IQ Test - 2

 IQ Test – 2

 

1.     Identify two words (one from each set of brackets) that form a connection (analogy), thereby relating to the words in capitals in the same way.

 

CHISEL (cut, smooth, tool)

AUGER (engrave, drill, punch)

 

 

2.     How many minutes is it before 12 noon if 48 minutes ago it was three times as many minutes past 9 a m.

 

 

 

3.     Break              Bottle              Rough

Which word below has something in common with all the words above.

 

Donkey,          Rabbit,            Turtle,             ox,                   Tortoise

 

 

4.     Susceptible to attack or damage. Which word below most closely fits the above definition?

 

Debilitated,     Vulnerable,     Unstable,         Emasculated,   Unprepared

 

 

5.     SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

 

Which day is three days before the day immediately following the day two days before the day three days after the day immediately before FRIDAY?

 

 

6.     Change one letter only in each word below to find a well-known phrase.

 

ON TIE WINK

 

 

7.     Insert the letters provided into the spaces to spell out a palindromic phrase, that is, one that reads the same backwards and forwards.

Clue: exercise franchise

 

TREE VISITOR

 

            - - S -  / - -  / - O - -   /- - - /

 

8.     On glancing through your morning newspaper, you notice that four pages are missing. One of the missing pages is page 8. The back page of the newspaper is 28. What are the other three missing pages?

 

 

 

9.     Which of the following is not an anagram of a type of book?

 

Neil Cox

Assure Hut

Sumo Bin 

Sack Oboe

Roy Coke

 

 

10.  Which word in brackets is opposite in meaning to the word in capitals?

 

Significant (ordinary, stupid, modest, petty, dull)

 

11.  FELINE: CAT

VULPINE: 

 

a.     Ferret

b.     Fox

c.     Deer

d.     Wolf

e.     Sheep

 

 

12.  Arrange the following words in a line so that each pair of words in the line forms a new word or phrase. 

 

For example: word, game, pass, point = pass, word, game, point to give the words or phrases, password, word-game and game-point. 

 

SHORT,          GROUP,         WATER,         LINE,              STORY,          AGE, 

FRESH,           FALL

13.  Which two numbers come next in the sequence?

 

38, 24, 62, 12, 74, ?

 

 

14.  Which is the odd one out?

 

ROOSTER,        BUCK,          GANDER,           PEN,          RAM

 

 

15.  The following in extracted from which hyphenated word.

 

Clue: viewing area

 

- - - - - RE /  GA- - - - - /

 

16.  Outline tax is an anagram of which 10 – letter word?

 

 

 

 

17.  Which is the odd one out?

 

Canticle,          Threnody,       Madrigal,        Libretto,          Aria

 

 

 

18.  Identify two words (one from each set of brackets) that form a connection (analogy), thereby relating to the words in capitals in the same way.

 

ABDUCTION            (Winch, kidnap, ransom)

LARCENY                 (Theft, deceit, crime)

 

 

19.  Select two words that are synonyms, plus an antonym of these two synonyms, from the list of words below.

 

Amass,            Accuse,           Question,         Cite,    Empower,       Absolve, 

Forsake

 

 

20.  How tall is a sapling that is six feet shorter than a wall that is seven times higher than the sapling?

 

Communication Skills for IV Semester Basic English Students (part - 2)

Communication Skills for IV Semester Basic English Students (Part – 2)

Personal Conduct and Appearance

·      Etiquette and Manners

According to OALD the Etiquette is “the customary code of polite behaviour in society or among members of a particular profession or a group” and Manners is something “a person’s outward bearing or way of behaving towards others”. 

It will create poor impression on a person who behaves himself / herself badly despite his / her educational qualifications and experience. The way in which we behave ourselves says a lot about our character. Others judge us by our behaviour rather than by what we say. A well-mannered person finds it easy to work within a group and contribute towards its success. Now let us examine some forms of behaviour that are generally recognised as good manners.

1.     It is considered courteous to make a room for elderly people and women with children while getting in and getting off a bus or a train. Giving up your seat for a person who deserves it more adds beauty and grace to your behaviour.

2.     Listen to your friends and relatives or even to strangers when they wanted to share their problems.

3.     In case you feel like sneezing or coughing in crowded places, hold your handkerchief over your nose and mouth, and apologise later to the people around you by saying ‘sorry’ or ‘excuse me’.

4.     Being on time to a meeting, class or any other appointment is considered polite and professional. If you do happen to be late for such an event, apologise to the people who have been kept waiting.

5.     Pointing your index finger at a person especially at close range is considered offensive body language. Try to avoid such gestures.

