UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF THE CARIBBEAN Incorporating Institute Of Management Sciences &

Institute Of Management & Production A Member of the Commonwealth & OAS Consortia of Universities

FOUNDATION ENGLISH

CENTRE: MAYPEN & MOBAY CAMPUSES

DATE : AUGUST 27, 2010

TIME : 10:00 AM

DURATION: 3 HOURS

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Please read all instructions carefully before attempting any question.

2. This paper consists of thirteen (13) printed pages and three (3) sections

[A, B & C]

3. Sections [A & B] are compulsory.

4. Candidates are also required to answer any one (1) question from section [C]

• ALL QUESTIONS MUST BE ANSWERED IN THE ANSWER BOOKLET

• PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU NUMBER YOUR QUESTIONS CORRECTLY.

• CLEARLY WRITE THE NUMBER OF THE QUESTION ON EACH OF THE RELEVANT PAGES.

• WHERE QUESTIONS HAVE MULTIPLE PARTS, ALL PARTS MUST BE ANSWERED.

• START THE RESPONSE TO EACH QUESTION ON A NEW PAGE.

DO NOT OPEN YOUR QUESTION PAPER OR BEGIN

WRITING UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO

Page 2 of 13

SECTION A - MULTIPLE CHOICE GRAMMAR, USAGE, MECHANICS

INSTRUCTIONS: ATTEMPT ALL OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS, SELECTING THE MOST

APPROPRIATE ANSWER. SELECT THE LETTER THAT CORRESPONDS WITH YOUR CHOICE.

SYNONYMS

INSTRUCTIONS: FROM THE LIST OF WORDS OR GROUPS OF WORDS LETTERED A TO D

BELOW EACH OF THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES, CHOOSE THE WORD OR GROUP OF

WORDS THAT IS NEAREST IN MEANING TO THE UNDERLINED WORD OR EXPRESSION AS

IT IS USED IN THE SENTENCE:

1. The employer was agitated by the strike action taken by the employees.

a. disappointed

b. perturbed

c. saddened

d. pestered

2. The secretary was resolute in her decision to resign from her office in the group.

a. determined

b. defiant

c. anxious

d. elated

3. After the robbery my sister was apprehensive about staying home alone again.

a. doubtful

b. cautious

c. fearful

d. disturbed

4. The directions on the prescription were so explicit that no one could make a

mistake.

a. legible

b. clear

c. simple

d. concise

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5. Before the match began, the teacher warned the class that unnecessary bad

mouthing of opponents, selfish and uncouth behavior, is unacceptable.

a. dangerous

b. angry

c. crude

d. careless

ANTONYMS

INSTRUCTIONS: IN EACH OF THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES, THERE IS ONE WORD

UNDERLINED AND ONE BLANK SPACE. FROM THE LIST OF WORDS LETTERED A TO D

BELOW, CHOOSE THE WORD THAT IS MOST NEARLY OPPOSITE IN MEANING TO THE

UNDERLINED WORD, AND CORRECTLY FILL THE BLANK SPACE IN THE SENTENCE.

6. Whereas the initial step was taken by the boys with some apprehension, their

________ step was taken with courage and bravery.

(a) progressive

(b) urgent

(c) final

(d) momentous

7. We noticed that the stranger stood in a very _________ corner, so he wasn’t

readily conspicuous.

(a) obscure

(b) outstanding

(c) honourable

(d) remote

8. The question was pertinent to the discussion held on strikes, but the answer

forthcoming was totally __________to the subject.

a. apt

b. unrelated

c. relevant

d. precise

9. The recommendations put forward by the committee were feasible and not

__________ at all..

a. realistic

b. impractical

c. profitable

d. interesting

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10. His efforts to heal the breach were futile as neither was interested in having a

______ reconciliation.

a. fertile

b. difficult

c. useless

d. successful

SENTENCE COMPLETION

INSTRUCTIONS: FROM THE WORDSLETTERED A TO D, CHOOSE THE WORD WHICH BEST

COMPLETES EACH OF THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES.

11. I imagined that after committing such a sin, the least John could do was to show

some form of _____________.

a. repent

b. repented

c. repentance

d. redress

12. The recent heavy rains and flood have taken a toll on the road and rendered it

__________ ; no one can use it at this time.

a. destructive

b. Impassive

c. Irreplaceable

d. Reparable

13. The firm was reluctant to ___________ with the janitor’s services as he had

been with the company for over a decade.

a. Dispose

b. Discard

c. Terminate

d. Dispense

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14. As the bus service we had originally contacted to transport us could only

accommodate a __________ of twenty passengers, we were compelled to hire

another.

a. minimum

b. maximum

c. minority

d. total

15. The present Minister of Education, ___________ the Minister of Legal Affairs,

was called upon to open the door of the country’s first Community College.

a. recently

b. formerly

c. formally

d. undoubtedly

IDIOMS

INSTRUCTIONS: AFTER EACH OF TE FOLLOWING SENTENCES IS A LIST OF POSSIBLE

INTERPRETATIONS OF ALL OR PART OF THE SENTENCE LABELED A TO D, FROM THE LIST,

SELECT THE BEST INTERPRETATION OF EACH SENTENCE.

