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

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'

Essential Grammar Concepts and Usage

Understanding Voice in Sentences

Passive Voice refers to sentence construction where the subject receives the action.

• Active: Harry ate six shrimp at dinner.
• Passive: At dinner, six shrimp were eaten by Harry.

Subjunctive Mood Triggers

The subjunctive mood is often required after verbs expressing necessity, demand, or suggestion. These verbs typically precede the word that:

• to advise (that)
• to ask (that)
• to command (that)
• to demand (that)
• to desire (that)
• to insist (that)
• to propose (that)
• to recommend (that)
• to request (that)
• to suggest (that)
• to urge (that)

Common English and Spanish Phrases

• Much to my delight: Para mi mayor deleite
• Naturally: Naturalmente
• Not surprisingly: No es sorprendente

Key Diagnostic Medical Procedures

Electrocardiogram

Key Trends in Educational Outcomes (2009-2012)

• Equity in education outcomes deteriorated between 2009 and 2012.

Gender Differences in Academic Performance

• In 2012, girls outperformed boys in reading by an average of 29 score points.
• In 2012, boys outperformed girls by 16 score points in mathematics, a 7-point larger gender gap than seen in 2003.
• Across OECD countries, 42% of students (64% of girls) believe their failure in mathematics is due to a lack of ability. In Spain, this figure rises to 74% of students (80% of girls).

Socioeconomic Origin and Academic Performance

• In 2012, socioeconomically advantaged students outperformed less-advantaged students by 34 score points in mathematics.

Ethnicity and Academic Performance

• The immigrant student population

Corporate Identity and Philosophy

Corporate Identity Touchpoints (Exposures)

• Visual and verbal identity and symbols
• Product appearance
• Environment
• Websites
• Communications
• People
• Co-branding

Key Corporate Communication Areas

• Visual and verbal identity and symbols
• Product appearance
• Environment
• Events
• Internal communications
• Crisis management

Defining Corporate Philosophy

To define corporate philosophy, we must answer three fundamental questions: What do I do? Where do I want to go? How do I do it?

Components of Corporate Philosophy

• Mission: Responds to "What do I do?" (Current purpose).
• Vision: Responds to "Where do I want to go?" (Future goals of the organization).
• Core Values: Responds to "How do I do it?" Determines the way the organization and its employees

The Passive with Reporting Verbs

We can use passive reporting verbs in two ways:

1. Subject of the subordinate clause + verb in the main clause is the passive + to + infinitive of the verb in the subordinate clause.

The university is said to be one of the best in the country. (= Se dice que la universidad es una de las mejores del país.)

The exam is expected to be really difficult this year. (= Se espera que el examen sea más difícil este año.)

2. It + passive form of the reporting verb + that + subject + verb

It is believed that the class will be very popular. (= Se cree que la clase será muy popular.)

It's thought that boys prefer exams to coursework. (= Se cree que los chicos prefieren los exámenes al trabajo diario.)

Reporting Verbs:

• accept
• hope
• say
• believe
• know
• think
• claim