6.     Showing undue interest in personal details of others and being inquisitive about them can be irritating to others.

7.     ‘I disagree with you’ is very simple to say to a person with whom you disagree but it is crude expression.

8.     Looking into the personal files of others’ mobile phones and reading personal letters without their permission and knowledge is considered as bad etiquette.

9.     Taking away to a little distance and whispering with one of your friends in front of other friends creates suspicion among other friends and it will be considered as breach of trust. 

10.  Whispering to the person seated next to you during a meeting, especially while some one speaking, is not an acceptable behaviour.

The way you behave yourself and the language that you use are the important parts of your personality. Rudeness and insensitivity to other people’s feelings will harm your image.  A well-behaved person is always be noticed and people are happy to interact with such person.

·      Table Manners

There is a code of conduct, called table manners, that is considered acceptable at the dining table. We cannot behave in a way that may irritate others seated with us while eating something at a dinning table. Table manners are context-specific, and they also differ from culture to culture. A loud burp of after a meal may considered as an appreciation of the food in some cultures, whereas it could be considered uncultured behaviour in some other cultures. So, you try to be very sensitive to others’ likes and dislikes when you are at the dining table, especially when it is a formal meal.

Here are some tips to improve your manners and mannerisms while you join other at a dinning table.

1.     It is bad table manners to eat nosily. Many people make slurping sounds while eating. This is considered bad manners especially in western culture. The best thing that you can do is keeping your mouth closed while munching the food and avoid making unpleasant noises which may irritate others.

2.     The noise made by a spoon, or by a knife or by a fork on a plate can be irritating to the person seated next to you. Therefore, you are requested not make any such noises while stirring the contents of a cup.

3.     The way you place your cutlery on the table and the way you use them are also part of your table manners. Hold the fork in your left hand and the knife in your right hand. Hold the food item with the fork and use the knife to cut it.

4.     Similarly, placing the fork and knife on the plate may indicate some meaning. If you place them (the fork and knife) on the sides of your plate indicate that you need another serving, and placing fork and knife crossed on the plate indicate that you finished your meal.

5.     In an Indian context, smacking your fingers during a meal or afterwards is considered a sign of appreciation. The person who cooked the food feels flattered by such behaviour but, in modern life, smacking fingers is considered bad manners.

6.     Leaving the dining table in the middle of a meal without specific reason is certainly considered bad manners. If you must leave the table on an important reason you must beg the pardon of the others at the table. 

The manners and behviour of person at a dining table enhances your personality that can yield respect from others. Therefore, you are advised to identify your weaknesses in your behavioural attitude and try to amend them.

·      Dress Code

The clothes you wear can express your personality. The colours of dress you choose, the ornaments you wear and other accessories you use will certainly tell about that what kind of person you are. Feel free to express yourself with your appearance, but there are conventions that you need to follow when dress suitable to the occasion. Of course, being well-dressed is not always an indicator of being cultured.  

The formal dress code varies according to the cultural milieu according to the context. For formal meetings or interviews you are advisable to wear a dark-coloured trousers, a light coloured shirt and matching despite well shined shoes. This type dress may be appropriate for men. If this type of dress code recommended in your organisations, you must also wear a coat. Students appearing for an interview may also follow this basic dress code. 

Black trousers with brown shoes, white shirt and a maroon coloured tie will be a bit odd to look at. A well shined black shoes, black trousers, a shite and a grey or blue tie would look sober. The dress code for women in an Indian company is usually a simple silk or well-starched and ironed sari with matching blouse, may not be acceptable in specific regions, but commonly acceptable dress code in all over India. Avoid wearing a lot of jewellery when you are going to your workplace. A couple of bangles, a pair of simple earrings and a chain around your neck may enhance your personality and appearance. Using odd and gaudy coloured dress may not express your personality in a proper manner.

·      Gender Bias in Communication

Gender Bias is the tendency to prefer one gender over another gender. Generally speaking, Bias or Biased Communication is prevalent in every aspect of our lives. Usually our brains are hardwired (very insensitive) to categorise things which we encounter every day the incidents of bias in order to make sense of the complicated world around us. However, biases can cause us to form prejudice against other, which allow very egregious inequalities to form between different demographics of the society.  

Bias can be experienced in many forms in day-to-day life. Those are for example, communal bias, caste bias, religious bias, linguistic bias, regional bias etc.  But here I have to focus on gender bias as per the topic I choose, and its role within the workplace. This topic covers what is gender bias, where and when it happens along with a few remedies which can reduce gender bias and ultimately build a more diverse and inclusive workplace. It should be noted that while there is a spectrum of gender identities, due to constraints within existing literature will focus on the gender binaries – male and female.

