General English Language Skills-4 T-4

Syllabus topics (RTMNU)

• 1.1 Identifying Barriers to Listening [Listening to pre-recorded audios/ YouTube Videos on Interviews/ Conversations/ Motivational Speech]
• 1.2 Identifying and Talking about Your Career Plans, Hobbies and Interests
• 1.3 Notices and Circulars
• 1.4 Formal Letter Writing

1.1 Identifying Barriers to Listening

Listening means paying full attention to what a speaker says and trying to understand the meaning. Hearing is only receiving sound with the ears. Listening is active: we hear, understand, remember and respond.

A barrier to listening is anything that stops us from receiving or understanding the message correctly.

Types of barriers

• Physical barriers: noise (traffic, fans, mobile ringtones), poor sound system, bad network in an online video, uncomfortable seat, heat or cold.
• Physiological barriers: hearing problems, tiredness, hunger, illness, headache.
• Psychological barriers: worry, stress, anger, day-dreaming, lack of interest, a closed mind or prejudice against the speaker.
• Language barriers: difficult words, technical terms, unfamiliar accent, very fast speech.
• Cultural barriers: different customs, gestures or ideas that the listener does not know.
• Bad listening habits: interrupting, thinking of our own reply, judging the speaker before he finishes, looking at the phone, faking attention.

How to overcome barriers (tips)

1. Sit in a quiet place; switch the phone to silent.
2. Look at the speaker and keep an open mind.
3. Note down key words while listening to an interview, conversation or motivational speech.
4. Do not interrupt. Ask questions at the end.
5. Listen for the main idea, then for supporting details.
6. Replay the audio or YouTube video if a part is not clear.

Classroom practice: Students listen to a recorded interview or motivational speech, then answer: Who is speaking? What is the main message? What were three key points? Which barrier did you face?

1.2 Identifying and Talking about Your Career Plans, Hobbies and Interests

In interviews, group discussions and introductions, we are often asked: "What are your career plans?" or "What are your hobbies?" A clear and honest answer shows confidence and self-awareness.

Key terms

• Career plan: the job or field you want to work in, and the steps you will take to reach it (degree, skills, exams, training).
• Hobby: an activity you do in free time for pleasure, e.g. reading, gardening, cricket, painting, music.
• Interest: a subject or area you like to learn about, e.g. technology, history, social work.

Steps to talk about them

1. Identify your strengths and likes (self-assessment).
2. Choose a goal: short-term (next 1–2 years) and long-term (5 years).
3. Explain why you chose it.
4. Link your hobbies to useful qualities (e.g. playing football teaches teamwork).
5. Use simple future forms: "I plan to…", "I want to…", "I am going to…", "I hope to…".

Model answer (our own)

"My name is Sneha. I am a B.A. first-year student. After graduation, I plan to prepare for the MPSC exam because I want to serve people in my district. In the short term, I am improving my English and general knowledge. My hobbies are reading newspapers and playing kabaddi. Reading keeps me updated, and kabaddi has taught me teamwork and patience."

Do's and Don'ts

• Do be honest, specific and positive.
• Do keep the answer short (one minute).
• Don't say "I have no plans" or "I have no hobbies".
• Don't name a hobby you know nothing about.

1.3 Notices and Circulars

A notice is a short, formal written announcement put up on a notice board or published, to inform a large group of people about an event, change, meeting or instruction. A circular is a written message sent (circulated) to a limited group inside an organisation, such as all teachers or all departments.

Format of a notice

1. Name of the institution
2. The word NOTICE
3. Date
4. Heading (subject)
5. Body: what, when, where, who, contact
6. Name, signature and designation of the writer

Sample notice (our own)

ABC College of Arts, Nagpur

NOTICE

12 January 2026

Blood Donation Camp

All students are informed that the NSS unit is organising a blood donation camp on 20 January 2026 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the college hall. Students above 18 years may give their names to the NSS office by 17 January.

Rahul Patil

NSS Secretary

1.4 Formal Letter Writing

A formal letter is written for official purposes: to a principal, an officer, a company, an editor or a bank. It uses polite, clear and brief language.

Types

• Letter of application (leave, job, scholarship)
• Letter of complaint
• Letter of enquiry or order
• Letter to the editor

Format (block style)

1. Sender's address and date
2. Receiver's designation and address
3. Subject line
4. Salutation: Sir/Madam, or Respected Sir/Madam
5. Body: introduction (purpose), details, request/conclusion
6. Complimentary close: Yours faithfully / Yours sincerely
7. Signature and name

Sample (short, our own)

To, The Principal, ABC College, Nagpur

Subject: Request for issue of bonafide certificate

Respected Sir,

I am a student of B.A. Semester II. I need a bonafide certificate to apply for a scholarship. Kindly issue it at the earliest.

