before Assess yourself

going for an interview
 Know what the company is looking for
 What is the job you will be doing
 What is expected from you
 Can you deliver what is expected out of
you
 What preparation have you done to
qualify in the company’s selection
process
 How you are a better candidate than
others
 What extra’ can you bring into the
company

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10.5 Why do you want to work for us?

 Don’t go for an interview without Open yourself

preparation
 You can talk about
 Referred by friends & seniors working for
the company
 Growth plans of the company
 Size of the company
 Achievements of the company
 Market share of the company
 Welfare plans of the company
 Different verticals in the company
 Policies of the company
 Scope for professional and individual
growth in the company
 How it meets your short- and long-term
career growth
10.6 Are you a team player?

 Give examples Prove yourself

 Talk about participation in team activities
 Talk about your experience in organizing
extra-curricular activities
 Talk about your team project work and
your contribution to the project
 Scope for professional and individual
growth in the company
 How it meets your short- and long-term
career growth

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 This is a trap… be careful. Be careful of your words

 What you can say …
 Tell them how you handled people whom
you did not like in your class, college,
school, neighborhood…
 Try to dodge the question if you can
 Don’t be very specific
 Don’t show them that you are living in a 10.7
nutshell What
 Don’t show them that you are very narrow will
minded you
 Don’t tell them that you never came
do if
across colleagues whom you did not like you
do
 If they insist, succumb but don’t say not
anything rubbish like a
 Remember there are always people whom co-
you don’t like and there are people who
don’t like you.
worker?

10.8 If I hire you, how long do you think you will work for us?

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 ‘Till death do us part’ remember you are Manage carefully

not entering into a marriage
 Give a realistic picture
 You may leave the company if you are not
satisfied with the job
 You may be asked to leave if they are not
satisfied with your work
 You may leave the company if the
company is no longer competent in the
industry

10.9 What are your long-term goals?

 ‘Where do you see yourself 20-30 years Present your vision

from now
 It is not about doing something for
yourself
 It is about doing something for your
parents, spouse, children and society at
large
 Think about it carefully and show some
creativity

10.10 Tell me about your strengths.

 ‘Don’t give text book answers Present your character
 Don’t sound like you have practiced the
answer
 Come with some creative answers
 Be prepared to be grilled
 Know that there is no correct answer and
no wrong answer, it is the explanation that
you give those matters.
 Give examples
 Leave scope for sense of humor

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 Have room for criticism

10.11 Tell me about your weakness.

 DON’T. Don’t make their job easy. If you Be tricky
do not have a good answer in mind, just
shut up.
 My sense of humor needs a good exercise
 You can project your weakness as your
strength
 Try to divert their attention

10.12 Tell me about yourself that is not there in the resume:

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 If there is not much to ask you from your Open your soul
resume, they will ask you to tell them
more
 Stick to extracurricular activities /
strengths
 Dress designing, interior- decoration,
painting, books, road trips, food, cooking,
visiting places, music, dance, movies,
favorite novel- movie-star, role model…
whatever you feel like, just keep the
interview going until they find something
worth asking
 Don’t talk about subject…remember this
is a HR interview

10.13 How can you prove to me that you are better than the others?
 This is the same question ‘why should I Present your uniqueness
hire you’ just put differently
 Show them that you understand what is
expected out of you on the job
 On a 0 to 10 scale, how do you rate your
programming skills
 Tell them about your preparation,
suitability of your attitude, your IQ, your
analytical ability, your understanding of
the software development life cycle
 Don’t literally compare yourself with your
classmates
 That is not what they are expecting out of
you

10.14 What are your expectations from the company?

 Do not get personal here Be assertive
 Tell them you expect the company to
continue to be number one in the market
 Take care of welfare of the employees
 Tell them you expect the company to
spend some portion of its profits for the
welfare of the country and the society

10.15 Can you work under pressure?

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 Yes Balance of mind

 Give examples of short deadlines
 Give examples of you working in teams to
complete the tasks under tight deadlines
 Give practical examples
 You can give examples of personal/ or
professional problems that you solved
under high pressure
 Pressure can be mental, financial, physical
 Show them you do not collapse under
pressure

10.16 Would you consider yourself to be a workaholic?

 You do not get any extra leverage for Balance your workethic
being workaholic unless you give a very
good example
 I would rather go for somebody who has a
balance between work, family and friends
 Workaholics have a short life compared to
a more harmonious person
 Play your cards safe

10.17 What motivates you to perform your best on the job?

Don’t talk about money being a motivator
If you can deliver something better than
what is expected out of you on the job,
that itself is a big motivation

10.18 What have you done in the last year to prepare for this job?
 Talk about training by Career Launcher Cook up carefully
 Talk about Campus Connect by Infosys
 Talk about software you have learnt
 Talk about research you have done
 Talk about consulting your seniors and
friends
 Talk about net surfing

10.19 How do you cope with disappointments in life?

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 Disappointments are part of life Balance of life

 It is how you deal them it that makes you
stronger
 Give examples
 Show them how you gathered courage and
strength after facing a disappointment

10.20 If you get a better company, will you leave us?

 This is a trap… be careful. They are Be loyal

checking your presence of mind…
 Prepare well for this question…
 Don’t give an adamant ‘No I will never
leave your company’ answer
 Use your word power
 A little sense of humor will help
 The panel can always fall prey for a little
flattery

10.21 Tell me about your role in the project.

 Notice: This is slightly different from
‘tell me about your project’
 Tell them about the team size and briefly
about other team members, who is good
at what
 Tell them about the work assigned to
each team member
 Tell them about your role and how you
achieved it
 Tell them about how you helped the
other team members in achieving their
tasks
 Always keep team spirit in mind
 Always give importance to the whole
team not self
 If possible, tell them how you led the
whole team

