Wherefrom Dishonesty Spreads Its Roots?

The Role of Invigilators in Preventing Dishonesty in Examinations

Examinations are meant to test a student's knowledge, understanding, and hard work. However, when students use unfair means such as copying or cheating during exams, they develop dishonest habits. The situation becomes worse when invigilators notice such activities but ignore them.

Invigilators have an important responsibility to ensure that examinations are conducted fairly. If they allow students to cheat, they indirectly encourage dishonesty. Some students may feel that cheating is acceptable because no one stops them. As a result, they may continue to depend on unfair means instead of improving their knowledge and skills.

At an early stage of life, students learn values from teachers and school authorities. When invigilators fail to enforce discipline, they contribute to the development of dishonest behavior among students. Such students may carry these habits into their future careers and personal lives.

Therefore, invigilators should perform their duties honestly and strictly. By preventing cheating, they help students understand the importance of hard work, integrity, and self-confidence. A fair examination system is essential for building responsible and ethical citizens.

The Inside Story of a Classroom: The Bitter Reality

Teaching is often regarded as a noble profession. People see teachers standing in front of a class, delivering lessons and guiding students toward success. However, very few people understand the challenges teachers face inside the classroom. One of the bitter realities of modern education is the admission of students who have little or no interest in learning but are admitted merely to increase the school's fee collection.

In many schools, managements focus heavily on admissions and revenue. As a result, students are granted admission without considering their attitude toward studies, discipline, or willingness to learn. While every child deserves an opportunity to learn, admitting students without any concern for their behavior can create serious difficulties for teachers and sincere learners alike.

A teacher enters the classroom with a lesson plan and the hope of engaging students in meaningful learning. Unfortunately, a few uninterested students can disrupt the entire process. They talk continuously during lessons, disturb classmates, refuse to complete assignments, and often show little respect for classroom rules. Their behavior distracts other students and forces the teacher to spend valuable teaching time managing disruptions rather than teaching.

For example, imagine a class of forty students where thirty-five are attentive and eager to learn. If just five students keep chatting, throwing paper balls, making jokes, or using mobile phones secretly, the teacher's attention shifts from teaching to discipline. The progress of the entire class slows down because of a handful of disruptive individuals.

In another example, a teacher may spend hours preparing an interactive lesson. However, some students may deliberately interrupt the class with irrelevant comments or refuse to participate. Their negative attitude can discourage even the most enthusiastic teacher. Over time, the classroom atmosphere becomes less productive and less enjoyable for everyone.

The problem becomes more serious when school management fails to support teachers. In some cases, teachers are advised to ignore indiscipline because the students' fees contribute to the school's income. When disciplinary action is discouraged, students quickly realize that there are few consequences for their behaviour. This weakens the teacher's authority and encourages further misconduct.

Such students often influence others as well. A hardworking student may begin to lose concentration when surrounded by constant distractions. Some may even imitate the disruptive behaviour of their classmates. Thus, the actions of a few students can affect the academic performance and discipline of an entire class.

The long-term consequences are harmful. Teachers experience frustration and stress, sincere students suffer academically, and the overall standard of education declines. Schools that prioritize fee collection over educational values ultimately damage their own reputation and fail in their responsibility to society.

A successful school is not one that simply fills classrooms. It is one that creates an environment where teaching and learning can flourish. School management, parents, teachers, and students must work together to maintain discipline and a positive learning atmosphere. Admissions should be guided not only by financial considerations but also by a commitment to education and character development.

The classroom should be a place of learning, curiosity, and growth. When commercial interests outweigh educational principles, everyone pays the price. This is the inside story of many classrooms today—a bitter reality that deserves serious attention and honest discussion.

The Merchant of Venice-Act I Scene I-Summary & Analysis

Summary in Brief: The Merchant of Venice

About William Shakespeare: William Shakespeare was the greatest dramatist of the world. He wrote great dramas that are studied all over the world. Scholars write thesis on them and also make researches on his life and works.

Characters in the First & second scene of the Play:

We meet the following characters in the opening scene, that is, Act I Scene (i) of the play: The Merchant of Venice.

1. Anotino: Antonio is a Vatican merchant, who signs a bond as a guarantee to the loan taken by Bassanio from Shylock, a Jewish money lender.

