Tuesday, December 24, 2019

How Accountability Is Important For Healthcare Services...

1.0 Introduction Before introducing the topic, it is essential to understand what accountability is. In this regard, it can be stated that the term ‘Accountability’ signifies an image of transparency as well as trustworthiness. In relation to this, it can be argued that in different dimension the meaning of accountability is usually differ. However, the real meaning of accountability can be referred as an answerability, which signifies that having an obligation of answering or clarifying regarding the selected decision and/ or action. In this context, more specifically it can be stated that accountability denotes having an obligation of answering to hierarchical superiors regarding information and/or narrative description regarding the†¦show more content†¦In relation to this, it can be mentioned that in the contemporary era healthcare organizations and healthcare professionals are usually facing varied new as well as evolving challenges in terms of healthcare requirements, evol ving diseases, ageing population related discrepancies and management related issues among others (Beelitz 2015). At the same time, it can be mentioned that healthcare organizations are also witnessing varied challenges in terms of new regulations, financial constraints and establishing efficient best practice related problems. In this particular assignment, the objective is to critical analysis the accountability as well as responsiveness strategies, which may usually assist Queensland healthcare reform to ensure the relevant work practice within the healthcare system. 2.0 Discussion 2.1 Gaps in Health Services According to the report of Butt (2010), it is identified that in the modern era, Australian healthcare system has faced several challenges in terms of evolving chronic diseases and critical illness. At the same time, the government also has witnessed obstacles for its fiscal services and financial resources related aspects, which has influenced the performance of the healthcare system in diversified manner. As an effect, it is also identified that the overall quality of healthcare system has disrupted in eight different states of Australia. In this regard, in order to identify the potential cause, it is

Monday, December 16, 2019

The Effect of Communication Theories in Business Introduction Free Essays

string(71) " only promotes work smoothly, but also helps to establish their image\." The effect of communication theories in business Introduction Communication has existed since the beginning of human beings, but people didn’t pay attention to it until the 20th century, especially into the 21st century along with the communication technologies development. Nowadays, there have many communication theories. Among of these theories, interpersonal communication (IC) and organizational communication (OC) are the most commonly-used theories applied in business to help us resolve problems. We will write a custom essay sample on The Effect of Communication Theories in Business Introduction or any similar topic only for you Order Now IC, as a kind of device that organizers usually use to communicate with their employees, more emphasizes individuals interacting face-to-face than OC. It can help us understand how and why people think and behave. However, IC is hardly defined in its own area of study, yet often occurs within other environment like organizations (â€Å"Interpersonal communication,† In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 2011). OC, as a subfield of communication, mainly looks at human communication within or among organizations, which is the most basic and central part in business management (Simon, 1998). It relates to the achievement of organizational goals and the formation of organizational culture. Meanwhile, OC is also the most common management behavior which is carried out under certain circumstance and is influenced by organizational culture. The behavior culture of enterprises determines the behavior characteristics and communication ways and styles of employees; the material culture determines the condition of communication technology, communication mediums and channels of companies (â€Å"Organizational Communication†, In Baidu, The Free Encyclopedia, 2011 ). Interpersonal Communication and Organizational Communication in Business In the process of actual application in business, OC is often considered as one field of IC and IC as one means of OC on the contrary. These two communication theories seemingly serve different objects, people versus organizations. Actually, individuals are the common objects of communication. Communication scholars define OC different from IC, only because it always exists in an organization, and sometimes represents one department or one class. So we could see both of them usually work together in one organization. For example, the enterprise culture of General Electric (GE) Company highlights the â€Å"people-oriented† business philosophy. In GE Company, employees are given enough concern and respect, and are encouraged to express their opinions and display their creativity directly. This kind of outspoken communication style of GE makes managers gain more new ideas and opinions to impel company developing. Moreover, for the management coordination, the ex-CEO of GE, Jack Welch, came up with â€Å"boundaryless concept† in the field of organizational communication. GE Company would clear obstacles among all departments like engineering, production and marketing departments and make information totally transparent and free accessible. Under the guidance of such communication theories, GE could use internal information with the most efficiency and achieve the resources sharing on the largest extent (In Scientology Volunteer Minister, 2009). In this case, we hardly tell which communication theory is applied in certain part, yet we easily find the two theories complement and serve each other. The application of communication theories in organization Use to cope with internal problems Communication, as one kind of enterprises culture, has attracted more attention of companies and is treated as the key point of strategic management by leadership. The â€Å"Three Withouts† phenomenon Mr. Yu (2008) came up with in one speech, as the following, is the most direct and understandable explanation of the problems existed in organizations. Lack of Communication with Superiors. Generally speaking, there are many things managers have to think about so that they cannot communicate with employees efficiently in time (Shiwei Yu, 2008). At this time employees are supposed to report actively to superiors, yet most of them have no courage to talk with superiors. There have two performances in this situation. The one performance is that people dare not or are not willing to communicate with superiors when they have good ideas, because either they are overconfident and have no interest any more after several negations by leaders, or they lack of confidence and are afraid of criticism. The other one is that individuals do not report to managers when they find potential problems existed in work. The reason can be concluded that people who are over-dependent on leadership always follow their leaders and have no question to them. Actually, whichever kind of employees is irresponsible for work. In fact, even though we are just the employees, we should consider issues in the sight of the enterprise rather than individuals and adjust our attitude from â€Å"responsible for leadership† to â€Å"responsible for enterprise†. Lack of Communication between Departments. In the most companies, it has been the main problem that different departments hardly communicate sincerely with each other and have no sense of mutual support and positive cooperation (Shiwei Yu, 2008). To resolve the problem, enterprise should firstly review whether the department position of it is reasonable, and then establish the relation mode of â€Å"suppliers and customers† among the all departments, consequently foster the sense of service for different department, so that employees can communicate with sincerity and make efforts together to achieve the goal of enterprise. Virtually, the whole process of resolution is the process of OP applying. Lack of Communication with Subordinates Superiors involved in other business seldom talk with employees, let alone instruct and advice their work, which is responsible for the phenomenon that increasing companies