MCS-015: COMMUNICATION SKILLS,JUNE-2005

MCA
Term-End Examination
June, 2005

MCS-015: COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Time: 2 hours Maximum Marks: 50
Note: Answer all questions
1. Read the following passage and answer the questions given after it:

If your desk is piled high with letters, faxes, forms, memos, reports, print-outs and sticky-backed message slips, you might believe all this paperwork is a sign of how busy you are. But according to Declan Treacy, cluttered desks lead to lost information, distractions, missed opportunities, high stress and not a little procrastination. He founded and runs the Clear Your Desk Organisation and organizes the annual International Clear Your Desk Day which this year is being held on April 24.

His argument for uncluttered desks are strong. “We pile between 300 and 500 pieces of paper on the desk at any time, a load equivalent to a 40-hour backlog of work. With 45 minutes a day wasted on frustrating searches for lost paperwork on and around the desk, it is unfortunate that the cluttered desk is the accepted norm in most organizations,” he says. Treacy holds seminars to help companies organize their own Clear Your Desk days, when everyone from the senior managers to secretaries learn how to tackle paperwork more effectively.

What you shouldn’t do is add to the pile of paper that’s already there, says Treacy: “Eighty per cent of all paperwork is eventually discarded, but it causes an awful lot of trouble before that happens. Unfortunately, most executives believe the myth that an empty desk is the sign of an unproductive mind. How wrong can you be? Companies cannot afford to let people work from cluttered desks. Hours of valuable time are wasted in searching for vital pieces of paper, and in being distracted by the constant steam of faxes, memos and reports which land in our in-trays when we should be devoting time to more important work.”

(i) A desk which is piled high with letters, reports, sticky-backed messages, etc. indicates how busy one is. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Give reasons from the passage. 4

(ii) In most businesses a/an ____________ desk is considered perfectly acceptable.
1
(a) cluttered
(B) untidy
© tidy
(d) clean
(Select the right choice)

(iii) How does paperwork cause loss of time? 2
(iv) What is the fate of most paperwork? 1
(v) International Clear Your Desk Day is held every ___________ 1
(vi) Give a suitable title to the passage. 1
2. Choose the word or phrase that best completes each sentence, from the options following each: 5
(i) There has been a ____________ in the sales of new houses since home loans are more difficult to obtain.

(a) dive
(B) slump
© downfall
(d) crash
(ii) We can expect to treble our turnover once the July sales get into full ____________ .

(a) force
(B) flight
© speed
(d) swing
(iii) The government has spent Rs.1Crore on an advertising ________ to encourage energy conservation.
(a) campaign
(B) promotion
© operation
(d) enterprise
(iv) I advise you to take ____________ to ensure that all your property is adequately covered by insurance.

(a) means
(B) actions
© steps
(d) dealings
(v) Have you thought what the ___________ might be if you don’t win your case in court?

(a) applications
(B) bearings
© implications
(d) connotations
3. Complete the customer’s part in the following dialogue: 10
Shopkeeper : Good morning, Madam, may I help you?
Customer : ________________________________ .
Shopkeeper : I see, well, what exactly is the problem?
Customer : ________________________________ .
Shopkeeper : Well, how long ago did you buy it?
Customer : _________________________________ .
Shopkeeper : Could you let me see your receipt, please?
Customer : _________________________________ .
Shopkeeper : Well I’m afraid you’ll have to produce it.
Customer : _________________________________ .
4. Change the voice in the following sentences from active to passive, mentioning the agent only if necessary. 10

(i) He spends money for his children every month.
(ii) They inspect the factory every week.
(iii) The security man checks every visitor at the gate.
(iv) Droughts upset the economy of the country.
(v) She looked after the children well.
(vi) They are demolishing unauthorized buildings.
(vii) Will they declare Friday a holiday?
(viii) He has completed his assignments.
(ix) They are doing good work.
(x) Thieves broke into the house.

5. (a) You use 3,000 cellophane boxes a month and you need to order some more from your supplier. You can buy enough boxes for several months at once if she/he gives you a large enough discount. Find out what she/he is offering and attempt to negotiate a deal in a letter of about 200 words. 10

(B) Suppose you are applying for the job of a software engineer. Prepare your curriculum vitae. 5