We have several instances which are deeply ingrained gender prejudices against women in our everyday conversations. We prejudiced that certain professions are prerogative rights of men only. We are not ready to accept that women can also be successful professionals like surgeons in medical sciences, pilots in Air Force or Civil Aviation, truck drivers, Loco pilots or any other such jobs. We always think that women are likely to be primary school teachers, nurses in hospitals, receptionists, secretaries etc.   

Traditionally, women have not been given prominent roles in our society, but today several organisations have given women very prominent roles in decision making and Execution in their organisations successfully. Arundhati Bhatacharya, former Chairperson of the State Bank of India, Chandra Kochhar, former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ICICI Bank, Indra Nooyi is an Indian American Business Executive and former Chief Executive Officer of Pepsico are the best exemplary women who had led their organisations successfully. Therefore, using disrespectful or abusive language to women colleagues either in their presence or in their absence is absolutely unacceptable and such incidents will lead to angry protest. Giving respect to women which is due to them creates a pleasant working environment, which will increase efficiency and productivity.

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Style of Presentation

Style of Presentation:

There are varieties of styles in presentation as you can think off. There are en-number of presentation styles. But I wanted to discuss here only about two types presentations.

One is customised style of presentation

And other is non-customised style of presentation

The style of presentation depends upon the choice of an individual who is presenting the presentation to the audience.

Generally, in customised style of presentation the presenter has to organise the points in a logical sequence, similar to the sequence of a textbook and present all points in a sequential order. This style of presentation is only suitable for short presentations lasting for fifteen to twenty minutes and also it is suitable style to make a presentation before an interested adult audience.

The above style of presentation may not be suitable for a group of audience who are not so motivated and for whom the topic is new and unfamiliar. For such audience, the textbook method or serial style may create boredom and monotony during the presentation.

Instead of customised or traditional style a presenter should adopt a different style that is customised style of presentation which can create ‘Cognitive dissonance’ (a kind of disbelief) among the audience to arouse their curiosity and interest. This could attract the “not-so-motivated” listeners towards the topic.

This unique style of presentation sustains the audience’s interest and motivation and ensure their active participation in the session where in you are presenting presentation. Such presentations are likely to yield better results and better feedback from the audience.  This style of presentation is very useful when the topic of your choice is highly theoretical and complex. These attempts in the strategies of presentation can surely make a great impact on the audience.

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Communication Skills for IV Semester Basic English Students (Part - 1)

Communication Skills for IV Semester  Basic English Students (Part -1)

There are two chapters namely

Presentation skills and Personal Conduct and Appearance

are prescribed for IV Semester B.A. / B. Sc. / B. Com. / BBM Basic English

each chapter contains 4 topics

There is a possibility of asking each question on each topic. There will be eight questions given in the question paper out of which you are asked to write any six of those. Each question carries 6 marks. Total 36 marks are allotted for Communication Skills for Basic English students.

Before starting the first chapter Presentation Skills for IV Semester let us recall what we had learnt in the last III semester.

In III Semester we had learnt about some important aspects of different types of Communication Skills

Those are broadly Oral Communication and Written Communication  

In connection with Oral Communication we had learnt

§  Face-to-face communication in informal situations

§  Communication over a telephone

§  Communication to a group

within this topic we have learnt

·      Facing an interview

·      Informal discussions

·      Group discussions

·      Debates making public speeches etc.

And in Written Communication we had learnt

·      Communication through E-mails

·      Writing about product and service specifications

·      Resume writing

·      Covering letters for Job applications

·      Compering an event etc.

The present chapter Presentation Skills contains the following topics

They are….

·      Synchronized Body Language

·      Use of appropriate Media

·      Style of Presentation

·      Overall impression

The later chapter Personal Conduct and Appearance contains the following topics

·      Etiquette and Manners

·      Table Manners

·      Dress Code

·      Gender Bias in Communication 

Let us learn now each of the sub-topic of both chapters in detail

The Presentation Skills focus on the essential skills involved in increasing effectiveness of your presentations. A well-done presentation is surely enhancing the effective communication in sharing your information, your ideas, feelings, emotions and thoughts with your audience.  To develop your Presentation Skills, you must concentrate on developing the following skills.

