Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Competitive examination

Wallow (verb)

To roll about or lie in water, snow, mud, dust, or the like, as for refreshment.

Taillights (noun)

A light, usually red, at the rear of an automobile or train.

Dangled (verb)

To hang loosely, especially with a jerking or swaying motion.

Upholstery (noun)

The materials used to cushion and cover furniture.

Leer (verb)

To look with a sideways or oblique glance, especially suggestive of lascivious interest or sly and malicious intention.

Sizzling (verb)

To make a hissing sound, as in frying or burning.

Haggle (verb)

To bargain in a petty, quibbling, and often contentious manner.

Strew (verb)

To let fall in separate pieces or particles over a surface; scatter or sprinkle.

Pail (noun)

A deep, cylindrical vessel, usually of metal, plastic, or wood, with... Continue reading "Understanding 40 Essential Vocabulary Words" »

READINGS:

What's the real history of Black Friday? 1. C 2. A 3. A 4. A 5. A 6. A 7. A 8. A

Jamie's sugar tax on fizzy drinks 1. B 2. B 3. C 4. D 5. D 6. A 7. C 8. C

How a robot could be grandma's new caregiver 1. C 2. B 3. B 4. A 5. D 6. B 7. A 8. A

Norway, the green path 1.B 2.C 3.D 4.B 5.A 6.B 7.B 8.B
The secret life of words: How English became English 1.C 2.D 3.A 4.B 5.C 6.D 7.C 8.A

Starting early 1.D 2.D 3.A 4.D 5.A 6.D 7.D 8.A

Are love-locks on bridges Romantic or a menace? 1.A 2.C 3.B 4.B 5.A 6.A 7.D 8.A
Esperanto And universal communication 1.C 2.C 3.D 4.B 5.C 6.D 7.C 8.A

The last of the noblest Generation 1.A 2.A 3.B 4.D 5.A 6.C 7.C 8.A

The right to vote 1.B 2.B 3.A 4.C 5.A 6.D 7.B 8.D

Why bilinguals... Continue reading "The school" »

English Grammar Cheat Sheet

Stative Verbs

Believe, know, understand, remember, forget, think

Reported Speech

Modal Verbs

Must – had to

Time Expressions

• Now – at the moment
• Today – that day
• Tonight – that night
• This (morning, week) – that (morning, week)
• Yesterday – the day before
• Last (week, month, year) – the (week, month, year) before
• (Two days/ a year) ago – (two days/ a year) earlier
• Tomorrow – the next/following day
• Next (week) – the following (week)

Place

• This – that
• These – those
• Here – there

Questions

• Direct Speech: Where are you going?
• Reported Speech: Mum asked where I was going.
• Direct Speech: Are you famous?, he asked her.
• Reported Speech: He asked her if she was famous.
• Direct Speech: Do you like horror films?, she asked.
• Reported

Core Financial Metrics

• Revenue: Money received from customers.
• Gross Profit: Profit after direct costs.
• Net Profit After Tax: Profit after all costs and taxes.
• Retained Profit: Money reinvested in the company.

Operational Costs and Liabilities

• Cost of Goods Sold: Direct costs, e.g., materials and labor.
• Operating Cost: Other costs, e.g., administration, buildings, utilities.
• Tax: Money paid to the government.
• Depreciation: Loss in value of equipment.
• Dividends: Money distributed to shareholders.
• Bid: An offer of money for something at an auction.
• Asset: Anything owned by a person or company that has monetary value.
• Stock: Goods available for sale, distribution, or use.

Debt and Liquidity Terms

• Overdraft: An amount of money by which a bank account is overdrawn.

Paul Ricoeur: Defining Ethics

Ethics is defined as “aiming at the good life with and for others, in just institutions.”

Utilitarianism: Principles and Logic

Utilitarianism posits that the greatest good for the greatest number of people is the measure of right and wrong.

Core Evaluative Questions

• How much pain does this action produce?
• How much pleasure does this action produce?

Attractive Aspects of Utilitarianism

• It does not require a religious argument to propose a moral theory.
• It is based on a consequentialist assumption: if something is considered wrong, it must be proven.
• One must demonstrate that harm is being caused to others.
• It focuses on increasing the well-being of the majority.

Are all pleasures created equal? No.
Are all pleasures commensurable?

Activities While Reading

Chapters 1 and 2: Initial Questions

Read Chapters 1 and 2, and then answer these questions.

• Why didn't Basil Hallward want to exhibit the portrait? Because the portrait held a lot of intimate feeling of himself, and Basil didn't want people to know that feeling.
• Why did Basil prefer not to be beautiful? Because Basil thinks that beauty only brings problems to people, and he prefers to have a good soul.
• Why did Basil now see art in a different way? Because since he met Dorian and fell in love, he began to draw pictures with love and feelings.
• Why didn't Basil want Lord Henry to meet Dorian? Because Lord Henry was a bad influence on Dorian.

Chapters 3 to 5: Dialogue Identification

Read Chapters 3 to 5. Who said this, and to whom?... Continue reading "The Picture of Dorian Gray: Reading Comprehension Tasks" »

Alice Munro Short Story Summaries

Nettles

"Nettles": In "Nettles", the unnamed narrator is recently divorced and making a new life for herself in Toronto. This life is supposed to be one "freed from domesticity", but the narrator is overly aware of the new outward forms her life takes and seems to hope that her consciousness might match this show of independence.

Post and Beam

"Post and Beam"

Lorna, a young mother who, like more than one woman in the book, has married an older man and is beginning to resent his tendentious ways. Lorna, the wife, has escaped the straitened circumstances of her family, but her cousin Polly hasn't, and when Polly comes to Toronto for a visit, Lorna's two lives collide painfully. She fears the worst, she makes a bargain... Continue reading "Alice Munro Short Stories: Nettles, Post and Beam, Queenie, The Bear Came Over the Mountain" »

Effective Media Relations Guidelines

• Identify which journalists are most relevant for which story.
• Read their articles or posts; it takes time, but it pays off.
• Distribute relevant information to the right people.
• Make the media your ally.
• Make journalists’ jobs easier by saving them time and effort. Always be available to provide them with the information they need, in the format they require.
• The media needs news, information, and fillers on a regular basis.
• The media is not interested in what you want. They are only interested in what their readers, listeners, or viewers want.
• Information must be aimed, adapted, and presented in a way that meets their needs and requirements, in their format.
• Establish person-to-person contact.
• Develop a personal

Literary Opposites and Vocabulary

• Beauty: Ugliness
• Dangerous: Safe
• Evil: Pleasant
• Good-looking: Ugly
• Loved: Hated
• Terrible: Good
• Ugly: Beautiful / Good-looking
• Young: Old

Analysis of Chapters 12 and 13: Basil Hallward's Fate

Instruction: Review the following questions and answers based on Chapters 12 and 13 of The Picture of Dorian Gray.

1. Where was Basil going?

   Basil was planning to go to Paris, but Dorian murdered him that night.

2. What had Basil heard about Dorian?

   Basil had heard terrible things about Dorian's reputation.

3. Where did Dorian take Basil?

   Dorian took Basil to his home (specifically, the locked room where the portrait was kept).

4. How did Basil feel when he saw the picture?

   He felt afraid and horrified because the portrait had changed, reflecting Dorian'