Geology Exam Questions

As seen by an observer on Earth, a star that is moving away from the Earth would have ______ light energy waves. A. expanded B. compressed *E. both A and D are correct 2. The theory that tries to explain the origin of the universe revolves around the idea that __________. *B. the original black hole exploded and scattered clouds of uncharged particles moving at high velocities 3. What was the first element formed during the creation of the universe? *B. hydrogen 4. Our solar system was created by: *A. the contraction of clouds of elements originally formed by the explosion of supernovas 5. Approximately how old is our universe? A. 13. 7 billion years old 6. Heat is being continuously released within the Earth through the process of: *C. elements releasing subatomic particles and losing mass 7. Which of the following minerals does not belong with the others? A. pyrite B. bornite C. sphalerite D. cinnabar *E. they all belong together 8. An earthquake is detected off the coast of Vancou ver Island.Which statement is most correct *B. S-waves are detected after P-waves 9. In an area of the crust with an average geothermal gradient (from course manual), what would the temperature be 22km below the surface, if the surface temperature is 25 °C? *D. 85 °C 10. The Hawaiian Island chain was formed by which one of the following processes? *C. movement of the Pacific plate over a stationary mantle plume causing the formation of a string of volcanoes 11. The Himalayas developed directly from the process of ________: *E. plate collision 12. Intermediate sized tectonic plates include which of the following? A. Nazca B. Eurasian C. Scotia D. Cocos D. all of the above *E. only A, C, and D 13. The floor of the Atlantic is widening: why then is there a ridge in the middle? *B. volcanism 14. How much heat energy is required to raise the temperature of 50g of water by 10 °C? B. 500 calories 15. Match the following item with the closest related phrase. Continental Rift A. East P acific Rise B. subduction zone C. Canadian Shield *D. Mount Kilimanjaro E. Mount St. Helens 18. Earth’s crust is being destroyed at _______ and created at ________. *C. subduction zones, divergent boundaries 19. A felsic rock is formed at relatively ________ temperatures and is the first to ________ when temperature increases during burial.*A. low, melt 21. Native metals tend to have which of the following properties? A. high plasticity B. only one type of bonding C. good electrical conductivity D. all of the above 22. A mineral composed of weak bonds, tends to have the following characteristics: A. high solubility B. soft C. has mostly ionic bonds D. has mostly covalent bonds E. only A and C are correct *F. A, B and C are all correct 23. What is the most common group of minerals found in Earth’s crust? *B. silicate minerals 24. Which minerals have similar structure but different composition? *D. albite and anorthite 26. A(n) _______ magma is relatively high in _______ __. A. andesitic; Fe, Mg and Ca B. basaltic; K and Na *C. rhyolitic; K and Na D. granitic; Fe and Mg 27.When magma cools, which atoms tend to bond first? *D. silicon and oxygen 28. Which of the following statements is true? *D. the main reason for volatiles in magma to be released is a sudden decrease in confining pressure. 29. This question refers to radioactive decay. What is the parent/daughter ratio after two half-lives? *A. 1:3 30. Which of the following terms does not belong with the other? A. quartz *B. rhyolite C. olivine D. muscovite 31. An igneous rock that cools rapidly at the Earth’s surface has which of the following textures? C. aphanitic D. glassy *E. both C and D are possible 32.Igneous rocks are classified by their ______. A. colour B. texture C. composition *D. all of the above 33. When the Earth was relatively new, what gases were present in the atmosphere? *A. H20, CH4, SO2, NH3 B. H20, CH4, NH4, O2 C. SO3, CH4, O2, CO2 D. N2, O2, Ar, CO2 34. Where did wat er on Earth originate? A. volcanic out-gassing B. collison of comets with Earth C. collision of protoplanets with Earth *D. all of the above 35. Heat is currently lost from the Earth's surface at an average rate of 2. 4Ãâ€"10-6 cal/cm2/s2. If the Earth’s surface is 510,072,000km2, how much heat is lost in 1 year (3. 15x107s)? Don't forget to convert units) A. 3. 86 x 1010 cal/year *B. 3. 86 x 1020 cal/year C. 3. 86 cal/year D. 6. 76 x 1016 cal/year 37. Which rock frequently contains glass fragments and vesicles, indicating rapid cooling? *C. basalt 38. According to current theory, how did heavier elements form? *C. they formed due to the fusion of lighter atoms (such as hydrogen) under high temperature and pressures 39. Which of the following features was formed partially by erosion processes? *B. exfoliation dome 40. The addition of oxygen into Earth’s atmosphere is thought to have been produced by which of the following mechanisms? B. photosynthesis 41. A dark colou red mineral, which splits into sheets and has one plane of cleavage is: *D. biotite 42. What type of eruptions would you expect in volcanoes of the Andes mountain range? *B. occasional, violently explosive eruptions 43. Heat from the Earth’s core is transferred to the surface through solid rock via ______ and _______ when it is transported as magma/lava in volcanoes. Once it reaches the surface the heat is then lost to the atmosphere by ______. C. conduction, convection, radiation 44. Which geological feature supports the theory of plate tectonics? A. the mid-Atlantic ridgeB. subduction zones C. fossil records *D. all of the above 45. On the ocean floor, low-intensity stripes of magnetism that exhibit regularly reversing polarity: *D. weaken the existing magnetic field 46. Which of the following things best supports the theory that continents split apart? A. continental drift B. downwarping *C. continental rifting 47. Diamond shows an example of what type of bond formed betwe en Carbon atoms? *A. covalent bonds 2. When a rock breaks into many small pieces it ____________ A. increases the surface area available for chemical attack C. is called mechanical weathering D. both A & C are correct 3. Halite dissolves in water so readily because __________ *B. polar water molecules disrupt the attractive forces in the halite crystal and release the ions into solution 4. Index fossils