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Pre-Tech Communication Skills

May 2022 Test 1
Subject and Level English Communication Skills 1, PreTech

Subject Code ACOME11

Date 23 May 2022

Venue TBC Number of Pages 06
(including front page)
Time 11:00 – 13:00 Duration 2 hours

Full Marks 60 Total Marks 60

Examiner(s) MR N. ZULU
DR M. GUMEDE
Moderator MISS N. NDABA

Faculty Management Sciences

Department Communication
Qualification Diploma: Electrical Engineering

Instructions In any instance where one word answer is required or symbols/

numbers/ letters have been provided next to choice options, write
only the answer or the symbols/ numbers/ letters that represent the
correct answer next to their corresponding numbering; otherwise,
answer in meaningful sentences.

DO NOT TURN OVER UNTIL PERMISSION IS GIVEN BY THE MAIN INVIGILATOR

QUESTION 1 [20]
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READING COMPREHENSION

Attentively read the text below and answer the questions that follow.

Benefits of Listening

Listening should not be taken for granted. Before the invention of writing, people conveyed
virtually all knowledge through some combination of showing and telling. Elders recited
tribal histories to attentive audiences. Listeners received religious teachings enthusiastically.
Myths, legends, folktales, and stories for entertainment survived only because audiences were
eager to listen. Nowadays, however, you can gain information and entertainment through
reading and electronic recordings rather than through real-time listening. If you become
distracted and let your attention wander, you can go back and replay a recording. Despite that
fact, you can still gain at least four compelling benefits by becoming more active and
competent at real-time listening.

You Become a Better Student

When you focus on the material presented in a classroom, you will be able to identify not
only the words used in a lecture but their emphasis and their more complex meanings. You
will take better notes, and you will more accurately remember the instructor’s claims,
information, and conclusions. Many times, instructors give verbal cues about what
information is important, specific expectations about assignments, and even what material is
likely to be on an exam, so careful listening can be beneficial.

You Become a Better Friend

When you give your best attention to people expressing thoughts and experiences that are
important to them, those individuals are likely to see you as someone who cares about their
well-being. This fact is especially true when you give your attention only and refrain from
interjecting opinions, judgments, and advice.

People Will Perceive You as Intelligent and Perceptive

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When you listen well to others, you reveal yourself as being curious and interested in people
and events. In addition, your ability to understand the meanings of what you hear will make
you a more knowledgeable and thoughtful person.

Good Listening Can Help Your Public Speaking

When you listen well to others, you start to pick up more on the stylistic components related
to how people form arguments and present information. As a result, you can analyze what
you think works and doesn’t work in others’ speeches, which can help you transform your
speeches in the process. For example, really paying attention to how others cite sources orally
during their speeches may give you ideas about how to cite sources more effectively in your
presentation.

Questions

1.1 From your reading of the text, it becomes obvious that _______________
A. Listening comes before writing
B. Writing comes before reading
C. Reading cannot sharpen listening
D. Non-n of the above is true
1.2 The main message conveyed by the text is that listening ______________
A. Has a few advantages
B. Is more important than speaking
C. Is a skill that needs to be developed over time
D. Supersedes all communication skills
1.3 By “electric recordings” (paragraph 1) is meant _______
A. Traditional recordings
B. Fictional recordings
C. Online recordings
D. Non-fictional recordings

1.4 According to the text, effective listening _________

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A. Does not provoke thinking

B. Provokes thinking
C. Mostly provokes surface thinking
D. Promotes abnormal thinking
1.5 Through listening to other people, they can __________
A. see you as a rebel
B. see you as someone who is lonely
C. see you as someone who plagiarizes their ideas
D. see you as someone who values their expertise
1.6 Good listening can enable the student to __________
A. Take good notes
B. Take whatever words said by the speaker
C. Identify a bad speaker
D. To judge the speaker, but not evaluate his/her utterance
1.7 Which one of the following characterizes active listening?
A. Surface thinking
B. Analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating
C. Remembering
D. Negative attitude
1.8 The effective citation of the source by the speaker when she or he presents leads to the
listener’s conclusion that ________
A. The speaker acknowledges the source’s contributions to knowledge
B. The speaker makes the specific source owner to feel more important than others
C. The speaker used the less important source
D. The speaker holds the highest educational qualification
(8X1=8)
1.9 In your own words, define the term listening (2)
1.10 Provide other three basic communication skills which you think are important, in
addition to listening. (3X1=3)
1.11 What do you think the author means when saying that “listening should not be taken
for granted” (paragraph 1)? Examine briefly. (3)
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1.12 What do you think would be the results of a leader who does not listen to people he or
she leads in the electrical engineering company? Share any two results of such behaviour
(2X2=4)
__________________________________________________________________________________
QUESTION 2 [10]
Label the morphemes that make up each of the following terms.
2.1 Comfortable
2.2 Lens
2.3 Comprehension
2.4 Unbreakable
2.5 Unite
__________________________________________________________________________________
QUESTION 3 [10]
3.1 State the parts of speech that are labelled in bold. Write only the number and the correct
answer.
3.1.1 He was so shocked that he could not stop running even when he was told that he was being
pranked. (1)
3.1.2. His grandfather had many supermarkets across the whole province. (1)
3.1.3 The president was warmly greeted by the crowds upon his arrival to deliver his speech on
Workers Day. (1)
3.1.4 Thabo is a very big dreamer! (1)
3.1.5 She stated that she has decided to register for a new course in 2023. (1)
3.2 Choose the correct words from those that are in brackets. Write only the number and the
correct answer.
3.2.1 (This/These) are really hard times for unemployed graduates. (1)
3.2.2 Stanton Fredericks used to (dye/die) his hair, especially when he played in the Soweto Derby.
(1)
3.2.3 I do not want to go to the party (anyway/any way). (1)
3.2.4 The librarian told us that we can use (passed/past) exam paper to prepare for our upcoming
assessments. (1)
3.2.5 You must always (ensure/insure) that you follow the instructions during your tests. (1)
__________________________________________________________________________________