spend over one month in recruiting and training new staff, yet don’t have one day to communicate with their employees(Shiwei Yu). The reason could be conclude as the following two sides: Managers prefer enjoy the feel at high stand to communicate with employees personally. We have to acknowledge that there exist such managers who are arbitrary and hardly accept opinions from the inferiors. If they invariably ignore the subordinate advice and views, it would only discourage the enthusiasm and responsibility of staff. Certainly, there have a latent yet inevitable reason that managers are afraid of being transcended by the subordinate. In addition, it is also an important problem that superiors communicate with inferiors without skills. For the leadership, effective communication not only promotes work smoothly, but also helps to establish their image. You read "The Effect of Communication Theories in Business Introduction" in category "Papers" Furthermore, as the managers, they have rights and obligations to communicate with inferiors actively as well as know and develop capability and responsibility of employees, just like Toyota Motor Corporation CEO spends two thirds time in chatting with engineers and dealers, while the Boeing Company CEO invites the senior managers to share their exciting stories, and the leadership of Ericsson helps employees make personal development plans every year (Communication Case Study, 2009). Use to cope with external problems Nowadays many companies have the experiences using communications theories to help themselves alleviate crisis and maintain their stable development. Facing crises from exterior factors, companies should first think about how to coordinate each department and communicate with consumers (â€Å"Communication Theories†, In MBAlib, The MBA Encyclopedia, 2010)? What we need to know is that consumers are inclined to the attitude companies express to event rather than the fact itself that is happened. Clients could forgive your mistakes, yet not accept your ignorance. So when the problems occurred, enterprises should first respond and express the determination to deal with them. That is to say, communication is the principal method to resolve problems. The â€Å"Sudan I† event KFC suffered is a wonderful example to support the statement. On March 15th 2005, all KFC outlets in China were found using banned dye Sudan I, the cancer-causing colorant in the sauce of New Orleans roast chicken wings and chicken hamburgers. And then many consumers sued KFC and asked it for their injury compensation. As we know, KFC has been successful in China since it first stepped in the Chinese market in 1987; however this event made KFC loss a large number of customers in a short time. According to a survey, the loss rate of clients of KFC raised to unprecedented 50% in over half stores. Facing a series of emergencies, KFC responded in first time, at that night of event exposure. All KFC outlets stopped selling New Orleans roast chicken wings and chicken hamburgers at the next day, destroyed all rest sauce and posted bulletins in all stores for apology. Each department was connected. Meanwhile, the managers of KFC actively contacted with the victims and accounted for the event as well as the results of survey to eliminate doubts of the public. From the example, we could find the application of communication theories is used in every details of the process of event resolving. First of all, just because of the effective organizational communication taken, all departments and outlets could act in concert to calm the storm immediately. Furthermore, the manager even communicated with customers in person in order to express their apology and sincerity. So IC could be applied more among individuals to achieve what we want. How to ameliorate business communication As we all know, the effective communication between managers and employees depends on the negotiability and share of information in internal organization and is responsible for improving the work efficiency and enhancing decision scientificity and rationality. So how to ameliorate business communication ? The aspect of interpersonal communication 1. Adjust the attitude of communication Along with the information network and communication technology advancement in modern society, the ways of communication between individuals become more various and richer than ever before. On the surface, the connection is indeed increasingly frequent and intimate, yet what is the fact? Most communication has been driven by material benefits. So communicators in business should make much account of not only the process of systematized information communication, but the spiritual communication (HRoot, 2010). 2. Learn to listen Tracey once suggested that the managers of human resource should spend 65% in listening, 25% in speaking and 10% in reading and writing (2006). Thus we could see the significance of listening for communication. More important, only by listening can we detect the others’ heart and logical thinking, communicate with them better and finally attain the objective. 3. Put emphases on nonverbal expression Nonverbal information includes expression, pronunciation and intonation, gesture and so on. Actually this kind of communication more easily touches people than language performance. So weather you send or receive messages, you should notice the power and effect of nonverbal expression. The aspect of organizational organization 1. Speech with confidence Speech is a quite fundamental and common part of OC. For most people, talking is considered as a normal activity, yet speech often make individuals nervous and overwhelmed. However, we often could be asked for speech in formal occasions, even though just several sentences. When we make a speech in a formal occasion, we should keep our speech tempo slow enough and volume loud enough to make ourselves heard by everyone. Meanwhile, we should realize that appropriate words, image and posture are helpful for people understanding (HRoot, 2010). 2. Organize effective conference Conference as one kind of formal communication is indispensable part of OC. The elaborate plan and explicit theme are the primary guarantee to accomplish the goal of meeting. Moreover, when you chair a meeting, you should notice weather the atmosphere is accustomed to listening or communicating, thereby mastering initiative in the activity of communication. Conclusion American famous futurist (1999), John Naisbitt, said â€Å"The competition of future is the competition of management. The focus of management competition lies in the effective communication among the staff of each social organization and the organizations themselves. This sentence simply and accurately points out the essentials and significance of IC and OC for enterprise management. From the above discussion about communication theories, we could see that communication has been an effective tool for modern management. Only through effective IC, the ideas and suggestion from employees could be taken seriously; only by effective OC could the performance of organizational members be appraised a nd recognized. In one organization, whether IC or OC is all to share and utilize resources better, consequently maintain the sustainable development. Reference Homans, G. C. (2002). â€Å"Introducing Communication Theory†. American Journal of Sociology 63 (6): 597–606. Retrieved February 20 , 2010 from Academic Search Premier EBSCO database. Communication Theories. (2010, December 19). In MBAlib, The MBA Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 20, 2011, from http://wiki. mbalib. com/wiki/%E6%B2%9F%E9%80%9A Organization Communication. (2011, January 22). In Baidu, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 20, 2011, from http://www. baidu. com/FORUM_POST_900001_900005_858561_0. HTM Interpersonal Communication. 2011, February 16). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 22, 2011, from http://en. wikipedia. org/w/index. php? title=Interpersonal_communicationoldid=414279842 Communication. (2010). In Scientology Volunteer Ministers: Online Training. Retrieved February 22, 2011, from http://www. volunteerministers. org/solutions/communication. html? source=gawgclid=CNbK_tjlu6YCFQJvbAodOlWgHw Shiwei Yu. (2006). †Communi cation skills in modern enterprises † in Huacheng Wang, Introduction of Enterprises Management (b), Higher Education Press. Retrieve February 24,2011, from Science Direct database. Charles, S. W. (1998). â€Å"Stumbling Toward Identity: The Emergence of Organizational Communication as a Field of Study† in McPhee and Tompkins, Organizational Communication: Traditional Themes and New Directions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Retrieved February 28, 2011 from EBSCO Host database. Communication Case Study, In Tangguokuaixun, Retrieved March 1, 2011, from http://info. tjkx. com/news/00001346EB/2004-10-21/03984BC948. html The problems of Organizational Communication. (2010, March 31). In MBAlib, The MBA Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 4, 2011, from http://wiki. mbalib. com/wiki/%E7%BB%84%E7%BB%87%E6%B2%9F%E9%80%9 Tracey, W. R. (2006), â€Å"The management of Human Resource† ,In William R. Tracey, The key skills(4th). Retrieved March 4, 2011, from EBSCO Host database. Management communication. (2010). In HRoot, The free website. Retrieved March 4, 2011, from http://www. hroot. com/contents/4/120726. html Naisbitt,J. (1999). Communication Theories: Perspectives, processes, and contexts, 9th edition. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth. Retrieved February 22, 2011, from EBSCO Host database. How to cite The Effect of Communication Theories in Business Introduction, Papers