10.22 Why IT and why not Core?

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Invention of wheel
Invention of paper
Invention of radio
Invention of telephone
Invention of television
Invention of computer
Invention of World Wide Web
They have all improved core engineering
skills; they did not defeat them
10.23 Are you planning to take GRE, why? Why not?
This is a trap…
When a HR manager is recruiting people,
he would like to be confident all those
recruited will join the company. Any
ambiguity in the candidate’s behavior will
cost him numbers
If you talk about taking GRE, he/she will
lose confidence in you and may reject you
At least during the interview be careful
not to be affirmative about taking
GRE/TOEFL

10.24 What do you do if you are not selected here?

 Don’t be overconfident or boisterous, Self-check
otherwise this question is inevitable.
 If you do not give a good answer, the
result will be equally inevitable
 In the first five minutes, you will be
able to gauge which direction your
interview is going
 Tell them how much you have
prepared for this interview
 Tell them how much you have waited
for this opportunity
 Tell them how much you will be
disappointed if you did not get this job
 Don’t tell them “May be a better job is
waiting for me’
 Show some commitment, character
and respect

APPENDIX - A

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USEFUL PHRASES FOR EMAIL WRITING

20 Sentences and Phrases for Beginning an Email

1 Thank you for your message/email/phone call.
2 I hope you are doing well.
3 I hope you had a great weekend.
4 I hope this finds you well.
5 Just checking in.
6 Thanks again for your help.
7 It was great talking to you.
8 It was great meeting you.
9 Thanks for the additional info.
10 Just wanted to send you a quick note to...
11 How is everything?
12 Thanks for the quick response.
13 Thanks for your help with.
14 I have a quick question.
15 I have a quick request.
16 Thanks for the update.
17 Just checking in to make sure that.
18 I wanted to reach out to you because.
19 I am looking forward to.
It is great to hear from you.
20

20 phrases for closing an email_

Expressions for thanking
1 Thank you for your help. / time / assistance /support
2 I really appreciate the help. / time / assistance / support you’ve given
me
3 Thank you once more for your help in this matter.
Expressions with a future focus
1 I look forward to hearing from you soon / meeting you next Tuesday.
2 I look forward to seeing you soon.
3 I’m looking forward to your reply.
4 We hope that we may continue to rely on your valued custom.

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5 We look forward to a successful workingrelationship in the

future.
6 Please advise as necessary.
7 I would appreciate your immediate attentionto this matter.
Expressions for showing them you want to help

1 If I can be of assistance, please do not hesitate tocontact me.

2 If you require any further information, feel free to contact me.
3 If you require any further information, let me know.
4 Please let me know if you have anyquestions.
5 I hope the above is useful to you.
6 Should you need any further information, please do not hesitate to
contact me.
7 Please contact me if there are any problems.
8 Let me know if you need anything else
9 Drop me a line if I can do anything else for you.
10 Please feel free to contact me if you need any further information.

Basics of Email
Formal / Neutral Informal
Dear Mr/Ms/Mrs Dupuis Dear Mary Hi/Hello Mary Mary,... (or
Name no name at all)
Previous Thank you for your email of ... Further Thanks for your email.
contact to your last email, ... Re your email, ...
I apologize for not getting in contact Sorry I haven't written for
with you before now. ages, but I've been really
busy.
I am writing in connection with Just a short note about ...
...I am writing with regard to ... I'm writing about ... Here's
In reply to your email, here are ... the ... you wanted. I got your
Reason for Your name was given to me by ... We name from ... Please note
writing would like to point out that ... that ...
I'm writing to let you know that ... We Just a note to say ... We can
are able to confirm that ... confirm that ... Good news!
Giving I am delighted to tell you that ... We Unfortunately, ...
information regret to inform you that ...
Please find attached my report. I'm I've attached ...
Attachments sending you ... as a pdf file. Here is the ... you wanted.
Could you give me some information Can you tell me a little more
about... about ... I'd like to know ...
Asking for I would like to know ... Please send me ...
information I'm interested in receiving/finding out
...
I'd be grateful if you could ... Please could you ...
I wonder if you could ... Could you ...?
Do you think I could have ... ? Can I have ...?
Requests Thank you in advance for your help in I'd appreciate your help on
this matter. this.

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I will ... I'll ...
Promising I'll investigate the matter. I'll look into it.
action I will contact you again shortly. I'll get back to you soon.
Would you like me to ...? Do you want me to ...?
If you wish, I would be happy to ... Shall I ...?
Offering help Let me know whether you would like Let me know if you'd like
me to ... me to ...
Thank you for your help. Thanks again for ...
Do not hesitate to contact us again if Let me know if you need
Final you require any further information. anything else.
comments Please feel free to contact me if you Just give me a call if you
have any questions. My direct line is have any questions. My
... number is ...
I'm looking forward to ... (+ ing) Give Looking forward to ... (+
my regards to ... ing) Best wishes to ..
Close
Best wishes Regards Speak to/see you soon. Bye
(for now)/All the best

Negotiating a project
Asking for information Can you give me some more information about ...?_
Requests Do you think you could ...? / Would you be able to ...?
Emphasizing a main point My main concern at this stage is ... / The main thing for me
is ...
Asking for a suggestion How do you think we should deal with this? What do you
think is the best way forward?
Making a suggestion Why don't you ...? / What about if we ...?
I understand what you're saying about ... (but ... ) I can
Negotiating: being firm see what you're saying, but ...
Negotiating: being flexible We would be prepared to ... (if ...) / I am willing to ... (if ...)
Negotiating: agreeing Okay, I'm happy with that for now. That's fine.
I'll be in touch again soon with more details. Let's talk next
Next steps week and see how things are going.
I look forward to working with you.
Closing I'm sorry that we couldn't use your services this time, but I
hope there will be another opportunity.
Checking understanding
Did you get my last message sent on ...?
Technical Sorry, you forgot to attach the file. Can you send it again?
problems I got your email, but I can't open the attachment.
Did you mean to send this? I don't want to open it in case it's got a virus.
Asking for I'm not sure what you meant by ...?
clarification Could you clarify? Which ... do you mean? / Are
you sure about that?
I don't understand this point. Can you explain in a little more detail?
Sorry, what I meant was ..., not ...
Giving
I thought ..., but I may be wrong. / I'll check and get back to you.
The correct information is given below. Please amend your records
clarification accordingly. Sorry, forget my last email. You're right.
Close I hope this clarifies the situation. / Get back to me if there's anything else.

