General English Language Skills-12 T-12

Syllabus topics (RTMNU)

• Taking Studies Seriously - Khushwant Singh
• A Simple Philosophy - Chief Seathl
• On Reading a Book - Virginia Woolf
• A Cup of Tea - Katherine Mansfield
• My Struggle for an Education - Booker T. Washington

Taking Studies Seriously - Khushwant Singh

About the Author

• Khushwant Singh (1915-2014) was one of India's best-known journalists, novelists, historians and columnists. He wrote in English.
• His famous novel is Train to Pakistan (1956), about the Partition of India.
• He edited The Illustrated Weekly of India. He was known for his column With Malice Towards One and All.
• He received the Padma Vibhushan (2007).
• Style: frank, witty, humorous, conversational and often self-mocking. He writes simply and honestly about everyday life.

How to Study This Essay

We could not check the exact content of this prescribed essay against a reliable source. So no summary is given here. Do not depend on outside summaries. Read the text in Vital Voices carefully and prepare these points:

• The central idea: what the writer says about the value of serious study.
• Any personal experiences (anecdotes) the writer gives.
• The tone: humour, honesty, advice to students.
• The message for today's students, such as discipline, hard work and purpose in learning.

A Simple Philosophy - Chief Seathl

About the Speaker

• Chief Seathl (Chief Seattle) was a leader of the Suquamish and Duwamish Native American tribes in the north-west of the USA. The city of Seattle is named after him.
• The text comes from a famous speech he made in the 1850s. The speech was a reply to the US government's offer to buy his people's land.
• Note: His original words were not recorded exactly. The popular versions were written down or rewritten later by others. Scholars therefore debate how authentic the wording is.

Summary (in brief)

• The Chief asks how anyone can buy or sell the sky, the air or the land. Nature is not property.
• For his people, every part of the earth is sacred: forests, rivers, insects and animals.
• The earth is a mother. Rivers and animals are like brothers.
• The white man treats the earth as an enemy to be conquered. He moves on after exploiting it.
• All things are connected. Whatever happens to the earth happens to its children.
• Man did not weave the web of life. He is only a thread in it.

Themes

• Respect for nature and ecology (environmental awareness)
• Spiritual bond between man and land
• Conflict between native culture and materialistic colonial culture
• Unity of all life

Style: poetic, emotional, full of images from nature, rhetorical questions and repetition.

On Reading a Book - Virginia Woolf

About the Author

• Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) was an English modernist novelist and essayist. She was a member of the Bloomsbury Group.
• Her major works are Mrs Dalloway, To the Lighthouse and A Room of One's Own.
• She is known for the stream of consciousness technique.

Key Ideas

These ideas match her well-known essay How Should One Read a Book? (in The Common Reader: Second Series, 1932). Check them against your prescribed text.

• Freedom of the reader: The reader should follow their own instincts and judgement. They should not blindly accept the opinions of authorities or critics.
• Two stages of reading:
  1. First, receive the book with an open mind. Become the author's fellow-worker and try to see what the author sees.
  2. Second, judge the book. Compare it with other great works and form your own taste and standards.
• Different kinds of books: Fiction, poetry, biography and memoirs each demand a different approach. Biographies let us look into other people's lives.
• Reading for its own sake: The true reader reads for pleasure and love of books, not for reward.

Style: personal, imaginative, rich in images, informal yet thoughtful.

A Cup of Tea - Katherine Mansfield

About the Author

• Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923) was a New Zealand-born modernist short story writer. She lived mostly in England.
• She was influenced by Chekhov. She is known for psychological insight, irony and open endings.
• The story A Cup of Tea was published in 1922.

Summary

• Rosemary Fell is young, rich, fashionable and married to Philip. She is not exactly beautiful.
• At an antique shop she admires an expensive little enamel box and asks the shopkeeper to keep it for her.
• Outside, on a cold, rainy evening, a poor girl, Miss Smith, asks her for the price of a cup of tea.
• Rosemary sees an "adventure". She takes the girl home to show her kindness, like a heroine in a novel.
• She gives the girl tea and food. Then Philip comes in and remarks that the girl is very pretty.
• Rosemary becomes jealous. She quickly sends the girl away with some money.
• Later she dresses up and asks Philip, "Am I pretty?" This is the ironic twist ending.

Themes and Points

• Hollow, showy charity and class difference
• Jealousy, vanity and insecurity
• Irony: her kindness is driven by self-image, not real sympathy

Character of Rosemary: rich, impulsive, romantic, self-centred and insecure.

