Exam practice

a. mock b. hideous c. wriggle d. gaily e. open-mouthed f. plead g. frown h. dispute

He was surprised and doubtful to see two small children asking for work. He thought farm work was too hard for them and that they should be at school, so he frowned to show he didn’t think much of the idea.

Because it was the school holidays, and they wanted to earn some money to help their parents.

Because they showed that they knew what a Cabbage White butterfly was and what its caterpillars did, and they said they were not afraid of caterpillars. That was all the job needed, so size and strength didn’t matter.

They had to check every single cabbage in the field and get rid of all the caterpillars by picking them off and collecting them in pails.

No. They are exaggerating. By “a million” and “a billion” they mean a huge number, far too many to count, and they are saying how big and endless the job feels.

They were desperate because the job seemed impossible. One row had taken them ages and filled their pails, there were countless cabbages left, and the butterflies all around would keep laying more eggs, so they felt they could never finish.

Her idea was to kill the butterflies instead of picking off the caterpillars: since caterpillars hatch from eggs and the butterflies lay the eggs, killing the butterflies would mean no more eggs and so no more caterpillars.

No. They had killed almost all the butterflies, but in hitting them they had also flattened every cabbage, the very thing they had been hired to save. They were exhausted, silent, and afraid of what the farmer would say, so they crept away.

Because they had destroyed the whole cabbage patch and were afraid that the farmer would be angry, would refuse to pay them, or would make them pay for the damage. They hoped that he could not find them, since he didn’t know where they lived.

Watch their (said like there, and air) and exhausted (the h is silent: /ɪɡˈzɔːstɪd/). Hideous goes under vowel combination because three vowel letters, eou, run together; said carefully, they are two light sounds in two syllables, /ˈhɪd.i.əs/, and in quick speech they run together as /iə/.

a – iii: Would you mind if I closed the window? — Yes, please. It’s a little cold here.
b – iv: Is it alright if I use the computer, Dad? — No, please don’t. It’s time to go to bed.
c – v: May I ask a question, sir? — Yes, please feel free.
d – i: Could I use your phone? — I’m sorry, but the battery has gone down.
e – ii: I wonder if I could come late to work tomorrow. — I’d rather you didn’t, if you don’t mind.
f – vi: Could I use the car this evening? — Yes, sure. Here is the key.
(Don’t answer Yes, sure to Do you mind if I…?: there, yes means I do mind. Answer it with Not at all.)

• a.Asha: May I go out for a minute, Miss? Teacher: Yes, but come back quickly. — Asha asked the teacher if she could go out, and the teacher said she could, but told her to come back quickly.
• b.Ramesh: Can I use your pen? Bina: Sure, here you are. — Ramesh asked for Bina’s permission to use her pen, and she granted it.
• c.Kiran: Do you mind if I close the door? Mother: Not at all. It’s getting cold. — Kiran asked his mother if he could close the door, and she said he could.
• d.Sunita: I wonder if I could borrow this book. Librarian: I’m sorry, it’s for reading in the library only. — Sunita asked the librarian if she could borrow the book, but the librarian refused, because it was for reading in the library only.
• e.Pemba: Is it alright if I go to the park with my friends, Dad? Father: OK, but be home before dark. — Pemba asked his father if he could go to the park with his friends, and his father agreed, as long as he was home before dark.
• f.Dipesh: Would you mind if I took the car tomorrow? Uncle: I’d rather you didn’t. I need it for work. — Dipesh asked his uncle for permission to take the car, but his uncle refused it because he needed it for work.

• could (all he could see): ability (what he was able to see)
• might (might be a good breakfast): possibility
• should (should not be happy): what is right or expected (he thinks he deserves better)
• wouldn’t (wouldn’t even trouble to open his beak): unwillingness, refusal
• may (may have a lovely dinner): possibility
• must (must play a trick): strong need or duty, what he feels he has to do
• had to (had to be content): necessity in the past: he had no choice

• a.can’t (the clue, too small, makes you sure it is not his)
• b.Could (a polite request)
• c.Would (a polite offer or invitation: Would you like…?)
• d.might (only possible; may would also be correct, but it is needed for e)
• e.may (possible; might is also correct)
• f.must (you are sure from the clue)
• g.should (advice)

a. must b. can’t c. can’t d. must e. must f. must g. must
f depends on what “Sumana’s book” means. If it means the library book Sumana borrowed, the stamp is the clue that proves it: must, the answer usually expected. If it meant a book she owns, a library stamp would show it isn’t hers: can’t. If a question can be read both ways, write the reason with your answer. In c, d and g, about the past: can’t have prepared, must have employed, must have had.