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Arranging Meetings
Formal / Neutral Informal
Reason for I'm writing to arrange a time for our Just a quick note to arrange a
writing meeting. time to meet.
What time would be convenient for When would suit you?
you?
Suggesting Could we meet on (day) in the How about (day) at (time)?
(morning) at (time)? Are you free sometime next
time/place week?
I would be able to attend the meeting on I'm free Thursday am.
Thursday morning. I won't be around until after
Saying when I'm out of the office until 2pm. Any time lunch.
you are/ are after that would be fine. Any time after hat is okay.
not free I'm afraid I can't manage next Monday. Sorry, can't make it next
Monday.
I'd like to confirm ... Thursday is good for me.
That's fine. I will call/email you That should be okay. I'll get back
Confirming to you if there's a problem.
tomorrow to confirm the details.
Changing This is to let you know that I will not be Re: our meeting next week, I'm
arrangement able to attend the next meeting next afraid I can't make Thursday.
s Thursday. How about ... instead? Sorry for
I wonder if we could move it to ...? the inconvenience.
I apologize for any inconvenience
caused.
Close I look forward to meeting you in See you in Brussels.
Brussels. Let me know if you need to Give me a call if anything
change the arrangements. changes.

Invitations
Formal / Neutral Informal
We would be very pleased if you could I'm writing to invite you to ... Would
come to you like to come to ...?
I would like to invite you to ... / attend Please let me know if you can make
Inviting our ... it.
Please let me know if you will be able to
attend.
Before the meeting it would be useful if Please prepare ... before the meeting.
you could prepare ... Please bring to the meeting ...
Prepare
It would be helpful if you could bring ...
Thank you for your kind invitation. Thanks a lot for the invitation.
The date you suggest is fine. The date's fine for me.
Accepting I would be delighted to attend the I'd love to come to the meeting. It
meeting. I am sure it will be very sounds like a great idea.
useful.
Thank you for your kind invitation. Thanks a lot for your kind invitation.
Unfortunately, I have another Unfortunately, I have something else
appointment on that day. Please accept in my schedule on that day.
my apologies. I hope we can meet up soon. Good
I hope we will have the opportunity to luck with the meeting!
Refusing meet on another occasion in the near
future. I am sure that the meeting will be
a great success.

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Writing Styles
Formal / Neutral Informal
Example Thank you for your email received on Thanks for the email.
phrases 12 Feb. Re ...
With regard/reference to ...
Please could you ...
I would be grateful if you could ...
I'm sorry to tell you that ...
We regret to advise you that ... Please
I'm sorry for ...Could you ...?
accept our apologies for ...
I was wondering if you could ... You haven't ... Don't forget that
...
We note that you have not ...
I need to ...I might ...
We would like to remind you that ...
Shall I ...?
It is necessary for me to ... It is
possible that I will ... But, ... / Also, ... / So, ...
If you'd like more details, let me
Would you like me to ...? However, know. See you next week.
.../In addition, ... / Therefore, ... If you
require any further information, please
do not hesitate to contact me.
I look forward to meeting you next
week
Direct/ Indirect
Direct Indirect: polite / diplomatic
Can you ...? Please could you Could you ...?
Requests
... I was wondering if you could ...
Asking for Can I ...? Is it all right if ...?
permission Could I ...? I wonder if I could ...?
Offering help Can I ...? / Shall I ...? Would you like me to ..? / Do you need
any help with ...?
Making a What about ... (+ing)? Why don't we ...?
suggestion Shall we ...? Perhaps we should ...?
I'm afraid there is a small problem. It
seems there is a slight problem. That
There is a problem. That will might be quite expensive. Won't that be a
be very expensive. bit expensive?
We can't do that. I'm not sure we can do that.
Softening a
strong comment That gives us very little time. It Actually, that doesn't give us much
will be better to ask Heidi. I time. Wouldn't it be better to ask
disagree. Heidi?
I can see what you're saying, but ...
Don't you think that ...?
To be honest, I think it might be better
to ...

Job Application
Greeting Dear Sir/Madam
Reason for With reference to your advertisement on the ... website, I am interested in
applying for the post of...
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writing
Your I am 26 years old and am currently studying for a degree in ... at ...
backgroun University. For the last two months I have been working as a ... at ... .
d and
experience
I am interested in this job because ...
The job itself I feel that I would be well-suited for this job/have a lot of experience in
Referring to I have attached my CV as a Word document. You will notice that I ... as well
your CV as ... .
You will also notice that ... .
I would be grateful if you would consider my application.
Final You will see from my CV that two people can be contacted as references, one
comments is ... and the other is from ... .
I am available for interview in ..... / by phone any weekday afternoon, and you
can email me or telephone me on the number below.
I look forward to hearing from you soon. Yours faithfully
Close

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APPENDIX – B

SAMPLE EFFECTIVE INTERVIEW ANSWERS

(Source: Atul Kumar, LinkedIn)

