Read the passage given below and …

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Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow: (Delhi, All India 2009)
Effective speaking depends on effective listening. It takes energy to concentrate on hearing
and to concentrate on understanding what has been heard. Incompetent listeners fail in a
number of ways. First, they may drift. Their attention drifts from what the speaker is saying.
Second, they may counter. They find counter-arguments to whatever a speaker may be
saying. Third, they compete. Then, they filter. They exclude from their understanding those
parts of the message which do not readily fit with their own frame of reference. Finally, they
react. They let personal feelings about a speaker or subject override the significance of the
message which is being sent What can a listener do to be more effective? The first key to
effective listening is the art of concentration. If a listener positively wishes to concentrate on
receiving a message his chances of success are high.
It may need determination. Some speakers are difficult to follow, either because of voice
problems or because of the form in which they send a message. There is then a particular
need for the determination of a listener to concentrate on what is being said.
Concentration is helped by alertness. Mental alertness is helped by physical alertness. It is
not simply physical fitness, but also positioning of the body, the limbs and the head. Some
people also find it helpful to their concentration if they hold the head slightly to one side. One
useful way for achieving this is intensive note-taking, by trying to capture the critical
headings and sub-headings the speaker is referring to.
Note-taking has been recommended as an aid to the listener. It also helps the speaker. It
gives him confidence when he sees that listeners are sufficiently interested to take notes; the
patterns of eye-contact when the note-taker looks up can be very positive; and the speaker’s
timing is aided-he can see when a note-taker is writing hard and can then make effective use
of pauses.
Posture too is important. Consider the impact made by a less competent listener who
pushes his chair backwards and slouches. An upright posture helps a listener’s
concentration. At the same time it is seen by the speaker to be a positive feature amongst
his listeners. Effective listening skills have an impact on both the listener and the speaker.
(a) On the basis of your reading of the above passage, make notes on it using headings and
sub-headings. Use recognisable abbreviations wherever necessary.
(b) Write a summary of the passage in not more than 80 words using the notes made and
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