1 Business English - Comprehension

2 Business English - Comprehension

Dedication
WITH ALL MY LOVE AND RESPECT, WE WANT TO DEDICATE THIS WORK TO OUR

PARENTS, TEACHER “MADAM MUDASSIRA AZIZ”, FRIENDS AND OUR GROUP

MEMBERS WHO MADE THIS WORLD MORE MEANINGFUL FOR ME.

Submitted To:

Madam. Mudassir Aziz

August 25, 2010

Submitted By:

Umar Draz 2101197 _________________

Abrar Toor 2081036 _________________

Saad Javed 2101095 _________________

Students of MBA. (EVE)

NCBA & E Gulberg III , Lahore.

3 Business English - Comprehension

Contents Of Report

 What is meant by comprehension?

o Definition

o Meanings

o Clarification of terms

 Importance of comprehension

 Comprehension objectives

 Examples of comprehension objectives

 Comprehension skills

 Points to remember for comprehension answers

 Interactive activity – 1

 Interavtive activity – 2

 References
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What Is Meant By Comprehension?

Defination:

Comprehension entails the ability to give meaning to information.

OR

“Comprehension is the ability to grasp something mentally and the capacity to

understand ideas and facts.”

Meaning Of Word “Comprehension”

 Comprehend : get the meaning of something;

o "Do you comprehend the meaning of this letter?"

 Comprehend - perceive: to become aware of through the senses;

o "I could perceive the ship coming over the horizon"

 Comprehend - embrace: include in scope; include as part of something broader;

have as one's sphere or territory;

o "This group encompasses a wide range of people from different

backgrounds"; "this should cover everyone in the group"
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Clarification Of Terms In The Definition

Often, if the knowledge is meaningful, the comprehension and knowledge levels occur
at the same time. That is, if we can remember a definition of a term, we can also give
meaning to that term. However, this is not always the case. It is at least conceptually
possible that a person could recall information without giving meaning to it.

 From Bloom's point of view, it is essential that learners be able to comprehend

information (not just remember it) before they move on to higher levels of knowledge
(such as application).

Importance Of Comprehension:

 Knowledge is a prerequisite for comprehension.

 Comprehension is a prerequisite for all higher-level activities.

 Comprehension is an essential part of successfully developing 21st century illiteracies. 

It is a vital tool for reading in our modern age, a vehicle through which we:

 gain meaning from the words someone else has constructed

 learn something new, to confirm something we think
 understand another’s viewpoint
 to relax
 even to escape from the everyday pressures of life. 

There are many purposes to reading but each tie back to cognition, to thinking.  Without
“thinking, wondering, and pondering,” as I call it, reading becomes simply word calling. 
That type of “reading” has little or no benefit to the reader or those that might listen to
him. Reading words aloud, pronouncing them properly does not constitute this essence
of reading.  Neither does reading at a certain pace or speed although all of these skills
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contribute.   A student can do all those things well and still not understand what the
words mean.  What value is there in that?  Whether you teach reading in the classroom
or work with your own children at home, be careful that you always define reading, not
by the sub skills involved, but by the understanding gained.

Comprehension Objectives:

It is essential that learners be able to comprehend information (not just remember it)
before they move on to higher levels of knowledge (such as application).

It is often difficult to tell from a person's response whether the person is performing at
the knowledge or application level. That is, a person who can state a definition correctly,
might be performing at either the knowledge or comprehension level. The best way to
tell the difference is to have the person paraphrase the definition or answer questions
that explain the definition.

Major Examples of Comprehension Objectives:

Language Arts: Explain what a poem (or a line in a poem) means.

Paraphrase what Hamlet is saying in his soliloquy,
"To be or not to be…."

Describe in your own words when it is proper to use a semicolon in a sentence.

Mathematics: Given the mathematical formula for the area of a circle, paraphrase it
using your own words.

Tell what is meant by the definition of an isosceles triangle.

Tell what is meant by the statement 9 x 7 = 63.

7 Business English - Comprehension

Science: Answer questions about sexual reproduction that demonstrate an

understanding of the component concepts.

“Explain in your own words what a recessive gene is.”

While looking at a diagram that describes reproduction involving recessive genes,

explain what the diagram shows.

Social Studies: Explain in your own words why Columbus underestimated the
circumference of the earth. {This assumes that the author or lecturer told the student
this information. Otherwise, this would become an analysis or synthesis task.}

Explain in your own words what the author means by the assumptions that she says
underlie her analysis of the reasons for the spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire.

