FEDERAL PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION – 2016 FOR RECRUITMENT TO POSTS IN BS-17 UNDER THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ENGLISH (PRECIS & COMPOSITION)
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TIME ALLOWED: THREE HOURS
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PART-I(MCQS): MAXIMUM 30 MINUTES
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PART-I (MCQS) MAXIMUM MARKS = 20
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PART-II MAXIMUM MARKS = 80
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NOTE:(i) Part-II is to be attempted on the separate Answer Book.
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(ii) Attempt ALL questions from PART-II.
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(iii) All the parts (if any) of each Question must be attempted at one place instead of at different places.
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(iv) Candidate must write Q. No. in the Answer Book in accordance with Q. No. in the Q.Paper.
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(v) No Page/Space be left blank between the answers. All the blank pages of Answer Book must be crossed.
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(vi) Extra attempt of any question or any part of the attempted question will not be considered.
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Table of Contents
PART-II
Q. 2. Write a précis of the following passage in about 120 words and suggest a suitable title: (20)
During my vacation last May, I had a hard time choosing a tour. Flights to Japan, Hong Kong and Australia are just too common. What I wanted was somewhere exciting and exotic, a place where I could be spared from the holiday tour crowds. I was so happy when John called up, suggesting a trip to Cherokee, a county in the state of Oklahoma. I agreed and went off with the preparation immediately. We took a flight to Cherokee and visited a town called Qualla Boundary surrounded by magnificent mountain scenery, the town painted a paradise before us. With its Oconaluftee Indian Village reproducing tribal crafts and lifestyles of the 18th century and the outdoor historical pageant Unto These Hills playing six times weekly in the summer nights, Qualla Boundary tries to present a brief image of the Cherokee past to the tourists. Despite the language barrier, we managed to find our way to the souvenir shops with the help of the natives. The shops were filled with rubber tomahawks and colorful traditional war bonnets, made of dyed turkey feathers. Tepees, cone shaped tents made from animal skin, were also pitched near the shops. “Welcome! Want to get anything?” We looked up and saw a middle-aged man smiling at us. We were very surprised by his fluent English. He introduced himself as George and we ended up chatting till lunch time when he invited us for lunch at a nearby coffee shop. “Sometimes, I’ve to work from morning to sunset during the tour season. Anyway, this is still better off than being a woodcutter …” Remembrance weighed heavy on George’s mind and he went on to tell us that he used to cut firewood for a living but could hardly make ends meet. We learnt from him that the Cherokees do not depend solely on trade for survival. During the tour off-peak period, the tribe would have to try out other means for income. One of the successful ways is the “Bingo Weekend”. On the Friday afternoons of the Bingo weekends, a large bingo hall was opened, attracting huge crowds of people to the various kinds of games like the Super Jackpot and the Warrior Game Special. According to George, these forms of entertainment fetch them great returns. Our final stop in Qualla Boundary was at the museum where arts, ranging from the simple hand-woven oak baskets to wood and stone carvings of wolves, ravens and other symbols of Cherokee cosmology are displayed. Back at home, I really missed the place and I would of course look forward to the next trip to another exotic place.
Q. 3. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow: (20)
The New Year is the time for resolution. Mentally, at least most of us could compile formidable lists of ‘do’s and ‘don’ts’. The same old favorites recur year in and year out with the children, do a thousand and one job about the house, be nice to people we don’t like, drive carefully, and take the dog for a walk every day. Past experience has taught us that certain accomplishments are beyond attainment. If we remain deep-rooted liars, it is only because we have so often experienced the frustration that results from failure. Most of us fail in our efforts at self-improvement because our schemes are too ambitious and we never have time to carry them out. We also make the fundamental error of announcing our resolution to everybody so that we look even more foolish when we slip back into our bad old ways. Aware of these pitfalls, this year I attempted to keep my resolution to myself. I limited myself to two modest ambitions, to do physical exercise every morning and to read more in the evening. An overnight party on New Year’s Eve provided me with a good excuse for not carrying out either of these new resolutions on the first day of the year, but on the second, I applied myself assiduously to the task. The daily exercise lasted only eleven minutes and I proposed to do them early in the morning before anyone had got up. The self-discipline required to drag myself out of bed eleven minutes earlier than usual was considerable. Nevertheless, I managed to creep down into the living room for two days before anyone found me out. After jumping about in the carpet and twisted the human frame into uncomfortable positions. I sat down at the breakfast table in an exhausted condition. It was this that betrayed me. The next morning the whole family trooped into watch the performance. That was really unsettling but I fended off the taunts and jibes of the family good humoredly and soon everybody got used to the idea. However, my enthusiasm waned, the time I spent at exercises gradually diminished. Little by little the eleven minutes fell to zero. By January 10th I was back to where I had started from. I argued that if I spent less time exhausting myself at exercises in the morning. I would keep my mind fresh for reading when I got home from work. Resisting the hypnotizing effect of television, I sat in my room for a few evenings with my eyes glued to a book. One night, however, feeling cold and lonely, I went downstairs and sat in front of the television pretending to read. That proved to be my undoing, for I soon got back to the old bad habit of dozing off in front of the screen. I still haven’t given up my resolution to do more reading. In fact, I have just bought a book entitled ‘How to Read a Thousand Words a Minute’. Perhaps it will solve my problem, but I just have not had time to read it.