My Struggle for an Education - Booker T. Washington

About the Author

• Booker T. Washington (born into slavery around 1856, died 1915) was an African-American educator and leader.
• He founded the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama in 1881.
• The prescribed text is a chapter from his autobiography Up From Slavery (1901).

Summary

• While working in a coal mine, he hears of the Hampton Institute in Virginia, a school for Black students, and decides to go there.
• Working in the house of Mrs. Ruffner, a strict lady, taught him cleanliness, honesty and thoroughness.
• He travels about 500 miles with very little money. At Richmond, without money, he sleeps under a wooden sidewalk. He works unloading iron from a ship to earn food.
• At Hampton, the head teacher Miss Mary F. Mackie asks him to sweep a recitation room. He sweeps it three times and dusts it four times. She finds no dust and admits him. He calls this his "college examination".
• He works as a janitor to pay his expenses. He admires General Samuel C. Armstrong, the head of Hampton.

Themes

• Determination and hard work
• Dignity of labour
• Education as freedom
• Overcoming racial and economic barriers

Comparison at a Glance

Likely exam questions

1. (Long answer) Describe Booker T. Washington's struggle to get an education, as told in 'My Struggle for an Education'. What qualities of his character does it show?
2. (Long answer) Discuss 'A Cup of Tea' as a story of irony. Write a character sketch of Rosemary Fell.
3. (Short answer / short note) Write a short note on Chief Seathl's attitude towards nature and land in 'A Simple Philosophy'.
4. (Short answer / short note) What advice does Virginia Woolf give to the reader in 'On Reading a Book'?
5. (Short answer / short note) Write a short note on Khushwant Singh as a writer, with reference to 'Taking Studies Seriously'.

Syllabus topics (RTMNU)

• My Last Duchess - Robert Browning
• Strange Meeting - Wilfred Owen
• Night of the Scorpion - Nissim Ezekiel
• Richard Cory - Edwin Arlington Robinson
• Upon the Westminster Bridge - William Wordsworth

My Last Duchess - Robert Browning

About the Poet

Robert Browning (1812–1889) was a major poet of the Victorian Age. He is best known for perfecting the dramatic monologue. 'My Last Duchess' was published in Dramatic Lyrics (1842).

Literary Form: Dramatic Monologue

• One speaker talks to a silent listener at a key moment.
• Through his own words, the speaker reveals his true character without meaning to.
• The reader has to read between the lines.

Summary

The speaker is the Duke of Ferrara, an Italian nobleman of the Renaissance period. He shows a portrait of his late wife, painted by 'Fra Pandolf', to an envoy (messenger). The envoy has come from a Count whose daughter the Duke wants to marry. The Duke complains that the Duchess smiled at everyone. She was equally pleased by his gift of a 'nine-hundred-years-old name' and by simple things like a sunset or a mule ride. He felt she did not value his rank enough. He would not 'stoop' to correct her. Instead, he 'gave commands' and 'all smiles stopped together'. This strongly suggests he had her killed. He then calmly discusses the dowry. As they leave, he points out a bronze statue of Neptune taming a sea-horse.

Themes

• Pride and possessiveness: The Duke treats his wife as an object to own and control.
• Jealousy and cruelty: He is hidden behind polished manners.
• Art and power: The Duchess is now a painting that only he controls, because he keeps the curtain drawn.
• Position of women in an aristocratic, male-dominated society.

Style

• Written in rhyming couplets of iambic pentameter (heroic couplets).
• Heavy use of enjambment (run-on lines). This hides the rhyme and makes the speech sound natural.
• Uses irony: the Duke exposes his own cruelty.
• The Neptune statue is a symbol of the Duke's urge to dominate.

Strange Meeting - Wilfred Owen

About the Poet

Wilfred Owen (1893–1918) was an English soldier-poet of the First World War. He was killed in action in November 1918, only a week before the war ended. Most of his poems, including 'Strange Meeting', were published after his death. He famously wrote that his subject was 'the pity of War'.

Summary

The speaker seems to escape from battle down a deep, dark tunnel. This place turns out to be a kind of Hell. There he meets a dead soldier who recognises him. The dead man speaks of his lost hopes and his wish to tell the world the truth about war. He warns that nations will march backwards into violence and destruction. At the end he reveals: 'I am the enemy you killed, my friend.' He then invites the speaker to sleep. The poem ends unfinished.