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Speech Writing free essay sample

ASSESSMENT OF SPEAKING AND LISTENING SKILLS IN ENGLISH (ASL) CCE (Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation) the flagship project of CBSE has clearly outlined the significance of speaking and listening skills as part of co-scholastic areas of achievement by every learner and also stresses the clear integration of evaluation of speaking and listening skills as a part of the curriculum transaction. The formative assessment of these two skills along with other skills have been formally provisioned under CCE . But in the absence of Summative Assessment, we have not positioned the learner’s proficiency in Speaking and Listening thereby leading to a wash back effect of very little or no importance given to Speaking and Listening Skills in many classrooms . As a result a large population of students passes out of schools with inadequate competence in expressive communication skills. As good communication skills raise the self esteem of a student, CBSE essentially desires that the students acquire proficiency in it by the time they leave the portals of the school. In the present day global markets, speaking and listening are considered to be the essential skills of real life. Since CBSE has the onerous responsibility of assessing scholastic and co-scholastic achievement levels of students in over 12000 schools affiliated to it , it has been felt for a long time that CBSE must focus on assessing speaking and listening skills for qualification as Summative Evaluation as much for Formative Assessment . Considering this, CBSE proposes to give weightage in Formative and Summative assessments in ASL (Assessment of Speaking and Listening Skills). This weightage is clearly specified in the 2014 curriculum document uploaded in the CBSE Academic website. Guidelines for teachers to assess Speaking and Listening Skills in the term-end examination: LISTENING The Listening Comprehension section tests the candidate’s ability to listen for basic interpersonal, instructional and academic purposes. A number of sub-skills need to be developed in the every day classroom transaction. Given below are some of the sub-skills of listening which need to be assessed in the formative and summative assessments: i. i. iii. iv. v. vi. vii. Listening for specific information Listening for general understanding Predictive listening Inferential listening Listening for pleasure Intensive listening Evaluative listening 1|Page Role of Assessor: An assessor is a person who is assigned the job of assessing a candidate’s performance in any of the skills that is to be assessed. For the purpose of the Summative Assessment, an assessor will be a t eacher who would also be an examiner or an interlocutor who will conduct the examination and do the assessment if skills. It is extremely important to keep in mind the factors listed below as they can significantly influence the expected outcome of the Listening Test. Therefore, due care and attention must be given to each of the following: ? ? ? ? ? ? Size of the room Seating arrangements Acoustics of the room Equipment used Quality of the recording of the Listening Input Quality of the oral rendering of the Listening Input (in case it is to be read aloud by the Examiner), in terms of volume, clarity, enunciation, intonation, pace etc Test Administration: For the Assessor (Teacher) 1 2 3 4 5 6. Select the time and date of the assessment. Plan the seating arrangements in advance. Decide exactly as to how much time is to be reserved for instructions or any possible interaction regarding clarifications etc and for the actual test. Make the announcement giving General Instructions directed to the Candidate before the recording is played/before the reading of the text. Adhere strictly to the time specified for each of the three phases of the Test (Pre-listening, While Listening and Post-Listening) The general instruction given below should be followed while conducting the test. The Listening Test The Listening test comprises of a variety of task. These tasks are graded according to the length of the task and the difficulty level. Schools may download the sample tasks and reorganize them in two parts transcripts and the marking scheme for the interlocutor or the assessor and the worksheets for the students on which student swill write answers. General Instructions for Students You are not allowed to ask questions or interrupt the Assessor at any point. 1 2 3 You are being tested on your Listening Skills. You will hear a set of recordings of the Listening Input or listen to a reading of the Listening Input. Each of the recording will be played twice. In case there is an oral rendering of the Listening Input, it shall take place twice. 2|Page 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 You are required to answer a set of questions based on each of the Listening Inputs. The test consists of 4/sections. You are required to attempt all 4 sections of the test. Familiarize yourself with the questions on the Worksheet. It will help you to answer them later on. After you have listened to the input, you will be given specified minutes to answer the questions on your worksheet You may answer the questions on your Worksheet while listening. Do not interact/comment until you have moved out of the Examination Room Assessment of Listening The marking key is prepared before the test is administered. It will take about a period of 30-35 minutes to conduct a listening test. At the end of the test, the answer scripts should be collected and marked. It is objectives type of marking. Hence, it is suggested that scripts may be marked on the same day. SPEAKING Speaking skill has acquired a very important place in the communication skills. Like listening skills – a number of subskills of speaking need to be consciously developed amongst students. Some of the sub-skills are given below which can be assessed. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. speaking intelligibly using appropriate word stress, sentence stress and intonation patterns. narrating incidents and events, real or imaginary in a logical sequence. presenting oral reports or summaries; making announcements clearly and confidently. expressing and arguing a point of view clearly and effectively. taking active part in group discussions, showing ability to express agreement or disagreement, summarising ideas, eliciting the views of others, and presenting own ideas. expressing and responding to personal feelings, opinions and attitudes. articipating in spontaneous spoken discourse in familiar social situations. General Instructions 1 The total administration time for the speaking test is approximately 10-12 minutes 2 3 4 The speaking test will be conducted for two students at a time. There will be a single teacher to function as the Interlocutor and Assessor. The Interlocutor/ Assessor s hould be a qualified English Teacher The Speaking Test: Role of Assessor: 1. The (Assessor) should ensure that the room is quiet and has good acoustics. 3|Page 2. The tone, manner and body language of the Interlocutor should be relaxed, encouraging and pleasant. Care should be taken to make the candidates feel at ease. 3. Students must not be discouraged from making a fresh start in case they are unable to do so at the first attempt. 