ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD
(Department of English Language & Applied Linguistics)
WARNING
1. PLAGIARISM OR HIRING OF GHOST WRITER(S) FOR SOLVING THE ASSIGNMENT(S) WILL DEBAR THE STUDENT FROM AWARD OF DEGREE/CERTIFICATE, IF FOUND AT ANY STAGE.
2. SUBMITTING ASSIGNMENTS BORROWED OR STOLEN FROM OTHER(S) AS ONE’S OWN WILL BE PENALIZED AS DEFINED IN “AIOU PLAGIARISM POLICY”.
ASSIGNMENT No. 1
(Units 1–4)
Course: Compulsory English–I (386) Semester: Spring, 2011
Level: Intermediate Total Marks: 100
Pass Marks: 40
Q. 1 Suppose this is the first day of your new job in a private company. Write a dialogue, of about ten lines, between yourself and your colleague in which you greet and then introduce yourself to him/her. (10)
Example: You: Hello! I am Naveed.
Colleague: How do you do. I am Amir.
You: This is my first day here….
(Continue)
Q. 2 Now introduce two of your friends. Give their names, ages, professions and some features of their personalities. (10)
Example: Adeel is my best friend. He is 19 years old. He is doing his Intermediate from AIOU. He is very hard working and…..
Q. 3 How do you spend your day? Do you follow a proper timetable? Do you help the members of your family? Write a brief paragraph about your daily routine. (10)
Example: I get up early in the morning. After saying my prayer I go for a walk. Then I come back and take my breakfast at 7A.M. After that ….
Q. 4 What expressions would you use in the following situations to seek permission? (10)
Follow the example:
Example:
· You need your father’s car for a day and you seek his permission.
· You: Father can I borrow your car for a day?
i. You want to watch a cricket match on TV but your elder brother is watching a drama. Take his permission to change the channel.
ii. You want to sell your cycle. Seek your father’s permission.
iii. You want to work on your friend’s computer.
iv. You want to park your car in front of a shop. Seek the shopkeeper’s permission.
v. You and all your class fellows want to have a party in the class. Ask principal’s permission.
Q. 5 What expressions would you use in the following situations to refuse or grant permission? Give reasons as well. (10)
Follow the example.
Example: Excuse me, I am going to Murree. Can I take your camera with me?
· Yes, of course, but keep it in safe custody. (Grant Permission)
· Sorry, you can’t. You may lose it during travel. (Refusal)
i. Can I meet you tomorrow?
ii. May I act in a TV play?
iii. Can I give your e-mail address to my friend?
iv. Would you please allow me to wear your shirt?
v. Can I eat your lunch?
vi. Would you allow me to use your mobile phone?
vii. Can I go to the market today?
viii. May I cook something for you?
ix. Can I leave the party, I have to go home?
x. May I talk to the manager of this hotel?
Q. 6 Read the text given below. You would notice some words written in bold. Try and guess the meaning of these words through the context. (5)
Litter is garbage or waste like leftover food, paper, and cans on the grounds or in the street. Where many people live together, litter is a problem. People don’t always put their garbage in the garbage can, because they find it is easier to drop a paper then to find a garbage can for it. But litter is ugly. It makes the city look dirty, and it spoils the view. In most places litter is against the law. The law punishes people who throw garbage on the streets. They usually pay a fine, and occasionally they go to jail.
Q.7 Each word is related to another word which makes a family of words. Here is a word “Tele vision”. Think of 5 words which are related to it and add to the diagram. One word is given for you. (10)
Q. 8 Punctuate the following passage. Use capital letters and other punctuation marks like comma full stop and apostrophy, where necessary. (10)
buddhism is one of the great oriental religions it was founded in india in the sixth century bc by a hindu prince who was called Siddharth he left his palace and his wife and child because he wanted to think about the problem of human suffering after six years of studying he sat down under a tree (the Bo-tree) and finally he understood the reason for people’s unhappiness according to buddah we are unhappy because we are attached to people and things in a world where nothing is permanent.
