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SRI LANKA INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED TECHNOLOGICAL EDUCATION

(Established in the Ministry of Higher Education, vide in Act No. 29 of 1995)

SLIATE

Higher National Diploma in English

First Year, 2nd Semester Examination 2014

EN-1211 Intermediate Reading Skills & Vocabulary Development

Full time & Part time
Instructions for Candidates:
Answer any five (05) questions only.
All questions carryequal marks.

No of pages
: 05
No of questions : 06
Time
: Two (03) hours

1).
i). Read the following passage and answer the questions given below.
Insect to Beware of
Its Latin name is Thaumetopoeaprocessionea, which sounds very impressive, but it is
usually as the processionary caterpillar. Its a small insect, only 3-5 cm long, and at one
particular stage of its development its body is covered with an amazing number of
microscopic hairs-about 600,000 of them! Unfortunately for us, each hair contains a
chemical which many humans and animals are allergic to. In the Mediterranean area, it
makes its nest at the top of pine trees, and if you look up, its easy to see the big fluffy
white ball which this caterpillar calls home. In the nest, the caterpillar goes through
four stages of change, eventually turning into a moth.
These insects get their name from the way they walk in a line, one behind the other,
sadly this is a fascinating sight for most animals. Cats and dogs, in particular, are
attracted to them, and may sniff the little furry insects or, worse still, try to lick them.
Animals tongues and throats can become severely inflamed because of this, and need
immediate veterinary treatment, if serious injury or even death is to be averted. So
make sure you never walk your dog in a pine forest in southern France, Italy, Spain or
Greece, unless its on a lead. Try to keep cats away from these areas. Call a vet at once
if your pet has touched one of these caterpillars. Dont touch your pet yourself, or you
too may experience skin problems.
On private land its the owners responsibility to get rid of these harmful insects, and
on public land its the job of the local authorities. Its not only the Mediterranean
countries that suffer from this problem. Millions of these caterpillars have invaded
Northern Europe too, and caused damage to thousands of trees.
a). Why is it best to avoid this insect?
b). What is the insects common name?
c). How many hairs does it have on its body?
d). What does its nest look like?
e). Where does the insect usually make its nest?
f). Which animals are particularly at risk from this insect?
g). What could happen to an animal affected by contact with the insect?

h). What should you do if your pet touches one of these insects?
i). In a public park, who should be responsible for eliminating these insects?
j). Where can you see many of these insects?
(10 marks)
ii). Select the similar words from the text for the following
a). Mesmerizing
b). Conquer
c). Breath in
d). Ultimately
e). Dangerous
(2x5=10marks)
(Total 20 marks)
2).
There are a number of quotations from different "interest groups" or "lobbies". A lobby or
interest group is a group of people who have a common interest and who work together to
publicize and promote their point of view
Read the quotations from different lobbies and answer the following questions base
on it.
The forestry industry: The forestry industry makes money from cutting down trees.
Therefore, they want to be able to continue to cut trees, and they want to discourage any
alternative ways of producing pulp and paper.
The environmentalists: The environmental lobby want to protect the forests against
logging companies, so they would like to show how destructive logging is, and how
valuable the forests are.
The hemp farming lobby: The hemp farmers would like the fibre hemp plant to be legal
so that they can grow it. They want to show how useful it is for making paper and other
products, and they would like people to understand the difference between the marijuana
plant and the fibre hemp plant.
The marijuana legalization lobby: These people would like marijuana to be legal. They
are interested in linking the fibre hemp plant with marijuana because they think it may be
possible to legalize BOTH kinds of plant. They want to show how useful industrial hemp
is, and at the same time, they want to convince people that marijuana is harmless
The Canadian government: The Canadian government has just legalized industrial hemp,
but they want to keep marijuana illegal, so they want to show that it is dangerous. They
also get lots of taxes from the forestry industry, so they do not want to restrict logging too
much.
1. "The rainforests are quite simply the richest, oldest, most productive and most complex
ecosystems on Earth."

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HND in English I- Intermediate Reading Skills &
Vocabulary Development

1.

the forestry industry

2.

the environmentalists

3.

the hemp farming lobby

4.

the marijuana legalization lobby

2. "Some have calculated that if Canada converted the entire pulp and paper production in
Canada to hemp, it would be necessary to plant hemp over 18% of the country."
1.

the forestry industry

2.

the marijuana legalization lobby

3.

the environmentalists

4.

the hemp farming lobby

3. "Farmers... can grow hemp without pesticide or herbicide application because it grows
quickly and is not likely to fall to disease."
1.

the forestry industry

2.

the marijuana legalization lobby

3.

the Canadian government

4.

the hemp farming lobby

4. "Each year, forest fires destroy more forests than are used for making pulp and paper."
1.

the forestry industry

2.

the Canadian government

3.

the environmentalists

4.

the hemp farming lobby

5. "Decriminalizing cannabis could well result in a greater use of the drug by Canadians,
thereby increasing the health and safety hazards associated with it."
1.

the Canadian government

2.

the marijuana legalization lobby

3.

the environmentalists

4.

the hemp farming lobby

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HND in English I- Intermediate Reading Skills &
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6. "The government added marijuana in 1923 to The Opium Act of 1908 without any health
concerns inherent in the law whatsoever. The Opium Act was introduced as a purely racist
measure to deport and jail Chinese-Canadians."
1.

the forestry industry

2.

the marijuana legalization lobby

3.

the Canadian government

4.