4. The Assessor needs to be flexible, sympatric and reassuring in her/his demeanour. 5. The Assessor should also be a proficient user of the language in order to conduct the speaking test successfully. For e. g . the interlocutor should be skilled in Elicitation techniques. For e. g. Yes/No questions should generally be avoided. 6. Alternatively questions such as Explain how/Why Tell me what you think of. 7. Ideally, the Assessor should award marks after the candidates have left the Examination Room. If necessary, notes can be made discreetly to be later in the scoring so that it does not make the candidates unduly tense and self-conscious. The Speaking test is divided into three sections as given below: I General Introduction The Interlocutor converses with the two candidates. Simple warm up questions based on the candidates’ names, place of residence, leisure preferences etc are asked. II Mini Presentation In this section the Interlocutor gives each candidate the choice to pick up a Role Card or a Cue Card with a topic written on it. The candidates are given 1 minute to prepare. The assessor should be ready with sheets of paper and pencil. Candidates may organize their thoughts and ideas. Prior to the day of the speaking test, as an assistance to students to prepare for the presentations, a teacher can give a choice of 20 to 30 topics in class to students so that they can prepare the topics and organise their ideas on each topic . Similar topics can be given in the formal testing . Please note that candidates are not allowed to write full length answers. They may jot down points only in the sheets given by the Interlocutor. Therefore, pencil and paper should be provided on the table. Students are not allowed to carry pen, paper or mobile in the examination room. After one minute, each student will be given 2 minutes each to present his/her ideas. In case, a student is unable to speak during /for the allotted time, the (Assessor) may ask some rounding off questions. III Pair Interaction The third section of the test is for 3 minutes. Both candidates are given a verbal or visual stimulus and asked to respond to it Both the candidates are given a total of 3 minutes to interact. Both of them will talk together. Closing 4|Page The closing is for 1 minute duration only. In case a student has not been able to speak or has been unable to speak owing to nervousness, the dominance of the second candidate or any other factor, then, the (interlocutor) may use the 1 minute to give a fresh opportunity to that student. Note: In the Summative II assessment it has been proposed to record the candidates’ performance in the MP 3 players/ recorders, so as to validate and make the test reliable and fair. Assessment of Speaking Assessors should familiarise themselves with the assessment scale of speaking. While the students are giving their presentation, assessors may refer to descriptors. It is they may share these indicators with the students while formative assessment tasks are given. As the test will be conducted for two students at a time, it is advised that two to three teachers sit in separate rooms to conduct the assessment of students of one section at a time. Hence 48 students can be assessed simultaneously within one and half hours, in three batches of 16 students each. Assessors are advised to pay due attention to and familiarize themselves with the design of the test items. The sample test items are given here as Annexures here. Similar test items can be framed according to the need and level of students. The descriptors are given below for reference: Interaction ? 5. Can initiate logically develop simple conversation on familiar topics Can take turns appropriately ? 4. Interaction is adequately initiated and developed Can take turn but needs little prompting ? 3. Develops interactions adequately makes however minimal effort to initiate conversation Needs constant prompting to take turns ? 2. Contributions are often unrelated to those of the other speaker ? 1. Contributions are mainly unrelated to those of other speaker Shows hardly any initiative in the development of conversation Very limited interaction 1 Insufficient accuracy in pronunciation; many grammatically errors Communicatio n is severely affected ? ? ? ? ? Generally passive in the development of conversation ? Pronunciation ? Can pronounce correctly articulate clearly ? 4 Mostly ? correct pronunciation clear articulation Can be clearly understood ? most of the time; very few phonological errors ? Is always comprehensibl e; uses appropriate intonation ? 3 Largely correct ? pronunciation clear articulation except occasional ? errors Some expressions cause stress without compromising with understanding of spoken discourse. ? 2 Frequently unintelligible articulations Frequent phonol ogical errors Major communication problems ? ? 5|Page Fluency Coherence 5 ? Speaks fluently almost with no repetition minimal hesitation ? Develops topic fully coherently ? 4 Speaks without noticeable effort, with a little repetition Demonstrates hesitation to find words or use correct grammatical structures and/or self correction Topics not fully developed to merit Can express with some flexibility and appropriacy on most of the topics Demonstrates ability to use complex forms and sentence structures most of the time; expresses with adequate vocabulary to express 3 Is willing to speak at length, however repetition is noticeable Hesitates and/or self corrects; occasionally loses coherence Topics mainly developed, but usually not logically concluded Communicates with limited flexibility and appropriacy on most of the topics Sometimes uses complex forms and sentence structures; has limited vocabulary to/describe/exp ress new points ? ? 2 Usually fluent; produces simple speech fluently, but loses coherence in complex communication Often hesitates and/or resorts to slow speech Topics partly developed; not always concluded logically Communicates with limited flexibility and appropriacy on some of the topics Complex forms and sentence structures are rare; exhibits limited vocabulary to express new ideas ? Noticeably/lon g pauses; rate of speech is slow Frequent repetition and/or self correction Links only basic sentences; breakdown of coherence evident Demonstrates almost no flexibility, and mostly struggles for appropriate words Uses very basic vocabulary to express viewpoints. ? ? ? ? ? ? Vocabulary Grammar ? Can express with some flexibility and appropriacy on a variety of topics such as family, hobbies, work, travel and current events frequently uses complex forms and sentence structures; has enough vocabulary to express himself/herself ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 6|Page ASSESSMENT Grand Total Sr. No. Name of Student Interaction Pronunciation Fluency Coherence Vocabulary and Grammar Total 20 ? can we just write (5) 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 7|Page 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Signature of the Assessor 8|Page Set – I Assessment of Listening Skills Sample Tasks Class IX LISTENING Instructions: a) There are 10 questions in this set. Answer all the questions b) In the first part you will listen to five short extracts. As you listen to each one, answer the questions in your answer sheet. c) Before you begin to listen, read the questions quickly and get familiar with the questions. 