A friend laid down this test to check the English language skills of job-seekers in Goa.
He says: "Max time allowed to answer was a good two hours! Yet, as I said earlier, even grads in English literature, rarely got more than 50% right. Another interesting fact for you, since all of us write in the local papers: "A good lot of entries in the first and last sections (spellings and homophones) -- the most important areas for a steno in my experience -- were taken from routine howlers in THE NAVHIND TIMES and HERALD around the late-1980s/early-'90s! (one still sees confusion in print as with break/brake..) "Among the middle sections, some are virtually 'games' picked from e-mails and the like ... and intentionally inserted to ease mental tension in the candidate. Enjoy, and smile!" * * * IF THE SPELLING OF THE FOLLOWING WORDS IS CORRECT, WRITE THE COMMON MEANING OF THE WORD; IF NOT, WRITE ONLY THE CORRECT SPELLING : Accomodate Anamoly Bugger Caesarian Center Color Conceed Concience Convinient Cusine Definately Delicius Emperess Flexibal Gaol Grafitti Gramatical Independant Kitchennette Luxorious Milenium Neice Nursary Ocuppation Opthalmologist Organisation Preceed Procede Program Pronounciation Pronunce Rectengular Ressitable Restaurent Rhythym Rozary Speed braker Supercede Tutions Mispelled, mispelt or misspeld? THE FIRST TWO OF THE FOLLOWING WORDS SOUND THE SAME. THE THIRD WORD SHOULD RHYME, BUT IF THE SPELLING IS INCORRECT, CORRECT IT: Bane, Cane … Rane Beak, Peak … Seak Bell, Tell … Gell Boast, Toast … Poast Bone, Cone … Wone Cart, Tart … Hart Come, Some … Rome Dope, Rope … Sope Fear, Clear … Chear Fight, Might … Kight Foal, Goal … Poal Go, So … Lo Heed, Deed … Beed Hold, Cold … Mold Lend, Fend … Hend Life, Wife … Nife Pool, Cool … Rool Rack, Pack …Tach Rail, Sail … Gail Rough, Tough … Bough Sun, Run … Tun Tan, Ban … Han Teach, Peach … Leach Train, Drain … Crain Worn, Torn … Morn WRITE THE PLURALS: If BOX is BOXES, OX is _________ If HOUSE is HOUSES, MOUSE is __________ If MAN is MEN, PAN is _________ Plural of BUREAU is _________ Plural of DICE is _________ Plural of LAMB is _________ Plural of SCISSORS is _________ Plural of UNIVERSE is _________ Plural of SWAN is _________ Plural of GOD is ________ Plural of JESUS is __________ GENDER FORMATION: WRITE THE FEMININE AGAINST EACH NOUN: Son : Snake : Prince : Negro : Mayor : Lord: King: Horse: Hero : God : Executor : Dog : Cockroach Boy : Billy Cat: Author : Administrator : WRITE AT LEAST TWO MEANINGS OF EACH OF THE FOLLOWING WORDS: Book : Box : Clock : Crane : Draw : Fine : Fit : Frame : Grave : Lie : Loaf : Miss : Pop : Post : Program(me): Race : Rock : Tap : ENGLISH LEXICON-VALID INDIAN WORDS: tick the correct, cross the wrong Batatawada Chai Havaldar Kharif Mantra Prepone THESE SOUND SAME (HOMOPHONES.) WRITE THEIR RESPECTIVE MEANINGS: Bail & Bale: Bare & Bear: Basis & Bases: Beat & Bit: Bite & Byte: Boar & Bore: Brake & Break: Cite/site/sight: Compliment & Complement: Edition & Addition: Excess & Access: Fair & Fare: Flea & Flee: Flour & Flower: Hail & Hale: Land & Lend: Male & Mail: Master & Muster: Moan & Mourn: Naval & Navel: Neat & Knit: Need & Knead: Night & Knight: Not & Knot: Pail & Pale: Petrol & Patrol: Pill/Peal/Peel: Principal & Principle: Queue & Cue: Reign & Rain: Role & Roll: Sea & See: Sole & Soul: Sore & Soar: Sort & Sought: Tail & Tale: Then & Than: Thought & Taught: Waste & Waist: Wave & Waive: Weak & Week: -- FN * http://fredericknoronha.wordpress.com http://twitter.com/fn M +91-9822122436 P +91-832-2409490 http://fredericknoronha.multiply.com/ http://goa1556.goa-india.org "I like your quotes." - M Link