A job application moves in four steps: why I am writing → who I am → my experience and skills → what I can offer, what I have sent, and a polite close. Look for linking words: Moreover and also add to a skill already mentioned; As an experienced… follows the sentence about her experience.

Order: c, a, k, b, e, d, g, j, i, l, f, h

Bhanu-10, Tanahun
18 August

The Headteacher
Shree Janajagriti Secondary School
Bhanu-10, Tanahun

Subject: Job application for the position of School Accountant

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to apply for the position of school accountant that was recently advertised in The Tanahun Post. I am a young woman of 20, and I possess all the skills and qualifications that you are looking for.

After my SEE, I worked as a finance staff member for a year at Himalayan Investment Company Limited. As an experienced finance worker, I have a proven record of successfully coordinating administrative and financial duties. Moreover, I possess good skills in handling a wide range of finance-related tasks. I also have sound skills in spoken and written English besides the Nepali language.

I have a keen interest in working in an academic institution. If I am appointed as the school accountant, I will provide excellent service, and I am confident that I can be a valuable asset to your school. I have enclosed copies of my relevant certificates.

I look forward to working with your team.

Yours faithfully,
Pabitra Nepali

(Other orders that keep the four steps are also accepted: j can come straight after a, and f can be the last sentence before the closing.)

Ward No. 9, Madhyapur Thimi
Bhaktapur
2 April 2020

The Human Resources Manager
Kimatsu Electronics and Home Appliances
Kathmandu

Subject: Application for the post of Accountant

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to apply for the post of Accountant advertised in your vacancy announcement, with a closing date of 15 April 2020.

I hold a Bachelor of Business Studies (BBS) degree from Tribhuvan University, with accounting as my major subject. For the last two and a half years I have worked as an assistant accountant at a trading company in Lalitpur, where I keep the daily accounts, prepare the monthly financial reports, and file the company’s VAT and income tax returns.

I am comfortable with computers and use Word, Excel and Tally accounting software every day. I speak and write both English and Nepali fluently. I also hold a two-wheeler driving license, so I can visit banks and branch offices on my own when needed.

I am keen to work for a growing company like yours, where I can use my skills and learn more. I have attached my CV and a scanned copy of my citizenship certificate to this email. I would welcome the chance to meet you for an interview.

Thank you for considering my application.

Yours faithfully,
Sabina Shrestha

• a.In the first picture a farmer is ploughing his field with buffaloes; in the second a woman is praying.
• b.The farmer is preparing the soil to grow crops, to feed his family and others. The woman is praying to feel close to God, to give thanks, or to ask for help.
• c.There is no single right answer. Many would say both serve God in their own way. The poem you are about to read argues for the farmer: God is found in honest, hard work for others, not only in prayer behind closed doors.

a. bead(s) b. till (tilling) c. garment d. mantle e. deliverance f. incense g. stained h. toil

a. dost = do (does) b. thou = you c. thine = your (before a vowel), yours d. thy = your

It is addressed to a religious person, a worshipper or priest, who prays and chants alone in a closed, dark temple, and through them to all who think God is found only in rituals.

He advises them to give up empty rituals (chanting, singing, counting beads, offering flowers and incense), to come out of the dark temple, and to find God among working people by working hard alongside them.

In a lonely, dark corner of a temple with all its doors shut, through chanting, songs, prayer beads, meditation, flowers and incense.

Among ordinary working people: where the farmer is tilling hard ground and where the road-maker is breaking stones, with them in sun and rain, his clothes covered in dust.

By taking off their holy robes, coming down onto the dusty soil and working beside the labourers, in toil and sweat. God is seen in honest work and in serving others.