16. He is a true workaholic who has misguided priorities, when he wants to blow off

some steam he comes to work on Saturday wearing blue jeans.

This means that:

(a) he relaxes and releases some of the work pressure by coming to work

dressed in blue jeans on a Saturday.

(b) he only works around the boiler on a Saturday.

(c) he comes to work dressed I blue on a Saturday when he wants to quarrel

with everyone.

(d) He is only in the mood to work with steam on a Saturday when he is dressed

down.

17. When it comes to performance, Corvette can't hold a candle to Porsche.

This means that:

(a) The Corvette is not equipped to carry candles but the Porche can.

(b) The Corvette is far less competent in performance than the Porche

(c) The Corvette has no means of holding a candle to illuminate the road for the

Porche to perform

(d) Holding a candle is too challenging a function for the Corvette in comparison

to the Porche

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18. Pete doesn’t see eye to eye with his girlfriend on the subject of marriage.

This means Pete and his girlfriend:

(a) don’t have strong views on marriage.

(b) hold strong views on marriage.

(c) hold different views on marriage

(d) both agree that marriage is not important.

19. I visited the doctor today and was given a clean bill of health.

This means that the doctor:

(a) gave me a certified document stating I was healthy.

(b) found me to be in good health.

(c) billed me at a normal rate.

(d) declared me healthy and gave back a clean bill.

20. My mother hit the nail on the head when she stated that what really ailed me

was heartbreak.

This means that my mother:

(a) really annoyed me with her statement.

(b) was exactly right in making her statement.

(c) Offended me terribly.

(d) Made a mistake in making her statement.

ERROR RECOGNITION

INSTRUCTIONS: SOME OF THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES ARE INCORRECT BECAUSE

THEY CONTAIN ONE OF THREE TYPES OF ERRORS. CHOOSE WHICH ERROR A SENTENCE

CONTAINS, IF ANY, AND IDENTIFY IT BY USING THE LETTER CORRESPONDING:

A IF THE SENTENCE IS TOO WORDY, THAT IS, REPETITIVE OR CONTAINING

UNNESSARY WORDS.

B IF HE SENTENCE HAS A MISUSED METAPHOR OR MIXED METAPHORS

C IF THE SENTENCE HAS AN ERROR OR ERRORS OF DICTION OR GRAMMAR.

D. IF THE SENTENCE IS CORRECT AS IT IS.

26. The students listened respectively when their teacher announced the awards at the

end of the valedictory speech.

27. There ain’t enough work to support the large labour force in the thickly populated

town.

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28. Less students have enrolled in the Business class this year than last year.

29. You should not count your chickens before they are hatched because your dreams

are not always realized.

30. Many people today are searching for natural remedies and cures for their illnesses.

31. The environmentalists are doing all in their power to protect our endangered

species from distinction.

32. Does all the members of the group have their tickets to enter the stadium?

33. Being as I lived in the suburbs I was able to retreat to the countryside and enjoy its

peace.

34. The prices at the supermarket keep fluctuating up and down, much to the

disappointment of the consumer.

35. In the course of their friendship the poet and the artist must of enjoyed each

other’s wit and humour on social occasions.

SENTENCE STRUCTURE- CONSTRUCTION SHIFT

INSTRUCTIONS: REVISE EACH SENTENCE BELOW ACCORDING TO THE DIRECTIONS

THAT FOLLOW IT. DO NOT CHANGE THE MEANING. CHOOSE THE WORD OR PHRASE

THAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN YOUR SENTENCE

36. The new intern is industrious as well as efficient.

Begin with Not only…

a. but

b. but also

c. and also

d. as much as

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37. “It’s only a minor injury,” the nurse assured us.

Begin with “The nurse assured us that…”

a. only just

b. simply

c. it was

d. there was

38. On receiving the gift he immediately opened it.

Begin with He immediately…

a. upon

b. for

c. because

d. at

39. The low water pressure was owing to the shortage of current in the reservoir.

Begin with Owing…

a. there was

b. there had been

c. it had

d. there is

40. The director is disturbed by the declining assets of his company.

Begin with The declining assets…

a. disturb

b. disturbs

c. has disturbed

d. is disturbing

USAGE

SOME OF THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES ARE UNACCECPTABLE BECAUSE OF

INAPPROPRIATE GRAMMAR, IDIOM, VOCABULARY, OR SPELLING. SOME SENTENCES

ARE ACCEPTABLE AS THEY STAND. NO SENTENCE CONTAINS MORE THAN ONE ERROR.