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Questions:
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1. Why most of us fail in our efforts for self-improvement? (5)
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2. Why is it a basic mistake to announce our resolution to everybody? (5)
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3. Why did the writer not carry out his resolution on New Year’s Day? (5)
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4. Find out the words in the above passage which convey the similar meaning to the following:
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(1) intimidating (2) peril (3) dwindle (4) repel (5) barb (5)
Q. 4.
(a) Correct only FIVE of the following: (5)
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(i) We were staying at my sister’s cape’s code vacation home.
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(ii) She recommended me that I take a few days off from work.
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(iii) I tried to explain him the problem, but he had difficulty understanding me.
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(iv) I’ll do the grocery shopping for you grandma, Lucy said.
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(v) We took a tent, a cooler, and a sleeping bag.
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(vi) I don’t know why you didn’t go. If I were you, I should have gone.
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(vii) Kevin says he stopped to travel internationally because of his family.
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(viii) Don’t run! Mr. Salman shouted.
(b) Choose the punctuation mark that is needed in each of the following sentences: (5)
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(i) “It isn’t fair!” shouted Martin Coach Lewis never lets me start the game!
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(ii) Maureen’s three sisters, Molly, Shannon, and Patricia are all spending the summer at their grandmother’s
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beach house.
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(iii) For the centrepieces, the florist recommended the following flowers daisies, tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths.
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(iv) Lily is an accomplished gymnast she won three medals in her last competition.
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(v) Everyone was shocked when Max Smithfield – a studious, extremely bright high school senior decided that college was not for him.
Q. 5.
(a) Choose the analogy of the words written in capital letters (Any five).(5)
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(i) SLAPSTICK : LAUGHTER (a) Fallacy : Dismay (b) Genre : Mystery (c ) Satire : Anger (d) Horror : Fear
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(ii) CONVICTION: INCARCERATION (a) Reduction : Diminution (b) Induction : Amelioration (c ) Radicalization : Estimation (d) Marginalization : Intimidation
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(iii) PROFESSOR : ERUDITE (a) Aviator : Licensed (b) Inventor : Imaginative (c ) Procrastinator : Conscientious (d) Overseer : Wealthy
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(iv) METAPHOR : SYMBOL (a) Pentameter : Poem (b) Rhythm : Melody (c ) Nuance : Song (d) Analogy : Comparison
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(v) SPY : CLANDESTINE (a) Accountant : Meticulous (b) Furrier : Rambunctious (c ) Lawyer : Ironic (d) Shepherd : Garrulous
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(vi) VERVE : ENTHUSIASM (a) Loyalty : Duplicity (b) Devotion : Reverence (c ) Intensity : Colour (d) Eminence : Anonymity
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(vii) DELTOID : MUSCLE (a) Radius : Bone (b) Brain : Nerve (c ) Tissue : Organ (d) Blood : Vein
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(viii)DEPENDABLE : CAPRICIOUS (a) Fallible : Cantankerous (b) Erasable : Obtuse (c ) Malleable : Limpid (d) Capable : Inept
(b) Rewrite the following dialogue, written in indirect speech, in a paragraph form. (5)
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Helen: Mr West, what’s happened to John?
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Mr West: He’s left the company
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Helen: Why has he done that?
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Mr West: He asked me for a rise but I didn’t give it to him.
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Helen: Why didn’t you give him a rise?
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Mr West: Because he was lazy.
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Helen: Has he found another job?
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Mr West: Yes, he is working in a film company.
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Helen: What is his salary like?
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Mr West: I think he earns quite a lot.
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Helen: Does he like the new job?
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Mr West: I don’t know.
Q. 6.
(a) Explain the difference between the following word pairs by using each word in your own sentences (Any five): (5)
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(i) Adverse, averse (ii) altogether, all together (iii) allude, elude (iv) braise, braze (v) curb, kerb (vi) faze, phase (vii) maybe, may be (viii) moat, mote
(b) Use any FIVE of the following in sentences which illustrate their meaning: (5)
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(i) Smash hit (ii) Murphy’s law (iii) Place in the Sun (iv) Wooden spoon (v) Go bananas (vi) Beard the Lion in his den (vii) Groan inwardly (viii) Chicken out