Course Code : CS-610 Course Title : Foundation Course in English for Computing Assignment Number : BCA (1)-610/Assignment/ 08 Maximum Marks : 25 Last date of submission : 30th April 2008/30th October, 2008 Question 1: Read the following passage and answer the questions given below: 1984: Big Brother is watching you ‘How is the dictionary getting on?’ said Winston, raising the voice to overcome the noise. ‘Slowly’, said Syme. ‘I’m on the adjectives. It’s fascinating.’ He had brightened up immediately at the mention of Newspeak ……. ‘The eleventh edition is the definitive edition,’ he said. ‘We’re getting the language into its final shape ¾ the shape it’s going to have when nobody speaks anything else. When we’ve finished with it, people like you will have to learn it all over again. You think, I dare say, that our chief job is inventing new words. But not a bit of it! We’re destroying words ¾ scores of them, hundreds of them, every day. We’re cutting the language down to the bone. The eleventh edition won’t contain a single word that will become obsolete before the year 2050.’ …. ‘It’s a beautiful thing, the destruction of words. Of course the great wastage is in the verbs and adjectives, but there are hundreds of nouns that can be got rid of as well. It isn’t only the synonyms; there are also antonyms. After all what justification is there for a word which is simply the opposite of some other word? A word contains its opposite in itself. Take “good” for instance. If you have a word like “good”, what need is there for a word like “bad”? “Ungood” will do just as well¾better, because it’s an exact opposite, which the other is not. Or again, if you want a stronger version of “good”, what use is there in having a whole string of vague useless words like “excellent” and “splendid” and all the rest of them? “Plusgood” covers the meaning; or “doubleplusgood” if you want something stronger still. Of course we use those forms already, but in the final version of Newspeak there’ll be nothing else. In the end the whole notion of goodness and badness will be covered by only six words¾ in reality, only one word. Don’t you see the beauty of that, Winston? It was B.B.’s idea originally, of course,’ he added as an afterthought. A sort of vapid eagerness flitted across Winston’s face at the mention of Big Brother. Nevertheless Syme immediately detected a certain lack of enthusiasm. a) Why is the eleventh edition of dictionary particularly interesting to Syme? ( 1 mark) b) What will Winston have to learn all over again? ( 1 mark) c) What normal English word would you use instead of doubleplusgood? (1 mark) d) Why it is suggested that there is no justification for antonyms? (1 mark) e) Do you think Winston is as enthusiastic as Syme? Which line tells you the true feelings of Winston? (1 mark) Ans:- a) The eleventh edition dictionary is the most difinitive edition and contains the words of the language in its final shape which makes syme interesting. b) The shape of words and language is changing and when its going to have its final shape winston have learn the language all over again. c) Instead of "doubleplusgood" I will use "splendid" d) In the passage it is suggested that there is no justification for antonyms because instead of heaving a new word as an antonym for a word we can simply use prefix 'Un' before that word. e) No, winston is not as enthusiasted as syme because in the end of the passage, when syme mentioned about big brother a lack of eagerness was noticed by syme. Question 2: Read the following passage and put the verbs in the correct form, present perfect or past simple. (5 marks) Then and now Twenty years ago few people realized (realize) that computers were about to become part of our daily lives. This short period of time has seen (see) enormous changes, in business, education and public administration. Jobs which _________________(take) weeks to complete in the past, are now carried out in minutes. Clerks who _______________ (spend) all day copying and checking calculations are now freed from these tedious tasks. In offices, the soft hum and clicking of word processors_________________(replace) the clatter of typewriters. Schoolchildren ____________________ (become) as familiar with hardware and software as their parents _________________ (be) with pencils and exercise books. Computerization of public records __________________ (enable) government departments to analyze the needs of citizens in details. Some of us may wonder, however, whether life ______________ (really/improve) as a result of these changes. Many jobs __________________ (disappear), for example, when intelligent machines ________________ (take) over the work. Employers complain that clerical staff ______________ (become) dependent on calculators and cannot do simple arithmetic. Ans: Then and now Twenty years ago few people realized (realize) that computers were about to become part of our daily lives. This short period of time has seen (see) enormous changes, in business, education and public administration. Jobs which took (take) weeks to complete in the past, are now carried out in minutes. Clerks who were splending (spend) all day copying and checking calculations are now freed from these tedious tasks. In offices, the soft hum and clicking of word processors have replaced (replace) the clatter of typewriters. Schoolchildren are becoming (become) as familiar with hardware and software as their parents were (be) with pencils and exercise books. Computerization of public records were enabled (enable) government departments to analyze the needs of citizens in details. Some of us may wonder, however, whether life is really improved (really/improve) as a result of these changes. Many jobs have dissapeared (disappear), for example, when intelligent machines took (take) over the work. Employers complain that clerical staff became (become) dependent on calculators and cannot do simple arithmetic. Question 3: Carefully read the text given below which contains about 383 words. Then using your own words as far as possible, summarize it in about 120 words. Finally, supply a title for your summary. The word ‘robot’ is derived from the Czechoslovak word ‘robota’ meaning ‘work done to order’ and was first used to describe an artificial man in Karel Capek’s play R.U.R. in 1921. Since then robots have thrilled cinema audiences; the first screen appearance being a mechnical woman in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis of 1926. The robot here was used to lead a workers’ revolution. From then onwards robots became so popular in science fiction books and magazines that in the 1940s Isaac Asimov devised his three famous laws of robotics: 1 A robot may not harm a human being, 2 A robot must obey the orders given by a human being, except when these would conflict with the first law 3 A robot must protect its own existence, except where it conflicts with the first or second laws. Throughout the 50s and 60s robots became increasingly popular and such notable creations as ‘Twiki’ the midget, boy-like valet of Buck Rogers appeared