A. Find the words/phrases from the text for the following meanings. The first letter has been given.
| Given meaning | Answer |
|---|---|
| a. t………….. to have difficulty saying something clearly or correctly | ⇒ trip over |
| e………… showing too much emotion | ⇒ effusive |
| b………… became annoyed or offended | ⇒ bristled |
| i………… accustomed to do something | ⇒ inured |
| c……….. the fact of being responsible | ⇒ culpability |
| a…….. … a statement saying that you strongly believe something to be true | ⇒ assertion |
| a………. to say or believe that something is the result of a particular thing | ⇒ attribute |
| s……… connected with the meaning of words and sentences | ⇒ semantic |
| n……… a very slight difference in meaning | ⇒ nuances |
B. Match the first halves in column A with their endings in column B to make complete sentences.
| Column A | Column B |
|---|---|
| Americans didn’t show | iv. sympathy to Akio Toyoda’s effusive apologies. |
| People are accustomed | iii. to an apology in Hong Kong. |
| Japanese use an apology | v. to repair their damaged relationship. |
| American participants seemed | i. less interested in second research. |
| Researchers found | ii. similar patterns in East Asian countries. |
C. Answer the following questions.
a. Why did Japan become annoyed with the US submarine commander?
=> Answer: Japan was upset with the US submarine commander because, after his submarine collided with and sank a Japanese fishing boat near Hawaii in 2001, he failed to offer an immediate apology.
b. How do Americans and Japanese perceive an apology?
=> Answer: In American culture, an apology generally indicates that the person accepts responsibility for an error. Japanese people, on the other hand, may regard an apology as an expression of willingness to restore a relationship, even when the speaker does not necessarily accept blame or culpability.
c. What, according to the survey, is the average result of an apology in Japanese and American students?
=> Answer: The survey showed a clear difference in the frequency of apologies. Japanese students reported giving an average of 11.05 apologies during the preceding week, while the figure for US students was only 4.51.
d. What was displayed in a video show?
=> Answer: The video presented an applicant for an accounting position who apologized after intentionally submitting an inaccurate tax return for a former client.
e. Who were the respondents of the second study?
=> Answer: The second study involved undergraduate students from the United States and Japan as its respondents.
D. How can the executives apply an apology?
=> Answer: Executives can use apologies strategically to support negotiations, settle disagreements, and rebuild damaged trust. To do this effectively, they should understand that the meaning and effect of an apology can vary from one culture to another and modify their way of apologizing according to the cultural setting.
📝 Grammar I
Present Continuous Tense
Structure: subject + auxiliary be + present participle (-ing)
The present continuous is used to talk about:
- •activities at the moment of speaking
- •future plans or arrangements
Signal Words
- •now
- •tonight
- •at the moment
- •at present
- •right now
- •Look!
- •Listen!
Note: nowadays and these days – present simple
A. Use the correct form of the verbs in brackets to complete the sentences.
| Sentence | Answer |
|---|---|
| Be quiet! The baby ……….. (sleep). | ⇒ The baby is sleeping. |
| It ……….. (rain) cats and dogs here in the Monsoon season. | ⇒ It rains cats and dogs here in the Monsoon season. |
| John is busy. He …………. (work) at the moment. | ⇒ He is working at the moment. |
| Please keep quiet, I ………………… (listen) to the radio. You know I …………….. (listen) to the news in the mornings. | ⇒ I am listening to the radio. I listen to the news in the mornings. |
| What time …………. the first bus …………….. (leave) for Kathmandu? | ⇒ What time does the first bus leave for Kathmandu? |
| I usually ……………… (not wear) a scarf, but today I ………….. (wear) one because it’s unusually cold. | ⇒ I usually do not wear a scarf, but today I am wearing one because it’s unusually cold. |
| She …………… (travel) to Dhangadhi next weekend. | ⇒ She is travelling to Dhangadhi next weekend. |
| Pasang is in the classroom at the moment. He …….. (study) History. | ⇒ He is studying History. |
| These days most people ….(write) emails instead of writing letters. | ⇒ These days most people write emails instead of writing letters. |
| What sort of clothes ………… teenagers …………….(wear) nowadays? | ⇒ What sort of clothes do teenagers wear nowadays? |
| What ………… you …………….. (do) tonight? Would you like to come and watch the game? | ⇒ What are you doing tonight? |
| You look worried. What …………..you……………. (think) of? | ⇒ What are you thinking of? |
| She usually drives a taxi. But today, she is …………. (drive) a lorry. | ⇒ But today, she is driving a lorry. |
| These kids (not do) what I’ve asked them to do. | ⇒ These kids are not doing what I’ve asked them to do. |
✍️ Writing I
Pie Chart Interpretation
उत्तर :
The given pie charts compare how Nepalese households distributed their expenditure among four major areas in 2004 and 2011. The figures reveal several changes in the proportion of household spending during these two years.
Food occupied the greatest share of household expenditure in both years. It represented 59% of total spending in 2004 and increased slightly to 61.5% in 2011, showing a rise of 1.5 percentage points. Non-food items ranked second in 2004, accounting for 28.7% of household expenses. However, their share fell considerably to 22.2% in 2011.
Housing and education accounted for comparatively smaller portions of the household budget. Housing expenditure rose from its earlier share by 1.5%, reaching 11%, while spending on education increased by 2.5%, making up 9.5% of the total expenditure. Thus, education and housing continued to occupy the lower positions among the four categories.
Overall, food and non-food items constituted the major portions of household expenditure in both years, whereas housing and education represented the smaller shares. The most noticeable change was the decline in the proportion spent on non-food items, while food expenditure experienced a modest increase.