1. Can you tell me about yourself?
It's my pleasure to speak with you. I am (your name). Basically, I belong to (city
name). I completed my B. Tech from (your college) in (year).
Being an IT professional, I enjoy learning about the breakthrough in technology. I
attended a professional workshop about ‘new technologies’ last year, where I learned
about a new tool in the market (mention the tool), and I used it in my last project
(briefly mention the project).
I have excellent interpersonal skills, which have helped me carry out the responsibility
of leading the meetings with clients in my previous projects (briefly mention the
project).
My qualifications and work experience make me a suitable candidate for the profile. I
am looking to join your organization to explore new dimensions and for the further
development of my skills.”
2. What do you know about our company?
From what I read, your company is one of the leaders in providing security software
to other businesses. I read the list of clients on your website. Do you mostly serve
Fortune 500 clients? I saw a couple big Fortune 500 companies mentioned on the list,
including ... and ”
“You’re one of the largest investment banks in the US. Your headquarters is in
Raleigh, NC, and you have 25,000 employees worldwide based on what I read on
your website.”
3. Why did you apply for this position?
“I’ve heard great things about the work environment here from a few colleagues.
And when I saw this job posting, it seemed to match my skills very closely. For
example, I saw on the job description that you need somebody who’s an expert in my
SQL programming.
This is what I focused on in both of my previous positions, and was even the focus of
my academic work before graduating university. I consider myself an expert in my
SQL and it’s a skill I hope to continue specializing in.”
“Since beginning my career, I’ve wanted to work for a larger organization in this
industry, and I know you’re one of the leaders in this space.
I’m very interested in your services, especially the mobile applications you’re
building recently, so I’d be excited to come here and grow my skills with an
organization like yours.”
4. Why should we hire you?
Answer 1: “I am propelled to be the best at what I do, and I want to work in an
organization that will give me the opportunity to develop my skills, handle interesting
projects, and be part of a team that I can really learn from. A good number of creative
thinkers in the industry work here, and that is a big reason why I would love to build
a career here”.
Answer 2: “My current goal is to fit into a position at a company where I can grow
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and take on new challenges and responsibilities over time. Moving forward, I would
love to assume management responsibility and get involved in pushing the brand.
Ultimately, I would love to be a part of an organization where I can build a career”.
5. What are your greatest professional strengths?
In my last job, we were facing a tough deadline and my boss was out for the day. Our
client was expecting a project to be delivered by 5PM, but we were far behind
schedule.
I took the lead on the project, delegated tasks to the four other team members in a way
that I thought would utilize everyone’s strengths best.
And then I re-organized my own personal tasks so I could dedicate my entire day to
contributing to this project as well.
The project was a success and we delivered the work on-time. I went on to lead more
projects after that, and used what I learned to be a better project manager.”
6. How much money are you looking to earn?
Right now I’m focused on finding a job that’s the right fit for my career.
Once I’ve done that, I’m willing to consider an offer you feel is fair, but I do not have
a specific number in mind yet, and my priority is to find a position that’s a great fit
for me.
7. Why do you want to work here?
I’ve been actively searching for jobs since graduating with my Nursing degree.
I’m interested in intensive care and emergency medicine and I’ve seen your hospital
mentioned as having one of the best ER’s in the region.
I thought the job description matched up well with my background, and saw some of
my personal strengths mentioned, like multitasking and being able to thrive in a fast
paced environment, so I’d love to begin my career here.
8. What is your dream job?
I’ve thought about this before, and I know I would want to keep honing my skills in
... as well as learn more about.
In terms of job content, I’m interested in work that involves ... and I’ve been curious
about things like this ever since, so I would definitely want that to be part of my dream
job.
Based on my skills and interests, in my dream job, I would want to ... as related to,
ideally in a company where I could ... and these are both really important to me, and
I’m excited to see that they seem to be equally important to this company.
9. What other companies are you interviewing with?
I’m still pretty early in my job search. I’ve applied to a number of opportunities that
will allow me to use my skills in data visualization to help educate clients, but this
position is most exciting to me.
In fact, I think this position is a particularly good fit for my skill set because I can
leverage my significant experience working with complicated data sets.
10. What is your greatest weakness?
I’m not particularly strong in social media marketing. For the first few years of my
career, I focused entirely on email marketing.
That’s still what I specialize in, which is why I applied for your Email Marketing
Manager job.
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But I’ve realized it’s also helpful to understand the principles of social media
marketing because some of the strategies that work there also work well in email.
So I’ve started spending a couple hours a week of my own time studying and learning
this new area, and it’s helped me a lot.
11. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I’m glad you asked. In five years I see myself taking on more responsibilities, either
through management or higher level individual contributions.
I am not sure which path will make sense to pursue, but I know my goal right now is
to build a strong foundation and gain valuable experience so that I’ll have a successful
future in this industry.
12. Tell me about a time you failed.
In my most recent position, I had recently been promoted to Supervisor, and was
managing the department on my own right before the department closed.
An employee was acting out and I confronted him in front of everybody. It made the
situation worse and caused a lot of distraction for every employee on the floor.
I failed to lead properly in this situation, and spoke to my manager the next day to
discuss what I could have done differently.
We both agreed that I should have handled this in-private with the employee, by
asking them to step inside my office with me.
If I had done this instead of reacting the way I did, the situation would have turned
out much better.
From that point onward, I am always conscious of whether a discussion with a team
member should occur in public or behind closed doors, and it made me a better
leader.”
13. How would your boss and co-workers describe you?
Actually, in my most recent performance review in May, my direct supervisor
described me as someone who takes initiative and doesn’t shy away from hard
problems.
My role involves a lot of on-site implementation, and when things go wrong, it’s
usually up to me to fix it. Rather than punting the problem back to the team, I always
try to do what I can first. I know she appreciates that about me.
One thing I’ve noticed is that I’m always the one people turn to for recommendations
on how to handle a new event or program—the latest fundraiser that I just told you
about would be one.
I have a lot of institutional knowledge, which helps, but I think the reason people
come to me is because I work through what a new program might look like very
methodically.
If you were to ask my colleagues, I’m confident they’d describe me as logical,
organized, and meticulous.
I don’t want to speak for anyone else, but I’m pretty confident my colleagues would
describe me as thoughtful I’m the one in the office who remembers everyone’s
birthdays—and hard-working, since I never leave my office until it’s been dark out
for a couple of hours.
My boss in particular would say I’m very knowledgeable about audience development
it’s why I kept taking on more and more responsibilities in that domain.
14. What are your salary requirements?
Right now I’m focused on finding a job that’s the right fit for my career. Once I’ve
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done that, I’m willing to consider an offer you feel is fair, but I do not havea specific
number in mind yet, and my priority is to find a position that’s a great fit for me.
15. What are your strengths?
“My strength is my patience to solving problems (Assess your hard skills). My current
position as a customer service manager, I was patient (Personal trait) enough to turn
a toxic work environment to a positive one, and created a motivating environment
where everyone can work comfortably. I also feel that my communication skills
(transferable skills) are top-level because I relate with senior executives on the same
basis that I relate with junior staff members.”
16. Can you tell us your weaknesses?