Explain in your own words what is meant by mercantilism.

Foreign Languages: Paraphrase the logic behind the pattern for expressing time in
French.

State in English the meaning of each form of the verbs in the conjugation in the
imperfect tense of verbs that end i

Arts/Music: Explain why a half note has that name. {This assumes that the teacher or
textbook did not tell the student this, but that it is an easy paraphrase of the definition
that the student has received.}

“Explain why the Mona Lisa is smiling.” {This would be a comprehension objective only if
the author or teacher explained this and the students simply had to paraphrase that
explanation.}
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Note: A very large number of objectives in a arts and music class would be psychomotor
or affective objectives, not cognitive outcomes.

Physical Education: State in your own words why a modern marathon is its current
distances.

State in your own words the rule for balls and strikes in baseball.

Describe in your own words what is meant by a sprained ankle.

{A very large number of objectives in a physical education class would be psychomotor

objectives, not cognitive outcomes.}

Computer Literacy: Describe in your own words how to copy text from one program
into another.

Answer questions to clarify the correct definition of a disk operating system.

Describe in your own words how to transfer files from a Macintosh system to a
Windows system that runs the same programs.

Counseling: The client will answer questions that explain why it is important to do
certain things when she encounters the person who makes him anxious.

The client will state in her own words the rules in the 12-step program that will help her
overcome her addiction.

The client will state in her own words the definition of codependence.

Library Usage: State in your own words what is meant by fiction and non-fiction books.

Describe in your own words how to borrow a book from the library.
9 Business English - Comprehension

State in your own words where in the library to find previous issues of journals that are
no longer in the display racks.

Educational Administration: The teachers will state in their own words the principles of
behavior modification that will enable them to maintain control of their classrooms.

The teachers will answer questions about where and how to check out audiovisual
materials for their classes.

Educational Psychology: Paraphrase accurately the textbook definition of punishment.

“Give in your own words the definition of application in Bloom's Taxonomy.”

State the difference between the knowledge and comprehension levels of Bloom's
Taxonomy.

Comprehension Skills

Here is a list of skills required for students to be able to comprehend any unseen
passage . One should try develop these skills through practice in order to comprehend
well;

 Knowing Appropriate Vocabulary

 Finding the Main Idea
 Recalling Facts and Details
 Detecting the Sequence
 Using the Context
 Drawing Conclusions and Making Inferences
 Locating Answers
 Following Directions
10 Business English - Comprehension

Points to Remember For Answering Comprehension

1. Read the given passage carefully two or three times if it is required to get clear
understanding. Try to find out;
a. Its subject
b. Theme or Main Idea
c. What is said about the subject
d. Ask yourself a question, “what I am reading”
2. Read all the questions one by one carefully, and find out whether you fully
understand them.
3. Now take up the first question and find out which part of the passage it refer to.
4. Similarly take up all the questions
5. Now write answer of questions in your own words. Avoid followings
a. Don’t copy from original passage
b. Answers should be brief and to the point
c. Avoid to add personal experiences or knowledge
6. Revise your questions and examine them as they are brief and clear.
7. Avoid unnecessary details, stick to the main theme
8. Correct spelling and grammar mistake by revising.
9. Suggest a suitable title to the passage

Interactive Activity # 01
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Here is passage on the history of Penn State. Use the reading comprehension and
answer the questions below. (From The Penn State Experience: A freshman guide to
life outside the classroom, Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1999)

“In 1855, the Pennsylvania legislature chartered the Farmer's High School. At the first
trustee's meeting, the main order of business was obtaining a location for the school.
The board considered proposals from five people who were willing to provide 200 or
more acres of land.

Among the offers was that of General James Irvin of Bellefonte, who could provide a
200-acre tract of land from his large holdings. All five locations were visited, and the
committee ultimately accepted Irvin's offer after local citizens sweetened the deal b
pledging an additional $10,000 for the school.

An architect was hired to design the main building, a five-story stone structure
composed of three wings, with rooms for up to 400 students, faculty living quarters and
classrooms. With $100,000 from various sources, construction began. Tuition and room
& board charges were fixed at $100 per year, and on February 16, 1859, 69 students
arrived to begin their studies. The school's address was simply, "Farm School."