2. Bassanio: Bassanio is a gentleman who is Antonio’s dear friend and kinsman. Bassanio’s love for Portia, a wealthy lady from Belmonte, creates a very difficult situation for Antonio.

3. Gratiano: Gratiano is Bassanio’s friend and he takes the latter to Belmont. He is a hard critic of Shylock also.

4.     Portia is a wealthy heiress to Belmont. Her father died after he had made a will in which he binds his daughter Portia by a vow regarding the choice of her husband by means of a lottery, that is, choosing the right casket that contains Portia’s portrait. Her role in the play is of utmost important.

5.    Nerissa - Portia’s lady-in-waiting and confidante.

6.    Salarino is a friend to Antonio, Bassanio, and Lorenzo.

7.    Solanio also remains with Salarino

8. Prince of Morocco: He is a prince, who also takes part in choosing the right casket to win Portia as his life-partner.

 

Act I: Sc. (i)

The scene (i) of Act I opens with Antonio conversing with his friends Solanio and Salarino. Antonio is a rich merchant of Venice, but today, he is upset. He is unable to find out the reason for his somber (sad) mood. His friends Solarino and Solanio try to guess and tell him several possible reasons for it. They think that Antonio’s ships might be the cause of his sadness. Solanio also says that Antonio might have fallen in love and that might be the reason for his gloomy mood.  But, Antonio rejects all of these reasons for his sadness.

In the meantime, Antonio’s other friends: Lorenzo, Gratiano and Bassanio also reach there. Their conversation in the beginning also centres round Antonio’s sadness.

After some Lorenzo and Gratiano leave the place and now Antonio and Bassanio, Antonio’s very close friend, remain there. We come to know that Bassanio also reveals his purpose to visit Belmonte to try his luck at winning Portia’s hand to make her his wife. He wants to get a loan from Antonio so as to raise his status to take part in choosing the right casket to marry Portia.

But Antonio shows his inability to give him a loan because he has already invested his money in buying goods and sending them to different corners of the world by ships. His ships are on the sea-way to reach their destination. Antonio also suggests to Bassanio that he could help him borrow money from someone in Venice on his behalf.

After this, both of them leave the place.

Critical analysis: After reading this scene, we come to know that Antonio is a melancholy character. He is unable to find out the real reason for his sadness. We also meet other characters like Solanio, Solarino, Lorenzo and Gratiano and Bassanio in this scene. Gratiano talks too much and, in Bassanio’s views, it is very difficult to find meaning in his words. Bassanio is Antonio’s fast friends.

Phonemic Transcription-Graduation-Level III-Unit IV-Phonetics

Transcription the following words according to the British R. P. 

1. society – /səˈsaɪəti/
2. observe – /əbˈzɜːv/
3. development – /dɪˈveləpmənt/
4. breakfast – /ˈbrekfəst/
5. famous – /ˈfeɪməs/
6. creature – /ˈkriːtʃə/
7. sure – /ˈʃɔː/
8. nuisance – /ˈnjuːsəns/
9. heard – /ˈhɜːd/
10. daughter – /ˈdɔːtə/
11. morning – /ˈmɔːnɪŋ/
12. master – /ˈmɑːstə/
13. enough – /ɪˈnʌf/
14. force – /ˈfɔːs/
15. serious – /ˈsɪəriəs/
16. human – /ˈhjuːmən/
17. because – /bɪˈkɒz/ or /bɪˈkəz/
18. surface – /ˈsɜːfɪs/
19. hunger – /ˈhʌŋɡə/
20. measure – /ˈmeʒə/
21. island – /ˈaɪlənd/

 

/ɪ/

/ˈðɪs/ (this)

/ˈvɪʒən/ (vision)

/ˈθɪn/ (thin)

/ˈsɪŋ/ (sing)

/ˈɡɪv/ (give)

/e/

/ˈten/ (ten)

/ˈjes/ (yes)

/æ/

/ˈhæv/ (have)

/ˈtʃænəl/ (channel)

/ˈmætʃ/ (match)

/ˈbæk/ (back)

/ʌ/

/ˈsʌn/ (sun)

/ɜː/

/ˈbɜːd/ (bird)

/iː/

/ˈtʃiːz/ (cheese)

/ˈfiːl/ (feel)