“I am really impatient working in a team (self-awareness)-I love to work

independently and so it is difficult for me to rely on others to complete a task. That is
why I have pursued a position that makes it possible for me to work independently
(be truthful). However, I have also worked to improve this weakness by enrolling in
team building workshops. While I work independently, it is important I learn how to
trust my co-workers better.” (Self-improvement/recovery). Sample 2 "Public
speaking makes me really nervous (self-awareness). Even if I don’t have to do too
much of public in my role as a graphic designer, I nonetheless feel it is an important
skill I have to get used when communicating with others. (Truthful) To overcome the
fright, I spoke to my manager that I would love to give the introductory speech during
our team meetings. This has allowed me to be less nervous speaking to a group of
people and has also helped me communicate better with team members to do their
jobs effectively. (Self -improvement/recovery.
17. Why should you hire you?
“I am a very driven and open-minded person that can really learn fast. During my
volunteer with a local retail outlet, I discovered how much I enjoyed solving
customers’ problems and rendering service in general. Looking at the job description
and what I have learned from the interview, I think this position will support my
interest and will also give me the opportunity to contribute positively to the
organization, and am very excited about this opportunity”.

18. Give me an example of an important goal which you had set in the past and
tell me about your success in reaching it.
The STAR method includes the following steps:
Situation: You should start by describing the situation that you were or the task that
you needed to complete. You must describe a specific situation or event.
Task: Describe the goal that you were looking forward to achieving
Action: Describe the specific action that you took to address the situation. You are
also explaining the actions you took to reach your goals.
Result: You must be able to give the result of your actions using specific details. The
result is going to be an important part of your response because the interviewer asked
about a time that you achieved success. Meaning that there would definitely be a
result.
Answering this question, you have to:
• Make sure the situation you are describing is relevant
• Make sure that you are clear and realistic
“In my recent internship program, I set a personal goal to accomplish my objective
for my internship which is developing my experience in IT support. I also set a goal
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to learn the basics of computer programming before the end of my internship program.
I worked really closely with the IT and programming team to make sure I develop my
skills. At the end of my internship, I had 1- year experience in IT support role and was
able to horn my programming skills to intermediate level”.
19. Describe some times when you were not very satisfied or pleased with your
Performance.

“At a point in my current job, I discovered that I was used to working in a team and
because of that I became too dependent on other team members to get things done.
My supervisor talked to me about it, and I started to be more responsible in carrying
out my task and I wanted to start working more independently. I worked closely with
my supervisor so she could give me personal tasks which she did. After doing more
task alone, I develop a better sense of independence carrying out my task. Because I
started working independently, I developed other skills like advanced Excel skills that
I applied to make my work better”.
20. Give me an example of an important goal which you had set in the past and
tell me about your success in reaching it.
“During my internship period in my previous company, I set a goal that I would build
my career in human resources even if I was just a front desk officer. I always spoke
and interacted with the human resources department to get a grasp of what they are
doing. I took a course in HR and indirectly practiced in my company. At the end of
my one year internship program, I was able to discover my career path, and had gained
useful experience in Human Resources”
21. What would you do if you have a bad boss?
“If I have a bad boss, I would try to understand the personality of the person to know
what the problem is or what makes the person bad. If the boss is aggressive, then I
would try and understand what will likely make the boss angry and try to avoid doing
that. I would also look out for what makes the boss happy and try to it more often.
Ultimately, I will try my best to understand why the boss behaves in that manner and
look for a better way to act towards the person. I will also ask other workers how they
have dealt with the boss over time.”
22. What kind of supervisor would you like to work with?
“My ideal supervisor would be someone that would encourage good communication
between himself and the team members. I believe that communication is a key factor
when it comes to working together as a successful team and even one that can push
the entire business forward”.
23. How can you describe a good work environment?
“My ideal work environment is one that is built around working as a team, one that
encourages team members to work together to achieve success taking advantage of
their different abilities and skills and one that would at the same time expand
everyone’s talent. While I was researching your company, I noticed that you pay great
attention to fostering teamwork. That was something that really impressed me about
the position. I found out that I work better in an encouraging and powerful
environment”.

24. What do you describe as a satisfying job?

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“My ideal job is one that will involve me working by myself as well as working with
others to achieve great results. I am really self-motivated because I love to push myself
beyond the limit. My ideal job would be one that will enable me to work together with
like minds to achieve the set goal and utilize my abilities. I am also interested in
working in a place that will give me the opportunity to add my value to the growth of
the company and a place that will foster my growth and development”.
25. What does motivation mean to you?
“Learning new things motivates me and gives me a reason to still hold on. Problem-
solving is one of my top skills that is why I love challenges. Challenges push me to
do more while I learn. I believe that learning never ends especially in a competitive
world like ours, to beat the competition, one should submit himself/herself to learning
always. The fact that I can learn something new, is one thing that will always motivate
me to do a job. Looking at the description for this job, I know that this job will be a
motivating one for me”.
26. How can you describe success in your job?

