English Communication Skills - BTech First Year Engineering Notes PDF

▼▼ Scroll Down to View your Downloaded File! ▼▼ Disclaimer Please note none of the content or study material in this document or content in this file is prepared or owned by AceTechie.com. This content is shared by our student partners and we do not hold any copyright on this content. Please...

▼▼ Scroll Down to View your Downloaded File! ▼▼ Disclaimer Please note none of the content or study material in this document or content in this file is prepared or owned by AceTechie.com. This content is shared by our student partners and we do not hold any copyright on this content. Please let us know if the content in this file infringes any of your copyright by writing to us at: [email protected] and we will take appropriate action.  Frequently Asked Questions with Answers SUBJECT: COMMUNICATION SKILLS BRANCH: DEGREE – ME,EE,CIVIL (1st Semester) 1 “Communication is the process of passing information and understanding from one person to another.” Elucidate the following definition citing suitable examples. 2 Define the term audience analysis with reference to presentation. 3 Why is it important to define the purpose of presentation? Discuss the importance ‘analyzing’ and ‘locale’ while making a presentation. (GTU Winter 2013) 4 How “Listening” is different from “Hearing”? (GTU Winter 2013) 5 Your friend is going to make presentation on paralinguistics in a workshop. To help your friend, write its content outline and your tips for making it effective presentation. (GTU Summer 2014) 6 Man’s inability to communicate is a result of his failure to listen effectively.” Keeping this statement in mind, discuss in detail, the traits of a good listener. (GTU Summer 2014) 7 Explain the barriers to effective listening in detail. m o 8 Define various reading strategies. 9 Elaborate various techniques to develop good reading comprehension. 10.c Explain importance of email etiquette. List major modes of email etiquette that one should follow while writing a mail. ie 11 Given below is the etiquette of drafting and replaying/sending an email. 12 As a performance incentive, India Engineering Pvt Ltd has decided to distribute tablets in the range h of Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 12,000 among its 100 employees. Write a letter of inquiry to MKL Technology inquiring about details of the tablets available in the range decided by the company, discount, mode of payment and other terms and conditions. c 13 e The Horizon Technology Ltd. notices the decline in sells in their laptops. You have been entrusted the task to prepare a report on the causes of decline in sales and suggest suitable measures. As the T Sales Executive, draft the report to be submitted to the Manager, Sales Department of your company. 14 e India Engineering Pvt Ltd has decided to buy 100 tablets from MKL Technology. Write a letter placing an order for the same clearly mentioning the necessary details about tablet, price, discount, c mode of payment and other terms and conditions. A 15 State Instances of ungrammatical English used by the speaker in the poem “Goodbye Party for Ms Pushpa TS.” 16 Describe the activities happening in the office of Mr Maxwell on the basis of the story ‘The Romance of a Busy Broker’. 17 What picture of the speaker is created in the poem “Goodbye Party for Miss Pushpa T S‟? (GTU Summer 2014) 18 Micromax co. Ltd, Mumbai wants to establish a new plant near Sanand, Gujarat. As a consultant engineer, write a feasibility report on establishing a factory in Sanand, Gujarat. (GTU Winter 2013) 19 Write a note on the character of Miss. Pushpa. 20 Comment on the theme of the story The Eyes Are Not Here. Alpha College of Engineering & Technology  Frequently Asked Questions with Answers SUBJECT: COMMUNICATION SKILLS SEMESTER: I 1. “Communication is the process of passing information and understanding from one person to another.” Elucidate the following definition citing suitable examples. Communication is a systematic attempt to share human experiences, thoughts, ideas, information and knowledge with one or more than one person. Accordingly, “Communication is the process of passing information and understanding from one person to another.” The process of communication is follows: m o.c ie h Encoding c e The process of transforming abstract ideas or thoughts into commonly accepted human language is known as encoding. If one wants to communicate the idea of danger, then the word danger can be used, the colour red can be used, or a loud sound can be used. T Message e c The encoded idea is termed as message. An idea is an abstract whereas message is the physical output from abstract idea. A message can be any information, ideas, feelings and events. Medium/Channel A The sender selects an appropriate medium or channel for successful transmission of the message. Medium can be understood as method or mode of communication. It can be verbal or non-verbal. Verbal includes oral or written communication whereas non-verbal includes signs, gestures, body language etc. Noise When you communicate, you desire that the message received should be the same as the message sent. But you might notice that this isn’t always the case. It happens due to the presence of Noise. Noise is defined as any unplanned interference in the communication environment, which causes hindrances in the transmission of the message. Familiar example of noise is noise in telephone lines or network problem. In written communication illegible handwriting can be termed as noise. Alpha College of Engineering & Technology Decoding Decoding is the reverse of encoding. The process of interpretation of message is called as decoding. The process of decoding depends upon ‘communicative competence’ and ‘linguistic competence’ of receiver. Effective decoding is very important for successful communication as any misinterpretation of a message leads towards confusion or misunderstanding. Response/ Feedback Feedback is the action or reaction of the receiver to the message. It helps the sender to know that the message was received and understood. 