LISTENING AND SPEAKING SKILLS – MODEL QUESTION PAPER (2024) – ANSWER

Reading Time: 10 minutes

 

LISTENING AND SPEAKING

UNIVERSITY MODEL QP – ANSWER KEY

Part A. 4 Marks. Time: 5 Minutes Objective Type. 1 Mark Each. Answer All Questions (Cognitive Level: Remember/Understand)

1. Expand the term IPA.

International Phonetic Alphabet

2. How many short vowel sounds are there in the English language?

There are seven short vowel sounds in English

3. What is a consonant?

A consonant sound is a speech sound made by partially or entirely blocking air flow through the mouth using the lips, teeth, tongue, or throat. For example, the sounds /p/, /b/, /t/, and /d/ are consonants.

4. Define intonation

Intonation is the sound changes produced by the rise and fall of the voice when speaking, especially when this affects the meaning of what is said.

Part B. 8 Marks. Time: 15 Minutes. Short Answer. 2 Marks Each. Answer All Questions (Cognitive Level: Understand/Apply)

5. Identify the vowel sounds in the following words:

Apple – /æpl̩/. Vowel  – /æ/

Sneer – /snɪə(r)/.  Diphthong – /ɪə/

6. What is the difference between hearing and listening?

Hearing and listening are distinct because hearing is a passive process, while listening is an active one. Hearing is the ability to sense sound through our ears without needing to pay attention to or understand it. For example, we might hear music playing in the background but not really notice it. On the other hand, listening involves focusing on the sounds we hear, understanding them, and often responding accordingly. For instance, when a friend tells you a story, you listen carefully to understand and show you care. Listening requires attention and engagement, while hearing happens naturally.

7. Write two words where /h/ is silent.

“Hour” and “Honest” are two words where the /h/ is silent.

8. How many syllables are there in the following words?

Doctor – 2 syllables

Temporary – 4 syllables.

Part C. 16 Marks. Time: 40 Minutes. Long Answer. 4 Marks Each. Answer all 4 Questions, choosing among options within each question. (Cognitive Level: Apply/Analyse/Evaluate/Create).

9. Compare and contrast the phonetic features of English sounds and Malayalam sounds.

English and Malayalam are very different languages, each with a unique sound system. English is an Indo-European language, while Malayalam belongs to the Dravidian family. These differences are reflected in the way their sounds are produced and used. However, some similarities help us understand their phonetic features better.

The consonants in English and Malayalam are distinct in several ways. English has sounds like /f/, /v/, and /θ/ (as in think) that are not found in Malayalam. On the other hand, Malayalam has retroflex sounds like /ʈ/ and /ɖ/ and a clear difference between dental and retroflex stops, which English lacks. Malayalam also uses nasalised sounds more frequently, giving it a soft and fluid quality.

The vowel systems of the two languages are also quite different. English has many vowels, including diphthongs and pairs of long and short vowels, such as /iː/ in bead and /ɪ/ in bid. Malayalam also distinguishes between long and short vowels but uses fewer diphthongs. Additionally, Malayalam vowels are generally pronounced as written, while English vowels often vary depending on spelling and accent.

The rhythm and stress patterns in the two languages contrast sharply. English is a stress-timed language, where stressed syllables are emphasised more, and unstressed syllables may be shortened. This affects pronunciation and meaning, as in record (noun) vs. record (verb). Malayalam, being syllable-timed, gives equal importance to all syllables, making its rhythm steady and even. Stress in Malayalam is weaker and does not change word meanings.

In conclusion, English and Malayalam have distinct phonetic features shaped by their linguistic roots and cultural evolution. While English sounds are more varied and rely on stress and intonation, Malayalam’s sounds are steady and simple, closely tied to its script. Understanding these differences helps us appreciate the richness and diversity of both languages.