/uː/

/ˈskuːl/ (school)

/ˈdʒuːn/ (June)

/ˈzuː/ (zoo)

/ˈfuːd/ (food)

/ʊ/

/ˈbʊl/ (bull)

/əʊ/

/ˈvəʊkəl/ (vocal)

/ˈfləʊt/ (float)

/ˈsəʊl/ (soul)

/ˈsnəʊ/ (snow)

/ɔː/

/ˈɔːl/ (all)

/eɪ/

/ˈpleɪ/ (play)

/ˈɡeɪt/ (gate)

/ˈʃeɪv/ (shave)

/aɪ/

/ˈbɔɪ/ (boy)

/ˈlaɪt/ (light)

/aʊ/

/ˈfaʊl/ (foul)

/eə/

/ˈdeə/ (dare)

 

Exercise 2

Now recalling the symbols of the forty-four English sounds you have learnt and the rules of the word-stress, Stress on the 1st syllable

/ˈxxx/

1. /ˈkɒlɪdʒ/ (college)
2. /ˈklɑːk/ (clerk)
3. /ˈsteɪtmənt/ (statement)
4. /ˈfɑːðə/ (father)
5. /ˈtʃaɪld/ (child)
6. /ˈfriːdəm/ (freedom)
7. /ˈpensəl/ (pencil)
8. /ˈfɪŋɡə/ (finger)
9. /ˈfɪə/ (fear)
10. /ˈɑːmi/ (army)
11. /ˈdʌm/ (dumb)
12. /ˈdʒʌdʒmənt/ (judgement)
13. /ˈkʌltɪveɪt/ (cultivate)
14. /ˈkwɒlɪti/ (quality)
15. /ˈmesɪdʒ/ (message)
16. /ˈwɪkɪd/ (wicked)
17. /ˈdʒʌstɪfaɪ/ (justify)
18. /ˈspesɪfaɪ/ (specify)
19. /ˈdɪkʃənəri/ (dictionary)
20. /ˈmeni/ (many)
21. /ˈlɑːftə/ (laughter)
22. /ˈfæn/ (fan)
23. /ˈteɪbəl/ (table)
24. /ˈterə/ (terror)
25. /ˈtəʊə/ (tour)
26. /ˈflaɪt/ (flight)
27. /ˈvæmp/ (vamp)
28. /ˈsuːɪsaɪd/ (suicide)
29. /ˈmiːnɪŋləs/ (meaningless)
30. /ˈɔːɡənaɪz/ (organize)
31. /ˈjeləʊ/ (yellow)
32. /ˈaɪtəm/ (item)
33. /ˈteɪst/ (taste)
34. /ˈklɑːk/ (clerk)
35. /ˈsaɪləns/ (silence)
36. /ˈblɑːst/ (blast)
37. /ˈbreɪn/ (brain)
38. /ˈpjʊə/ (pure)
39. /ˈɑːm/ (arm)
40. /ˈmɑːstə/ (master)
41. /ˈpleʒə/ (pleasure)
42. /ˈhɒt/ (hot)
43. /ˈskuːl/ (school)
44. /ˈelf/ (elf)
45. /ˈmæt/ (mat)
46. /ˈdɑːk/ (dark)
47. /ˈhiːl/ (heel)
48. /ˈʃəʊ/ (show)
49. /ˈmæn/ (man)
50. /ˈtiːtʃə/ (teacher)
51. /ˈriːzən/ (reason)
52. /ˈbjuːtɪfəl/ (beautiful)
53. /ˈrelətɪvz/ (relatives)
54. /ˈreɡjʊləraɪz/ (regularise)
55. /ˈbærɑːʒ/ (barrage)
56. /ˈedjʊkeɪt/ (educate)
57. /ˈebəni/ (ebony)
58. /ˈwɪzdəm/ (wisdom)
59. /ˈbluː/ (blue)
60. /ˈwenzdeɪ/ (Wednesday)
61. /ˈæktɪveɪt/ (activate)
62. /ˈɡærɑːʒ/ (garage, variant 1)
63. /ˈhjuːmən/ (human)
64. /ˈvɪʒən/ (vision)
65. /ˈləʊ/ (low)
66. /ˈθɪk/ (thick)
67. /ˈbɒm/ (bomb)
68. /ˈkɒt/ (cot)
69. /ˈflaʊə/ (flower)