2. Define the term audience analysis with reference to presentation. All audience has one thing in common. They are receiving end of your communication. They may be your friends, foes, clients, colleagues, sometimes unfamiliar faces. The nature of your audience has a direct impact on the strategy you devise for your presentation. Hence it is necessary to have some prior knowledge of audience’s characteristics. If you are going to speak before an unknown group, ask host or the organizer for help in analyzing the audience. While analyzing your audience you need to analyze following aspects: Analysis - Who are they? How many will be there? m o Understanding - What is their knowledge of the subject? Demographics - What is their age, sex, educational background?.c I interest - Why are they there? Who asked them to be there? Environment - Where will I stand? Can they all see & hear me? Needs - What are their needs? What are your needs as the speaker? ie Customized - What specific needs do you need to address? Try to analyze your audience in terms of their interests, likes, dislikes, determine their level of knowledge, their h attitude towards you, be aware of the gender of the group and consider the size and composition of the audience. All these factors are important because you will be gearing the style and content of the speech to your audience’s c background, needs, interest and attitudes. If you analyze your audience and their reactions in advance you will be e able to structure your presentation and adapt your style to help them to feel comfortable. T 3. Why is it important to define the purpose of presentation? Discuss the importance ‘analyzing’ and ‘locale’ while making a presentation. (GTU Winter 2013) e The purpose of your presentation not only decides the content and style but also affects the amount of audience c interaction. For instance, when your purpose is to provide information or to analyze a situation you and the audience generally interact in a limited manner. On the other hand, when your purpose is to persuade people to A take a particular action or to collaborate with them in solving a problem, or making a decision, the interaction would be more. You generally begin with providing the fact and figures that increase your audience understanding of the subject; you might also offer arguments in defense of certain conclusion and recommendations. Depending on your purpose – to inform, to analyze or to persuade – you should be flexible enough to adjust to new input and unexpected audience reactions. ANALYSING LOCALE In addition to an overall understanding of the audience you need to find out about the locale. Every location has its unique physical environment. You may present in magnificently large auditoriums or oppressively small conference rooms. Know the physical settings; find out whether you will have a podium or a table, whether you will have a public address system and so on. Also pay attention to the physical conditions confronting your audience such as seating arrangements, room temperature and lighting. Have they been seated on hard metal chairs for an hour in freezing room? Or is the lighting too powerful to render your slide presentation ineffective? Alpha College of Engineering & Technology If you identify such problems in advance, you can either ask for alternative arrangements or modify your materials, visual aids and style to suit the environment. 4. How “Listening” is different from “Hearing”? (GTU Winter 2013) Hearing Hearing and Listening, though synonymous, are complete different things. You can listen to someone without actually hearing anything. Hearing is one of the five senses of a person and it is the ability to perceive sound by detecting vibrations through an organ such as the ear. Hearing is “the process, function, or power of perceiving sound; specifically: the special sense by which noises and tones are received as stimuli.” Hearing is a physiological process in which vibrations are detected by the ear and then converted into nerve impulses and sent to the brain. This process is automatic and fast. We are hearing means some sound is going on around our ears and our ears catch that sound. Listening Listening is process of becoming aware of the sound signals entered through ears and modified by nervous system. Your ears permit you to listen to the sounds but your mind enables to recognize some of these sounds as words and expressions and interprets them into thoughts and ideas. Your interpretation ability helps you to react to that hearing. For hearing you do not require physical cues but for listening you take physical cues- in terms of eyes and gestures- in order to get the message effectively. m Listening requires a person to pay attention to the speaker and provide feedback. Listening is a step further than o hearing, where after the brain receives the nerve impulses and deciphers it, it then sends feedback. Listening requires concentration, deriving meaning from the sound that is heard and reacting to it. Listening is a process of.c communication, where if the person is not listening it can cause a break in communication. ie Enlist the components of non-verbal communication. Discuss any two of them in detail. (Kinesics, Proxemics, Para linguistics, Chronemics) (GTU Summer 2014) Kinesics: h c It is the name given to the study of the body’s physical movements. In other words, it is the way the body communicates without words, i.e. through various movements of its parts. Nodding your head, blinking your e eyes, shrugging shoulders, waving the hands and other such physical activities are all forms of communication. Some kinesics behaviours are deliberately intended to communicate, as when you nod your head for T acceptance. Understanding non-verbal cues will develop your ability to use them more effectively during your e presentation. The non-verbal part of an oral presentation is not as deliberate and conscious as verbal communication. Rather, c it is subtle and instinctive. Non-verbal communication is concerned with body movements (kinesics), space (proxemics), and vocal features (paralinguistic features). It is important to know more about these features of A body language.  Personal Appearance: It plays an important role; people see you before they hear you. Appearance includes clothes, hair, jewelry, cosmetics and so on. Clothes accent the body’s movements. You should expect appearance to be part of the message you communicate. One’s appearance may put the audience into a resistant or hostile attitude or induce in them a receptive mood.  