Themes

• Futility and pity of war: Young lives and talents are wasted.
• Common humanity: Enemies are really alike, even like brothers or 'doubles'.
• Loss of truth: The dead cannot warn the living.
• Reconciliation in death.

Style

• Famous for pararhyme (half-rhyme). In such pairs the consonants match but the vowels differ, e.g. 'escaped/scooped', 'groined/groaned'. This creates a haunting, uneasy music.
• Uses couplet form, dream-like setting and dark imagery of Hell.
• Dramatic irony is saved for the final revelation.

Night of the Scorpion - Nissim Ezekiel

About the Poet

Nissim Ezekiel (1924–2004) was born in Bombay (Mumbai). He is often called the father of modern Indian English poetry. He won the Sahitya Akademi Award. This poem appears in his collection The Exact Name (1965).

Summary

On a rainy night, a scorpion hides under a sack of rice and stings the poet's mother. It then escapes. Neighbouring peasants come 'like swarms of flies' with candles and lanterns. They chant the name of God and search for the scorpion. They believe that every movement of the scorpion spreads the poison in her blood. They also believe her suffering will burn away sins of past and future births. The poet's father is a sceptic and a rationalist. Even he tries every remedy, including powders, herbs and paraffin set alight on the bitten toe. A holy man performs rites. After about twenty hours the poison loses its sting. The mother simply thanks God that the scorpion chose her and spared her children.

Themes

• Superstition vs. reason: Even the rational father turns to every remedy in panic.
• Selfless motherly love: This is shown in the moving final lines.
• Indian village life, its community spirit and its faith.
• Irony: There is much noise and ritual, yet the mother's simple words carry the deepest meaning.

Style

• Written in free verse in simple, conversational English.
• Uses a narrative (story-telling) technique.
• Has a strong Indian setting.
• Uses similes and repetition ('May he...'), which copy the chanting of the peasants.
• Contains gentle irony and detachment.

Richard Cory - Edwin Arlington Robinson

About the Poet

Edwin Arlington Robinson (1869–1935) was an American poet. He won the Pulitzer Prize three times. 'Richard Cory' was published in The Children of the Night (1897).

Summary

The poem is told by the poor townspeople, 'we people on the pavement'. They admire Richard Cory whenever he comes to town. He is a gentleman, well-dressed, polite, graceful and 'richer than a king'. They envy him and wish they were in his place. Meanwhile they work hard, go without meat and curse their bread. Then, in the last two lines, comes a shock. On a calm summer night, Cory goes home and shoots himself.

Themes

• Appearance vs. reality: Outward success hides inner emptiness and despair.
• Money cannot buy happiness.
• Isolation and loneliness: No one really knew Cory.
• Envy and class difference.

Style

• Four quatrains (four-line stanzas) with ABAB rhyme in iambic pentameter.
• Uses royal imagery such as 'crown', 'imperially slim', 'glittered' and 'king'.
• Has a surprise (twist) ending and situational irony.
• Uses a collective narrator, 'we'.

Upon the Westminster Bridge - William Wordsworth

About the Poet

William Wordsworth (1770–1850) was a leading Romantic poet. He published Lyrical Ballads (1798) with S.T. Coleridge and later became Poet Laureate. The full title of the poem is 'Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802'.

Summary

Standing on Westminster Bridge in the early morning, the poet looks at London. He declares that Earth has nothing more beautiful to show. The city wears the beauty of the morning like a garment. Ships, towers, domes, theatres and temples lie open to the fields and sky. They glitter in the 'smokeless air'. He has never felt so deep a calm. Even sunrise over valleys and hills was never more splendid. The river flows freely, the houses seem asleep, and the 'mighty heart' of the city is lying still.

Themes

• Beauty of the city: This is unusual for a nature poet.
• Harmony of the city and nature in a quiet moment.
• Calm and spiritual peace.

Style

• Written as a Petrarchan (Italian) sonnet.
• It has an octave (ABBAABBA) and a sestet (CDCDCD).
• Uses personification: the city wears a garment, the houses sleep, and the city has a 'mighty heart'.
• Uses simile and hyperbole.

Comparison at a Glance

Likely exam questions

1. (Long answer) Discuss 'My Last Duchess' as a dramatic monologue. Bring out the character of the Duke as revealed in the poem.
2. (Long answer) How does Nissim Ezekiel present the conflict between superstition and reason in 'Night of the Scorpion'? Comment on the significance of the mother's last words.
3. (Short answer / short note) Write a short note on the theme of appearance versus reality in 'Richard Cory'.
4. (Short answer / short note) Explain the significance of the line 'I am the enemy you killed, my friend' in 'Strange Meeting'.
5. (Short answer / short note) Describe the picture of London presented by Wordsworth in 'Upon the Westminster Bridge'.