Stress on the 2nd syllable

/xxxˈxxx/

1. /kəmˈpjuːtə/ (computer)
2. /əˈtæk/ (attack)
3. /məˈʃiːn/ (machine)
4. /dɪˈzaɪn/ (design)
5. /dɪˈsɪʒən/ (decision)
6. /əˈdʒʌst/ (adjust)
7. /ɪnˈveləp/ (envelop, verb)
8. /riˈælɪti/ (reality)
9. /tɜːmɪˈneɪt/ (terminate)
10. /aɪsəˈleɪʃən/ (isolation)
11. /əˈbɪlɪti/ (ability)
12. /dɪkˈteɪʃən/ (dictation)

 

Stress on the 3rd syllable

/xxxˌxxxˈxxx/

1. /ˌredʒɪˈstreɪʃən/ (registration)
2. /ˌpɒsəˈbɪlɪti/ (possibility)
3. /ˌɪndɪˈvɪdʒuəl/ (individual)

Words with Stress on the First Syllable (/ˈxxx…/)

Practice: Read aloud, stressing the first syllable.

1. table – /ˈteɪbəl/
2. yellow – /ˈjeləʊ/
3. teacher – /ˈtiːtʃə/
4. father – /ˈfɑːðə/
5. freedom – /ˈfriːdəm/
6. college – /ˈkɒlɪdʒ/
7. judgement – /ˈdʒʌdʒmənt/
8. morning – /ˈmɔːnɪŋ/
9. singer – /ˈsɪŋə/
10. master – /ˈmɑːstə/

Words with Stress on the Second Syllable (…ˈxxx…)

Practice: Stress falls on the middle syllable.

1. attack – /əˈtæk/
2. about – /əˈbaʊt/
3. begin – /bɪˈɡɪn/
4. machine – /məˈʃiːn/
5. hotel – /həʊˈtel/
6. design – /dɪˈzaɪn/
7. enjoy – /ɪnˈdʒɔɪ/
8. decide – /dɪˈsaɪd/
9. guitar – /ɡɪˈtɑː/
10. reply – /rɪˈplaɪ/

Words with Stress on the Third Syllable (…ˌxxxˈxxx)

Practice: The strongest stress comes on the last part of the word.

1. possibility – /ˌpɒsəˈbɪlɪti/
2. registration – /ˌredʒɪˈstreɪʃən/
3. information – /ˌɪnfəˈmeɪʃən/
4. television – /ˌtelɪˈvɪʒən/
5. education – /ˌedjʊˈkeɪʃən/
6. afternoon – /ˌɑːftəˈnuːn/
7. engineer – /ˌendʒɪˈnɪə/
8. recommend – /ˌrekəˈmend/
9. Chinese – /ˌtʃaɪˈniːz/
10. understand – /ˌʌndəˈstænd/

 

Anmol Vichaar-Jeevan ki Madhur Sachchai-Nov 12-2025

"The bitter truth of life is that people often remember your mistakes more than your sacrifices, your failures more than your struggles, and your absence more than your presence. Therefore, live with honesty, do your best, and let your character speak louder than people's opinions."

"Life teaches a hard lesson: not everyone who smiles at you is your friend, not everyone who leaves is your enemy, and not every good deed is appreciated. Yet, kindness, patience, and integrity remain worth choosing."

Pure Vowels-Long Vovels-Short Vowels=Diphthongs-Consonant Soundsin RP-Approximants-Word Stress

1. Pure Vowels (Monophthongs) in RP English

Pure vowels are single, steady sounds made without any noticeable change in the tongue or lip position.

There are 12 Pure Vowels in RP, divided into long and short vowels:

A. Long Vowels (held longer) – /ː/ symbol shows this

Vowel	Symbol	Example word	Sound in word
/iː/	see	see
/ɑː/	car	car
/ɔː/	door	door
/uː/	boot	boot
/ɜː/	bird	bird

B. Short Vowels

Vowel	Symbol	Example word	Sound in word
/ɪ/	sit	sit
/e/	bed	bed
/æ/	cat	cat
/ʌ/	cup	cup
/ʊ/	book	book
/ə/	ago	ago (schwa – weak sound)
/ɒ/	hot	hot

2. Diphthongs (Gliding Vowels)

A diphthong is a combination of two vowel sounds in a single syllable. The tongue moves from one position to another.