Posture: Posture generally refers to the way we hold ourselves when we stand, sit, or walk. Novice speakers are unsure of what to do of their body. Certain mannerisms creep in, usually from nervousness- pacing Alpha College of Engineering & Technology  constantly, bobbing the shoulders, fidgeting with the notes, etc. the way you sit and stand reveals a lot about you: 1. Slumped posture- low spirits 2. Erect posture- high spirits, energy and confidence 3. Lean forward- open, honest and interested 4. Lean backward- defensive or disinterested 5. Crossed arms- defensive and not ready to listen 6. Uncrossed arms- willingness to listen  Gesture: Gesture is the movement made by hands, arms, shoulders, head and torso. Gestures clarify your ideas or reinforce them and should be well suited to the audience and occasion. Gestures are more numerous than any forms of nonverbal communication and the meanings attached to them are diverse. Gestures can be divided into the following types: 1. Enumerative- numbers 2. Descriptive- size of the objects 3. Symbolic- abstract concepts 4. Locative- location of an object m 5. Emphatic- emphasis o  Facial Expression: Along with posture and gesture, facial expressions also play an important. The face is the most expressive part of.c your body. A smile stands for friendliness, a frown for discontent, raised eyebrows for disbelief, tightened jaw muscles for antagonism, etc. Facial expressions are subtle. The face rarely sends a single at a time. The five basic expressions are: ie 1. Inhibited- restricted and stolid 2. Uninhibited- spontaneous and impetuous h 3. Substituted- happy with a long face 4. Frozen- no change in expression c 5. Blank- no expression at all  Eye contact: e T The eyes are considered to be the windows of the soul. You look to the eyes of a speaker to help find out truthfulness of his speech, his intelligence, attitudes and feelings. Eye contact is a direct and powerful form of e non-verbal communication. Eye contact and eye movement help you tremendously in the filtering process or in getting the desired response or feedback. c 5. Your friend is going to make presentation on paralinguistics in a workshop. To help your friend, write A its content outline and your tips for making it effective presentation. (GTU Summer 2014) Content Organization : Introduction Paralinguistic features are non-verbal vocal cues that help you to give urgency to your voice. Your voice is your trademark. Voice gives extra life to your delivery. Therefore you may find it useful to understand the characteristic nuances of voice, namely quality, volume, rate, pitch, articulation, pronunciation and pauses. Main Body 1. Quality: Quality is a characteristic that distinguishes one voice from another. Each one of us has a unique voice. 2. Volume: Alpha College of Engineering & Technology  Volume is the loudness or the softness of the voice. Your voice should always project but need not be loud. You should vary your volume so as to make your voice audible and clear. One way to improve your voice is through reading aloud. 3. Pace/Rate: Rate is the number of words which you speak per minute. It varies from person to person. The normal rate is from 120 to 150 words. If a person speaks too slowly, s/he is considered as dull. Similarly, a fast speaker also causes discomfort. 4.Pitch: Pitch refers to the vibrations per second of your voice. The rise and fall of voice conveys various emotions. It helps you avoid being monotonous. Use a variety of pitches to hold your listeners’ attention. 5. Articulation: Speakers should be careful not to slop, slur, chop, truncate or omit sounds in between words or sentences. If all the sounds are not uttered properly, the flow of thought gets interrupted. 6. Pronunciation: Pronunciation is an important skill for presentation. The best way to improve pronunciation is to do more practice by reading aloud, conversing with the native speakers, etc. The best way is to follow British Received m Pronunciation (BRP). One should be very careful while pronouncing individual sounds along with word stress according to the set norms. Whenever there is confusion it is better to go through a good dictionary and try to pronounce it accordingly. o.c 7. Pauses: A pause is a short silence side by words. It embellishes your speech because it is a natural process to give a ie break. If you become too self-conscious the process becomes too artificial. A pause helps not only a listener but also a speaker. h Conclusion: If words are the body of the language, paraligustic clues are the soul of the language which adds extra effectiveness in your language. With these clues language becomes monotonous and artificial. Preparing an outline c e T 1.Meaning of Paralinguistics e Paralinguistic features are non-verbal vocal cues that help you to give urgency to your voice 2. Elements of Paralinguistics c Volume, pace-rate rate, pitch, articulation, pronunciation and pauses. 3. Conclusion: A Paralinguistic clues add extra effect in your speech and presentation Tips for making good presentation  Dress formal and be professional  Give hand out to your audience  Use clear texts and diagrams for the slides Alpha College of Engineering & Technology   Have good energy and smile to your audience  Keep good body language 6. Man’s inability to communicate is a result of his failure to listen effectively.” Keeping this statement in mind, discuss in detail, the traits of a good listener. (GTU Summer 2014) By being a good listener, you can sort out various problems. This will improve your understanding and capacity to empathize. Acknowledging other people’s works and efforts makes them feel good. If someone is going through some problem, listening to him/her could be a great relief, and then coming up with a solution would be the best thing you can do.  