0 Marks Part I 1. Transcript of the police announcement: Here is an announcement by a police officer on a local city channel. This is regarding an alleged criminal who is evading the arrest. Anyone who has a clue can come forward and inform the police at 100. So, here is the descriptionThe criminal has a broad face with a thick moustache and a be ard. Which one of the following faces are they describing? A B C D Tick the correct answer: A. B. C. D. Ans: C ____ ____ ____ ____ 2. Here is another situation, listen to it carefully. This is about the garden of Suresh. Transcript Suresh does not want people walking around in his vegetable garden that he has nurtured with great care. What sign board should he put up? 9|Page B C D Tick the correct answer A. B. C. D. Ans: C ____ ____ ____ ____ 3. Monu wants a penpal. Listen to his description of himself and fill in the columns given below: Transcript: Hi! My name is Monu and I’m from India. I live in Raipur near a lake. Since I have always lived here, I love water sports. I am twelve years old and love reading about plants and animals that live in the water. My box number is P. O. Box 002200. Fill in the blanks: Age Nationality . Here is the dialogue between Amit and Anand who have just completed their schooling. They are talking about some of the organizations which offer scholarships to students for different purposes. Amit is research minded and keen to take up a career in agriculture, which organization of the world would he apply to? Transcript: Listen to the dialogue and write your answer: Amit: I h eard about a Tall Clubs International that gives a scholarship of 1000/- per month to men above 6 feet and women above 5 feet 10 tall. Interesting†¦.. Anand: Oh! really, my height is only 5 so I am not eligible. Jokes apart, I have found a society â€Å"CV Raman Society† that awards scholarships to students who have interest in Science Technology. Amit: No, I don’t have any interest in Science Technology. I want to pursue a career in agro industry. Anand: So, in that case, The National Paotato Council has a number of scholarships for students who want to work for agro industries. Amit: But does it award scholarships to undergraduates? 10 | P a g e Anand: Yes, it does. There is another one that gives 500/- per mother to graduates or undergraduates, I will have to find out the field for which it gives. Amit: Thank you, please let me know which organizations award the scholarships. Ans: Amit will opt for___________________ Transcript: 5. Joy wants to live in a village near the city. It should be a small house with low doors and ceilings. He would prefer it to be located near the sea. Which house would you recommend for him? A B C D Tick the correct answer A. B. C. D. Ans: B ____ ____ ____ ____ Part II Instructions: a) You will now listen to the talk by Dr. Praveen Chawla on healthy foods. b) There are five questions to be answered. Read the questions quickly before you listen to the talk c) Now listen to the talk nd write your answers ‘Nature has given us everything that our body needs. If we take care we can avoid pills. Did you know that Mushrooms not only make tasty dishes but are a rich source of Vitamin D so essential for healthy bones? Regular consumption of mushrooms aids in better hearing power too. You must have heard of the Banana smile. Believe it or not this fruit can actually put a smile on your face. It contains tryptophan, a protein which once digested converts into a chemical neurotransmitter called serotonin which is a very important mood regulating chemical and works like an antidepressant. 11 | P a g e Broccoli has also come to be called a disease busting vegetable. It can prevent cancer. About 2000 years ago the curative powers of Ginger for all stomach related problems were discovered. It helps digestion, cures nausea and prevents bowel tumours Cheddar cheese is a very rich source of calcium and phosphate. These strengthen bones and muscles and reduce risk of osteoporosis. Grapes, which look so much like the lobules in the lungs, are rich in proanthocyanidin a chemical which helps circulate fresh oxygen to the blood stream thereby reducing the risk of cancer and also reduce the severity of asthma. If you cut a tomato into half, you will notice that it has four chambers just like our heart. Tomatoes are a great source of lycopene, a plant chemical that reduces the risk of heart disease and several cancers. This also helps lower the unhealthy effects of LDL cholesterol. The gnarled look of a walnut, mimicking the appearance of a human brain, is perhaps the only fruit rich in Omega -3 and fatty acids tends to ward off dementia and to some extent Alzheimer’s disease. (286 words) I. Fill in the blanks with a word or phrase 6. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ are rich in Vitamin D and help in good hearing. 7. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. ood regulating chemical can make you feel happy. Ans: Banana 8. Broccoli keeps away †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Ans: 1. Mushrooms 2. Banana 3. Cancer II. Tick the most appropriate answer from the choices given below: 9. The food containing lycopene which reduces heart attack risk is A. grape B. tomato C. cheese D. walnut Ans: B. tomato 10. In the talk, Dr is advising people to A. eat a balanced diet B. be happy; live healthy C. live close to nature D. eat healthy food Ans: D. eat healthy food Closing This is the end of your listening skill assessment. Check your answers. (2 minutes) Hand over your answer sheet to the assessor. 12 | P a g e Set – II Assessment of Listening Skills Sample Tasks Class IX LISTENING Instructions: a) There are ten questions in this test. b) Answer the questions as you listen to the scripts. c) you will listen to four shorts extracts. As you listen to each one, answer the questions. I. Now listen to the news report and write correct answer 10 Marks Transcript 1. Kathmandu, May 14: Thirteen Indians were among the 15 people killed when their 20-seater aircraft slammed into a cliff in western Nepal, less than seven months after 10 Indian tourists were killed in an air accident. Six people miraculously survived the crash. A. B. C. D. Ans. B There was an explosion before the crash The crash was a consequence of collision with a cliff There have been several air crashes in the recent past Indians always die in the air crashes in and around Nepal Transcript 2. E mailing has enabled us to communicate messages to one another at a very fast pace. However, there are times when we have to post important letters and documents by surface or air mail. The postal department is very slow. Listen to the comment by an officer to his colleague. What option do you think the speaker would NOT opt for? A. B. C. D. Ans. C e-mail air mail postal department surface mail Transcript 3. City dwellers often depend on cars, buses or metros to travel from one place to another. Bicycles used to be a popular mode of travel once. I think we need to popularise them once again if we need to tackle the pollution problem. The speaker advocates the use of †¦ Now; listen to an environment activist who is talking to one of his friends. A. cars B. buses C. bicycles D. metros Ans. C 13 | P a g e Transcript 4. ‘The Mars rover Curiosity landed on the Martian surface to begin a two-year mission, seeking evidence that the Red Planet once hosted ingredients for life,’ Nasa said. Mission controllers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory near Los Angeles burst into applause and cheered as they received signals relayed by a Mars orbiter confirming that the rover had survived a make-or-break descent and touched down within its landing zone. What is the news report about? A. B. C. D. Ans. B invention of Curiosity landing of Curiosity happiness at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory possibility of living on Mars Transcript 5. A V-chip has been developed. In addition to spelling out the age-based ratings, letters will be displayed to warn parents if a show contains violence or other objectionable content. A group of major networks and producers have agreed to go along with the system, but NBC will not. What does the V-chip do? A. B. C. D. It allows the cable company to monitor what TV programs you watch It turns your TV into a virtual reality computer. It allows parents to block out certain programs, so their children cannot watch them. It reduces the use of the remote control device Ans. C II Now you will listen to a long text a) Before you listen to the talk, read the questions for 1 minute. b) Your will listen to a talk about Tigers. Transcript: Tigers are being loved to death. Tourists desperate for a glimpse of a tiger are damaging habitat and harassing tigers. This by no means decides that tiger tourism or wildlife tourism is a bad thing. Wildlife tourism has a lot of advantages. Wildlife tourism helps people of the area who get employ in tourism. In this way, wildlife is valued, rather than poached, or encroached upon. Wildlife also inspires the people who see it. For many, a dramatic view of one of the world’s great beasts — a tiger, a leopard, a whale — is a life-changing experience. Such a sighting makes people aware of the fragility of the planet and the folly of our short-term thinking. Above all, it prompts people to step back from our traditional species chauvinism. Wildlife tourism is similarly equivocal. When carried out with wisdom and responsibility, it is the best possible news for the creatures and the people of the area, and for the people doing the touring. Wildlife tourism can sometimes, with the best of intentions, be stupid, greedy and destructive. 