Because God himself has joyfully accepted the bonds of creation: he has tied himself to the world and is bound with us forever. Since God does not escape from the world, there is no deliverance from it to be had; the way to God is through the world and its work, not away from it.

To come out of their meditation, put aside their flowers and incense, not worry if their clothes become torn and dirty, and go and meet God and stand by him in hard work and the sweat of their brow.

This is a personal question, with no right answer; give your view politely, with reasons, and respect other views.

A believer: Yes, I believe in God. I pray every morning and visit the temple on Saturdays with my family. But like Tagore, I think the best way to please God is to be honest, work hard and help others, such as the old neighbor I fetch water for.

A non-believer: I don’t believe in a god, but I agree with the poem’s message: what matters is how we treat other people. I try to be kind, honest and hard-working because that makes the world better.

a – viii (request), b – i (directions), c – vi (instructions), d – vii (invitation), e – ii (warning), f – iv (advice), g – iii (command), h – v (order), i – ix (suggestion)
(Command and order are very close; Put your hands up!, the words of a police officer or a soldier, is the classic command, and Get out of here at once an angry order.)

• a.Don’t turn left at the junction.
• b.Please don’t open the door.
• c.Don’t let him tell a story.
• d.Don’t put out the light.
• e.Let’s not play a friendly football match.
• f.Please don’t help the man get out of the well.
• g.Don’t instruct the people about how they should work.

Shree Bhanu Secondary School Library
Rules and Regulations for Library Users

1. The library is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday to Friday.
2. Users must show their library card at the counter.
3. Silence must be maintained at all times. Mobile phones should be switched off.
4. Eating and drinking are strictly prohibited inside the library.
5. Students are allowed to borrow two books at a time, for two weeks.
6. Books must be returned on or before the due date. A fine of Rs. 5 a day will be charged for late returns.
7. Reference books, newspapers and magazines are not allowed to be taken out of the library.
8. Users are required to handle books with care. Writing in, folding or tearing books is forbidden; lost or damaged books must be replaced.

Thank you for your cooperation.
Library Management Committee

Bhaktapur Community Hospital
Rules and Regulations for Visitors

1. Visiting hours are from 7 to 9 a.m. and from 4 to 6 p.m. only.
2. Only two visitors are allowed at a patient’s bed at a time.
3. Children under 12 are not allowed in the wards, for their own safety.
4. Visitors are required to wash or sanitize their hands before and after meeting a patient.
5. Smoking and alcohol are strictly prohibited on the hospital premises.
6. Visitors must keep their voices low and their phones on silent.
7. Visitors with a cough, cold or fever should not visit patients.
8. Outside food must not be given to patients without asking the nurse.
9. Waste must be put in the right bins.

Thank you for helping us care for our patients.
Hospital Administration

b, d, a, e, c

a. must b. couldn’t c. should d. don’t e. Let’s f. can’t
(f: I can’t believe it means it is so good it hardly seems possible.)

• a.The farmer might be in the greenhouse.
• b.Jamie must have been afraid of the farmer.
• c.Sarah can’t have killed every butterfly.
• d.Don’t open the window.
• e.Let’s not pick the caterpillars by hand.

Addresses, date and subject: your address; The Librarian, Suryabinayak Public Library, Bhaktapur; Subject: Application for the post of part-time Library Assistant.
Paragraph 1: you are applying for the post you saw advertised (say where, e.g. on the library’s notice board).
Paragraph 2: you have passed the SEE (with your grade), read and write English and Nepali well, can type in both and use Word and Excel; you helped run your school library for a year.
Paragraph 3: you love books and are free on Sunday and Monday mornings; your CV is enclosed; you are available for an interview.
Close: I look forward to hearing from you. Yours faithfully, your name.

Shree Janajyoti Secondary School
Computer Lab: Rules for Students

1. Students are allowed in the lab only with a teacher.
2. Shoes must be left at the door, and hands must be clean and dry.
3. Food and drinks are strictly prohibited.
4. Do not install programs or change any settings.
5. Students must not plug in pen drives without the teacher’s permission.
6. Use the internet only for schoolwork.
7. Save your work in your own folder, and shut the computer down before you leave.
8. Report any damage to the teacher at once.

Lab In-charge