SELECT THE ONE UNDERLINED WORD OR PHRASE THAT YOU FEEL IS INAPPROPRIATE

AND CHOOSE THE CORRESPONDING LETTER IF THE SENTENCE IS ACCEPTABLE, CHOOSE

D.

41. The amount of students who are in the Business group at this university has

A B C

exceeded three hundred. No error.

D

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42. Often times, they take too much disadvantage of the poor in society. No error.

A B C D

43. Driving along the long winding road, I was mildly surprised to see so much traffic

A B

and I was forced to concentrate even harder. No error.

C D

44. Did she object to obtaining the material that I needed for the project? No error.

A B C D

45. However, they are those employers to whom the highest educational

A B

qualifications are not that important. No error.

C D

46. Before Peter commited himself to a life of religious austerity, he has enjoyed the

A B

pleasure of liberal travel. No error.

C D

47. Despite the many internal squabbles among the members of the family, they are

A B

always loyal to each other. No error.

C D

48. Because Shanti did remarkable well in the recent examination, her parents rewarded

A B C

her with a trip. No error.

D

49. Of the two boys who were reported to the police, Sam’s behavior was the worst.

A B C

No error.

D

50. Had I observed the dark clouds this morning I would of taken my rain coat and

A B

umbrella to guard against the torrential rain. No error.

C D

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SECTION B – READING COMPREHENSION

INSTRUCTIONS: READ THE PASSAGE BELOW AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS WHICH

FOLLOW.

Why Not Casinos?

I do not gamble, not unless dropping coins in a slot machine in a very rare while, makes one a gambler.

This declaration is necessary only because my position on casinos being used to assist the competitiveness

of our tourism industry, may seem to some to be a self-serving concern. And I do not believe casinos

should be opened up for unrestricted use by Jamaicans, if any use at all. Casinos as entertainment for

visitors to our shores are quite defensible; my eminent and well-regarded church colleagues

notwithstanding. So it seems to me, commendable, that at the recent retreat of government and private-

sector leaders, they have concluded that casino gambling in the interest of tourism, is worthy of study.

The knee-jerk reaction of the official church to the study proposal somewhat baffles me. It has come to live

rather comfortably with gambling on a massive scale at all levels among Jamaicans in all walks of life.

Aside from initial objections, the church has ceased to pay any but scant attention to lotteries, betting on the

horses, and gaming under all sorts of guises involving billions of dollars daily. That some of the proceeds

respectably support the development and maintenance of our sports hardly draws a whimper, but drew a

yell when a former US ambassador suggested gaming proceeds could be used to support education. Yet

lotteries now support education as well as other social projects. There are poor but hopeful thousands

spending their last, sometimes borrowed or stolen dime, on lotteries and betting. The church is silent. Well-

off visitors want to do gaming they can afford. The church springs to life and roars.

I don’t get it. And you bet (a good gamble) neither do thousands of the faithful out there. More than a tinge

of hypocrisy taints the stance. Now if the church maintained a consistent and vocal position against all its

forms, especially when it hurts the deluded poor and encourages anti-work values, its poorly defended

stance on casinos would have some merit. One may be forgiven for suggesting that the government and

private-sector had better not waste time with a study if the possible wrath of the church is the main motive.

For it stands to reason that after the nine day wonder, the church will be lulled into somnolence, even as it

now is, despite increasing gaming under its no-longer smelling nose.

But if bringing casinos to Jamaica for Robin Hood support of our already uncompetitive tourist industry

will lead to the degradation the church fears, what do the lessons of other tourist destinations tell us? As

Butch Stewart reminds us (who himself was previously against casino gambling), Britain with widespread

casino gambling is no example of moral decay, despite many years of the practice there. Closer to home,

the Bahamas, with only 10 percent of our population, hosts nearly three times our tourism arrivals.

They do Robin Hood. Their citizens are not allowed to play in their casinos; but their economy benefits

from entertaining their rich visitors. In fact the church in the Bahamas played a large part in the

negotiations, which led to the arrangement exempting its citizens. The regulation is the protection. Or take

St. Maarten with a fairly long history of casinos and, although miniscule compared to Jamaica, has a large

number of cruise ship arrivals. St Maarten of the Dutch Caribbean is virtually crime-free. Indeed, almost

the entire Caribbean Basin including French, English and Dutch-speaking countries, plus Panama, Mexico,

Honduras, Colombia, Haiti, Dominica Republic and Puerto Rico, already have casinos gambling as a

significant part of their tourism offerings. And in all cases, their arrivals increased by three to five percent

after introducing casinos gambling, according to a study I once carried out for a client.