Syllabus topics (RTMNU)

• The Infinitives and the 'ing' forms/ Gerunds
• Correct the Errors in sentences

The Infinitives and the 'ing' forms/ Gerunds

Verbs can be used in two special non-finite forms: the infinitive (to go, go) and the -ing form (going). These forms do not change with the subject or the tense. That is why they are called non-finite verbs. This topic is explained in detail in Oxford Practice Grammar by John Eastwood (Oxford University Press).

1. The Infinitive: Meaning

The infinitive is the base form of the verb. It is often used with 'to'. Example: I want to learn French.

• To-infinitive (full infinitive): to read, to write, to play.
• Bare infinitive (zero infinitive): the infinitive without 'to'. Example: She can sing.

2. Uses of the To-infinitive

• As subject: To err is human. (In modern English we usually say: It is human to err.)
• As object of a verb: He decided to leave.
• To show purpose: She went to the market to buy vegetables.
• After adjectives: I am happy to help. The book is easy to read.
• After question words: Tell me how to solve this. I don't know what to say.
• After 'too' and 'enough': He is too weak to walk. She is old enough to vote.
• After nouns: I have a lot of work to do.

Verbs usually followed by a to-infinitive: want, decide, hope, plan, agree, refuse, promise, afford, manage, expect, offer, fail, learn, pretend.

3. Uses of the Bare Infinitive

• After modal verbs (can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would): You must go.
• After 'make' and 'let': The teacher made us rewrite the essay. Let me go.
• After 'had better' and 'would rather': You had better rest.
• After verbs of perception (see, hear, watch) for a complete action: I saw him cross the road.
• 'Help' can take both: She helped me (to) carry the bag.

4. Other Forms of the Infinitive

• Negative: not + to-infinitive – He told me not to worry.
• Passive: The work has to be finished today.
• Perfect: He seems to have forgotten my name.
• Continuous: She seems to be enjoying the party.

5. The Gerund ('-ing' form used as a noun)

A gerund is the -ing form of a verb used as a noun. It has the qualities of both a verb and a noun.

• As subject: Swimming is good exercise.
• As object: She enjoys reading.
• After prepositions: He is good at drawing. Thank you for coming.
• As complement: My hobby is collecting stamps.
• In short notices: No smoking.

Verbs usually followed by a gerund: enjoy, avoid, finish, mind, suggest, deny, admit, keep, practise, consider, give up, put off, risk, can't help, can't stand.

6. Verbs Followed by Both (Change in Meaning)

With begin, start, continue, like, love, hate, prefer there is little or no difference in meaning: It began to rain / It began raining.

7. Gerund vs Present Participle

Correct the Errors in sentences

In this question, students get sentences with grammatical mistakes and must rewrite them correctly. It tests accuracy in usage.

Method to Solve

1. Read the whole sentence carefully.
2. Find the subject and the verb; check agreement and tense.
3. Check articles, prepositions, pronouns and word forms.
4. Rewrite the full corrected sentence; underline the corrected part if possible.

Common Types of Errors with Examples

• Subject-verb agreement: He go to college daily. → He goes to college daily. / Each of the boys have a pen. → Each of the boys has a pen.
• Tense: I have seen him yesterday. → I saw him yesterday. / I am knowing him. → I know him.
• Articles: He is honest man. → He is an honest man. / She is an university student. → She is a university student.
• Prepositions: He is married with my cousin. → He is married to my cousin. / We discussed about the problem. → We discussed the problem.
• Infinitive/Gerund: I enjoy to swim. → I enjoy swimming. / He made me to wait. → He made me wait. / You must to go. → You must go.
• Pronouns: Between you and I... → Between you and me...
• Degrees of comparison: She is more taller than me. → She is taller than me.
• Uncountable nouns: He gave me many advices. → He gave me a lot of advice. (also: information, furniture, luggage)
• Redundancy (extra words): Return back the book. → Return the book. / cope up with → cope with
• Question tags: He is coming, isn't it? → He is coming, isn't he?
• Conditionals: If he will come, I will go. → If he comes, I will go.

