THE INSTITUTE OF CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS OF PAKISTAN

Foundation Examinations Spring 2010

March 4, 2010

FUNCTIONAL ENGLISH
Module A
Q.1 (a)

(MARKS 100) (3 hours)

Replace the underlined words / phrases in the following sentences with the correct synonyms: astonished, furious, redundancies, mobile, wreckage, gruesome, supplanted, speculation (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) (viii) The prince had been superseded by treachery by an impostor. Rahat was extremely angry with Shazia when they missed the train. Haisam was in bed for a few weeks with an injured leg but now he is able to move around easily again. Experts are studying the damaged and broken pieces of the plane to find out why it crashed. When we opened the kennel doors a very unpleasant and shocking sight met our eyes, there were dead rats everywhere. The teacher was filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise by her students ingenuity. There have been opinions formed without enough evidence that the manager is leaving the job. It is feared that there would be hundreds of cases in which employees would be dismissed because there would be no work available for them, if the two firms merge. (04)

(b)

Write homophones for each of the following words: (i) (iv) throne tide (ii) (v) medal ceiling (iii) (vi) heard vein (03)

(c)

Select the meaning which is most close to the idiom: (i) At daggers drawn (a) to fight with daggers (c) a violent situation As the crow flies (a) something flying like a crow (c) travelling on a long route Hit the ceiling (a) throw something on the roof (c) react extremely angrily Bury the hatchet (a) to break rules (c) to forget something (b) to fight a duel (d) a long standing revenge (b) in a straight line (d) to measure a distance (b) to reach saturation point (d) to break the record (b) to bury the dead (d) to make peace

(ii)

(iii)

(iv)

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(v) Add fuel to the fire (a) to make a bad situation worse (c) to lit the fire place Gain ground (a) to flourish (c) to get benefit from someone

(b) burn gas or oil to produce heat (d) to beat the already dead (b) to make progress (d) to own a plot of land

(vi)

(03)

Q.2

(a)

Write the Abstract nouns for each of the following words: (i) (v) sell choose (ii) (vi) famous just (iii) (vii) absent strong (iv) (viii) anxious think (04)

(b)

Write the Plurals of the following words: (i) (v) louse navy (ii) (vi) furniture criterion (iii) (vii) crisis memorandum (iv) (viii) radius medium (04)

Q.3

Complete the following sentences with the appropriate words / phrases: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) ________ who look for trouble, usually find it. anyone these those them

By my fiftieth birthday, I ________in my current profession for over twenty years. will be will have been would be would have been I cannot understand my neighbours accent. I wish she would ________. speak clearer speaks clearly more clearly speak speak more clearly Until last year, it was the largest ship that _______. was ever built has ever built has ever been built ________ are you speaking? I didnt catch the name. who whom of who This organization __________ twenty-five years ago. found founded was found had ever been built of whom was founded (07)

I had ________ finding my way around Karachi when I first arrived. quite time a quite time a time quite quite a time Insert the correct preposition in each of the following sentences: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) (viii) (ix) (x) How many _____ the members will join the trip? We had to climb slowly _____ the hill. Dont lean that ladder _____ the wall. Even the new drug could not cure him _____ his illness. The cat likes to rub its head _____ my legs. If you go _____ a river you go towards its source. There is only one bridge _____ this river. Many of us eat _____ fork and spoon. The referee ordered two players _____ the field. We have not met _____ early last year.

Q.4

(a)

(05)

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(b) Determine whether the following sentences are declarative, imperative, interrogative or exclamatory and place the appropriate punctuation mark at the end of the sentence. (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) Q.5 Look, that man has green hair He asked me what my name was Ask them where they are going When was Liaquat Ali Khan prime minister I wonder when Liaquat Ali Khan was the prime minister

(05)

State whether the following words are nouns, adjectives, or adverbs. (i) (v) (ix) (xiii) belly grimly hilly carefully (ii) (vi) (x) (xiv) curly alley friendly folly (iii) (vii) (xi) assembly actively barely (iv) (viii) (xii) fairly chilly costly (07)

Q.6

Colour blindness or a colour vision deficiency, as is commonly referred to in medical world, is the inability to perceive differences between some of the colours that others can distinguish. It is most often of genetic nature, but may also occur because of eye, nerve, or brain damage, or exposure to certain chemicals. The normal human retina contains two kinds of light cells: the rod cells (active in low light) and the cone cells (active in normal daylight). Normally, there are three kinds of cones, each containing a different pigment, which are activated when the pigments absorb light. The absorption spectra of the cones differ; one is maximally sensitive to short wavelengths, one to medium wavelengths and the third to long wavelengths, with their peak sensitivities in the blue, yellowish-green and yellow regions of the spectrum, respectively. The absorption spectra of all three systems cover much of the visible spectrum. Many of the genes involved in colour vision are on the X chromosome. Men only have one while women have two X chromosomes, making colour blindness more common in males than in females. There are some studies which conclude that colour blind individuals are better at penetrating certain colour camouflages and it has been suggested that this may be the evolutionary explanation for the surprisingly high frequency of congenital red-green colour blindness. The Ishihara colour test, which consists of a series of pictures of coloured spots, is the test most often used to diagnose red-green colour deficiencies. The full set of tests has a variety of figure/background colour combinations, and enable diagnosis of which particular visual defect is present. However, the Ishihara colour test is criticized for containing only numerals and thus not being useful for young children, who have not yet learned to use numerals. For this reason, alternative colour vision tests were developed using only symbols (square, circle, car). There is generally no treatment to cure colour deficiencies. However, certain types of tinted filters and contact lenses may help an individual to better distinguish different colours. (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) Give a suitable title to the passage. What are the different causes of colour blindness? In what ways the absorption spectra of the cones differ? Why men are more prone to colour blindness than women? What is the reason for the criticism on Ishihara colour test in young children? Write a prcis of 110 words. (01) (02) (02) (01) (01) (08)

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Q.7 Change the following from Direct Speech to Indirect Speech: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) (viii) Q.8 She said, "I've been teaching English for seven years." "I saw Laila at the bank on Monday." Said Nausheen. "Are you looking for something special?" Inquired the shop assistant. "Is Saif still playing football with you all?" asked Johar. "Can I use your phone?" I asked. The gardener said, "I always sell all my flowers." "I've returned the dictionary to the library". Javed told Sonia. Parkash said, "My wife went with me to the show."

(08)

The dumping of solid waste in residential areas is an increasing menace. Heaps of garbage can be seen everywhere across the city creating several problems for the residents. Besides posing a health threat, it mars the visual beauty of the area. It becomes home for rats, mosquitoes and flies which carry germs and spread diseases. The situation is unbearable, specially these days, when we are trying to prevent an outbreak of dengue fever and swine flu. Write a letter to the Area Councilor requesting him to have the streets and lanes cleaned and relieve the residents of mental agony, by implementing a well-planned garbage disposal system. Assume that your name is Shahrey. (11)

Q.9

Raheel and Hamza are close friends. Hamza wants to quit his job and fulfill his childhood dream of starting his own business. Raheel wants to convince his friend Hamza not to quit his stable job. You are required to construct a dialogue between Raheel and Hamza explaining their respective viewpoints. The dialogue should contain four logical arguments from each person. (08)

Q.10 Write an essay of approximately 350 words on any one of the following topics. Word count carries marks. (a) (b) (c) (d) Honesty is the best policy Value of discipline in a nations life Poverty is a better teacher than prosperity Good deeds speak louder than thousand nice words (THE END)

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