Page 11 of 13

No one is claiming that casinos are the panacea our tourism has long needed. But they could prove more

than a shot in the arm. The recognition that tourism is the key catalyst for jump-starting the economy is

more than justification for a serious study of the conditions and implications of trying to compete with the

offerings of our neighbour’s destinations. Holding back in splendid isolation with ungrounded fears may

leave us holding the bag; the empty one that is. Let’s move with the times. We have nothing to fear but our

fears.

Geoff Brown

The Weekend Observer, March 14, 2003

51. Why does the author declare, at the beginning of the article, that he does not

gamble?

(a) He wants top declare that his position is not self-serving.

(b) He wants to declare that his position is self-serving.

(c) He wants to declare that his position is to serve the interest of tourism.

(d) He wants to be hypocritical.

52. What is the author’s position on the opening of casinos in Jamaica to Jamaicans?

(a) All Jamaicans should be exposed to casino gambling

(b) The opening of casinos in Jamaica is a wonderful thing.

(c) The use of casinos by Jamaicans should be restricted.

(d) The use of casinos by Jamaicans should be unrestricted

53. What is the author’s position on the opening of casinos in Jamaica to tourists?

(a) Only rich tourists should be allowed to use casinos so we can do Robin Hood.

(b) The tourists should be allowed unrestricted access as this will make Jamaican

tourism more competitive

(c) It will help the church.

(d) There is something wrong with the tourists going to the casinos for

entertainment.

54. Explain what the author means by the phrase “knee-jerk reaction”.

(a) This an unexpected response that occurs without prior thought or analysis

(b) This is a violent and unwarranted reaction.

(c) This is a defensive position

(d) All of the above

55. What noun does the pronoun “It” (paragraph 2, line 1) refers to?

(a) the tourists

(b) Jamaicans

(c) the casinos

(d) the church

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56. Identify two forms of gambling which the author claims the church now seems to

have accepted?

(a) Lotteries and betting on horses

(b) Gaming and slot machines

(c) Lucky dollar and Pick Three

(d) Lottery and Cashpot

57. Which of the following BEST explains what the writer means by the phrase ‘They

do Robin Hood’ in paragraph five.

(a) The Bahamian government robs the tourists.

(b) The Bahamian government extorts money through the guise of casino

gambling.

(c) The Bahamian government behaves like Robin Hood endorsing unlawful

behavior.

(d) The Bahamian government uses casino gambling as a means to extract money

from wealthy tourists to fund and support its economy.

58. According to the author, why do the government and private sector need not to be

too concerned with the response of the church?

(a) Because their position is invalid and makes no sense.

(b) Because their position is hypocritical, inconsistent and after the initial furor

and critical response, the church would forget about it and be lulled into silent

acceptance.

(c) Because their response is vindictive, and as always, they do not serve the

masses.

(d) Because the church will begin to get more powerful and garner more support

to block the efforts of government and private sector.

59. What statistical evidence does the author present to support his view that the

introduction of casino gambling will make tourism in Jamaica more competitive?

(a) Some of the proceeds respectably support the development and maintenance of

our sport

(b) St Maarten of the Dutch Caribbean is virtually crime-free.

(c) Almost the entire Caribbean already have casinos gambling as a significant part of

their tourism offerings

(d) Arrivals in a number of Caribbean destinations increased by three to five percent

after the introduction of casino gambling

60. Which of the following BEST describes the tone of the article?

(a) hypocritical

(b) critical

(c) hostile

(d) neutral

Page 13 of 13

SECTION C- ESSAY WRITING (20 MARKS EACH)

INSTRUCTIONS: ANSWER ONE QUESTION FROM THIS SECTION. YOUR ANSWER MUST

BE IN THE ESSAY FORMAT AND BE BETWEEN 350-400 WORDS IN LENGTH. YOU MUST

WRITE IN STANDARD ENGLISH; DIALECT MAY ONLY BE USED IN CONVERSATION.

N. B. A PLAN MUST BE SUBMITTED ALONG WITH THE ESSAY.

1. NuAge Technologies has decided to commission a comprehensive report on the

attrition trends in their company during the current financial year so that they

can take some corrective measures in the coming years. Write a formal REPORT

on the matter to the manager. In your report, state why the employees are

leaving in such large numbers, analyze the statistics of attrition at the different

levels in the organization, state the methodology used to gather information

needed, draw conclusions and make recommendations based on facts

presented. (20 MARKS)

2. Write a SHORT STORY which ends with the statement “I learnt a lot from it, but

I would never want to go through it again’. (20 MARKS)

3. Your country has just experienced a disaster. DESCRIBE the scene and the

thoughts that pass through your mind as you survey the damage. (20 MARKS)

4. Is a good command of English no longer a guarantee of financial or social success

in the Caribbean? Write an ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY EITHER in response to this

question. (20 MARKS)

END OF QUESTION PAPER