Q.6 Differentiate between Listening and Hearing? Suggest practical guidelines to develop listening skills among learners of a language. (2010 - 11)
Ans. Listening: -
When the listener to one’s speech attentively and comprehends its meaning. It is known as listening. The listener is actively involved in the process of communications. Listener’s attentiveness provides an impetus to the speaker to present his message more ethusiastically and more sincerely. Thus, listening is an ability to understand the messages communicated orally. According to Johnson, “Listening is the ability to understand the respond effectively to oral communication”.
Hearing: -
Sometimes we hear somebody’s speech without comprehending it. In such cases the mind perceives no message and thus no communication takes place. Most of the time such a situation arises due to the inattentiveness of a person. It is known as Hearing. Hearing is not desirable in bussiness communication.
There is some practical guidlines to develop listening skills -
1. Prepare to listen: Clean your mind so that your attention is assured. Concentrate on what is being said. Learn to listen not just hear!
2. Avoid pre-judgement: Do not prejudge the speaker because of appearance or occupation, or jump to any conclusion before hearing what is said.
3. Be open-minded: Hear what is being said, not what you would like to hear. Appreciate the speaker’s point of view.
4. Establish eye contact: This shows that you are listening as does your posture.
5. Watch for signals: Pick up aspects that the speaker considers important by watching postures and gestures and lestening to intonation in the speaker’s words. This is like listening to the music as well as the words.
6. Extract main points: Pick out and repeat to yourself the key words or phrases. This will help to fix in your mind what is being said.
7. Give feedback: Learn to give positive feedback non-verbally, by nobbing, smiling. Be alert so that you can provide a suitable remark or ask a question to assist your understanding of the message.
8. Make notes: Record important conversations afterwards. Your notes will serve as a useful reminder. Develop your note-taking skills by jotting down the salient points of lecture or meetings.
Thus listening can be used, whether in personal professional life, as a tool for gathering information and acquiring knowledge. There is a constant need, therfore, to improve the skill of listening through conscious efforts.
Reading
Q.7 What is reading comprehension?
Ans. Listening Comprehension, speaking, reading comprehension and writing-these are the four language skills.
In olden days, knowledge was transmitted from teacher to taught through speech. When man grew civilized, he gradually developed a language i.e., a common means of communication. He developed certain aural and visual symbols, used to record his experiences in writing. With the invention of the printing press, there has been an explosion in the field of knowledge. Today all knowledge has been treasured in books whose reading makes man wise and learned.
When the child grows further, he acquires the formal education in language. He learns the alphabets of a language which make the words. In reading, the eyes come in contact with certain words which are used to represent certain ideas. Mind perceives the meaning of those words which ultimately convey a message. Thus, the sender sends a message through some written words and the receiver receives it after reading those written word symbols. This process is known as reading comprehension i.e., understanding through reading.
Q.8 What are the reasons for poor comprehension? (2008 - 09)
Ans. Reading does not mean simply to read word symbols without grasping their meaning. Good reading means understanding through reading. There are certain reasons for poor reading comprehension :
1. First element which is essential for good reading is the reader’s acquaintance with the alphabets. If his knowledge of the symbols, employed by the sender of the message, is inadequate, his understanding of the written material will not be proper. Hence, the reader should have a command over the word symbols.
2. The reader should keep his mind free from all bias or prejudice, then only he will be able to read a passage sincerely and grasp its meaning.
3. Sometimes, due to some physical defect or deficiency, it becomes difficult for the reader to grasp the meaning of a passage at first reading. Consequently he reads and reads a passage again and again. Hence, such physical or mental inability should be cured before a reader begins to read a passage.
4. Sometimes the eyes read the words but no image is perceived by our mind. Mind fails to convert the word symbols into some meaningful message. Often such a situation takes place due to the reader’s inattentiveness. Hence, the reader must be alert and attentive before he starts reading something.
Q.9 What measures should be adopted by the reader for improving reading comprehension skill? (2008 - 09)
Related Questions -
Q. Mention any two methods to improve poor comprehension. (2011 - 12)
Ans. For good reading comprehension the following measures should be undertaken :
1. Reading material should be of the reader’s choice. Suppose a student of philosophy starts reading a page on physical sciences, such a student will soon loose interest in reading it because that content will be beyond his comprehension. Therefore, the first and foremost thing is the selection of reading material which should be in accordance with the reader’s field of interest and his background and past knowledge.
