Reading (20 marks)

1. Read the passage given below: (1x 10=10 marks)

1. Among all the necessities for survival, water is the most indispensable. It
accounts for nearly 60 per cent of an adult human’s body weight and is
key to keeping every cell and organ in the body functional. But despite its
critical importance to our health, most of us fail to drink enough water
through the day, which means chronic dehydration is a common wellness
issue faced by both adults and children. Inadequate water intake alters the
body’s chemistry and metabolism.

2. While a small section of the affluent population can splurge on fancy

potable water, for the rest of India, getting access to safe drinking water is
a top concern. In India water processed for drinking can contain a range
of harmful substances, such as microplastic compounds and heavy
metals.

3. There are many ways to purify water for drinking. Reverse Osmosis (RO)
is a popular method, but for every litre of RO-purified water, nearly three
to four litres of water is wasted. UV lamps, chlorine or iodine addition
and boiling and straining to kill pathogens and remove settled impurities
are other time-tested methods.
4. The other reason for inadequate water consumption is a general
perception that water is boring. An easy way to induce one to drink more
is by infusing it with flavourful fruits and herbs. The bottled water market
has effectively cashed in on the hype around such ‘nutrient waters
infusions’ with all kinds of special waters—alkaline, fortified, spring,
volcanic. Indian Red Wood, an infusion prepared by soaking red wood
(pathimugam) in water, is customarily offered at Kerala’s Ayurvedic
centres, prescribed for its digestive properties among other health
benefits. Black Water, containing over 70 minerals claims to detoxify
better, hydrate the cells faster and increase metabolic rate of the body
(read weight loss) and improving alertness.

5. Many claim that water alkalinity can boost immunity or that water with a
pH of above 8 is effective in combating the Corona Virus. But such
infusions are rarely necessary or even helpful. In the words of famed
ecologist and science writer Loren Eiseley, “If there is magic on the
planet, it is contained in water.” So, do we really need to fiddle with this
magical potion by adding more nutrients to it?
6. Finally, let’s address a simple but important question: Is thirst a good
enough indicator for maintaining water balance in the body? Thirst and
satiety are surely indicators, but not reliable ones.

On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, answer

ANY TEN questions from the eleven given below. (1x10
= 10)

i. It’s important to consume enough water

a. to keep ourselves hydrated.

b. for our body metabolism to be high.

c. simply for the sake of drinking.

d. as doctors advise us to.

ii. “….splurge on fancy potable water,’ Pick the option in which the
meaning of ‘fancy’ is the same as it is in the passage.

a. Usually, the young generation has a fancy for aerated drinks.

b. The girl fancied going to the seven star restaurant on her

birthday.

c. Young kids love to possess fancy pencil boxes.

d. His plans to build a new stadium are the product of pure fancy.

iii. As per your understanding of the passage, arrange the following in

a proper sequence

a. Accessibility of pure water is a concern.

b. Water is best in its original form.

c. Business concerns propagate flavoured water.

d. Drinking water is essential for all.
1. bacd
2. cbda
3. dacb
4. cbda
iv. Which one of the following would not mean the same as ‘satiated’
from the passage?
a. Assuage
b. Quench
c. Satisfy
d. Tease
v. The passage is on the overall wellness of a person
a. of which drinking enough water is an essential part.
b. by drinking infused water.
c. only after drinking pure water.
d. None of the above.
vi. Pick the option showing the CORRECT use of the word ‘range ’
a. The boutique offered a wide range of styles to choose from.
b. We sighed in relief when the building was within a range of
vision.
c. Lavish expenditure exists in the higher ranges of society.
d. The sergeant ranged the troops in columns of six across.
vii. If we are going for weight management, we need to
a. Be more careful about our metabolism.
b. Pay attention to our water intake.
c. Pay attention to detoxification.
d. All of the above.
viii. Water boosts our immunity, even helps in combating diseases. But,
we must
a. infuse it with nutrients.
b. add flavours to it.
c. drink it in its original form.
d. not drink much water.
ix. By drinking plain water, we remain fit and fine. It wouldn’t be
wrong to call it
a. transformational
b. magical
c. lyrical
d. exaggerated.
x. We must wait for indicators before drinking water.

a. True

b. False

c. Maybe

d. Never
 xi. Unfortunately, the accessibility of pure water among people in
India is

a. easy in the deprived class.

b. easy in the affluent class.

c. not so easy for the deprived class.

d. difficult in the affluent class.