Q. 9 Write a paragraph of at least 10–15 sentences, describing any one of your family members. First mention his/her physique, dress and personality and then discuss his/her nature, habits, likes, and dislikes. (15)
Q. 10 There are some blanks in the following paragraph. A list of words is given at the end of the paragraph. Fill in the blanks by choosing the appropriate word from the list. (10)
The Great Wall of China was built to keep _1_ out of that country. It extends for more than fifteen hundred miles over mountains and valleys through the _2_ part of China. Nowhere has a longer line of _3_ ever been built. The wall is about twenty-five feet high, twenty-five feet wide at the _4_ fifteen feet wide at the top, and is made of bricks and _5_. Every three hundred yards or so is a tower that stands thirty-five feet high. Between each two_6_ the top of the wall _7_ as a road for people to walk on. Probably the _8_ of the wall was begun _9_ the year 200 and the year 300. It is believed that the work was not _10_ until about 1350. All the work was done by hand.
enemies granite serves towers completed
building protection between bottom central
ASSIGNMENT No. 2
(Unit 5–9)
Total Marks: 100 Pass Marks: 40
Q. 1 Here are a few situations in which certain things went wrong on your part and you are sorry about them. How would you express your apology in each situation? Choose different expressions for apologizing and write complete sentences. (10)
Example: You promised to meet your friend in the evening but you couldn’t.
Apology: I am sorry I could not meet you in the evening.
i. You promised to bring some sweets for your younger sister but your forgot.
ii. Your boss is not happy because you didn’t finish the job in time.
iii. You came late for your class and your teacher is annoyed with you.
iv. You did not reach the station in time to receive your uncle as a result he had to face a lot of problems.
v. Your father asked you to bring some paper and pencils but you forgot.
vi. You borrowed someone’s book and lost it.
vii. You disturbed your neighbours by playing very loud music.
viii. You could not attend today’s lecture.
ix. You did not go to see your friend when he was ill.
x. You did not attend the birthday party of your friend.
Q. 2 Now using the statements in Q.1 for which you had to apologise to different people, give reasons for not being able to do the above things. How would you do that? Write complete sentences. Follow the example (10)
Example: I did not come to meet you because I was very busy.
Q. 3 Complete the following short exchanges by providing correct and appropriate expressions of pleasure/happiness. (10)
i. Waseem: I have got a job in a college.
Naveed:
ii. Friend1: Let’s go for a long drive and lunch.
Friend2:
iii. Wife: Our child had got first position in the school.
Husband:
iv. Son: I have got admission in MBBS.
Father:
v. Mother: Your father has got a promotion.
Daughter:
Q. 4 Either agree or disagree on the following statements. (10)
Follow the example:
Example: Juices are better than fruit.
Agree: Yes, I do think so.
Disagree: No, fruit is better.
Or
No, I disagree with you.
i. Our cricket team can beat Australia.
ii. Radio is better than TV.
iii. Girls are more intelligent than boys.
iv. There can be good relations between Pakistan and India.
v. Winter is best season.
Q. 5 Following are some incomplete sentences. Fill in these blanks with the most suitable of the three choices. (if, because, therefore, yet) (10)
i. He worked hard_______ he failed.
ii. I could not come,_______ it was raining.
iii. I was not feeling well_______ I stayed at home.
iv. ________ you had called him, he would have come.
v. The colour was fast ______ it faded.
Q. 6 As discussed in unit 8, we can anticipate whether a book serves our purpose or not, with the help of the following: (10)
– The title
– The content list etc.
Here, we are giving you some topics in one column and some titles of the books in the other column. Match the correct topic with the correct title of the book.
Topics Titles of Books
– Tipu Sultan – Indoor Games
– Cholesterol and heart disease – Urdu Poetry
– Mirza Ghalib – Health Care
– Table Tennis – Electronics made easy
– Use of Computer – Muslim Heroes
Q. 7 Write one paragraph for each describing your own experience of attending or participating in the following events. (15)
i An engagement of a relative or friend.
ii A birthday party of relative/friend.
Q.8 How did you spend your last weekend? Did you stay at home or you went out with your family or friends. Did you help your father or mother in doing some work at home? Write a paragraph about your activities on the last weekend. (15)
Q. 9 Read the following paragraph carefully and answer the questions given at the end.
In 1912, the Titanic hit an ice berg on its first trip across the Atlantic, and it sank four hours later. At that time, the Titanic was the largest ship that had ever travelled on the sea. It was carrying 2207 people, but it had taken on enough lifeboats for only 1178 people. When the passengers tried to leave the ship, only 651 on them were able to get into lifeboats. Nobody was prepared for such a tragedy. Nobody had believed that the Titanic could sink. The steamship company had thought that its ship would be completely safe in all situations. The ship had already received six ice warnings on its radio when it struck the iceberg. Nevertheless, it had not changed its direction or its speed. It was impossible to change direction quickly enough when the iceberg came in sight. (10)
i. When did Titanic hit the iceberg?
ii. For how many passengers the lifeboats were available?
iii. How many people were prepared for the tragedy?
iv. How many warnings the Titanic had received when it hit the iceberg?
v. Why didn’t the Titanic change its direction?
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