·      Synchronized Body Language

Synchronized Body Language is predominantly the expressions of your body while you speak that appropriately syncs with the meaning of the words that you use in your speech. “Body Language” includes the facial expressions, gestures, body postures, nodding of your head, shrugging of your shoulders, movements of your arms and legs must be very expressive to enhance the meaning of your speech. Anybody can use body language to augment your verbal communication and can become a successful communicator by training yourself to synchronize both verbal communication and body language.  A major part of our communication is carried out through your body language.

Similarly, Body Language as a part of non-verbal communication we need not send symbols of sound attaching to the meaning as we do in the verbal communication. The non-verbal communication takes place through the movements of the body parts like hands, fingers, nodding of head, facial expression, posture, gestures, sauntering, walking briskly, walking with drooped shoulders, wearing gloomy look, red eyes, torn clothes, neat dressing, biting nails to communicate different types of moods and feelings of a person. So, in non-verbal communication we express our feelings or thoughts through what we do and act but not by words.

Here are some decodes of body language:

Action	Part of body	You feel…/ convey
bite	lips	Nervous
clench	fist	angry, aggressive
click	fingers	You are trying to remember sth.
click	tongue	annoyed / disturbed
Drum/tap	fingers	Impatient
hang	head	Ashamed
lick	lips	anticipating sth good, nervous
nod	head	Agreement
purse	lips	disapproval, dislike
raise	eyebrows	inquiring, surprise
scratch	head	Puzzled
shake	head	Disagreement
shrug	shoulders	doubt, indifferent
stamp	foot	Angry
wrinkle	nose	dislike, distaste
wrinkle	forehead	Puzzled

Example: She bit her lips nervously. He scratched his head and looked thoughtful. I wrinkled my nose in disgust. She raised questioning eyebrows. (Source OALD)

It is obvious that we deliberately do not use body language. It just happens without our knowledge while speaking or interacting. These visible codes are different aspects of our body, which includes our looks, our posture, our facial expressions, eye contact, gestures and social space distancing etc., It is natural tendency to wear a body language proportion to the status of our mind. The mind has a direct bearing on our body language. Hence the oral communication and non-verbal communication go hand in hand, they cannot be treated isolation. It has been observed that a perfect blend of both communications could prove to be a total communication, because neither of them exists without the other. A fine synchronization of both verbal communication and body language is what we need in this modern life.

·      Use of Appropriate Media

There are three important methods (media) in the process of communication

They are…

1.     Visual medium[mp1] : Presently visual medium is very popular in effective communication process.  All possible methods of print, audio and video visuals can be used in this teaching and learning process. Let us discuss it later in detail.

2.     Kinaesthetic medium: Kinaesthetic[mp2]  method of communication is adopted through physical activity. This method of communication can be adopted to the learners whose memories associated with emotions.  For them learning process through physical activity is facilitated through dance, debate, drama, role-play and charades. This kind of learning leads to a long-term memory since it is associated with emotions such as excitement, curiosity, anger, disappointment and success. But, a very few learners prefer this method of learning. 

3.     Tactile medium: This method of communication related to the sense of touch. This method of tactile[mp3]  device is adopted to the people who are physically impaired in terms dumb, deaf and blind.  A tactile device can translate a text-to-braille which can help the blind to touch and understand / learn.

Now let us learn the above said visual medium in detail.

a.     Print: Copies of printed material (handouts) are to be given to your audience if your presentation contains a lot of verbal descriptions. Listeners can make notes on the margins of those copies related to your topic while listening to your speech. This will help them to read leisurely and understand better than listening to your verbal bombast. You must prepare handouts that follow the structure and sequence of your presentation.

b.     Tables and Graphs:  Providing Tables and Graphs (data) related to the topic will enhance the effectiveness of your presentation. Giving them out to the audience as handouts also has its advantages as they can analyze the data and seek clarifications there and then. Projected shorter tables and graphical presentations have visual impact and they augment your verbal presentation.

c.     Drawings and Cartoons: Drawings and cartoons, with or without captions, can quickly convey information or an idea to the audience in a subtle and focused manner. In fact, a cartoon can convey more than what a picture conveys as it is more focused, and its effect is heightened because of the cartoonist’s sense of humour.

d.     Paintings and Photographs: The Paintings and photographs will add colour and value to your presentation. An apt painting or a photograph can replace a thousand words and convince audience in a better manner.

e.     Presentations of a Series of Photographs in a Sequence: When your presentation contains a number of examples, just one photograph or an image may not be sufficient. A series of photographs are to be presented in a sequence using slides on overhead projector or computer enabled multimedia projector which can enhance the effectiveness of your presentation

f.      Video and Audio Clips: These two media go together hand-in-hand in their formats in presentation. These audio-visual clippings can help you to explain your topic very effectively. Of course, with the advent of [mp4] Multimedia Messing Services (MMS) technology, students are now well-equipped to handle these media systems.