There are 8 diphthongs in RP:

A. Closing Diphthongs

Symbol	Example	Sound in word
/eɪ/	face	face
/aɪ/	price	price
/ɔɪ/	choice	choice
/əʊ/	goat	goat
/aʊ/	mouth	mouth

B. Centring Diphthongs (end in /ə/)

Symbol	Example	Sound in word
/ɪə/	near	near
/eə/	hair	hair
/ʊə/	cure	cure

3. Consonant Sounds in RP

There are 24 consonant phonemes in RP. They can be classified as voiced (with vibration of vocal cords) and voiceless (no vibration), and by their manner and place of articulation.

A. Plosives (Complete closure & release of air)

Voiceless	Voiced	Example
/p/	/b/	pen /b/en
/t/	/d/	tea /d/ay
/k/	/g/	cat /g/oose

B. Fricatives (Air passes through narrow space)

Voiceless	Voiced	Example
/f/	/v/	fan /v/an
/θ/	/ð/	thin /th/at
/s/	/z/	sip /z/ip
/ʃ/	/ʒ/	shop /vision (ʒ)/

C. Affricates (Plosive + Fricative)

Voiceless	Voiced	Example
/tʃ/	/dʒ/	chair /joy

D. Nasals (Air through nose)

Symbol	Example
/m/	man
/n/	no
/ŋ/	sing

E. Approximants (Close, but no friction)

Symbol	Type	Example
/r/	Liquid	red
/l/	Liquid	love
/w/	Glide	win
/j/	Glide	yes

 

Summary Chart

Type	Number	Examples
Pure Vowels	12	/iː/, /ɒ/, /ə/, etc.
Diphthongs	8	/aɪ/, /əʊ/, /eə/, etc.
Consonants	24	/p/, /f/, /tʃ/, /ŋ/, etc.

 

Write a note on Word Stress with ample examples.

Word Stress with ample examples, suitable for classroom use:

Word Stress – Explained with Examples

 

 What is Word Stress?

Word stress refers to the stronger emphasis placed on one syllable in a word. In English, not all syllables are pronounced equally. One syllable is usually stressed (spoken louder, longer, and higher in pitch), while the others are unstressed.

Why is Word Stress Important?

• It helps in correct pronunciation.
• It makes speech clearer and more natural.
• Misplacing stress can change the meaning or make speech hard to understand.

Basic Rules of Word Stress

1. One word, one stress

Every word has only one main stress.

Examples:

• TAble (not taBLE)
• WINdow (not winDOW)

2. Two-syllable nouns and adjectives – Stress usually on the first syllable

Word	Stress
TAble	1st
DOCtor	1st
CLEver	1st
HAPpy	1st

3. Two-syllable verbs and prepositions – Stress usually on the second syllable

Word	Stress
reLAX	2nd
beGIN	2nd
aRRIVE	2nd
aBOVE	2nd

4. Words with suffixes like -ic, -sion, -tion – Stress the syllable before the suffix

Word	Stress
geoGRAPHic	2nd syllable
reLIgion	2nd syllable
eduCAtion	3rd syllable (from end)

5. Words ending in -ee, -eer, -ese – Stress the last syllable

Word	Stress
employee	Last syllable
volunteer	Last syllable
Japanese	Last syllable

6. Compound words

• Noun + Noun → Stress on the first word
• BLACKboard
• TOOTHbrush
• Adjective + Noun → Stress on the second word
• bad-TEMPER
• old-STYLE
• Verb + Preposition → Stress on the preposition
• look UP
• give IN

Practice Examples

Word	Syllables	Stressed Syllable
banana	3	baNAna
computer	3	comPUter
camera	3	CAmera
information	4	in-for-MA-tion
photograph	3	PHO-to-graph
photographer	4	pho-TOG-ra-pher

Tips to Recognize Stress

Use a dictionary – the stress mark (ˈ) shows the stressed syllable
Example: comˈputer (stress on "PU")
 Listen to native speakers or pronunciation audios
Practice speaking slowly, stressing the right syllables

Final Tip

In English, rhythm and stress are key to speaking well. Wrong stress can confuse the listener, even if the word is correct.