Thanking you,

Yours faithfully,

Amit Kale

• Do: state the purpose in the first lines, use polite words.
• Don't: use slang, short forms (u, pls) or emotional language.

Likely exam questions

1. (Long, SAQ (about 50 words, 5 marks)) What are the main barriers to effective listening? How can we overcome them?
2. (Long, SAQ (about 50 words, 5 marks)) Draft a notice for your college notice board informing students about an inter-college debate competition.
3. (Short, VSAQ (1 mark)) What is the difference between hearing and listening?
4. (Short, VSAQ (1 mark)) Which complimentary close is used in a formal letter to the Principal?
5. (Short, VSAQ (1 mark)) Name any two hobbies and one quality each of them develops.

Syllabus topics (RTMNU)

• 2.1 If You Are Wrong, Admit It – Dale Carnegie
• 2.2 Maintaining Democracy – Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
• Language skills: Understanding prefixes and suffixes; working on cloze exercises (Ref: Oxford Practice Grammar with Answers, 2nd ed., 1999, OUP)

2.1 If You Are Wrong, Admit It – Dale Carnegie

About the author

Dale Carnegie (1888–1955) was an American writer and teacher of public speaking and human relations. His most famous book is How to Win Friends and Influence People (1936). This lesson is a chapter from that book. In it, Carnegie gives a rule for winning people to our way of thinking: if you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically (strongly).

Summary (in our own words)

Carnegie tells a story from his own life. He lived near a park and often took his small dog, Rex, for walks there without a leash or muzzle, because the dog was friendly. One day a mounted policeman stopped him and told him firmly that this was against the law. Carnegie promised to obey. But later he again let the dog run free. This time the policeman came again. Before the officer could say anything, Carnegie said at once that he was guilty and had no excuse. The policeman's anger disappeared. He spoke softly, said that a small dog could do little harm, and even suggested a simple way to avoid trouble.

Carnegie explains why this happened. When we admit our mistake first, the other person's feeling of importance is satisfied. He no longer needs to attack us, so he becomes kind and generous. If we try to defend ourselves, the other person fights back harder. Carnegie gives more examples from business life, such as an artist who openly admitted an error in his work to an angry editor, and the editor then calmed down and became friendly. The lesson ends with the idea that by fighting we never get enough, but by yielding we often get more than we expected.

Main idea / message

• Admitting a mistake honestly and quickly is better than arguing or making excuses.
• It removes the other person's anger and builds trust.
• It needs courage; any fool can defend a mistake, but admitting it gives a sense of nobility.
• Speak the self-criticism yourself, before the other person does.

Critical points

• The style is simple, conversational and full of real-life anecdotes.
• It is a self-help / personality-development essay with a practical rule.
• The lesson connects to soft skills: humility, honesty, conflict management and good relations at the workplace.

2.2 Maintaining Democracy – Dr. B. R. Ambedkar

About the author

Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (1891–1956) was a jurist, economist, social reformer and the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Indian Constitution. He is called the chief architect of the Constitution. He was independent India's first Law Minister and received the Bharat Ratna in 1990 (posthumously).

Background

The piece is taken from his famous last speech in the Constituent Assembly on 25 November 1949, a day before the Constitution was adopted (26 November 1949). It came into force on 26 January 1950. In the speech he asked what Indians must do to maintain democracy not only in form but in fact.

Summary: three warnings

1. Use constitutional methods: We must hold fast to constitutional methods to reach our social and economic goals. Bloody revolution must be given up. Civil disobedience, non-cooperation and satyagraha were justified under foreign rule, but when constitutional methods are open, they are, in his words, the "grammar of anarchy".
2. Avoid hero-worship: Quoting John Stuart Mill, he warned people not to lay their liberties at the feet of even a great man. Gratitude to great leaders is fine, but it has limits. He quoted the Irish leader Daniel O'Connell: no nation can be grateful at the cost of its liberty. Bhakti (devotion) may be a road to salvation in religion, but in politics, bhakti or hero-worship is a sure road to degradation and dictatorship.
3. Build social democracy: Political democracy cannot last unless social democracy lies at its base. Social democracy means a way of life which recognises liberty, equality and fraternity as principles of life, and these three cannot be separated. On 26 January 1950 India would enter a "life of contradictions": in politics there would be equality (one man, one vote, one value), but in social and economic life there would be inequality. If this contradiction is not removed soon, those who suffer from inequality may destroy the structure of political democracy.

He also said that fraternity, a sense of common brotherhood of all Indians, was missing because of the caste system, and that castes are anti-national.