Be non-evaluative about the speaker: Verbal and nonverbal behavior of a good listener will suggest the speaker that he is being properly heard and understood. It should not indicate what the listener thinks about that person. The purpose is to communicate overlooking the attitude and values of the speaker. A good listener does not evaluate the  speaker. Asks questions: m o A good listener does not hesitate to ask questions. Speakers appreciate being questioned as it shows interest on the part of the listener. But the questions should be to seek clarification but not to evaluate,.c criticize or make fun of the speaker. Asking too many questions while the speaker is still talking may interrupt his/ her flow, resulting in ineffective speech. ie  Paraphrasing: To clarify a point, A good listener paraphrase what the speaker said and enquire from the speaker if he/she has heard accurately. One can use the following the phrases to ensure that you have paraphrased h correctly- “As I gather, you want to tell…”, “So you mean to say that...”, “Do you mean that...” etc. He/ she go beyond the words of the speaker indicating appreciation for ideas. It may help the speaker in c further extension or elaboration of ideas. One may use phrases like: “So this might lead to a result e which…”, “So you are suggesting that we might…” etc.  Reflecting implications: T A good listener checks the authenticity of facts and evidences narrated by the speaker. This either supports or weakens the arguments of the speaker, which can be pointed out at the end of the speech.  Responding non-verbally: e c A good listener show his/her interest in what the speaker says through certain postures and sending non- verbal signals. It includes eye contact, body language, head nods and a slightly tilted head. A good A listener reflects eagerness and zest by nodding or through verbal means thereby giving positive feedback.  Reflecting hidden feelings: Communication flows at two levels. At superficial level, the verbal messages pass from sender to receiver. At second level, the intentions, feelings, and emotions of the sender also pass along with message. A good listener not only listens to the verbal message, but also understands these intentions, feelings, and expressions. Listening to this second level message along with verbal message gives the right meaning of the words.  Inviting further contribution: In a situation where the listener have not heard or understood enough, yet to respond with empathy and understanding, promote the speaker to give more information. Phrases such as the following can be used: “can you throw more light on…”, “After that, what happened? Alpha College of Engineering & Technology ▼▼ Scroll Down to View your Downloaded File! ▼▼ 7. Explain the barriers to effective listening in detail. Physical barriers Physical barriers such as noise, distance, visual distractions affect listening. The physical barriers are more intense when the communication is not face to face. Telephone conversations are often interrupted by noise. The chances of faulty interpretations are more here as there is no chance of lip reading or catching the expressions of the speaker. Even in face –to- face communication, physical distractions obstruct active listening. Many speakers talking at the same time distracts the attention of all the listeners. This type of distractions can be observed in meetings in business organizations. Visual distractions such as too many people cluttered in a small place, bright colored clothes of the speaker, colors and furnishings of interiors may distract the listening process. Other factors in this category are poor acoustics, defective mechanical devices, uncomfortable seating or environment etc. 2) Physiological barriers m Physiological problems of either of the communicators may create barriers to active listening. For example, if the o receiver has hearing problems, his listening process is impaired. In the same way speech problems such as stammer of speaker act as barriers to active listening..c 3) Psychological barriers Many a time problem arises due to ‘brain time’. On an average, a person speaks around 30-150 words per minute ie but has the capacity to listen to 600-700 words per minute. Therefore the person’s mind tends to wander in rest of the time. Interrupting is a problem for many reasons. First, it is aggressive behavior and will most likely bring a negative h response from the speaker being interrupted. Second, it is difficult to listen and speak at the same time. When the c listener is interrupting, he or she is certainly not listening fully. Faking attention can be offensive and is usually hard to hide. This is hurtful and sends the message to the speaker e that the listener doesn’t really care about what the speaker is saying. T Becoming emotional can hinder one’s ability to listen. It is important that the receiver be aware of his or her emotions. If the sender is sending a message that is offensive, it is important to acknowledge that fact and be e aware of the fact that something is threatening a breakdown in the process. When a receiver is angered, it is easy for him or her to miss the most important part of the sender’s message. Also, listeners are sometimes egocentric. c In his case, active listening does not take place. A 4) Linguistic barriers When the listener does not understand the meaning of the words used by the speaker, there is a linguistic barrier. The speaker may have used specialized vocabulary, jargon, another language, or may not have used the right words or sentence structure. 5) Cultural barriers Cultural differences among various people belonging to different places or ethnic group impede communication in general and active listening in particular. Languages of different groups of people or linguistic barrier also fall in this category. Alpha College of Engineering & Technology The same language with differing accents also blocks listening process. An Indian speaking in English with Australian faces problems in understanding during the early days of migration to Australia. The vice versa is also true. Also, similar words have different meaning in different cultures. As the message is misunderstood, the receiver’s listening process s affected. Gender difference in various cultures also affects listening in different cultures as a female speaks politely and with low pitch of voice even when instructing subordinates. Subordinates may take an instruction as a request and sometimes fail to adhere to it. 8. Define various reading strategies. Good reading