the hemp farming lobby

7. "67% of the fibre used to make Canadian pulp and paper comes from sawmill residue and
recovered paper that used to be disposed of in landfills."
1.

the forestry industry

2.

the marijuana legalization lobby

3.

the environmentalists

4.

the hemp farming lobby

8. "Hemp is about business and the environment. Marijuana is a moral question about the
government's control of what drugs people consume. These two questions have nothing in
common but the shape of the leaf, and we have to separate the issues."
1.

the forestry industry

2.

the marijuana legalization lobby

3.

the Canadian government

4.

the hemp farming lobby

9. "In the Vancouver Grasstown Riot, of 1971, police attacked and injured hundreds of
peaceful marijuana smokers in one day."
1.

the forestry industry

2.

the marijuana legalization lobby

3.

the Canadian government

4.

the hemp farming lobby

10. "Logging is still the biggest employer and the single biggest contributor to tax revenue in
BC."
1.

the forestry industry

2.

the marijuana legalization lobby

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HND in English I- Intermediate Reading Skills &
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3.

the Canadian government

4.

the hemp farming lobby

(10x2=20 marks)

3).
i). Re-arrange the sentences to get the meaningful text, A Blind Girl. First one is done for you.
A Blind Girl
1. Just take care of my eyes dear.

2. Her boyfriend asked her, Now that you can see the world, will
you marry me?
3. There was a blind girl who hated herself just because she was
blind.
4. The girl was shocked when she saw that her boyfriend was
blind too, and refused to marry him.
5. Her boyfriend walked away in tears, and later wrote a letter to
her saying:
6. One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her and then she
could see everything, including her boyfriend.
7. He was always there for her.
8. She said that if she could only see the world, she would marry
her boyfriend.
9. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend.

1.

2.

3.

4.

(8 marks)

ii). The below is the fast facts of natural disasters. Fill in the blanks using the following
words.
Some, acronym, United States, disasters, preparations, hurricanes, people, wildfires,
Flooding, Red Cross, deadliest, history
1. Most natural 1. ___________ are caused by weather. Weather disasters can be caused by
hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, tsunamis, thunderstorms, wind storms, wildfires, avalanches,
and blizzards.
2. 2. ______________ of the weather disasters can be predicted such as 3. ____________ and
blizzards. The technology is getting better in predicting tornadoes and severe thunderstorms.
By getting the data early people can be warned to take shelter or make the necessary 4.
_______________ .
3. Some natural disasters are caused by volcanoes and earthquakes.
4. Some 5. ____________ are caused by lightning, but some are caused by people.
5. 6. ______________ is the worlds most expensive type of natural disaster because the damage
can be so extensive.
6. Earthquakes are the 7. _____________ of all natural disasters.
7. Some kinds of disasters are more common in some places than in others. When people are
choosing a place to live they need to consider whether they will live on a fault line for an
earthquake or near a river that has a 8. _____________ of flooding.

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HND in English I- Intermediate Reading Skills &
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8. There isn't any way to avoid natural disasters, but if 9. ____________ know what kinds of
disasters are most likely where they live, they can learn what to do if a disaster happens in
order to stay safe.
9. FEMA is an 10. ____________ for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This is the
federal agency that deals with natural disasters across the 11. _______________.
10. Many different agencies such as the 12. ____________ come to the assistance of people
affected by natural disasters.
(121=12 marks)
(Total 20 marks)
04.
1. What do you understand by compound Adjectives?

(5 marks)

2. There are several types of compound adjectives by its syntactical formation, Explain at least
five of them with examples.
(5marks)
3. Read the following paragraph and underline the compound words
Ladybird was getting ready for breakfast. She was expecting a houseguest any minute. Just as she
began heating up the frying pan for pancakes, the doorbell rang. She took the frying pan off the
stove and went to answer the door. As she opened the door, sunshine spilled in through the
doorway. The sunshine actually made the carpet look a different color. "Welcome", she said to her
houseguest. "Im glad you could come by for breakfast." Ladybird opened the door wide. "Come
in and have a seat." she said. Ladybird went to the linen closet and pulled out her finest tablecloth.
She spread the tablecloth on the table and set out her crystal teapot beside the vase of sunflowers.
Ladybird and her houseguest sat down and had a delicious breakfast together.
(10 marks)
(Total 20 marks)
05).
1. Homographs and homophones are important in English language learning. Give your views
to the above statement.
(10 marks)
ii. .Select the most suitable words for the blanks.
i) She read the story(aloud, allowed)
ii)We did some grammar (chants, chance) in the class last week.
iii)The full payment is .. (due , do) by the end of the month.
iv)I paid Rs 100 for the .. (fare, fair)
v) Mr.Abeywardhana wrote the .. (forward ,forword ) to
his book.
vi) Doctors .. (heel, heal) thousands of patients a year.
vi)I think we need a new . ( base, bass) for that lamp.
vii) The .. (creek , creak)winds through the beautiful valley.
viii)Students often .. (grown, groan) when I announce a test.
ix). Somalian prates on the shipping ..(root/route) to Middle East are a
great menace to International Trade.
x).Some chemicals used to.. (dye/die) the fabrics can cause skin
diseases to the people who wear the dresses made of them.
(10 marks)
(Total 20 marks)
06).
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HND in English I- Intermediate Reading Skills &
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Write two sentences from each of the following to give two different meanings.
i) play
ii)bear
iii)clear
iv) close
v)engage
vi)match

vii)minute
viii)wound
ix)well
x)too
(2x10= 20 marks)

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HND in English I- Intermediate Reading Skills &
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