“I define success as not just doing the best in my work, but also that of my team. I believe
that going beyond the expectations that are set for me and the ones that are setfor the team is
what I regard as success. If the team is able to achieve both individualand collective goals,
then that is success for me”.
27. How do you describe your dream company?
A: “My dream company is one where I can contribute to the success of the company. A place
that I can get new opportunities that will help me better make use of my skillsand abilities. An
ideal company will also be one that will provide me with the opportunity to grow my career”
B: “I would love to work in a company whose vision is to provide a solution to a realproblem.
I would love to work for a company whose vision is to create high-quality products that meet
with customer’s need which also aligns with my passion for customer service”
28. How do you set your job goals?
“I set my job goals by carefully examining my task both short and long term tasks,
understanding what result is expected from those tasks, and how I intend to carry out
the task. Before I start performing all the task for a particular day, I look at the task
according to their level of importance. I start with a smaller task with a small goal so
that there would be room for progression. I basically set my job goals with the
expected result in mind”.
29. Give an example of a time when you spearheaded a project
“During my internship, I headed a small team of interns like myself to develop a user
feedback system that would work on the new website that we were building. I divided
the group into 4 units and shared responsibilities among team members, I shared the
responsibilities into the different task that I labeled (ABCD) I handled A while other
team members did their part. At the end of the day, we came together and integrated
the whole system to one robust system. The project got the attention of the managing
director and we were commended for it. This project opened the door to other
projects”.
30. How do you deal with stress?
“I know that sometimes it is hard to avoid stress, but I try to face the situation, rather
than being stressed. Regardless of how much work I have to do, I make sure that I
tackle the situation rather than being overwhelmed by the problem. That way, I handle
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the situation better and don’t get stressed. For example, when I dealt with an
unsatisfied customer that was really angry and was ready to give a negative review
about our product. Instead of feeling stressed, I concentrated on finding out what her
challenge was exactly and looked for ways to help her get the problem solved
addressing it to the right channel. My ability to remain calm when dealing with the
unsatisfied customer reduced my stress and the stress that the customer may face”.
31. How do you build relationships with other members of your team?

“I understand that building a good relationship with team members will increase
productivity. When I am new to a team, I try to first understand the personalities of
team members. Understanding their personality type will help you better deal with
them. I also get interested in what they do and show concern about their interest and
goals, then we can communicate on a more shared ground”.
32. Tell us about what you have done to prepare for this job?
“Preparing for this position is one of the most important things that I have prepared
for all my life. From a really young age, I have known that I would be doing something
that has to do with people even if I had not clearly discovered it. As I grew older, I
was able to identify that I was interested in employment/recruitment and personnel
management.
33. Rate yourself over ten.
“Looking at the skills needed for this job, I will rate myself 9 out of 10 in excel, and
that is because I am currently learning how to create pivotal tables (here you have
shown your effort to improve). I will also rate my public speaking skills 9 out of 10
because my previous boss always told me that I am the best speaker she has ever met,
that was a rating for me. I rate myself 9 because I am currently taking a course to
become a better public speaker”
34. What is more important to you, the money or the work?
“As much as I would love to be adequately compensated for my job, I look forward
to achieving more than a fair pay performing my duties. I am passionate about growth
both personal and organizational growth, and I think that this position will offer me
the opportunity to be in a challenging environment that will push me to learn more
and grow. As much as I want to contribute to the value system of the organization, I
also love to be fairly compensated for the work that I do”.
35. Would you take a job that pays you less money?
“Even if I will love to be fairly compensated for the job that I do, I am really passionate
about problem-solving and adding value. Aside from the pay that I get at the end of
the month for the job that I do, I would love to contribute to the success of the
organization that I find myself doing what I love to do most”.
36. What would you do if you disagreed with the way a manager wanted you to
handle a problem?
“If I disagree with the way my manager wants me to handle a project I will walk up
to my manager and explain why I think that is not the best approach, then I will give
him/her good reasons why I think that my approach is the best for this project. I
believe that communication is key, and communicating my ideas respectfully with my
manager is what will help us have a single vision on a project. If I see the reasons why
my manager’s idea is the best for the project, then I would admit that too. I believe
communication is the key”.
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37. What would you do if you were assigned to work with a difficult client?
“First, I would try and understand the problem that the client is experiencing, then I
would try to see how I can help the client solve the problem, and I would try to make
the client understand what went wrong and how I can help the client solve the
challenge at hand while pleading about the inconvenience that the client might have
passed through”
38. How would you handle working closely with a colleague who was very
different from you?
“I understand that there is diversity in the workplace, and I am open to embracing and
accepting people the way they are. In my previous position, I was working closely
with a colleague that is really reserved and accommodate little communication, and I
love to ask questions and communicate a lot. At first, I did not find it interesting
talking with my colleague, but later I discovered that she loves to work with little or
no distraction at all and I understood and accepted her that way. Her reserved nature
helped me complete my task even faster. Since then I learned to value and accept
differences”.

39. How would you handle an instance of receiving criticism from a superior?
“I welcome constructive criticism because I feel it is a way to make me do better. In
my previous job, my boss always criticized me that I don’t communicate well, I did
not feel down by his comment I rather got to know that It was a problem I had to fix,
and I am happy he brought that problem to my notice, it has really helped. I appreciate
constructive criticism a lot”.
40. How do you start a project?
“I believe that communication is a really important factor to consider before I even
begin a project. The first thing I do when I want to start a project is to clearly
understand what the project is all about and the goal of the project. I really cannot
achieve that unless I effectively communicate with everyone that is involved in the
project and make sure that we are all on the same page. Then carrying out the project
itself would be a walkover. In my previous job, I was part of a project that was set for
one month. Knowing this the first thing I did was to call a meeting for 1 week to make
sure we all understand the thought process for the project clearly, even others felt the
meeting was taking time, at the end of the project they thank me for that because we
had limited cases of corrections and adjustments”.