strategies help you to read in a very efficient way. Using them, you aim to get the maximum benefit from your reading with the minimum effort. This section will show you how to use six different strategies to read intelligently. m Strategy 1: Knowing what you want to know o The first thing to ask yourself is: Why you are reading the text? Are you reading with a purpose or just for pleasure? What do you want to know after reading it?.c Once you know this, you can examine the text to see whether it is going to move you towards this goal. An easy way of doing this is to look at the introduction and the chapter headings. The introduction tells you what ie it seeks to achieve. Chapter headings will give you an overall view of the structure of the subject. Strategy 2: Knowing how deeply to study the material h Where you only need the shallowest knowledge of the subject, you can skim material. Here you read only chapter headings, introductions and summaries. c e If you need a moderate level of information on a subject, read the chapter introductions and summaries in detail. At this level , it is essential to pay attention to diagrams and graphs. T Only when you need detailed knowledge of a subject is it worth studying the text. Here it is best to skim the e material first to get an overview of the subject. This gives you an understanding of its structure. It is a good c technique for getting a deep understanding of a text. A Strategy 3: Active Reading While reading the material, visualizing and analyzing in mind helps in better comprehension. Strategy 4: How to study different sorts of material Different sorts of document hold information in different places and in different ways. By understanding the layout of the material you are reading, you can extract useful information much more efficiently. Strategy 5: Using glossaries with technical documents If you are reading large amounts of difficult technical material, it may be useful to photocopy or compile a glossary. Keep this beside you as you read. It will probably also be useful to note down the key concepts in your own words, and refer to them when necessary. Alpha College of Engineering & Technology 9. Elaborate various techniques to develop good reading comprehension. TECHNIQUES FOR GOOD READING COMPREHENSION 1) Skimming and scanning: (Refer: Techniques of reading) 2) Non-verbal signals: Meaning of the text is not conveyed by means of words. Non verbal signals include style features such as different fonts, bold prints, underlining, or italics. For example: Heading, title, subheading, photographs, captions, figures, graphs, bar graphs, charts, etc. 3) Structure of the text: Most texts start with a title and sometimes a subtitle. After that comes the introduction and the body, followed by a conclusion or summary. Title gives an idea about the topic. The body consists of paragraphs. Each paragraph deals with one aspect of the subject matter. The conclusion sums up the subject. 4) Structure of paragraphs: The first sentence of the paragraph contains the topic sentence, which contains the new aspect of the subject. The second part of the paragraph contains arguments, explanation, details, examples etc. The last sentence of a paragraph is often a summary of the paragraph or a linking sentence to the next paragraph. m 5) Punctuation: Punctuation marks help you understand the grammatical structures. o.c 6) Summarizing: Making notes of essential information helps to remember contents of long texts. Important ie information that should be included in summary is purpose, theme, key words, explanations etc. Steps of summarizing are: h  Read the text.  Select important information.  Paraphrase the information. c e 7) Active reading: While reading the material, visualizing and analyzing in mind helps in better comprehension. T e 8) Selection of appropriate reading styles: There are various types of styles of reading like critical, exploratory, analytical etc. Selecting right style of reading saves time as well as helps in better comprehension. c A 9) Concentration: Concentration is most important for comprehension. With the disturbances in physical environment, you cannot concentrate on reading. 10) Silent reading: Reading out loud affects comprehension. It is always preferable to read silently for better comprehension. 11) Preview and review: Preview helps in having a grasp of what we are going to read, which helps in developing a comprehensive idea of the material. Review helps in better and quick understanding of the material. 12) Highlight and underline: When you are reading a document in detail, it often helps if you highlight, underline and it. This emphasizes information in your mind, and helps you to review important points later. Alpha College of Engineering & Technology 10. Explain importance of email etiquette. List major modes of email etiquette that one should follow while writing a mail. Email has become an inevitable tool of communication today. While working, it becomes a regular work for horizontal, vertical or diagonal communication for inter and/ or intra organizational communication. Email etiquette is important as it creates and maintains professionalism as it helps to achieve desire result by conveying the message effectively. 10. Given below is the etiquette of drafting and replaying/sending an email. 1. Have a professional email id: One should have an email address that reflects a professional attitude. Email address like [email protected], [email protected] indicate carefree professional attitude. Generally, one should try to use the first and the last name in professional email id. 2. Be precise and to the point: In this fast world, no one likes to read long mails. Moreover, it is difficult to read long mail as compared to long letter. Hence, it is advisable to write to the point. m 3. Answer al, the proposed/ received queries: o.c Answering all the proposed of received queries create positive image of yours. As well as that of your organization. Moreover, it also saves valuable time of both the parties by making decision process faster. ie 4. Ensure appropriate spelling, grammar and punctuation: Correction in spelling, grammar and punctuation helps in conveying message in accurate manner and saves the time of both sender and receiver from being the victim of miscommunication. 