14 | P a g e An adjustment of practice in India’s wildlife tourism is a good thing. It is not tourists that are killing off tigers: it is, above all, the world’s ever-increasing human population, and its incontinent need for room to live in. 231 words) A. State whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F) 6. People’s fascination with the tigers is causing them harm. 7. Wildlife tourism should be banned. 8. Tigers tourists are destroying their living places. Ans: TRUE Ans: FALSE Ans: TRUE B. Fill in the blanks with a word or phrase. 9. Wildlife tourism helps in †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ . 10. Ans: employing people/ generating employment Wise and responsible behaviour is expected from tourists who go for wild life sightings Ans: human population. 15 | P a g e Set I Assessment of Speaking Skills Sample Tasks Class IX SPEAKING Instructions: ) The speaking test will be conducted for two students at a time. b) Students should not have pen, paper, mobile phone etc. c) The teacher will be an interlocutor and an assessor both. I. GENERAL INTRODUCTION (1 min) (The Interlocutor makes the students feel comfortable) Interlocutor: Good morning, I am -. Hope you are looking forward to this brief interaction. Student A: Yes -/ I am Interlocutor: And what about your? (Looking at student B) Student B: Interlocutor: What do you do in your spare time? To Student B) Student B: Interlocutor: And how about you? (To student A) Student A: -Interlocutor: What makes you special? (To student A) Student A: -Interlocutor: What about you? (To Student B) Student B: -Interlocutor: What do admi re in other people? (To student A) Student A: -Interlocutor: How about you? (To Student B) Student B: Interlocutor: Thank you, this is the end of the first part of the test. II MINI PRESENTATION (1 min Preparation+ 2 each min each for the students= 5 min) 0 Marks Now, in this part of the test, candidates are given a topic with some points. They have a minute to prepare on the given topic and two minutes for the presentation. 16 | P a g e Students are given the following sets of inputs on cards or papers. Three options are given. Only one option has to be used at a time. Interlocutor: (To both A and B) Here is your topic. Both of you prepare your presentation on it. You are given one minute for preparation. Please use pencil and paper for writing points. After one minute I am going to ask you to present your views on the topic. I can ask anyone of you first. So be prepared and get ready. (Interlocutor hands over one card with cues to both A B) I. 1. 2. 3. Mobile phones in school Security Multiple uses Distraction If the student is not able to speak at length the teacher could ask rounding off questions ? Do you think mobile phones should be allowed in school? ? Give two advantages of carrying a mobile phone to school. ? Do you think advantages outweigh the disadvantages? II. Changing Concepts and Methodologies of Teaching-learning in India 1. Examination Pattern 2. Variety of Subjects 3. Assessment Parameters If the student is not able to speak at length the teacher could ask rounding off questions ? Do you like this present system of evaluation? ? Do you learn better when you are stress free? ? Do you think some students take this system very casually? III. An incident/person/book that changed my life. 1. What it is 2. What it is about 3. How it affected me If the student is not able to speak at length the teacher could ask rounding off questions ? What was that specific quality that remained with you? ? What did you learn? ? How would you like to be now? III PAIR INTERACTION (3 mins) Interlocutor: In this part of the test the candidates A and B will discuss the given topic together . The interlocutor can refer to the assessment scale while the candidates are discussing together. Students respond to visual/ verbal stimulus. 1. Changing roles of women- a multitasker, works in office, answers phone calls, always under pressure of work. Working at home additional. 17 | P a g e 2. Growing Pollution, all kinds of pollution water, air and tourism pollution. 3. Discipline issues in schools are now becoming a serious concern. As responsible citizens discuss i. ii. iii. Kinds of indiscipline issues Reasons for growing indiscipline Advice / solutions to your fellow students. Closing (1 min) Thank you very much. That was the end of your test. The interlocutor retrieves the pencil and paper . 18 | P a g e Set II Assessment of Speaking Skills Sample Tasks Class IX SPEAKING Instructions: a) The speaking test will be conducted for two students at a time. b) Students should not have pen, paper, mobile etc. c) The teacher will act as an interlocutor (who is involved in a conversation) as well as an assessor who will also give marks to the candidates. 10 Marks I GENERAL INTRODUCTION (1 min) The Interlocutor makes the students feel comfortable) Interlocutor: Hello! Good morning, I am -. May I know your name please? Student A: My name is -/ I am Interlocutor: And yours? (Looking at student B) Student B: Interlocutor: Where do you live? (To student B) Student B: Interlocutor: How about you? (To student A) Student A: -Interlocutor: What do you do in your leisur e? (To student A) Student A: Interlocutor: And what do you do in your free time? To student B) Student B: Interlocutor: What hobby would you like to cultivate? (To student A) Student A: -Interlocutor: How about you? (To student B) Student B: 19 | P a g e II MINI PRESENTATION: In this part of the test teacher will give 1 minute to prepare and 2 minutes each to both students to present (5 min) Oral examiner can frame any inputs; the following two frames are suggested: (1) To student B, describe something that you own and you value it tremendously. You have 1 minute to prepare and 2 minutes to present. ? ? ? Where did you get it from? How long have you had it? What do you use it for? Why is it so important for you? If the student is not able to speak at length the teacher could ask rounding off questions ? ? ? Did you buy it/ was it a gift? Would it be easy to replace it? Is it valuable in term of money? (2) To student A: You will be given one minute to prepare on your most memorable journey you will have 2 minute to describe your journey. (Each student is given 2 minutes to present) For student A ? ? ? ? Where did you travel to? What was the highlight of your visit? monument/temple/park/relatives) Which place would you like to visit next? Why are journeys relaxing? If the student is not able to speak at length the teacher could ask rounding off questions ? Was it a trip organized by the school? ? Did you go with the family? ? Was it a place you had never seen before? ? What fascinated you? Ask student B to ask a question. To student A: (Repeat) (2) Qualities that I value in a friend For student B ? ? ? ? Qualities I like in a friend Why do I consider these qualities important How many of these qualities do I have What is that one quality that I would like to inculcate If the student is not able to speak at length the teacher could ask rounding off questions ? Do you have a lot of friends? ? Why did you pick on them? ? Why do your friends care for you? Ask student A to ask a question 20 | P a g e (3) Changing role of women ? ? ? ? Varied jobs Working mothers Financial security Economic\social independence If the student is not able to speak at length the teacher could ask rounding off questions ? ? ? Do women in your family work outside the house? Do you appreciate women working? Why? Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? III PAIR INTERACTION (3 mins): Instructions: a) Teacher to both students A and B Look at the visual carefully. Talk together for 2 minutes. Students are given 1 minute to think and prepare. And then their respond to visual/ verbal stimulus. (1) Child Marriage (2) Growing Obesity 21 | P a g e Verbal Stimulus (3) How do you imagine life in cities in the future? The interlocutor can give the following hints: ? Work ? Leisure/Entertainment ? Travel (4) What responsibilities do you think individuals have towards the environment? The interlocutor can give the following hints: ? Life style ? Shopping ? Finance IV Closing (1 min) Thank you very much. That was the end of your test. The interlocutor retrieves the pencil and paper. 