2. Read the passage given below. (1x10=10)

With the enormous amount of information potentially available to the travellers,
the Internet constitutes an important problem for information exchange between
the consumer and the industry supplier (e.g., hotels, transportation sectors,
attractions), intermediaries (e.g., travel agents), controllers (e.g., governments
and administrative bodies), as well as many non-profit organisations such as
destination marketing organisations.

Different technological interfaces, such as search engines, online travel booking

sites, and websites of destination marketing organisations facilitate the
information exchange between online travellers and the so-called “online
tourism domain”.

Particularly, it has been argued that understanding the nature of the online
tourism domain, i.e. the composition of online tourism related information
potentially available to the travellers, provides an important stepping-stone for
the development of successful marketing programs and better information
systems in tourism.

The importance of social media is identified by Xiang & Gretzel (2010). Their
analysis showed that social media constitute a substantial part of the search
result, indicating that the search engines linked the travellers directly to social
media sites. Since more and more travellers seem to tap into this “collective
intelligence” available on the Web, this will challenge the established marketing
practices of many tourism businesses and destinations.

The relation between the social interaction, communication media and content
can provide various supplementary advantages. It is more convenient and
efficient way of spreading information compared to traditional media and thus,
more and more companies are utilizing it as a marketing channel. Furthermore,
through media visibility companies are able to create more approachable image,
and possibly bring awareness among new customers as well as retain existing
consumer relationships.

One of the popular travel social media site Expedia Media Solutions partnered
with ComScore, shed some insightful details of how travellers consume and
share content prior to, during and after a trip.

It shows that the field of online content consumption is growing at a rapid pace.
Another interesting point was that content is available and being accessed by
consumers across more platforms and channels than ever before. Not
surprisingly coming from an Expedia Solutions study, online travel agencies
were found to be an important source of all platforms and throughout all stages
of booking process.

It is no wonder that destinations, airlines, hotels, and most travel marketers are
embracing social networks such as Pinterest, photo/video applications such as
Instagram and Vine, as part of their storytelling toolkit, reaching out to growing
crowds of travellers.

On the basis of understanding of the passage, answer ANY TEN of the

questions given below with help of the options that follow: (1x10=10)
(i) What does the given passage focus on?
(a) The increasing role of social media in tourism.
(b) The increasing demand of tourism.
(c) The need to boost tourism in India.
(d) The Indian Tourism marketing needs.
(ii) According to passage the internet …………..
 (a) has no role to play in the field of tourism.
(b) is an important platform for information exchange.
(c) is a good medium of marketing production.
(d) influences consumers choice regarding the tourist destination.
(iii) Search engines, online travel booking sites, and websites of
destination marketing facilitate the
(a) Tourist football
(b) Customer review
(c) Online tourist domain
(d) Maintenance of tourism standards
(iv) Who are the controllers in the field of tourism?
(a) Hotel retailers
(b) Government bodies
(c) Administrative bodies
(d) Both (b) and (c)
(v) Online tourism domain can be understood as
(a) a system of checks and balances between different tourism fields.
(b) the composition of online tourism related information potentially
available to travellers.
(c) a system of review and then collect.
(d) a system that allows online marketing of tourism organisations.
(vi) Based on the given graphical representation of the data in the passage,
choose the option that lists the statements that are true with respect to
usage of social media network.
1. Online travel agencies are an important source across all platforms
and throughout all stages of booking process.
2. Through media visibility, companies are able to complicate their
market standing.
3. Different technological interfaces facilitate the information
exchange between online travellers.
4. Travellers seem to move away from the ‘collective intelligence’
available on the Web.
(a) 1 and 3
(b) 2 and 4
(c) 1 and 4
(d) 2 and 3
(vii) What is called the collective intelligence?
(a) Search engines
(b) Social media sites
(c) Online tourism applications
(d) All of these
(viii) The social media sites give supplementary advantages because of
(a) their mass usage
 (b) the review system
(c) the system of communication and interactions
(d) the system of posting advertisements
(ix) Which of the following statements is NOT substantiated by the
information in paragraph 4?
(a) The established marketing practices of many tourism businesses
and destinations are challenged by online media.
(b) Social media constitutes a substantial part of the travel search
results.
(c) Search engines link the travellers directly to the social media sites.
(d) None of the above.
(x) According to the given data graph, which marketing field shows the
greatest influence of tourist?
(a) Travel Metasearch Sites
(b) Portal Travel Channels
(c) Online Travel Agencies
(d) Airline sites
(xi) The apps used to travel marketers are ……….
(a) Instagram
(b) Pinterest
(c) Vine
(d) All of these