5. Structure your email properly: h c Much like a business letter an email too should have proper beginning, middle and end. The first e paragraph should give reference to the purpose of mail, the second should elaborate it and the third paragraph should state clearly the action anticipated from the receiver. T 6. Use salutations and complementary close: e It’s a polite way of greeting and leave taking. Never send an email without these two things. The effective c salutation can be dear/respected sir or m’am, and the concluding statement could be ‘ Warm Regards’, ‘Best Regards’, Sincerely Yours’, ‘ Truly Yours’etc. 7. Answer Quickly: A The reply of the email should be sent within 24 hours, preferably within the same working day.If the reply is likely to take time at least acknowledge sold be sent. 8. Remember to attach the document: Many times, is happens that the sender mentions about the attachment in the draft but forgets to attach the documents.In order to avoid the situation, the sender should proof read the email and should ensure that all attachments are there. 11. As a performance incentive, India Engineering Pvt Ltd has decided to distribute tablets in the range of Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 12,000 among its 100 employees. Write a letter of inquiry to MKL Technology inquiring Alpha College of Engineering & Technology about details of the tablets available in the range decided by the company, discount, mode of payment and other terms and conditions. India Engineering Pvt Ltd Opp. Mision Towers Tower Road Surat -395001 Email: [email protected] Website: www.indiaengineering.com Phone: (0261) 2841403 Date:28 November, 2014 MKL Technology B/h Avishkar Towers Bodakdev Ahemdabad-380054 m o Sub: An inquiry about tablets.c Dear Sir/M’am, We are pleased to introduce as one of the prestigious organizations in the field of engineering & technology. In ie order to increase the motivation of the employees, the higher authority has decided to distribute tablets as a performance incentive. h We shall be glad if you would kindly let us know the price and terms of trade for the supply of 100 tablets between the range of 10, 000 to 12, 000.Our order is going to be considerably large. We, therefore request you to c offer us maximum discount and favorable terms of payment. As our requirement is urgent, we would like to e know whether you could deliver the goods within 15 days. If your prices and delivery period are found acceptable, we shall soon place an order with you. We look forward to hearing from you. T e c Yours faithfully, (Mr. Rahi) A Purchase Department Executive 12. The Horizon Technology Ltd. notices the decline in sells in their laptops. You have been entrusted the task to prepare a report on the causes of decline in sales and suggest suitable measures. As the Sales Executive, draft the report to be submitted to the Manager, Sales Department of your company. The Horizon Technology Ltd. IT City, 2nd floor, Tower C, Plot No 346 Dundhahera, Udyog Vihar Phase-2 Gurgaon-122016 Date: November 28, 2014 Alpha College of Engineering & Technology The Manager Sales Department IT City Gurgaon Sub: A report on the decline on sales of laptops Dear Sir, With reference to the instruction given to me in the meeting of 15 th November, 2014 to inquire about the causes of decline in the sales of laptop, I submit the report along with the measure to be taken arrest the deadline. Features Appreciated: Intel Core i3 3rd generation 2GB DDR 3 RAM 512 GB HDD DVD RW Integrated Graphics m o Free DOS.c Causes of Decline:  The users are switching to devices like tablets and smart phones  The memory of the hard disk is lower compared to the memory offered by competitors like 1 TB ie  The operating system offered in our laptop is outdated with Intel launching new operating systems like Intel Core i7 Remedies h c  The company should offer higher memory for the hard disk  Upgrade the current operating system to the latest ones like Intel Core i7 e  The company should offer a detachable screen in the laptop which can be used as tablet T I hope the above stated observations and opinions would help the company to boost the sales of the laptop. Yours truly, e c A (HT Tripathi) Sales Manager 13. India Engineering Pvt Ltd has decided to buy 100 tablets from MKL Technology. Write a letter placing an order for the same clearly mentioning the necessary details about tablet, price, discount, mode of payment and other terms and conditions. India Engineering Pvt Ltd Opp. Mision Towers Tower Road Surat -395001 Email: [email protected] Alpha College of Engineering & Technology Website: www.indiaengineering.com Phone: (0261) 2841403 Date:28 November, 2014 MKL Technology B/h Avishkar Towers Bodakdev Ahemdabad-380054 Sub: An oder for 100 tablets Dear sir/m’am, This is with the reference to the quotation letter that your firm sent for 100 tablets. You will be pleased to know that our organization has decided to to buy laptops from you. Quantity: 100 tablets Product description:  Intel Core i3 3rd generation m o  2GB DDR 3 RAM  500 GB HDD.c  DVD RW  Integrated Graphics ie  Free DOS Cost including Discount:10,000/-per tablet h Mode of Payment: We agree that 50 percent payment is on CWO bases and remaining at the time of delivery. We c have attached a demand draft no. 234450 dated 1st December, 2014 of rupees 5, 00,000 of bank of Baroda e payable at Ahmedabad as 50 percent payment towards the order. T Delivery: Within 15 days from the date of placing the order.  