OR

Write a strong form and a weak form of the following auxiliaries:

1. am

• Strong form: /æm/
  Example: I am ready to go. (Stressed for emphasis)
• Weak form: /əm/ or /m/
  Example: I’m coming in a moment. (Unstressed in contractions or rapid speech)

2. have

• Strong form: /hæv/
  Example: I have finished my homework. (Stressed to emphasise possession or completion)
• Weak form: /əv/ or /v/
  Example: I’ve been to that place. (Unstressed in contractions or rapid speech)

10. Analyse the phonetic features that distinguish the Received Pronunciation (RP) accent from the General American (GA) accent.

English is spoken around the world in many different ways. Among the most well-known varieties are Received Pronunciation (RP), often associated with British English, and General American (GA), commonly used in the United States. These two accents have unique phonetic features, such as vowel sounds, consonant use, and rhythm.

One major difference between RP and GA is in their vowel sounds. RP has more distinctions in vowel length, such as the clear difference between /ɪ/ in bit and /iː/ in beat. In GA, this distinction is often less noticeable. Additionally, GA uses a rhotic pronunciation, meaning the /r/ sound is pronounced at the end of words like car and mother, while RP is non-rhotic, dropping the /r/ in such positions. For example, in RP, car may sound like /kɑː/, while in GA, it is pronounced /kɑr/.

The rhythm and intonation patterns also differ between the two accents. RP often uses a more varied intonation with a musical quality, while GA has a flatter, more even tone. This gives RP a distinctive sound that many associate with formality and elegance, whereas GA sounds more neutral.

In conclusion, RP and GA accents are distinguished by their treatment of vowels, consonants, and rhythm. While RP is marked by non-rhoticity and clear enunciation, GA emphasises rhoticity and smoother sounds. These differences reflect English’s cultural and historical evolution in Britain and America, making both accents fascinating in their own ways.

OR

Compare and contrast Malayalam sounds and English sounds

English and Malayalam are very different languages, each with a unique sound system. English is an Indo-European language, while Malayalam belongs to the Dravidian family. These differences are reflected in the way their sounds are produced and used. However, some similarities help us understand their phonetic features better.

The consonants in English and Malayalam are distinct in several ways. English has sounds like /f/, /v/, and /θ/ (as in think) that are not found in Malayalam. On the other hand, Malayalam has retroflex sounds like /ʈ/ and /ɖ/ and a clear difference between dental and retroflex stops, which English lacks. Malayalam also uses nasalised sounds more frequently, giving it a soft and fluid quality.

The vowel systems of the two languages are also quite different. English has many vowels, including diphthongs and pairs of long and short vowels, such as /iː/ in bead and /ɪ/ in bid. Malayalam also distinguishes between long and short vowels but uses fewer diphthongs. Additionally, Malayalam vowels are generally pronounced as written, while English vowels often vary depending on spelling and accent.

The rhythm and stress patterns in the two languages contrast sharply. English is a stress-timed language, where stressed syllables are emphasised more, and unstressed syllables may be shortened. This affects pronunciation and meaning, as in record (noun) vs. record (verb). Malayalam, being syllable-timed, gives equal importance to all syllables, making its rhythm steady and even. Stress in Malayalam is weaker and does not change word meanings.

In conclusion, English and Malayalam have distinct phonetic features shaped by their linguistic roots and cultural evolution. While English sounds are more varied and rely on stress and intonation, Malayalam’s sounds are steady and simple, closely tied to its script. Understanding these differences helps us appreciate the richness and diversity of both languages.

11. Evaluate the character of the boy in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone.

Harry Potter, the main character in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, starts as an ordinary boy living with his mean relatives, the Dursleys. He does not know that he is a wizard or that he is famous in the magical world. As the story moves forward, Harry shows that he is brave, kind, and fair.