Themes

• Constitutional morality and rule of law
• Danger of hero-worship and dictatorship
• Liberty, equality and fraternity
• Social and economic justice

Language Skills: Prefixes and Suffixes; Cloze Exercises

A prefix is a group of letters added at the beginning of a word to change its meaning. A suffix is added at the end of a word; it often changes the word class (part of speech).

Examples: Democracy needs equality (equal + -ity). His admission of guilt calmed the officer (admit → admission). Ambedkar called these methods unconstitutional in that situation (un- + constitution + -al). The officer was unfriendly at first.

Cloze exercises

A cloze exercise is a passage with some words removed; the reader fills each blank using the context and grammar. Tips: read the whole passage first; decide the part of speech needed; check tense and agreement; read again after filling.

Practice (our own): "Carnegie's quick ____ (admit) of his mistake made the policeman ____ (friend). Ambedkar wanted social and economic ____ (equal) for all." Answers: admission, friendly, equality.

Likely exam questions

1. (Long, SAQ (about 50 words, 5 marks)) Narrate the incident of Dale Carnegie, his dog Rex and the policeman. What lesson does it teach?
2. (Long, SAQ (about 50 words, 5 marks)) What three warnings did Dr. B. R. Ambedkar give for maintaining democracy?
3. (Short, VSAQ (1 mark)) What did Dr. Ambedkar call civil disobedience and satyagraha in independent India?
4. (Short, VSAQ (1 mark)) Add a suitable prefix to make the opposite: legal, regular.
5. (Short, VSAQ (1 mark)) Form a noun from 'equal' using a suffix.

Syllabus topics (RTMNU)

• 3.1 On the Work Ethics (Poem) – Kelly Cherry
• 3.2 Up-hill – Christina Rossetti

3.1 On the Work Ethic (Poem) – Kelly Cherry

About the poet

Kelly Cherry (1940–2022) was an American poet, novelist and teacher. She taught for many years at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and served as Poet Laureate of Virginia (2010–2012). Her poems are thoughtful and often deal with everyday life, work, love, faith and ideas.

About the poem (general notes)

The poem reflects on the work ethic: the belief that work has value in itself, and that steady effort, discipline and honesty in work are virtues. It looks at the idea of working hard and doing a job well, and links work with a person's sense of worth and meaning. The poem is included in this paper because it connects with Unit IV topic 4.1 Work Ethics.

Themes

• Dignity of labour: every honest job deserves respect.
• Discipline and persistence: good work is done step by step, with patience.
• Work and identity: what we do and how we do it shapes who we are.
• Balance: work gives meaning, but a reader can also ask whether life should be only work.

How to answer questions on this poem

• Begin with the poet and the central idea (value of work).
• Link it to qualities like punctuality, responsibility, honesty and dedication.
• Give a short example from student life: completing assignments on time, practising daily.
• Mention the reflective, quiet tone.

3.2 Up-Hill – Christina Rossetti

About the poet

Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830–1894) was an English Victorian poet. She was the sister of the painter-poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti and was linked with the Pre-Raphaelite group. Her best-known work is Goblin Market. Her poems are often religious and deal with life, death and faith. "Up-Hill" was written in 1858 and published in 1862 in Goblin Market and Other Poems.

Form

• Four stanzas of four lines each (quatrains) = 16 lines.
• Rhyme scheme ABAB in each stanza.
• Written as a dialogue: a traveller asks questions, and a guide (perhaps a wise person, or God) answers.

Summary (in our own words)

A traveller asks whether the road goes uphill all the way. The guide says yes, to the very end. The traveller asks if the journey will take the whole day; the answer is that it will last from morning to night. The traveller asks if there is a resting place for the night; the guide says there is an inn, and the darkness cannot hide it. The traveller asks if he will meet others; he will meet those who travelled before him, and he only needs to knock or call to be let in. Finally he asks if there will be comfort and beds for all who come. The guide assures him that there will be beds for everyone who seeks.

Allegory and meaning

Themes

• Life as a hard journey
• Death as rest, not something to fear
• Christian faith and hope
• Perseverance: keep climbing till the end

Poetic devices

• Allegory / extended metaphor: the journey stands for life.
• Symbolism: road, day, inn, beds.
• Dialogue form with question and answer in alternate lines.
• Imagery of darkness and night.
• Rhyme ABAB and a simple, calm tone.

Comparing the two poems

Model SAQ answer (our own, about 50 words)

Q. What is the message of 'Up-Hill'? In 'Up-Hill', Christina Rossetti presents life as a long uphill road that lasts from morning to night. The journey is tiring, but at the end there is an inn where everyone finds a bed. The message is that life is a struggle, but peace and rest surely wait at the end.