Some tricky questions:

(Source: Athul Kumar – LinkedIn)
A. Crossing the Bridge Puzzle
Four people need to cross a bridge. It’s nighttime and pretty dark. There’s only one
flashlight; it’s dangerous to cross the bridge without one. The bridge can only support
two people at a time. Each person will take a different amount of time to cross the
bridge: 1 min, 2 mins, 7 mins, and 10 mins. What is the shortest possible time for all
four people to cross the bridge?
B. The Man in the Elevator Puzzle
A man who lives on the tenth floor of a building takes the elevator every day to go
down to the ground floor to go to work or to go shopping. When he returns in the
evening, he takes the elevator to the seventh floor and walks up the stairs to the tenth
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floor to reach his apartment. Why does he do this? Note that if it’s a rainy day, or if
there are other people in the elevator, he goes to his floor directly. Also, he hates
walking.
C. Heaven or Hell Puzzle
You have two doors in front of you. One door leads to heaven, and the other to hell.
There are two guards, one by each door. One guard always tells the truth, and the other
always lies, but you don’t know who is who. You can only ask one question to one
guard to find the door to heaven. What question would you ask?
D. Three Mislabeled Jars
You have three mislabeled jars. The first jar contains apples, the second contains
oranges, and the third contains a mix of apples and oranges. You need to label the
jars. You can pick as many fruits as you want from each jar. What is the least number
of fruits you have to pick from each jar to label them correctly?
E. Gold Bar Cut Puzzle
You have hired someone to work for you for seven days, and you have a gold bar to
pay him. You must give him a piece of gold every day. What is the least number of
cuts you can make to the gold bar such that you can pay them 1/7th of it each day?
F. Man Fell in Well Puzzle:
A man fell in a well. The well is 30 meters deep. In a day, he can climb 4 meters, but
he slips down 3 meters. How many days would he take to come out of the well?
G. Bag of Coins Puzzle
You have 10 bags full of infinite coins. But one bag is full of fake coins, and you
can’t remember which one. You know that a genuine coin weighs 1 gram, and a fake
coin weighs 1.1 grams. How do you identify the bag containing forged coins in
minimum readings?
H. Horses on a Race Track Puzzle
There are 25 horses and five race tracks. Find the fastest three horses among the 25 in
the least number of races. 9. Batteries Puzzle There are eight batteries, but only four
of them work. You have to use them for a flashlight, which needs two working
batteries. What is the minimum number of battery pairs you need to test to ensure that
the flashlight is turned on?
I. Birthday Cake Puzzle
A birthday cake has to be cut into eight equal pieces in exactly three cuts. Find a way
to make this cut possible. 11. Clock Angle Puzzle If the time is 3:15 when you look
at a clock, what’s the angle between the hour hand and the minute hand?
J. Tomato Soup Puzzle
You have a glass of tomato soup. You have one other empty glass of a different size
and shape. You have to give the soup to two children. How would you divide the soup
into two glasses so that both of them are satisfied that they have got an equal share of
soup.
3 Key Tips to Solve Puzzle Problems in Interviews
These puzzles are tricky.
Following are 3 key tips that will ensure that you will not stumble during the
interview:
1. Clarify Everything Before you Start Don’t jump into the solution, and do not make
any assumptions. If any information seems missing, ask and clarify.
2. Explain Your Process While solving the puzzle, explain your thought process to
the interviewer. It allows your interviewer to see how you plan, think, reason, and
solve complex problems under pressure. Always remember — these puzzles are more

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about showcasing your analytical skills than finding the right solution.
3. Provide a Solution to the Puzzle — One or More! Use your reasoning and logical
skills to deduce a solution to the puzzle, even if it’s not the correct solution. You can
also discuss alternate methods. It’s more about your reasoning and deducing the
solution, than finding the right solution.

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APPENDIX - C

POSITIVE BODY LANGUAGE IN INTERVIEWS

(Source: Nunzio Giannone, LinkedIN)