2. For meaningful reading another important measure is to follow the scientific procedure. The reader should try to look for the topic sentence that will enable him to understand the entire written material which is an illustration of that topic sentence.
3. The reader should make meticulous efforts in underlining the key terms and other important parts of the written material. It will help him to grasp the meaning more clearly and perhaps more easily.
Q.10 What are the methods of reading speedily? (2009 - 10)
Ans. The span of man’s life is short while knowledge he tries to attain is abundant hence he cannot afford to be lazy. He will have to read speedily. Two popular methods of reading comprehension are listed below :
(a) Scanning method (b) Skimming method
(a) Scanning Method : The word ‘scan’ literally means to look at all parts intently or quickly. The scanning method of reading a text means reading quickly to look for specific bits of information.
The reader is required to read a passage carefully but quickly in order to grasp its meaning. This method is used when the reader reads a passage quickly to get a general idea of the theme. Usually a novel, a short story, an article on some general topic or the contents of a newspaper are read in this way. Moreover the comprehension exercises are also read quickly, following the scanning method. This sort of reading is extensive and not intensive. The reader gets a general idea of the theme or content of the passage and he is able to answer the questions which follow the passage.
(b) Skimming Method : The word ‘Skim’ literally means to take scum or cream or floating layer from surface of liquid. The skimming method of reading a text means to read superficially or look over cursorily and gather salient facts contained in it. In more simple words, skimming means reading a text quickly to get the gist of it and find out roughly what is about.
In today’s competitive age, people are short of time. In such an age, the abridged pieces of compositions play a vital role in economizing people’s time and energy. Hence, the reader should equip himself with certain special talents, required to learn the art of skimming a text.
Most people read quickly but carelessly and retain a very vague idea of what they have read. If we ask them to put down briefly the substance or the gist of what they have just read, they will cut a sorry figure., Their memory of it is hazy and muddled. It is because their attention was not fully centred on the passage while they were reading it. Their memory cannot retain what was never given it to hold. The skimming method of reading is a good corrective of the reader’s common tendency to vague and disorderly thinking and his wandering wit. This method enables the reader to comprehend a passage with brevity and to grasp the matter in a logical order. The reading done in this method means intensive brain-work.
Ans. Listening: -
When the listener to one’s speech attentively and comprehends its meaning. It is known as listening. The listener is actively involved in the process of communications. Listener’s attentiveness provides an impetus to the speaker to present his message more ethusiastically and more sincerely. Thus, listening is an ability to understand the messages communicated orally. According to Johnson, “Listening is the ability to understand the respond effectively to oral communication”.
Hearing: -
Sometimes we hear somebody’s speech without comprehending it. In such cases the mind perceives no message and thus no communication takes place. Most of the time such a situation arises due to the inattentiveness of a person. It is known as Hearing. Hearing is not desirable in bussiness communication.
There is some practical guidlines to develop listening skills -
1. Prepare to listen: Clean your mind so that your attention is assured. Concentrate on what is being said. Learn to listen not just hear!
2. Avoid pre-judgement: Do not prejudge the speaker because of appearance or occupation, or jump to any conclusion before hearing what is said.
3. Be open-minded: Hear what is being said, not what you would like to hear. Appreciate the speaker’s point of view.
4. Establish eye contact: This shows that you are listening as does your posture.
5. Watch for signals: Pick up aspects that the speaker considers important by watching postures and gestures and lestening to intonation in the speaker’s words. This is like listening to the music as well as the words.
6. Extract main points: Pick out and repeat to yourself the key words or phrases. This will help to fix in your mind what is being said.
7. Give feedback: Learn to give positive feedback non-verbally, by nobbing, smiling. Be alert so that you can provide a suitable remark or ask a question to assist your understanding of the message.
8. Make notes: Record important conversations afterwards. Your notes will serve as a useful reminder. Develop your note-taking skills by jotting down the salient points of lecture or meetings.
Thus listening can be used, whether in personal professional life, as a tool for gathering information and acquiring knowledge. There is a constant need, therfore, to improve the skill of listening through conscious efforts.
Reading
Q.7 What is reading comprehension?
Ans. Listening Comprehension, speaking, reading comprehension and writing-these are the four language skills.