QUESTION 4 [10]
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4.1 Match column A and Column B by stating the speech acts represented by the statements on
the left. Write only the number and the correct letter. E.g. 4.1.1 H

COLUMN A COLUMN B
4.1.1 His gate was hit by a red Polo TSI. A. Offering
4.1.2 The day you touch her, I will send you straight to the ICU! B. Advise
4.1.3 I can rush to the shop for you, I do not mind! C. Compliment
4.1.4 Wake up, clean the yard and wipe all the windows around the house. D. Command
Make sure you are done by 12:00 noon.
4.1.5 Emtee’s one man show was well-planned and coordinated from start E. Complaining
to finish.
F. Describing
G. Threatening
(1x5=5)
4.2 Draft 1 (one) sentence for each of the logical connectors/linking words below.
4.2.1 Contrast (1)
4.2.2 Similarity (1)
4.2.3 Emphasis (1)
4.2.4 Clarifying (1)
4.2.5 Time Sequence (1)
__________________________________________________________________________________
QUESTION 5 [10]
Answer the following questions.
5.1 From the words provided below, draft two sentences of each to show their different meanings.
5.1.1 Patient (2)
5.1.2 Fair (2)
5.1.3 Lie (2)
5.1.4 Contract (2)
5.1.5 Object (2)
__________________________________________________________________________________

The End.

PRETECH TEST 1 – SEMESTER 1 – 2022

QUESTION 1 (20 MARKS)

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1.1 A
1.2 C
1.3 C
1.4 B
1.5 D
1.6 A
1.7 B
1.8 A
(8X1=8)
1.9 Listening is the process of receiving, analysing, interpreting messages and responding by
giving the sender feedback that will enable the sender to know if the message was
understood. (2)

1.10

a) Speaking
b) Reading
c) Writing
(3X1=3)

1.11 The author means that listening is a very important skill through which people learn and
archive important values – a skill that they should continuously develop. (3)

1.13 Any 2 reasonable results of a leader who does not listen to people he or she leads in
an (electrical engineering) company. The examples are:
 Defiance of instructions
 Demotivated workforce
 Strikes
 Low productivity
 Hatred
 Etc. (2X2=4)

QUESTION 2 (10 Marks)

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2.1 Comfortable

Comfort- root (1)/ -able (suffix) (1)

2.2 Lens – root (1)

2.3 Comprehension

Comprehen-root (1)

-sion = suffix (1)

2.4 Unbreakable

Un-prefix (1)

-break- root (1)

-able = suffix (1)

2.5 Untie

Un- prefix (1)

-tie (root) (1)

QUESTION 3 (10 Marks)

3.1.1 Verb (1)

3.1.2. Adjective (1)

3.1.3 Adverb (1)

3.1.4 Noun (1)

3.1.5 Pronoun (1)

3.2

3.2.1 These (1)

3.2.2 Dye (1)

3.2.3 Anyway (1)

3.2.4 Past (1)

3.2.5 Ensure (1)

QUESTION 4 (10 Marks)

4.1.1 F (1)

4.1.2 G (1)
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4.1.3 A (1)

4.1.4 D (1)

4.1.5 C (1)

4.2

4.2.1 Contrast (1)

4.2.2 Similarity (1)

4.2.3 Emphasis (1)

4.2.4 Clarifying (1)

4.2.5 Time Sequence (1)

QUESTION 5 (10 Marks)

5.1.1 Patient – Tolerant/victim/sick person (1x2)

5.1.2 Fair – Agree/Light skin/event (1x2)

5.1.3 Lie – lay down/false statement (1x2)

5.1.4 Contract – agreement/to attain/get/expand (1x2)

5.1.5 Object – anything seen and touchable/oppose (1x2)