and featured in many of the Buck Rogers films. The 70s saw an explosion of film robots, including the stars of Star Wars the human-like android C3PO and his companion, the speechless ‘workdroid’ R2D2 who looked like a metal cylinder with legs. On TV, Dr. Who’s canine friend ‘K-9’ acquired a large following, while London Weekend Television produced their own ‘Metal Mickey’, a dustbin-shaped robot who was unpredictably zany. In the 80s the fascination with robots continues to grow with ‘Marvin’ the paranoid android, from the book The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which became a cult with its own badges, posters and record. These are all robots of fictionbut real-life ones are being increasingly used: Fiat of Italy has an entire factory operated by robots, while in Britain, and elsewhere, industrial robots capable of many things from welding to paint spraying are being used. British Leyland’s paint workshops are now fully automated, with robots being used for all body spraying. Within the next few years robots will be capable of speaking and understanding words, so conversation between man and robot will be a possibility. Robots will also have other senses developed so they will be able to distinguish things by touch and find their way around by the use of cameras and sensors. Then the robots of science fiction will be a reality. Ans : Unsolved Question:-4 Write a composition in about 300 words on one of the topics given below: 1. A computer-less world. 2. The Internet has many advantages, but it has some disadvantages as well. 3. If you were compelled to leave your country, which other country would you chose and why? 4. Ways of preventing further damage to the enviroment. Sol. 2 :- The Internet has many advantages, but it has some disadvantages as well. The term Internet refers to the global network of public computers running Internet Protocol. In other words, the Internet, sometimes called simply “the Net,” is a worldwide system of computer network that allows users to send and receive information from other computers. (definition source: www.aishealth.com/EHealthBusiness/EHealthTerms.html) Today, the Internet is one of the most powerful tools throughout the world. I think using internet has more advantages then disadvantages. Let us first check the advantages. Advantages of Internet 1) E-mail: Email is now an essential communication tool in business. With e-mail you can send and receive instant electronic messages, which works like writing letters. Your messages are delivered instantly to people anywhere in the world, unlike traditional mail that takes a lot of time. Email is free and fast when compared to telephone, fax and postal services. Just compare the costs of sending out physical mailing to 5,000 addresses, with the costs of an e-mailing to 50.000 e-mail addresses. 2) 24 hours a day - 7 days a week: Even if no staff is in your office, visitors will come to your website using Internet. 3) Information: Information is probably the biggest advantage internet is offering. There is a huge amount of information available on the internet for just about every subject, ranging from government law and services, trade fairs and conferences, market information, new ideas and technical support. You can almost find any type of data on almost any kind of subject that you are looking for by using search engines like google, yahoo, msn, etc. 4) Onlinve chat: You can access many ‘chat rooms’ on the web that can be used to meet new people, make new friends, as well as to stay in touch with old friends. 5) Services: Many services are provided on the internet like net banking, job searching, purchasing tickets, hotel reservations, guidance services on array of topics engulfing the every aspect of life. 6) Communities: Communities of all types have sprung up on the internet. Its a great way to meet up with people of similar interest and discuss common issues. 7) Ecommerce: Along with getting information on the Internet, you can also shope onlien. There are many online stores and sites that can be used to look for products as well as buy them using your credit card. You do not need to leave your house and can do all your shopping from the convenience of your home. It has got a real amazing and wide range of products from household needs, electronics to entertainment. 8) Software Downloads: You can freely download innumerable, softwares like utilities, games, music, videos, movies, etc from the Internet. Disadvantages of Internet Theft of Personal information: Electronic messages sent over the Internet can be easily snooped and tracked, revealing who is talking to whom and what they are talking about. If you use the Internet, your personal information such as your name, address, credit card, bank details and other information can be accessed by culprits. If you use a credit card or internet banking for online shopping, then your details can also be ‘stolen’. Negative effects on family communication: Although there are conflicting research findings on this topic, an article published by Science Daily reported that time spent on the Internet was associated with later declines in within house family communication and a decrease in the number of friends and acquaintances with which they kept ties. Internet addiction: There is some controversy over whether it is possible to actually be addicted to the Internet or not. Some researchers, claim that it is simply people trying to escape their problems in an online world and cannot be classified as an addiction. Other psychologists, believe that Internet addiction is a true psychological disorder with definable symptoms. The symptoms are comparable to any addiction, withdrawal, loss of relationships or job and significant time consumption. Children using the Internet has become a big concern. Most parents do not realize the dangers involved when their children log onto the Internet. When children talk to others online, they do not realize they could actually be talking to a harmful person. Moreover, pornography is also a very serious issue concerning the Internet, especially when it comes to young children. There are thousands of pornographic sites on the Internet that can be easily found and can be a detriment to letting children use the Internet. Virus threat: Today, not only are humans getting viruses, but computers are also. Computers are mainly getting these viruses from the Internet. Virus is is a program which disrupts the normal functioning of your computer systems. Computers attached to internet are more prone to virus attacks and they can end up into crashing your whole hard disk, causing you considerable headache. Spamming: Is often viewed as the act of sending unsolicited email. This multiple or vast emailing is often compared to mass junk mailings. It needlessly obstruct the entire system. Most spam is commercial advertising, often for dubious products, get-rich-quick schemes, or quasi-legal services. Spam costs the sender very little to send -- most of the costs are paid for by the recipient or the carriers rather than by the sender.