The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : A test of their Kannada skills

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Monday, Apr 21, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

A test of their Kannada skills

Staff Reporter

As many as 1,040 Gadinadu, Horanadu candidates take language test

— Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

Offering tips: Parents preparing their wards for the test conducted by the Karnataka Examination Authority in Bangalore on Sunday.

Bangalore: As many as 1,040 students belonging to Gadinadu (Kannadigas living in border areas) and Horanadu (Kannadigas living outside the State) categories appeared for the Kannada test conducted by the Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) as part of the Common Entrance Test (CET) on Sunday.

Syed Jamal of KEA said that around 640 Gadinadu Kannadiga candidates and 400 Horanadu Kannadiga candidates had appeared for the test. “There were no hiccups. The test went on smoothly. The CET has a certain standard and the students come prepared for it,” he said.

Nearly 100 candidates, who had applied for the test, did not take it on Sunday. Such candidates might appear for the test that would be conducted again on April 30 at the KEA, he said.

Revision

At the test venue, students were seen doing last-minute revisions before going into the examination hall. Many parents were waiting in the searing heat until their wards finished the test.

While a few candidates seemed to have been preparing for the Kannada language test for a few months, some who said that they had made no special efforts. Chanda, a student from Chennai, said that she had been preparing for the Kannada language test for the past one month. “My parents have been helping me. I had to begin from scratch, right from the alphabet. I am worried, but have heard that basic language knowledge is sufficient to clear the test,” she said. Sowmya Acharya from Mumbai said that she picked up the language during her visit to Bangalore during her summer vacations.

“This is why I have made no special effort. The Kannada language test is said to be basic, so I am confident of clearing it,” she said.

Another student from Mumbai Preethi Shetty said she had been preparing for the test for the past six months.

“My parents, who are from Karnataka, helped me a lot. I am familiar with the language, but I had to learn from the alphabet itself. My mother made me watch Kannada serials and movies and read a few Kannada newspapers,” she said.

Preethi’s mother Sumangala M. Shetty, a homemaker, said that she had bought a few basic language books from the Kannada Sangha in Navi Mumbai.

“We taught her the alphabet at home. She picked the language pretty quickly, as she watched serials and films. I am confident that she will clear the test,” she added.

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