Likely exam questions

1. (Long, SAQ (about 50 words, 5 marks)) Explain 'Up-Hill' as an allegory of human life.
2. (Long, SAQ (about 50 words, 5 marks)) What idea of work does Kelly Cherry present in 'On the Work Ethic'?
3. (Short, VSAQ (1 mark)) What does the 'inn' symbolise in 'Up-Hill'?
4. (Short, VSAQ (1 mark)) What is the rhyme scheme of 'Up-Hill'?
5. (Short, VSAQ (1 mark)) Who wrote the poem 'On the Work Ethic'?

Syllabus topics (RTMNU)

• 4.1 Work Ethics
• 4.2 Tenacity

4.1 Work Ethics

Work ethics means a set of moral values and good habits that a person shows at work: honesty, sincerity, discipline and respect for duty. A person with a strong work ethic believes that work is important and does it well even when nobody is watching.

Main components

1. Integrity: being honest, not cheating, keeping promises.
2. Punctuality: coming on time and meeting deadlines.
3. Responsibility: owning your duties and your mistakes (compare Carnegie's lesson).
4. Discipline: following rules and staying focused.
5. Professionalism: proper dress, polite speech, respect for colleagues.
6. Quality of work: doing a task carefully and completely.
7. Teamwork: co-operating and sharing credit.
8. Dedication: putting in steady effort.

Why work ethics matter

• Builds trust with employers and customers.
• Leads to promotion and career growth.
• Creates a healthy workplace.
• Gives personal satisfaction and self-respect.

Signs of poor work ethics

• Coming late, making excuses
• Wasting time on the phone
• Blaming others
• Copying or taking credit for others' work

Example

Pooja works part-time in a bank. She comes ten minutes early, checks every entry twice, and politely helps old customers fill forms. When she makes an error, she reports it to her manager at once. Her honesty and care show a strong work ethic.

How students can develop it

• Attend classes regularly and submit work on time.
• Do your own assignments honestly.
• Make a daily timetable and follow it.

4.2 Tenacity

Tenacity means the quality of holding on firmly to a goal and not giving up, even when there are difficulties and failures. A tenacious person is determined, patient and persistent. Similar words: perseverance, grit, determination, persistence.

Features of a tenacious person

• Has a clear goal and keeps it in mind.
• Sees failure as a lesson, not the end.
• Works steadily every day.
• Stays calm and patient under pressure.
• Changes the method if needed, but not the goal.

How to build tenacity (steps)

1. Set a clear, realistic goal.
2. Break it into small daily tasks.
3. Track progress and celebrate small wins.
4. Learn from mistakes; ask for feedback.
5. Stay positive; keep company with motivated people.
6. Take care of health: sleep, food and exercise give energy to continue.

Examples

• Thomas Edison tested a very large number of materials before he made a practical electric bulb.
• Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam did not give up after he missed selection as an Air Force pilot; he went on to become a great scientist and the President of India.
• A student who fails in one subject, studies regularly, and clears it in the next attempt shows tenacity.

Tenacity vs. stubbornness

Tenacity is firm about the goal but open to new methods and advice. Stubbornness refuses all advice, even when the method is clearly wrong.

Link with the poems

In "Up-Hill", the road climbs all the way, yet the traveller keeps going; this is a picture of tenacity. "On the Work Ethic" shows that steady, honest effort gives work its value.

Work ethics: college and workplace

Model SAQ answers (our own, about 50 words)

Q. Why are work ethics important? Work ethics are the moral values a person follows at work, such as honesty, punctuality and responsibility. They build trust with employers and customers, improve the quality of work and create a healthy workplace. A person with good work ethics earns respect, promotion and personal satisfaction.

Q. Write a short note on tenacity. Tenacity is the quality of holding on to a goal and not giving up in spite of difficulties. A tenacious person is patient and determined, learns from failure and keeps working steadily. Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam is a good example. Tenacity helps students and workers succeed in the long run.

Useful words for answers

• Work ethics: integrity, sincerity, diligence, punctuality, accountability
• Tenacity: perseverance, persistence, grit, determination, resilience

Likely exam questions

1. (Long, SAQ (about 50 words, 5 marks)) What is meant by work ethics? Explain any four components of good work ethics.
2. (Long, SAQ (about 50 words, 5 marks)) What is tenacity? How can a student develop it?
3. (Short, VSAQ (1 mark)) Give one synonym of 'tenacity'.
4. (Short, VSAQ (1 mark)) Mention any one sign of poor work ethics.
5. (Short, VSAQ (1 mark)) How is tenacity different from stubbornness?