22 | P a g e Set – I Assessment of Listening Skills Sample Tasks Class XI LISTENING Instructions: a) You will listen to the librarian of a new town library talking to a group of people who are visiting the library b) Before you listen to the talk, look at the plan of the Town Library given in your answer sheet. 1. As you listen, answer questions 1 – 5 in not more than one or two words. 20 Marks Transcript: Good morning, dear students. Now we are at the entrance to the town library. My name is Anita, and I’m the chief librarian here, and you’ll usually find me at the desk just by the main entrance here. So I’d like to tell you about the way the library is organized, and what you will find where. All of you have a plan in front of you. Well, as you see my desk is just on the right as you enter, and opposite this the first room on your left has an excellent collection of reference books. Here is the place where people can read or study peacefully. Just beyond the librarian’s desk on the right is a room where we have an up- to- date periodicals section. This houses the newspapers and magazines. This room also has a photocopier in case you want to photocopy any of the articles. If you carry straight on you’ll come into a large room and this is the main library area. There is fiction in the shelves on the left, and non-fiction materials on your right, and on the shelves on the far wall there is an excellent collection of books relating to local history. We hope to add a section on local tourist attractions too, later in the year. As you walk through the far door in the library just past the fiction shelves, there is a seminar room. This room can be booked for meeting or talks. The next door leads to that is the children’s library, which has a good collection of stories and picture books for youngster below eleven. Then there’s a large room to the right of the library area – that’s the multimedia collection, where you can browse through and borrow videos and DVDs. We also have CD-Roms you can borrow to use on your computer at home. It was originally the art collection but that’s been moved to another building. And that’s about it – oh, yes before I forget; there’s also the Library Office, on the left of the librarian’s desk. Ok, now I hope you all are fairly well acquainted with the layout of the library. (360 words) 23 | P a g e Instructions: You will listen to two short extracts. As you listen, tick the correct answer. Transcript: 11. The tiger population has dipped from thousands to few hundreds. Look at the graph depicting the tiger world population which is very dismal. It reflects a dramatic fall in the tiger population. Identify the graph. Tick your answer. A. B. C. D. A Ans: D B C D 1 mark 12. Now look at the Pie chart of populations of English native speakers. The pie chart reveals that the USA by far had an overwhelming majority. This was followed by the United Kingdom. Australia seemed to have the least numbers of English native speakers. Choose the pie chart which reflects the situation of native speakers of English. B A C D A B C D Ans: D 24 | P a g e 4 Marks 1. Before listening to the narration by one of the campers please read the question 1 – 4 given in your answer sheet. Listen to the narration and with the words that you hear. Transcript: One day in 1924, five of us who were camping in the Cascade Mountains of Washington saw a group of huge apelike creatures coming out of the woods. We retreated in terror and locked urselves in our cabin. The creatures pelted rocks against the walls of the cabin. All of us inside were quaking in our shoes. 8. 9. 10. 11. The number of campers†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Place of camping†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Intimidated by†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Method of attackâ⠂¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4. pelted rocks Ans: 1. Five 2. Cascade Mountains 3. huge apelike creatures 2. Here is a dialogue between Neetu Kumar and the receptionist. Neetu Kumar is fixing a doctor’s appointment. Listen to this dialogue and answer the questions given in your sheet. Transcript: Receptionist: Good morning, KVG Hospital. How can I help you? Neetu: I am Neetu Kumar. I’d like an appointment with your cardiologist, Dr Suresh Reddy, please. R: For when would you like the appointment? N: For tomorrow? R: Please hold the line. I’ll check if I can fit you in tomorrow. N: Sure, thanks. R: Thanks for holding. I’m afraid Dr Suresh is fully booked tomorrow. Would you like to see our other cardiologist Dr Dinesh Mehra instead? N: I’m sorry, but we’d prefer to see Dr Reddy. R: That’s all right. In that case, would you like an appointment with him for the day after? N: That’d be fine. R: Would 12 noon suit you, Ms Kumar? N: Sure. R: Could I have the patient’s name and age? N: It’s Mrs Prema Kumar. She’s 65. R: Is this her first visit to KVG? 25 | P a g e N: Yes. R: Are you consulting Dr Reddy on your physician’s advice? N: No, a friend of mine suggested we see him. R: OK, I’ve put you down for 12 noon, Friday, 15 September. Please be here by 11. 30. N: Thanks! R: You’re welcome. Can I have your phone number, please? N: 9940109932 R: Thank you, Ms Kumar, have a nice day! Task Fill in the information in the appointment book. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. Doctor ________________________ Day and date __________________________ Time ________________________________ Name of atient _________________________ Age _______________________ Referral Yes/No If Yes, doctor’s name ____________________________ Contact person __________________________ Contact phone number ___________________________ 26 | P a g e Set – I Assessment of Speaking Skill Sample Task Class XI I GENERAL INTRODUCTION (1 min) 10 Marks (The Interlocutor makes the students feel comfortable) Interlocutor: Good morning, I am -. Student A: My name is -/ I am Interlocutor: And yours? (looking at student B) Student B:Interlocutor: How would you describe yourself? to student B) Student B: Interlocutor: What about you? (to student A) Student A: Interlocutor: What is that one thing that you would like to change in yourself? (to student A) Student A:-(The interlocutor/assessor gives instructions for the mini presentation. ) II MINI PRESENTATION In the mini presentation, students are expected to speak for two minutes on a given topic. The interlocutor gives them pencil and paper to write points. They are not supposed to write complete answers. (1 min Preparation+ 2 each min for students= 5 min) The input cards are given to the students. Any one out of the four can be given to the pair. The Interlocutor may ask any student A or B begin first. After one student has finished his or her presentation, the student should be asked to ask a question on the mini presentation. The same process should be repeated with the other student also. a. What skill would you like to learn most in the future? Why? (1) My choice of a career ? ? ? Why is it important? How do you hope to achieve your goal? How do you think would you be a productive member of the society? If the student is not able to speak at length the teacher could ask rounding off questions 27 | P a g e ? How did you decide on your choice? Do you have other options? (2) What would you preferlife in Rural or Urban area? ? ? ? Choice Three reasons Difference If the student is not able to speak at length the teacher could ask rounding off questions ? Have you been exposed to both the life styles? ? How is it different? (3) Advantages of co education ? ? ? Society consists o f men and women Rapport is built Helps in adult life If the student is not able to speak at length the teacher could ask rounding off questions ? ? What do you prefer? Why? Does it add to your comfort? (4) A book that I enjoyed reading ? ? Why did you pick up the book? How long did you take to read it? Genre of the book If the student is not able to speak at length the teacher could ask rounding off questions ? What kind of books do you enjoy? ? Have you heard or of seen a book that has been filmed? III PAIR INTERACTION (3 mins) Students respond to visual/ verbal stimulus. Students AB look at the picture and talk together to describe it. (1) Rag Pickers 28 | P a g e Teacher could ask prompt question: 1. 2. What are the environmental hazards if the waste is not managed in time and properly? What kind of a holiday would you prefer? Students look at the pictures and choose one, then talk together? Teacher could ask a prompt question. 