Harry’s bravery is one of his strongest traits. Even though he is only 11 years old and new to the magical world, he faces many dangers without fear. For example, he risks his life to stop Voldemort from getting the Philosopher’s Stone. This courage makes him stand out as a true hero. Harry is also very humble. Even though many people admire him as “The Boy Who Lived,” he does not let this fame change who he is. He prefers to be treated like an ordinary boy and values his friends for their loyalty and kindness. This makes Harry easy to like and helps him build strong friendships with Ron and Hermione. Another important aspect of Harry’s character is his sense of fairness and loyalty. He is always willing to help his friends, even when it means he might get into trouble.

In conclusion, Harry Potter is a brave, kind, and fair character who grows greatly in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. His journey from an ordinary boy to a hero is inspiring and makes him a character readers love and admire.

OR

Evaluate the influence of mother tongue in learning English as a second language.

 Mother tongue influence/interference (MTI) refers to the interference/influence of one’s mother tongue (L1) in learning a second language (L2). Malayalam is the mother tongue and so generally the first language of the people of Kerala, a state in the southernmost tip of India. Most of the people here learn English as their second language. These second-language learners of English often show some distinct features of their L1 while speaking L2 because of MTI. The interference could be traced to different segments of L2 speech like pronunciation, stress, intonation and also in sentence formations. This is mainly due to the fact that English and Malayalam belong to two distinct language families, Germanic and Dravidian, respectively, and hence both have distinct phonological and grammatical rules. Some of the common interferences/influence of MT on Malayalee speakers of English are given below.

Pronunciation

MTI is mostly seen in the pronunciation of consonants, fricatives, and retroflex sounds. English consonant sounds /p/,/t/, and /k/ are pronounced with a puff of air (aspirated) by native speakers. Malayalam has similar sounds – /p/, /t/, and /k/ but they are pronounced without aspiration (unaspirated). So when Malayalee speakers pronounce English words like cat, pen or top where /p/,/t/, and/k/ are to be aspirated, due to MTI, they are likely to pronounce these sounds without aspiration. Thus, ‘pin’ would sound closer to ‘bin’ and ‘pat’ would sound closer to ‘bat’ without aspiration to native speakers of English. English and Malayalam have similar /t/ and /d/ sounds. In Malayalam, the tongue curls back during the production of these sounds, so they are called retroflex sounds. Hence, while pronouncing English words like ‘bat’ or ‘dog’, Malayalee speakers often replace English /t/ and /d/ with retroflex Malayalam equivalents. Some consonant sounds in English are pronounced by bringing the mouth into position to block the air passage, but not a complete closure so that air moves by producing audible friction. These sounds are called fricatives. Examples of fricative sounds are /f/, /v/ and /s/. Fricatives are absent in Malayalam. So there is a tendency for Malayalee speakers to replace these sounds with other sounds like /f/ with /p/ and /v/ with /w/. Thus, when Malayalee speaks, ‘fan’ may sound like’ pan’, and ‘van’ may sound like ‘wan’.

Intonation and Stress

English is a stress-timed language, with stressed syllables at regular intervals and unstressed syllables weakened to match the rhythm of speech. On the other hand, Malayalam is a syllable-timed language, where each syllable takes the same amount of time. Because of this mismatch in stress pattern, Malayalee often speaks English by stressing evenly across syllables. For example, Malayalee would pronounce the words’ photograph’ and ‘photographer’ in the same way without understanding the difference in stress associated with each word. Some words in English, like ‘record’, are pronounced differently when used as a noun and verb. Due to MTI Malayalee speakers pronounce it in the same way. There is a marked rise and fall in intonation in English, which Malayalam lacks. This rise and fall differentiates between questions and statements in English. For example, ‘Are you going?’ has arising intonation, but most Malayalee speakers intonate it as a statement.