g.     Animations: Animations are created by graphic designer artists to enhance the level of understanding by giving learners an opportunity to visualize which cannot be seen or experienced.  Explanations based on diagrams on the blackboard or the drawings available in books are two-dimensional pictures of a three-dimensional objects. Two-dimensional pictures help a person to explain the concept of a machine but not help the audience to understand it completely. Thus, animated motion pictures will certainly helpful to the presenter to make his presentation successfully and meaningfully.

h.     Multimedia Packages: Multimedia package is a learning package which contains text, photographs, graphs, animations and even video clippings, where the relevant media appear as and where require according to the desire of the user.  An approach where different media are used in a balanced way and the material presented in a package will enhance understanding of concepts and their applications.

The presenter must keep in mind the appropriate media can only support your presentation. The content of the presentation and its sequence are to be decided by the presenter only. Even the multimedia tools cannot completely replace the presenter, but they can only support you. Therefore, the presenter should have thorough practice in presentation skills.

·      Style of Presentation:

The style of presentation depends upon the choice of an individual who is presenting the presentation to the audience. There are varieties of styles in presentation as you can think off.

Generally, the presenter has to organize the points in a logical sequence, similar to the sequence of a textbook and present all points in a sequential order. This style of presentation is only suitable for short presentations lasting for fifteen to twenty minutes and also it is suitable style to make a presentation before an interested adult audience.

The above style presentation may not be suitable for a group audience who are not so motivated and whom the topic is new and unfamiliar. For such audience, the textbook method or serial style may create boredom and monotony during the presentation.

Instead of customized or traditional style a presenter should adopt a different style which can create ‘Cognitive dissonance’ (a kind of disbelief) among the audience to arouse their curiosity and interest. This could attract the “not-so-motivated” listeners toward the topic.

This unique style of presentation sustains the audience’s interest and motivation and ensure their active participation. Such presentations are likely to yield better results and better feedback from the audience.  This style of presentation is very useful when the topic of your choice is highly theoretical and complex. These attempts in the strategies of presentation can surely make a great impact on the audience.

·      Overall Impression

Apart from how you begin your presentation, the media that you chose, and the style of presentation you selected, there are other features that can make an impression on your audience.  A few of such features are listed below to draw a good impression from your audience upon your presentation.

1.     Eye Contact: Staring at a single person or looking away from your audience may create disinterest among the audience. Moving your eyes from one end to the other end will ensure that everyone feels included. The eye-contact also serves the purpose of obtaining feedback from your audience.   

2.     Synchronized Expressions: a pleasant face and synchronized expressions will sustain the interest the interest of the audience.

3.     Voice Pitch: A base pitch is to be preferred during the presentation.  It makes pleasant for the listeners. The voice pitch can be altered depending on emotional overtones which emphasizes a particular point.

4.     Voice Amplitude: Voice amplitude or loudness of your voice has to be adjusted depending the size of the hall and the noises from outside which distract the attention of the audience. If you are making your presentation in a normal-sized hall with an audience of about forty people. Just raise your voice above the normal level and ask a member of the audience who is sitting at the far end of the hall if it is auditable to him or to her. If it is audible, then you can your presentation with the same amplitude of voice. 

5.     Pauses: Using pauses at appropriate points in the presentation may evoke curiosity in the audience.  Further, these pauses help you to gather visual feedback from the audience looking at their facial expressions. Pausing at raising an issue, or asking a question, or create ‘Cognitive dissonance’ gives interest to listeners time to time.

6.     Encouraging Audience Participation: The presenter must take the lead to encourage audience in the process of developing his presentation. This attitude can add the value to the presentation. Now and then the presenter may ask to form a hypothesis based on the information and data provided in the presentation.

7.     Quotations and Anecdotes: The use of appropriate quotations anecdotes[mp5]  can enhance the overall impact on the audience. Choose relevant quotes from well-known sources and connect them to your topic. Look at the reaction of the audience and then proceed to explain the connection of quotation to your topic and leave it to the imagination of the audience. This technic of presentation will definitely add an indelible impression on your presentation.

Thus, a well-trained presenter may make his presentation very successful by executing all these technics to achieve overall impression from the audience to his presentation.

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Note: The next chapter Communication skills Personal Conduct and Appearance is followed in next post.

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 [mp1]Medium is singular

Media is plural form of medium

 [mp2]Through physical activity

 [mp3]Learning through touch

 [mp4]With the introduction of

 [mp5]A short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or a person