10 body language dos for job interviews
1. Be open, confident, and organized
The first impression is made when you enter the interview room. If you must carry a
briefcase or bag, ensure that it is not in your right hand. During the handshake, you
do not want to be fumbling to shift hands. Ensure that the handshake is firm and that
you smile and maintain eye contact until the handshake is released. Learn the
interviewer’s name and then use it in conversation.
It’s also crucial that you maintain an open and friendly stance. Do not let your bag or
other belongings come between you and the people you are meeting. This body
language is a classic self-preservation action and conveys feelings of fear or
insecurity.
2. Respect personal space
While you want to maintain open and positive body language, you do not want to be
so exuberant that you start invading the personal space of the interviewers.
If you do happen to get a little too close, the interviewers will likely back away to
maintain a respectable distance. Use your best judgement here to avoid coming across
as overly eager.
3. Maintain eye contact
Many make the mistake of assuming that the more eye contact made, the better.
However, the correct amount of eye contact means achieving a balance. If it is
maintained for too long, it is perceived as staring. But a lack of eye contact
communicates indifference, disinterest, and a general lack of confidence.
Finding that balance means that you are engaged in the interview without staring or
gazing off into the distance. Balance is also important when you are interviewing to a
panel – be sure to give every member adequate eye contact!
4. Watch your hands
Hands are like the canary in the coal mine. In other words, they are one of the first
signs that a person is nervous or uncomfortable.
When seated, it’s best to position your hands in your lap. Resist the urge to fidget or
make stress-relieving repetitive movements. When you are speaking, avoid excessive
hand gesturing, no matter how expressive you may be with family and friends. Here,
subtle body language is key. Showing restraint with your hands while showing
enthusiasm at the same time is the ultimate mark of confident body language.
5. Smile
Like eye contact, the key to communicating positive body language through smiling
is balance. While you should never smile to such an extent that it's unnatural or
uncomfortable, you must generally default to smiling wherever possible.
This communicates to the interviewer that you are enthusiastic, warm, and
trustworthy. Smiling or indeed laughing at appropriate times also conveys confidence
in yourself and the situation.
The very act of smiling has also been proven to increase mood levels – which in turn
causes you to smile more and makes you a more attractive candidate.
6. Answer concisely
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This point may seem counterintuitive to some. After all, the purpose of an interview
is to sell yourself through words.
This is true only to a certain extent. Confident individuals tend to use 10 words to say
what a nervous individual might say in 100 words, and often much more effectively.
Excessive talking is a clear sign of nervousness and takes valuable time away from an
interviewer accurately assessing your candidacy. Relax, and answer questions
concisely. Most importantly, stay on topic and answer what is being asked.
7. Maintain correct posture
An obvious point, but one that bears repeating. Sit up straight during the interview,
and lean in slightly toward the interviewer when they are speaking to you.
This gives the impression that you are actively engaged in the conversation in a calm
and relaxed manner. Avoid slouching at all costs.
8. Mirror the body language of the interviewer
Mirroring body language has been shown to increase trust and rapport between
individuals, building a strong connection in the process.
To build this connection, match the intensity or duration of handshakes, smiles, nods,
and gestures. Of course, you must do it in such a way that it does not come across as
blatant copying – which has the opposite effect on building a connection.
9. Learn how to listen
Some say that listening is an art, but it doesn’t have to be. You should always nod
occasionally to signal that you are listening to the interviewer and agree with what
they are communicating.
It’s also important to be genuine in your effort to listen to the interview. If you pretend
to listen or are simply waiting for the interview to stop talking, your facial expressions
will communicate disinterest in the interview and likely in the position too.
10. Leave as you entered
If you walked into your interview in a calm, confident, and relaxed manner, then it is
important to leave the interview in the same fashion.
Parting handshakes and a polite goodbye will do the trick in most cases. However,
avoid collecting your things and rushing out the door – even if you do have
somewhere to be.
10 body language don'ts for job interviews
Now that we’ve had a look at using body language to perform well in your interview,
let’s dive into 10 common body donts.
1. Allowing your gaze to wander
This is a bad idea because people equate a wandering gaze with boredom and
dishonesty.
Some job candidates enter an interview with a wandering gaze because they are
worried about where they should focus their attention. If unsure, it is always good
practice to concentrate your focus on one eye of the interviewer.
2. Overconfidence
Overconfidence manifests in many ways. It might be leaning back in your chair and
taking up as much space as possible.
Overconfident candidates also tend to interrupt or talk over the top of the interviewer.
This is a big no-no because overconfidence is instantly recognized as
overcompensating for a lack of self-esteem.
3. An improper handshake
A weak handshake gives the impression of a low-confidence candidate with a passive
personality who is easily dominated. On the other hand, handshakes that linger for too
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long are a sign to the interviewer that you are desperate for the job.
Lastly, those who squeeze too hard with the handshake convey a general lack of self-
awareness and decorum. This is particularly true of men who shake the hands of
women and are seemingly unaware of their own strength.
4. Overlooking small gestures
You might have a tendency to bite your lips or roll your eyes when you are nervous.
It might be such a common part of your life that you don’t pay much attention to it.
In an interview, however, it’s important to understand your particular foibles and plan
accordingly. Mock interviews with a friend or family member at home can help
identify these nervous tendencies.

5. Crossing your legs

Much is said about what to do with your hands during an interview, but much less is
said about what to do with your legs.
Firstly, crossing legs is equivalent to crossing your arms – it sends a message of
defensiveness. Crossing one leg over the other is also frowned upon because it gives
the impression that you aren’t taking the interview seriously. Legs should always sit
in line with your shoulders, with your feet firmly on the floor.
6. Canned responses
Avoid rehearsing for your interviews, since reciting your background and
achievements word for word is likely to result in body language that is rigid and
somewhat robotic.
It’s important to show some personality and answer each question on its merits. In
this way, your body language will instantly loosen and you’ll appear more confident
as a result.
7. Appearing agitated
While it is unlikely, there is always a chance that an interviewer asks a personal
question or comes across as rude.
In this situation, facial expressions and other body languages must not communicate
your disapproval. Pushing through the situation and not taking it personally is how
you demonstrate that you aren’t perturbed by minor incidents.
8. Touching your face
Many, if not most, people do this without even thinking about it. In fact, one study
from an Australian university found that participants touched their face at least once
every 2.5 minutes!
Regardless of the reason, consistently touching the face is a sign of nervousness,
impatience, or dishonesty. Unless you feel the urge to cough or sneeze, rest your hands
in your lap.
9. Over communicating proper body language
With so much useful information on proper body language, there is a real risk that
candidates become preoccupied with their body language and not on the interview
itself.
In other words, don’t sit in your chair with a rigid back like a ventriloquist’s puppet.
Don’t walk into the interview giving the impression that you believe you’ve already
got the job. Be prepared to make mistakes and don’t be too hard on yourself if you
realize that your body language isn’t ideal.
Confident and qualified candidates make mistakes and the interviewers understand
this.

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10. Wearing cologne and perfume

Colognes and perfumes in small amounts may be acceptable in some cases. However,
often they are used to mask cigarette smoke or body odor.

While an interviewer cannot technically hold a preference for smoking against you,
the fact that you tried to mask the smell is a clear sign of dishonest and deceitful body
language. Body odor also results because of nervous people and their tendency to
sweat when under pressure. This subconsciously communicates that you can’t
perform under pressure.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this list of body language tips will have you better prepared for your next
job interview. Genuine, positive body language communicates that you trust in
yourself and your worth as a candidate.
This comes down to confidence, which is one of the most crucial qualities you can
possess. Confident body language is particularly important as you walk into the
interview room, setting the standard for the rest of the interview. Then, it’s important
to remember to smile, maintain eye contact, and remain relatively still while you
answer questions clearly and concisely.
If you do slip up, don’t be too hard on yourself and most of all, do not let your body
language betray you. Confident people and indeed the interviewers recognize that no
one candidate is perfect!

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Notes

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