Grammar, Syntax and Diction

The sentence structures of English and Malayalam differ, with the major difference being in the word order. English follows the subject-verb-object (SVO) pattern, while Malayalam follows the subject-object-verb (SOV) pattern of word order. So when Malayalee speakers literally translate Malayalam sentence structures into English or English structures into Malayalam, it can end in awkward phrasing. For example, ‘Mother ate the mangoes’ (SVO pattern), when translated literally to Malayalam, could be ‘അമ്മ തിന്നു മാങ്ങ/Amma thinnu manga’, a grammatically incorrect sentence in Malayalam. The grammatically correct version of it would be ‘അമ്മ മാങ്ങ തിന്നു/Amma manga thinnu’, but when we literally translate this sentence into English, it would be ‘Mother mango ate’, which is grammatically incorrect in English. The usage of prepositions is different in Malayalam and English. For example, many Malayalee speakers translate ‘ഞാന്‍ വീട്ടില്‍ ആണ്/Njan veetil aanu’ (meaning ‘I am at home’ in Malayalam) into English as ‘I am in home’, leading to prepositional error. Another common error is the overuse of the present continuous tense. For example, while translating the sentence ‘ഞാന്‍ അവനെ അറിയും/njan avane ariym’ (meaning ‘I know him’ in Malayalam) there is a tendency for Malayalee speakers to translate it as ‘I am knowing him’, which is incorrect. Malayalee speakers use some English words that are not part of standard English. This is due to the influence of the regional language. A typical example is ‘cousin-brother’ and ‘cousin-sister’. Code-switching is very popular among Malayalee speakers. It is a tendency to insert Malayalam words into an English sentence while speaking. For example, ‘I bought some ela (Malayalam word for ‘banana leaves’) from the market’.

12. You met the old man from the story ‘The Old Man and The Sea‘ after his return from the sea. Construct dialogues between you and the old man.

Me: Hello, sir. I heard about your journey at sea. It must have been a tough time for you.

Old Man: Yes, it was tough, but it was also worth it. The sea pushes you to your limits but teaches you a lot.

Me: Fighting such a big fish must have been so difficult. How did you manage to hold on?

Old Man: I had patience and respect for the fish. It wasn’t just a fish; it was strong and noble. I didn’t see it as an enemy. I felt like it was my equal.

Me: That’s amazing. But after working so hard, losing the fish to the sharks must have been very painful.

Old Man: It hurt, but the sharks didn’t take everything. They took the fish but couldn’t take the experience or the memory of the fight. That’s something I will always keep with me.

Me: Do you wish you had stayed closer to shore?

Old Man: No, I don’t regret going far. A man must do what he is meant to do, even if it is hard. The sea is my life; I would rather face its challenges than live without purpose.

Me: You are so inspiring. What advice would you give to someone who feels like they have lost?

Old Man: Losing is part of life, but trying your best is what really matters. If you give everything, you are a winner, no matter what happens.

Me: Thank you, sir. Your story will stay with me for a long time.

Old Man: Thank you, young one. The sea has taught me many lessons. Maybe one day, it will teach you too.

OR

Write a short story based on the following prompt.

On the first day of her long-awaited Onam holidays, Aliya found herself in a peculiar mix of emotions. She was thrilled to finally have a break from school, yet boredom quickly set in as she realised there were no plans to fill her days. With her mother away for work, Aliya was left at home with just her father and younger brother. What adventures or surprises might this unexpected free time bring? How do you think Aliya spent her holidays?

Aliya’s Onam Surprise

Aliya sat by the window, looking at the flower design her father and younger brother had made on the floor. It was funny and messy, but she still felt bored.

“I can’t waste my holidays like this!” she thought. Aliya found an old recipe book and told her father and brother they should cook a big Onam feast together. Her father didn’t know much about cooking but agreed, while her brother was excited to help (and to eat).

The kitchen became a fun mess. Aliya showed her father how to make little parippu balls, and her brother kept tasting the payasam when no one was looking. Soon, their meal was ready, with all the special dishes served on banana leaves.

That evening, as they ate together and laughed at their kitchen mistakes, Aliya felt happy. She realised holidays didn’t need big plans. Sometimes, the best moments were made at home, with family and a little bit of fun.