ASSIGNMENT 1 2023 – 11P105X & COE105X

FACULTY OF SCIENCE
FULL
MARKS

SUBJECT NAME COMMUNICATION FOR SUBJECT CODES 11P105X

ACADEMIC PURPOSES COE105X

DUE DATE 19 – 23 JUNE 2023

ASSESSMENT ASSIGNMENT 1 (5 pages TOTAL MARKS 50
TYPE including cover page)
EXAMINER(s) FIRST EXAMINER: MODERATOR DR M.
MS G BRINK MUSHAATHONI
SECOND EXAMINER:
MRS CS JANSEN
INSTRUCTIONS 1. Type only the answers
and not the questions.
2. Number answers
correctly.
3. Submit a hardcopy in
class
4. Use this attached
cover page
5. This is an individual
assignment

STUDENT INITIAL(S)
SURNAME
STUDENT NO.

SIGNATURE
LECTURER’S GROUP
NAME
DIPLOMA IN QUALIFICATION
CODE

Marks Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 TOTAL
Allocated by 10 14 2 2 5 7 4 6 50

EXAMINER

MODERATOR

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 ASSIGNMENT 1 2023 – 11P105X & COE105X

QUESTION 1: [10]

1.1 Indicate which register (level of formality) would be appropriate for the
following documents:
(5)
1.1.1 Personal journal
1.1.2 A letter of enquiry
1.1.3 Technical instructions
1.1.4 A research report
1.1.5 A text message to a friend

1.2 Identify the register used in the following sentences: (2)

1.2.1 A meeting has been scheduled for the 3rd October 2018 at 11:00 to discuss
your request for a further bank loan. 

1.2.2 We’ve sent a copy to company H.Q. along with a memo re. your financial
situation.

1.3 Rewrite the following sentence in an informal register:

They should not expect to recognise the changes forthwith. (3)

QUESTION 2: [14]
Factors that determine clarity in writing are being specific, using precise verbs,
avoiding ambiguity, choosing the correct word and implementing parallel writing.
Identify which factor has not been adhered to in each of the following sentences and
rewrite the sentence to improve clarity:

2.1 My mother’s mother has some stuff for sale. (2)

2.2 She was run over by a car hurrying along the road. (2)

2.3 I finished studying, I made some dinner, and ate it. (2)

2.4 The committee acted quickly and ameliorated the situation. (2)

2.5 In England, one often encounters rain, fog, and sometimes it mists, too. (2)

2.6 We were asked not to carry out any further work for clients whose previous
invoices had not been paid by our senior partner. (2)

2.7 With our outdated software, we could not perform calculations of discounts for
our customers. (2)

QUESTION 3: [2]
Conciseness in writing improves understanding. Implement the principle of
conciseness when you rewrite the following sentence in fewer than 12 words:

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 ASSIGNMENT 1 2023 – 11P105X & COE105X

The teacher talked about many of the different benefits of the after-school homework
club when she spoke to the class.

QUESTION 4: [2]
The tone in writing refers to the attitude that the writer has towards either the reader
or the subject matter or both. Rewrite the following sentences so that a positive tone
is reflected.
5.1 If your form is not submitted on time, you will not be able to attend the event.

4.2 Let me have the information.

QUESTION 5: [5]
The topic sentence of a paragraph contains the main idea of the paragraph. Which
sentence in each of the following paragraphs is the topic sentence? Write down only
the sentence as your answer.

5.1 Beginning at breakfast with flying globs of oatmeal and spilled juice, a day
with small children grows into a nightmare of frantic activity, punctuated with shrieks,
cries, and hyena-style laughs. The very act of playing turns the house into a disaster
area: blankets and sheets that are thrown over tables and chairs to form caves,
miniature cars and trucks that race endlessly up and down hallways, and a cat that
becomes a caged tiger, imprisoned under the laundry basket. After supper, with
more spilled milk, uneaten vegetables and tidbits fed to the cat under the table, it's
time for bed. But before they fall blissfully asleep, the children still have time to
knock over one more bedtime glass of water, jump on the beds until the springs
threaten to break, and demand a last ride to the bathroom on mother's back.
Constant confusion is a way of life for parents of small children.