In olden days, knowledge was transmitted from teacher to taught through speech. When man grew civilized, he gradually developed a language i.e., a common means of communication. He developed certain aural and visual symbols, used to record his experiences in writing. With the invention of the printing press, there has been an explosion in the field of knowledge. Today all knowledge has been treasured in books whose reading makes man wise and learned.
When the child grows further, he acquires the formal education in language. He learns the alphabets of a language which make the words. In reading, the eyes come in contact with certain words which are used to represent certain ideas. Mind perceives the meaning of those words which ultimately convey a message. Thus, the sender sends a message through some written words and the receiver receives it after reading those written word symbols. This process is known as reading comprehension i.e., understanding through reading.
Q.8 What are the reasons for poor comprehension? (2008 - 09)
Ans. Reading does not mean simply to read word symbols without grasping their meaning. Good reading means understanding through reading. There are certain reasons for poor reading comprehension :
1. First element which is essential for good reading is the reader’s acquaintance with the alphabets. If his knowledge of the symbols, employed by the sender of the message, is inadequate, his understanding of the written material will not be proper. Hence, the reader should have a command over the word symbols.
2. The reader should keep his mind free from all bias or prejudice, then only he will be able to read a passage sincerely and grasp its meaning.
3. Sometimes, due to some physical defect or deficiency, it becomes difficult for the reader to grasp the meaning of a passage at first reading. Consequently he reads and reads a passage again and again. Hence, such physical or mental inability should be cured before a reader begins to read a passage.
4. Sometimes the eyes read the words but no image is perceived by our mind. Mind fails to convert the word symbols into some meaningful message. Often such a situation takes place due to the reader’s inattentiveness. Hence, the reader must be alert and attentive before he starts reading something.
Q.9 What measures should be adopted by the reader for improving reading comprehension skill? (2008 - 09)
Related Questions -
Q. Mention any two methods to improve poor comprehension. (2011 - 12)
Ans. For good reading comprehension the following measures should be undertaken :
1. Reading material should be of the reader’s choice. Suppose a student of philosophy starts reading a page on physical sciences, such a student will soon loose interest in reading it because that content will be beyond his comprehension. Therefore, the first and foremost thing is the selection of reading material which should be in accordance with the reader’s field of interest and his background and past knowledge.
2. For meaningful reading another important measure is to follow the scientific procedure. The reader should try to look for the topic sentence that will enable him to understand the entire written material which is an illustration of that topic sentence.
3. The reader should make meticulous efforts in underlining the key terms and other important parts of the written material. It will help him to grasp the meaning more clearly and perhaps more easily.
Q.10 What are the methods of reading speedily? (2009 - 10)
Ans. The span of man’s life is short while knowledge he tries to attain is abundant hence he cannot afford to be lazy. He will have to read speedily. Two popular methods of reading comprehension are listed below :
(a) Scanning method (b) Skimming method
(a) Scanning Method : The word ‘scan’ literally means to look at all parts intently or quickly. The scanning method of reading a text means reading quickly to look for specific bits of information.
The reader is required to read a passage carefully but quickly in order to grasp its meaning. This method is used when the reader reads a passage quickly to get a general idea of the theme. Usually a novel, a short story, an article on some general topic or the contents of a newspaper are read in this way. Moreover the comprehension exercises are also read quickly, following the scanning method. This sort of reading is extensive and not intensive. The reader gets a general idea of the theme or content of the passage and he is able to answer the questions which follow the passage.
(b) Skimming Method : The word ‘Skim’ literally means to take scum or cream or floating layer from surface of liquid. The skimming method of reading a text means to read superficially or look over cursorily and gather salient facts contained in it. In more simple words, skimming means reading a text quickly to get the gist of it and find out roughly what is about.
In today’s competitive age, people are short of time. In such an age, the abridged pieces of compositions play a vital role in economizing people’s time and energy. Hence, the reader should equip himself with certain special talents, required to learn the art of skimming a text.
Most people read quickly but carelessly and retain a very vague idea of what they have read. If we ask them to put down briefly the substance or the gist of what they have just read, they will cut a sorry figure., Their memory of it is hazy and muddled. It is because their attention was not fully centred on the passage while they were reading it. Their memory cannot retain what was never given it to hold. The skimming method of reading is a good corrective of the reader’s common tendency to vague and disorderly thinking and his wandering wit. This method enables the reader to comprehend a passage with brevity and to grasp the matter in a logical order. The reading done in this method means intensive brain-work.