Likely exam questions

1. (Long answer) What is an infinitive? Explain the to-infinitive and the bare infinitive and their uses with suitable examples.
2. (Long answer) What is a gerund? Explain its uses and discuss the verbs that change meaning when followed by an infinitive or a gerund (stop, remember, forget, try, regret), with examples.
3. (Short answer / short note) Distinguish between a gerund and a present participle with examples.
4. (Short answer / short note) Correct the errors: (a) I enjoy to swim. (b) He made me to wait. (c) She is more taller than me. (d) We discussed about the problem. (e) I look forward to meet you.
5. (Short answer / short note) Write a short note on common errors in the use of articles, prepositions and subject-verb agreement, with examples.

Syllabus topics (RTMNU)

• Writing Advertisement (Service-based, Product-based)
• Developing a story on the basis of given outline

Writing Advertisement (Service-based, Product-based)

Meaning and Definition

An advertisement is a short, public message that tells people about a product, a service, an event or an idea. Its purpose is to inform, attract and persuade readers to buy, use or take part in something. In simple words, an advertisement is paid communication that makes a product or service known to the public.

Types of Advertisements (as per syllabus)

• Product-based advertisement: It promotes a physical item that can be seen, touched and bought. Examples include a soap, mobile phone, bicycle, school bag or packaged food.
• Service-based advertisement: It promotes work or help done for the customer. The service cannot be touched or stored. Examples include coaching classes, a courier service, a beauty parlour, a hospital, travel agencies and home tutors.

Comparison: Product vs Service Advertisement

Features of a Good Advertisement

• Catchy headline or slogan: It is short and memorable.
• Brevity: It uses few words that carry a strong effect.
• Clear information: It gives the name, features, price or offer, and contact details.
• Persuasive language: It uses words such as Hurry!, Limited offer and Best in town.
• Attractive layout: It uses boxes, bold letters, different font sizes and a visual or logo if allowed.
• Honesty: It avoids false or exaggerated claims.
• Call to action: It tells the reader what to do next, for example Call now or Visit today.

The AIDA Formula

Advertisers often follow the AIDA model:

1. A – Attention: Catch the eye with the headline.
2. I – Interest: Describe the features.
3. D – Desire: Show the benefits and offers.
4. A – Action: Give the contact details and urge the reader to act.

Format / Steps for Writing in the Exam

1. Put the advertisement inside a box.
2. Write the name of the product or service and a slogan at the top.
3. Add a brief description and the main features as bullet points.
4. Mention any special offer, discount or free trial.
5. Give the address, phone number, email or website at the bottom.
6. Keep it around 50–80 words unless the question states otherwise.

Sample 1 (Product-based)

Sample 2 (Service-based)

Developing a Story on the Basis of Given Outline

Meaning

In this exercise, the examiner gives an outline. This is a set of hints or key points separated by dashes or dots. The student has to expand these hints into a complete, connected and interesting story. This tests imagination, sequencing of ideas, grammar and narrative skill.

Elements of a Good Story

• Title: It should be short, suitable and attractive.
• Setting: The time and place of the story.
• Characters: The people or animals in the story, given suitable names.
• Plot: The sequence of events, with a beginning, middle (conflict or climax) and end.
• Dialogue: A little conversation makes the story lively.
• Moral or message: Many outline stories end with a lesson.

Steps to Develop the Story

1. Read the outline carefully two or three times.
2. Understand the central idea and the moral.
3. Follow all the hints in the same order. Do not skip any.
4. Fill the gaps between hints with logical, imaginative details.
5. Use the past tense consistently.
6. Divide the story into 3–4 paragraphs.
7. Give a suitable title and, if appropriate, a moral at the end.
8. Revise for spelling, tense and punctuation errors.

Do's and Don'ts

• Do: use simple sentences, linking words (one day, suddenly, after that, finally) and vivid description.
• Don't: change the outline, add unrelated events, write too long, or mix tenses.

Sample Outline and Story

Outline: A poor boy – finds a purse on the road – full of money – temptation – returns it to owner – owner a rich merchant – rewards him – pays for his education – moral.

Likely exam questions

1. (Long answer) What is an advertisement? Explain the features of a good advertisement and draft a product-based advertisement for a new brand of smartphone.
2. (Long answer) Develop a story with a suitable title and moral from the following outline: A thirsty crow – searches for water – finds a pitcher – water at the bottom – cannot reach – idea – drops pebbles – water rises – drinks and flies away.
3. (Short answer / short note) Distinguish between product-based and service-based advertisements with examples.
4. (Short answer / short note) Draft a service-based advertisement for a home tuition or coaching centre in your city.
5. (Short answer / short note) Write a short note on the steps to be followed while developing a story from a given outline.