3. ? ? ? Studying abroad High cut offs Easy money from parents Brand value and status symbol 4. Changing Values ? things that give status to people in your country ? changes since your parents’ time ? Reasons for changes IV Closing (1 min) 29 | P a g e Assessment of Listening Skills Class XI Set – II 20 Marks Instructions: a) Before listening to the passage on Tsunami read the questions. (1 min) b) Listen to the passage on Tsunami that caused devastation in Japan. While you listening complete the blanks. Transcript: The tsunami that hit Japan on March 11, 2011 has been labelled the countrys worst tragedy since World War II. The 8. 9-magnitude earthquake that hit north-eastern Japan and the 23-feet tsunami it triggered has left a trail of devastation in its wake. After the Ferocious Friday some numbers continue to haunt: tens of thousand dead; even more missing; 4,50,000 rendered homeless. The Japanese are familiar with natural disasters and are trained in handling a calamity and ways of evacuation. Statistics speak of a tremor occurring somewhere in the country about every five minutes with annually there being up to 2,000 quakes. But no amount of preparation proved enough for the recent calamity of colossal proportion. Natures fury swept aside every safeguard in place. Many perished in split seconds and those who escaped the wrath pleaded for aid in every possible way. The catastrophe has lead to an outpouring of grief from around the world. The quake-tsunami double blow wrecked parts of a beautiful country and scarred lives. It couldnt, however, crack the inherent willpower or destroy the strength of character of its beautiful people; the people who have stayed admirably calm under chaos and begun regrouping forces to rebuild what they have lost. Most eyewitness accounts from the affected zones spoke about residents experiencing power outages, shortage of drinking water and food but there being no panic, arson or emotional breakdown, as reported from other countries where similar disasters have struck. It’s temperament reflecting a society that cares for its neighbour. It was not the countrys technical competence which endeared, it was its people. They displayed dignity, discipline and a genuine desire to assist. (274 words) While you listen to the passage, tick the correct option 1. The tsunami of 2011 has been labelled the †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. . the countrys worst tragedy since World War II. b. the countrys worst natural calamity c. the countrys worst earthquake d. the country’s worst economic disaster Ans: b. the countrys worst natural calamity 30 | P a g e 2. The Japanese are familiar with natural disasters because†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. a. there is a tremor in the country about every five minutes b. they have nerves of steel and presence of mind c. they are technologically advanced and can cope with disasters d. they are used to being hit by a tsunami Ans: a. there is a tremor in the country about every five minutes B. Fill in the blanks 3. The quake-tsunami wrecked the beautiful country and scarred lives but it couldnt destroy †¦.. 4. The Japanese experienced shortage of drinking water and food but they did not resort to†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 5. What endears the Japanese to the world is their †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Ans: 3. the strength of character/ the will power 4. unlawful means/ panic, arson or emotional breakdown 5. dignity, and discipline II. 1. Listen to James talk about his routine, and fill in the blanks given in your answer sheet: Transcript I guess I should tell you about what I do everyday. First, everyone has to get up at 5:30 A. M. The silly old rooster amed Harry loves to wake us up. Next, we have to make our beds and tidy up the cabin before our camp counsellor, Jeff, comes to inspect the place. Then, we have breakfast around 6:30 A. M. After that, we have some free time, so Ive been going down to the nearby stream to fish for a couple of hours. But yesterday, the only thing I caught was a n old shoe and a tree branch. Great catch, huh? Then when I was trying to swat a mosquito buzzing around my head, I slipped and fell in the stream and lost my fishing pole. That ended my fishing career. 6. 7. 8. 9. James is woken up by. The first thing that James does is†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ He eats breakfast at about †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ James talks of two mishaps when he went†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 2. Listen to the town planner describes the road. Which one is he talking about. Transcript Many types of road exist around the world. We are looking for well laid out thoroughfare which will be aesthetically laid out with a canopy of trees. 31 | P a g e A B C D Ans. C 3. Match the graphs to the correct definitions Transcript 10. 11. 12. 13. Ans: 1. 2. 3. 4. Sales fell steadily through over the year. Sales rose steadily over the year Sales increased sharply from June. Sales bottomed out in May C A B D A B C D 32 | P a g e 4. Match the images with the correct descriptions B C D Transcript 14. 15. 16. 17. Ans: a. b. c. d. 5. Youngman with dark glasses and a happy face Good-looking young man with black eyes Young man with glasses and a beard Old man with curly hair and glasses D A B C Listen to the telephonic conversation and fill in the blanks Transcript F: Hello Mrunal, Mira here. M: Hi Mira, how are you doing? F: I’m good but busy as always. Actually, I’m completing a project with Wipro. In fact I wanted to talk to you as I’m looking for an assistant – any ideas? M: Is it the database project? F: No, it’s about developing our brand. M: I see. Do you know what kind of person you are trying to find? F: The person needs excellent qualifications – it’s more the creative side of things. Moreover we need the person to be involved in. M: You could give Neera a call. She’ll help you as she’s doing all kinds of consultancy work. Currently she’s an advisor to a couple of large companies I believe. I can email you her details if you like. F: Great, thanks Ans a. b. c. d. 33 | P a g e a project an assistant creative / involved neera 18. Mrunal was busy completing †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 19. Mrunal wanted to Mira to help him find †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 20. Mrunal wanted the person who was†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. and †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Closing 34 | P a g e Assessment of Speaking Skill Set II Class XI 10 Marks I GENERAL INTRODUCTION (1 min) (The Interlocutor makes the students feel comfortable) Interlocutor: Good morning, I am -. Student A: My name is -/ I am Interlocutor: And yours? (looking at student B) Student B: Interlocutor: What do you do in your leisure time (To student B) Student B: -Interlocutor: What other hobby would you like to develop? To student A) Student A: -Interlocutor: what would you like to develop? (To student B) Student B: Interlocutor: who is your favourite actor? (To student A) Student A: -Interlocutor: And yours? (To student B) Student B: II MINI PRESENTATION (1 min Preparation + 2 each min for both the students= 5 min) 1. Your school is planning to organize an adventure camp during summer vacations. The Secretary of the School Adventure Club has offered the following three choices. As a member of the club which place would you prefer? Give reasons for your choice. (Interlocutor gives different input card to both students. Four samples are given) ? ? ? Seven day swimming camp at lake Bhimtal Four day trekking camp at Pehalgam, Srinagar Five day river rafting camp at Rishikesh 35 | P a g e 2. Talk about a book you have read recently ? ? ? Why did you decided to read that book? How long did it take to finish the book? What genre of book it was? 3. Talk about your favourite news channel. ? ? ? 4. ? ? ? ? III How often you use this news source Why do you use this channel What other sources you use E-learning. Autonomous learning Adds variety Gives choices Clarifies concepts PAIR INTERACTION (3 mins) Students respond to visual/ verbal stimulus. Students look at the pictures and talk together for three minutes 1. Elderly –sad and lonely, neglected by their family members. Dependent on others for their physical needs. Money not adequate to meet the expenses of medicines. 36 | P a g e 2. E-revolution in India. Awareness in villages about computers. Government has brought out e-tablets which are cost-effective Energy Saving devices in new computers. Closing 37 | P a g e