In 1887, the first student newspaper was published. "Free Lance" was a monthly
publication and sold for 15 cents. In 1941, the Nittany Lion Shrine was commissioned
with the 1940 Class Gift. Heinz Warnake was selected to sculpt the Lion, and he worked
on campus in full view of the students. IT was completed in four months, carved from a
13-ton block of limestone. In the 1980s, a cast of the lion was made and stored in an
undisclosed location after part of an ear was broken off.
12 Business English - Comprehension

In 1947, Henry Varnum Poor finished the first of Old Main's frescoes, depicting the
signing of the Morrill Land-Grant Act of 1862 that paved the way for Penn State's land
grant mission of outreach to the citizens of Pennsylvania.

In 1982, Penn State won its first NCAA football championship and a second in 1986 to
celebrate its 100th Anniversary in the sport. Penn State joined the Big Ten Conference in
1992 in all sports and to facilitate academic progress among the Big Ten institutions.

In 1997, Penn State reorganized its Commonwealth Educational System. In its place, it
established a "Commonwealth College" with 14 campuses and allowed the formation of
three additional colleges-Berks-Lehigh Valley College, Abington College and Altoona
College. These new academic colleges can establish a limited number of four-year
baccalaureate programs that will benefit their communities.”

Questions:

1. When was Penn State founded?

2. What was the original name of Penn State?
3. Penn State acquired land from what man?
4. When was the Lion Shrine commissioned?
5. Who finished the first of Old Main's frescoes?
6. What were the three additional colleges in 1997?
7. When did Penn State win its first NCAA football championship?
8. What did Penn State join in 1992 in all sports and to facilitate academic progress
among other institutions?
13 Business English - Comprehension

Answers:

1. Penn State was founded in 1855

2. The Farmer’s High School
3. General James Irvin of Bellefonte
4. The Lion Shrine commissioned in the year 1941
5. Henry Varnum Poor finished the first old main’s frescoes
6. In 1977 the three additional colleges were
a. Berks-Lehigh Valley College
b. Abington College
c. Altoona College
7. In 1982 Penn State win its first NCAA football championship
8. In 1992 Penn State joined the “Big Ten Conference”

 
14 Business English - Comprehension

Interactive Activity # 02

Here is the passage read it carefully and answer the questions;

“If man began with speech, and civilization with agriculture, industry began with fire.
Man did not invent it; probably Nature produced by the marvel for him by the friction
of leaves or twigs, a stroke of lightning, or a chance union of chemicals; man merely had
the saving wit to imitate Nature, and to improve upon her. He put the wonder to a
thousand uses. First, perhaps, he made it serve as a torch to conquer his fearsome
enemy, the dark; then he used it for warmth, and moved about freely from his native
tropics to less enervating zones, slowly making the planet human; then he applied it to
metals, softening them, tempering them, and combining them into forms stronger and
more supple than those in which they had come in his hand.

It was fire that created the old and honorable art of cooking; extending the diet of man
to a thousand foods that could not be eaten before. So beneficent and strange was it
that fire always remained a miracle to primitive man, fit to be worshipped as a god; he
offered it countless ceremonies of devotion, and made it the centre or focus of his life
and home; he carried it carefully with him as he moved from place to place in his
wanderings and would not willingly let it die. Even the Romans punished with death the
careless virgins of the temple of Vesta who allowed to sacred fire to be extinguished.”

Questions:

1. Fire is called a “wonder” What other words in the passage convey the same idea?
2. What did the primitive man fear greatly?
3. Explain: “Man merely has the saving wit to imitate nature”
4. What were the results of applications of fire to metals?
5. Which word suggests that man’s original home was in the tropics?
6. How did man set about making the planet human?
15 Business English - Comprehension

7. What was the principal duty of the virgins in the temple of Vesta?
8. Suggest a suitable phrase as a little for the passage.

Answers:

1. Marvel and miracle

2. The primitive man fear the dark greatly
3. The most redeeming feature of man’s intellect was that he could imitate nature
and improve upon her.
4. Metals could be softened, tempered and combined by fire into other forms
stronger and more elastic than those in which they are originally found.
5. Native
6. Man set about making the planet human by moving about freely from his original
home in the tropics to those regions which had a more bracing climate.
7. Fire gave rise to the time – honored and respectable art of cooking which lent a
rich variety to humans food, Thousands of dishes that were unknown before
came into use.
8. The main duty of the virgins in the temple of Vesta was not to allow the sacred
fire to be extinguished.
9. Fire -------A Great Wonder.

References:

 Exploring the world of English by ‘Saadat Ali Shah’

 www.Educationworld.com
 www.inspiringteachers.com
 www.readingisforeveryone.org.