Other terms & Condition: e c o One year warranty of the parts o Two years free service to repair and replace the part A o The damaged items will be reshipped within a week o The cost of the reshipping, if any, to be borne by the Company o The charges involved in dispatch and delivery will be o Borne by the company o The company is responsible for any on-road fault o If the order is not executed as per the terms and conditions agreed upon, it shall tand as cancelled We wish to have timed execution of the order Sincerely: Alpha College of Engineering & Technology (Mr. Rahi) Purchase Department Executive 14. State Instances of ungrammatical English used by the speaker in the poem “Goodbye Party for Ms Pushpa TS.” From its first stanza makes fun at the way we speak English. In the first stanza the speaker says that Miss Pushpa will depart in “two three days” instead of “two or three days.” Instead of saying that Miss Pushpa is kind hearted and gentle woman the speaker says that she is sweet both ‘internal’ and ‘external’. In the same stanza the speaker instead of saying that Miss Pushpa is a pleasant looking woman he says that she is “smiling and smiling even for no reason.” While giving her family background the speaker says that she comes from a ‘high family’ for saying ‘rich family’. The speaker’s deviation while talking about Surat shows the Indianism. He remembers his past, when he went to Surat to stay with one of his uncle’s friend. “Just now only I will do”, is again a mistake committed by the speaker, when he attempts to say that Miss Pushpa would do things within minutes. m o Use of grammatically incorrect and inappropriate phrases and expressions; e.g. “departing for foreign”, “all knowing friends”, coming from very high family”.c The other aberrations are incorrect use of tense such as in “I am not remembering”, “his wife was cooking nicely”, “she was saying”, “that is showing”, “is never saying no”, “am always appreciating”, “we are wishing her bon voyage” , “summing up” etc ie Attitude of the speaker is reflected through his conscious effort at styling the language and the flattering tone of the speech suggesting sham personality. h 15. Describe the activities happening in the office of Mr Maxwell on the basis of the story ‘The Romance of c a Busy Broker’. e The story begins on the fine morning in the office of a New York based share broker. His name is Mr. Maxwell. Mr. Pitcher is a clerk in his office. He was surprised when he saw Mr. Maxwell entering into office with his T young lady stenographer and wished him good morning. Mr. Pitcher also noticed difference in her behavior. Usually, she would directly go to her cabin. However, on that day she looked a bit unsure of something hanged e for a while in the outer office. She even moved over by Mr. Maxwell’s desk, near enough that he could notice c her. Mr. Maxwell was very busy with his mails. He looked at her and sharply asked if she had any work. A The scene of the office looks very hectic as so many activities go on simultaneously. People of all sort throng in to office. Some are jovial and exited, whereas others are sharp and vicious. Everyone, in the office is on his/her toes running here and there for on or the other work. All the effects of happening at the stock exchange is seen and felt in the office of the share broker. The office grows fiercer, and faster. Orders to buy and sell shares are coming and going. Through this activities the author shoes that the office of Mr. Maxwell becomes a small world of finance where everyone is under stress. There is no place for human emotions. All are working like machines at full speed with upmost accuracy. 16. What picture of the speaker is created in the poem “Goodbye Party for Miss Pushpa T S‟? (GTU Summer 2014) Alpha College of Engineering & Technology Speaker, throughout the poem, talks about Miss Pushpa and slowly reveals her character. The opening lines reveal two different characters of Miss Pushpa. First is that she is intelligent, because she goes to some foreign country. The second is that the speaker calls her as his sister. This sows that Miss Pushpa is a woman of some respect. Miss Pushpa has a smiling face. The speaker says that Miss Pushpa is always found smiling. She takes life in a happy way. The speaker also says that Miss Pushpa is kind. She is kind at heart too. She is popularly known for her kindness among many men and women. The speaker also talks about her family background. He says that she comes from a rich family. Miss Pushpa is also known for her helping tendency and good spirit. The speaker says that whenever someone approaches Pushpa, asking for help, she would never say no. She helps everyone at all times. 17. Micromax co. Ltd, Mumbai wants to establish a new plant near Sanand, Gujarat. As a consultant engineer, write a feasibility report on establishing a factory in Sanand, Gujarat. (GTU Winter 2013) Micromax Co. Ltd Plot no 12 Sector 8 Navi Mumbai-38554 m Date: 25 June, 2014 o.c The Managing Director Micromax Co. Ltd ie Plot no 12 Sector 8 Navi Mumbai-38554 h Sub: Feasibility Report on selecting a suitable site to set us new plant in Sanand-Gujarat Dear Sir, c e As per the decision taken in the meeting of Board of Directors on 5 th March, 2014 and in accordance with the direction given to me suggest the suitable site to set up a new plant in Sanand. I visited the place and did the T necessary survey. Given below is the report. e Gujarat today is one of the fastest growing states in India in terms of business investment. There were many c companies which are growing at a rapid speed. Ahmedabad, Baroda, Surat are the cities which have become industrial hubs of Gujarat. Having reviews varies possibilities and considerations, I would suggest Sanand as a A right place. Suitability of the sight: Sanand is located at about 24 kms from Ahmedabad city on Ahmedabad – Viramgam highway. It is today best known as the automobile hub of Gujarat. Sanand is part of the dedicated Viramgam Special Investment Region of Gujarat. Sanand has become one of the booming entrepreneurial centers in India. Transportation: As it is located near the city of Ahmedabad, Sanand is about 70 km (40 miles) from a recently rebuilt international airport. It is also linked to Ahmedabad and Kutch by state highway 17. The state highway 17 joints India’s National highway 8Through this, the city is linked to many of the major industrial, economic and cultural Alpha College of Engineering & Technology regions of India. It is also connected by modern highway to Mundra port, fully operational and one of the fastest growing seaport in the Southeast India. In addition to modern highways, Sanand – Viramgam has operational broad gauge railway network connecting into major industrial centers located in Gujarat. Competitive incentives Sanand offers the following competitive incentives to the companies seeking to setup operations within Sanand region.  