IGNOU BEGC-131 - Individual and Society

SECTION A 1. Read the following passage and answer the questions in your own words. The effects of plastic bags on the environment are really quite devastating. While there are many objections to the banning of plastic bags based solely on their convenience, the damage to the environment needs to be assessed too. There is no way to strictly limit the effects of plastic bags on the environment because there is no disposal method that will help to eliminate the problem. While reusing them is the first step, most people don’t do that. These bags are not durable enough to survive numerous trips to the store. The best a citizen can do is to reuse them. The biggest problem with this is that once they have been soiled they end up in the trash, which then ends up in the landfill or is burned. Either of these solutions is not good for the environment. Burning emits toxic gases that harm the atmosphere and increase the level of VOCs in the air while landfills hold them indefinitely as a part of the plastic waste problem throughout the globe. One of the greatest problems is that an estimated 300 million plastic bags end up in the Atlantic Ocean alone. These bags are very dangerous for the sea life, especially for those of the mammal variety. Any hunting mammal can easily mistake the size, shape and texture of the plastic bag for a meal and find its airway cut off. Needless deaths from plastic bags are increasing every year. The environmental balance of the waterways is being thrown off by the rate of plastic bags finding their way into the mouths and intestinal tracts of sea mammals. As one species begins to die off at an abnormal rate, every other living organism in the waterways is also impacted. The indefinite period of time that it takes for the average plastic bag to break down can be literary hundreds of years. Every bag that ends up in the woodlands of the country threatens the natural progression of wildlife. Because the breakdown rate is so slow the chances that the bag will harmlessly go away are extremely slim. Throughout the world plastic bags are responsible for the suffocation deaths of woodland animals as well as for inhibiting soil nutrients. The land litter that is made up of plastic bags has the potential to kill over and over again. It has been estimated that one bag has the potential to unintentionally kill one animal every three months due to unintentional digestion or inhalation. While it’s a noble thought to place the plastic bags in the recycling bin every week, studies have proven that there are very few recycling plants that actually recycle them. Most municipalities either burn them or send them off to the landfill after sorting. This is because it can be expensive to recycle this type of plastic. It doesn’t melt down easily and is often not fit to be reused in its original form. The premise of recycling these bags is nice. Yet funding for the upgrading of the recycling units just has not happened and thus less than 1% of all bags are sent to recycling plants worldwide. Most are left to become a pollution problem in one way or another. There are always alternatives to plastic bags and the search for better and more alternatives continues. Paper bags are a possible option, but they also take their toll on the environment. The use of trees to increase the production of paper products will also have a negative environmental effect. Reusable plastic bags are being introduced to regions that want to outlaw the plastic bags altogether. These are stronger and more durable and can be used for three to five trips to the store. Of course, the reusable cloth bag is fast becoming a favourite among the environmental supporters. While so far no bag is without its issues, these are the bags that are currently recommended for use to help protect environmental concerns. 1. Why there is no way to strictly limit the effects of plastic bags on the environment? 2. How are plastic bags dangerous for the sea life? 3. Why it is difficult to recycle plastic bags? 4. What are the alternatives to plastic bags? 5. Give a suitable title to the passage. 2. Use the following words in sentences of your own: 1.Melange 2.Whooping 3.Elevation 4.legendary 5.Multicultural SECTION B 1. Write a speech on the Protection of Wildlife. 2. Write a dialogue between two friends discussing about the importance of the conservation of the environment. 3. Write a report on the Celebration of Earth Day in your locality. SECTION C 1. Imagine you are the manager of a hotel in Andaman Beach Resort. Write an email confirming the reservation of the accommodation to the customer. 2. Write an essay on impact of globalization on the environment. 3. Imagine that your friend is visiting Delhi with her family. Write a letter to your friend suggesting a good hotel to stay in Delhi.

SECTION A 1. Read the following passage and answer the questions in your own words. If India is the macrocosm that represents unity in diversity, Nagaland is the microcosm of that philosophy. A melting pot of different tribal culture and cuisines, Nagaland is place where primeval landscapes, ancient people can leave you floored. At the Hornbill Festival held from December 1 to 10 in the state capital Kohima. I discovered that the concept of Athithi Devo Bhava-‘Guest is God’, came naturally to the Nagas, the indigenous people of the region. The Hornbill Festival showcases a mélange of cultural displays under one roof, attracting visitors from across the world. It usually takes place in the first week of December at the Naga Heritage Village called Kisama, located 12 km from Kohima. The village gets its name from the two villages Kigwema (Ki) and Phesama (Sa), where the village is now established. The suffix ‘Ma’ means village. Seventeen major tribes including Ao, Angami, Chang, Konyak, Lotha, Sum and Chakhesang take part in the festival. Besides reviving and protecting the rich culture of Nagaland, it helps visitors have a closer understanding of the people and their culture. According to Banuo Z Jamir, Nagaland’s first woman chief secretary, the festival is named after the hornbill, the bird eulogized in Naga tribal folklore. “Hornbill is central to the Naga tradition, finding symbolic representation in their faith and costumes,” She said. For Nagas, the bird exudes qualities of nobility, beauty and bravery and because of its roar-like call, its strength is believed to equal that of a tiger which personifies the quintessential Naga warrior. It is also a symbol of fertility-reproduction and agriculture-and is perceived to possess social values similar to those of humans. 1. What is the philosophy being referred to? 2. Why Nagaland is considered a ‘melting pot’? 3. The Hornbill Festival ‘showcases a mélange of cultural displays under one roof’. Discuss this statement in the light of the passage. 4. What does the Hornbill represent to the Nagas? 5. Give a suitable title to the passage. 6. Use the following words in sentences of your own: a. macrocosm b. cuisine c. melange d. eulogize e. folklore Section B 2. Match the words in Column A with their meanings in Column B 3. Make new words by adding suffix to the following words. Educate, conclude, produce, construct, permit 4. Complete the following sentences with the correct modals. i. _______ you do me a favour? ii. _______ I have a glass of water? iii. The recipe I am trying ______ turn out to be a hit iv. The hotel staff ______ behave politely. v. One ______ not lead sedentary life. 5. Complete the following sentences with participles using the basic verb given in the brackets. i) ‘There are no marks allocated for neatness in the ………………answers,’ announced the teacher. (write) ii) Doctors were finding it difficult to cope with so many ……….passengers after the train accident. (injure) iii) Many people from India went to the African countries to start businesses. Soon they had a ………….. trade and decided to settle here. (flourish) iv) The ……………. News of the Youth Festival in the university reached all colleges in no time. (excite) v) The guests were impressed with the pretty decorations and the neatly ………. furniture. (arrange) vi) One of the ………… principles of life is to be straightforward and honest. (abide) 6. Fill in the blanks with the correct words given in brackets. i) You will (lose, loose) __________ your money if you carry it in your hand. ii) He spent his (Vocation, vacation) ________rock climbing. iii) No one will address the audience (accept, except) _______ the Chief Guest. iv) This is the (centre, middle) ________ of the circle. v) My father is very (peculiar, particular) ________ about going for his early morning walk. SECTION C 7. You have been asked to give an inspiring speech about how one can achieve one’s dreams with courage and perseverance. Write out the speech in around 250 words. 8. Write an essay in around 250 words on the topic: Environment and Technology: Exploring the sustainable dynamics 9. You and your friends have decided to visit Himachal in the last week of December this year. Write a dialogue in around 200 words between you and a Travel Agent enquiring for the required arrangements for this trip.