5.2 When we think of Gandhi fasting or plastering mud poultices on his belly, we
can easily regard him as a fanatic who happened to be politically lucky. But the links
between his private fads and his political methods turn out to be quite logical.
Gandhi's pursuit of personal rigours helped him to achieve a rare degree of
discipline that allowed him to approach political crises with amazing courage. The
example of his self-control, furthermore, was contagious; a worldlier man could not
have led millions of his countrymen to adopt the tactic of nonviolent resistance.

5.3 The first thing I noticed about the school was the litter in the schoolyard.
Trash and paper were scattered everywhere. The building, which could have been
very attractive despite its age, was dingy and dirty beyond belief. A window-pane
was broken out of the main door, and the door itself led into a dark, forbidding hall.
As I walked down the hall, I noticed the messy notice board and, in several places,
writing on the wall. No one greeted me when I entered the office although a
receptionist was sitting there noisily chewing gum and putting on nail polish. All in all,
I could not help feeling that the school was poorly cared for.

5.4 Last year, a cat traveled 130 miles to reach its family, who had moved to
another state and had left their pet behind. Even though it had never been to their

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 ASSIGNMENT 1 2023 – 11P105X & COE105X

new home, the cat was able to track down its former owners. A dog in my
neighborhood can predict when its master is about to have a seizure. It makes sure
that he does not hurt himself during an epileptic fit. Compared to many animals, our
own senses are almost dull.

5.5 Scientists have learned to supplement the sense of sight in numerous ways.
In front of the tiny pupil of the eye they put a great monocle 200 inches in diameter,
and with it see 2000 times farther into the depths of space. Or they look through a
small pair of lenses arranged as a microscope into a drop of water or blood, and
magnify by as much as 2000 diameters the living creatures there, many of which are
among man’s most dangerous enemies. Or, if we want to see distant happenings on
earth, they use some of the previously wasted electromagnetic waves to carry
television images which they re-create as light by whipping tiny crystals on a screen
with electrons in a vacuum. Or they can bring happenings of long ago and far away
as coloured motion pictures, by arranging silver atoms and colour-absorbing
molecules to force light waves into the patterns of original reality. Or if we want to
see into the centre of a steel casting or the chest of an injured child, they send the
information via a beam of penetrating short-wave X-rays, and then convert it back
into images we can see on a screen or photograph. Thus, almost every type of
electromagnetic radiation yet discovered has been used to extend our sense of sight
in some way.

QUESTION 6 [7]

The sentences in a paragraph should be arranged in a logical sequence.

Arrange the following sentences in the correct order so that the ideas follow
in a logical sequence. Write down only the letters related to each sentence in
the correct order:

A. Furthermore, teaching is governed by certain ground rules that guide the

moves made by participants.
B. As language plays such an important role in teaching, a group of teachers
decided to examine the “language game” in the classroom.
C. As a result, they could investigate the function these verbal moves served and
examine the meanings that were being communicated.
D. By studying the language, game these teachers wanted to identify the various
types of verbal moves made by teachers and students.
E. It is a form of social activity in which the players fill different but
complementary roles.
F. They also intended to identify the rules which were followed.
G. They contended that teaching is similar to most games in two respects.

QUESTION 7 [4]

Identify which aspect of paragraph writing has not been adhered to in the
following paragraph and provide a reason for your answer.

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 ASSIGNMENT 1 2023 – 11P105X & COE105X

Children who are victims of crime must know that telling lies can have a significant
effect on the case. Sometimes a child will tell a “small lie” because he/she is afraid.
Lying can cause a lack of trust in relationships. It could happen that a child who was
abducted had been told not to go to a certain place, but he/she ignored the order
and went there and was abducted. If the statement is taken in the presence of a
parent the child may be too afraid to tell the truth and will lie about the place.
Abduction of a child is a very serious crime. The child’s parents must assure the
child that they will not be angry, but that telling the truth is important. You often hear
that people say that the “truth will set you free”.

QUESTION 8 [6]

Identify the linking/transitional words in the following paragraph:

A smile is the most universally gesture recognised and understood in most cultures.
However, for the 12-year old Kelebogile who suffered from Moebius syndrome,
smiling was impossible. She will never forget her twelfth birthday, as it marked the
day on which she was able to smile for the first time ever. This shy little girl
celebrated the day while recovering from an operation to correct this syndrome, a
disorder that affects the facial nerves, often resulting in complete facial paralysis.

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