Income tax incentives  10 year corporate tax holiday on export profit – 100 per cent for initial 5 years and 50 per cent for the next 5 years  Exemption from dividend distribution tax  Indirect tax incentives  Zero customs and excise duty  Exemption from central sales tax  Exemption from service tax m Power and water supply o.c The local municipal authorities have agreed to facilitate water supply at the time of construction as well as during production process. The officers of Uttar Gujarat Vidyut Company Ltd (UGVCL) have also agreed for the regular supply of electricity. Raw Material ie h It would not be difficult to manage raw material, as there are many companies manufacturing automobile parts in Gujarat. Availability of the labour c e The skilled and unskilled labour will easily be available. The labour wages are also not very high as compared to the other states of India. T e On basis of the above information, I would suggest that Sanand is the suitable place to start our manufacturing plan in Gujarat. Truly yours c (JP Trivedi) Secretary A 18. Comment on the significance of the title “Eyes are Not Here” by Ruskin Bond. (GTU Winter 2013) The Eyes are not Here is a short story by Ruskin Bond. The story told in the first person narrative. The story is famous with the other title like The Eyes Have it and The Girl on the Train. The narrator of the story is blind. He is going to Deharadun by train. The story is all about his meeting with a girl and chit-chat with her. The title highlights true value of the gift of sight.The title conveys the messages that only eyes have the power to have the actual and accurate impression of the world around us. Alpha College of Engineering & Technology It summarizes the entire plot. Through the predicament of the blind narrator and the girl, the writer wishes to convey that only the eyes have the power to help us from an accurate impression of the world. Till the end of the story, the narrator does manage to keep his secret. However, he could not find the reality, The girl too managed to deceive the narrator but without having any idea about the reality. The new passenger rightly point out the worth of eyes by saying, “even though she had beautiful eyes, they were of no use.” 19. Write a note on the character of Miss. Pushpa. The speaker, throughout the poem, talks about Miss Pushpa and slowly reveals her character. The opening lines reveal two different characters of Miss Pushpa. First is that she is intelligent, because she goes to some foreign country. The second is that the speaker calls her as his sister. This sows that Miss Pushpa is a woman of some respect. Miss Pushpa has a smiling face. The speaker says that Miss Pushpa is always found smiling. She takes life in a happy way. The speaker also says that Miss Pushpa is kind. She is kind at heart too. She is popularly known for her kindness among many men and women. The speaker also talks about her family background. He says that she comes from a rich family. Miss Pushpa is also known for her helping tendency and good spirit. The speaker says that whenever someone approaches Pushpa, asking for help, she would never say no. She helps everyone at all times. m o 20.Comment on the theme of the story The Eyes Are Not Here..c Ruskin Bond’s short story “The Eyes Are Not Here” is very brief and complex.This story seems to deal with issues of human perception in this tale, three people, at least, prove to be imperceptive in various ways: the unnamed man on the train, the unnamed woman on the train, the story’s reader, and, perhaps, also the new male ie passenger. It’s a tale of meditation on human perceptions and perceptiveness and how both are influenced by the assumptions we make. The plot of the story a man (presumably a young man) is sitting in a compartment in a train when a woman h (apparently a young woman) also enters the compartment. The woman doesn’t notice that the man is blind, and c he does not tell her instead, he asks her a series of questions that allow him to infer certain facts about her. She also converses pleasantly with him.After she gets off the train at her stop, another male enters the compartment e and mentions in passing that the young woman who just left the compartment was blind Thus, the young man on the train failed to perceive that the young woman was blind, as did the reader of the story.The young woman T apparently also failed to perceive that the young man was blind, and this may also be true of the male who enters the compartment near the end of the story In a very brief tale, then, Bond has managed to create a remarkably e complex story about the limits of human perception and perceptiveness and about how people tend to make c assumptions and then take those assumptions for granted Once the story is re-read, the reader notices various intriguing details and clues, including the following:The girl’s parents are very concerned about her when she A gets on the train, but both we and the young man assume that there is nothing special about their concern. It doesn’t occur to us that the girl may be blind. The young woman is startled when the young man speaks, but both we and he assume that she is startled simply because he is sitting in the dark. Once again, it doesn’t occur to us that the girl may be blind. The young male, commenting on the fact that the young woman was startled, thinks to himself, Well, it often happens that people with good eyesight fail to see what is right in front of them. Later, of course, we realize that this statement is a sly comment, by the author, on the imperceptiveness of readers. After all, it doesn’t occur to us that the girl may be startled because she is blind we make an assumption, and then we perceive all the rest of the events in light of that assumption. So, too, does the narrator, and so the narrator’s joke at the expense of sighted people is also a joke by the author at the expense of the narrator. Rather than being offended by the author’s sly trick, we ultimately appreciate all the ways in which he tricks both us the narrator, because we (both readers and narrator) ultimately learn a very valuable lesson about the influence of initial assumptions on the ways we perceive (or fail to perceive) the world and other persons. Alpha College of Engineering & Technology