are: *C. fossils of creatures that appeared and went extinct relatively quickly 5. You notice that there is a lot of rust on your car. Which of the following weathering processes was responsible for the destruction of your car? *C. oxidation 6. Why do large coral reefs not exist in the Arctic Ocean? NOTE: coral reefs are mainly composed of CaCO3 (calcium carbonate). *D. alcite is soluble in cold water and the coral skeletons dissolve before they can accumulate into large deposits 8. Which of the following processes is most responsible for the low nutrient content of tropical soil s? *C. leaching 9. Which rock will potentially undergo the greatest rate of chemical alteration? *A. whole rock 10. The location of the snowline is most affected by _______ and ________. *C. latitude, altitude 11. Gypsum is not found deep in the earth’s crust because: B. the temperature is too high C. water molecules are lost and anhydrite is formed *D. both statement B and C are correct 14.Which of the following soils would you most likely find in agricultural fields around Guelph? A. Podzolic 15. The internal movement of glacier ice depends on: A*B. the internal ice transfer between accumulation and ablation zones 16. Changes in global temperature can be attributed to: A. variations in incoming solar radiation B. shifts in Earth’s axis of rotation C. composition of the Earth’s atmosphere *D. all of the above are correct 17. Which of the following environments is most suitable for the formation of coal? *B. wetland 18. The highly productive soils in vast areas of China FIRST originated from _______ *A. indblown silt 19. What is the main way that silicate minerals are weathered? *B. hydrolysis 20. When a glacier glides along the ground surface the process is called: *D. basal slip 22. The movement of glacier ice is normally most rapid near the _________ *B. surface of the glacier 23. Which of the following landscape features of Canada is NOT attributed to the effect of Pleistocene glaciers? *A. the Canadian Shield 25. Cross-bedded sand deposits in a point bar of a meandering stream were created by which of the following flow regimes? *B. subcritical flow 26.A sedimentary deposit created by a gradual decrease in flow velocity (as in a waning flood), would have which of the following vertical stratigraphic profiles? *A. fining upwards 27. From Hjulstom’s diagram in Unit 8 of the course notes, the water velocity required to erode gravel is_______________ the velocity to move clay particles. *D. about equal to 28. Which rock would be le ast likely to contain fossils? *D. basalt 29. Which sediment grain size has the highest permeability (ability of the material to transmit fluids)? *B. gravel 31. The formation of crevasses in glaciers is because __________________. A. ce near the bottom of a glacier moves slower than surface ice, causing stress C. ice in the upper part of a glacier is brittle and does not exhibit plastic flow *D. A and C are both correct 32. Which of the following minerals has one perfect cleavage? *D. biotite 33. â€Å"Jurassic Park: The Lost World† was actually filmed in: *C. The Quaternary 34. Ventifacts form as a result of *C. aeolian transport in desert environments 35. What volcanic feature is (are) the most dangerous to live near *B. rhyolitic strato volcano 38. Which one of these items does not belong with the others? A. continental rise *B. alluvial fan C. turbidite fanD. continental shelf E. abyssal plain 39. Which of the following statements is (are) the most correct to describe th e conditions required for truly laminar flow in a river? *E. true laminar flow does not occur in natural rivers 40. Mineralogical maturity increases when ___________ *D. the quartz content of the rock is increasing 41. The photo shows a fossilized fish. What is the most likely form of preservation? (Image from: *B. carbonization 42. In general, as a river becomes narrower, and the depth remains the same, the current: *A. increases in velocity 43. Which of the following is the best example of a trace fossil? A. termite tunnel 44. Which of the following pairs is the best example of convergent evolution? *D. killer whale and shark 45. A volcanic rock consisting of abundant angular rock fragments has a _____________ texture. This is typical of __________ volcanism. *C. fragmental, explosive 46. During a field trip, you dig a small pit in a pine forest to study the soil profile of the study site. Below the dark surface layer, a thin, light coloured horizon is followed by a reddish colour ed horizon. Considering your knowledge of the Canadian system of soil classification, what soil type is it? *D. Podzolic 47.A pluton is an intrusive igneous rock body that crystallized from magma slowly cooling below the surface. Which of the following are examples of plutonic bodies? A. batholiths B. dikes C. sills D. laccoliths *E. all of the above 48. What is the main feature used to differentiate between modern corals and ancient corals? *C. the structure of their skeleton 49. The __________ silicates make up the majority of the Earth’s continental crust. *A. three-dimensional framework 50. The Sun produces energy by nuclear ________ reactions. *C. fusion 1. What environmental conditions are optimal for chemical weathering? D. warm, wet conditions 3. Which dating method is most often used to date geologically recent events? *A. carbon-14 4. Which of the following is not an important principle of stratigraphy? *D. crystal fractionation 5. A theory that tries to explain the origin of the universe assumes that all matter was once concentrated in an extremely small space called a black hole. Some properties of a black hole include which of the following? A. high densities B. large gravitational force C. neutral state *D. all of the above 6. The age of the Earth is approximately: *A. 4. 6 billion years 7.When the Earth's crust began to form, which of the following gases were added to the original atmosphere? A. water vapour B. methane *D. only A and B 8. The oldest known fossils found in Archean rocks were: *B. cyanobacteria 9. Which of the following are sources of heat for the Earth? A. primeval heat left from the formation of the planet B. collision of subatomic particles produced during radioactive decay C. solar heat *D. all of the above 10. The change in temperature with depth is called the geothermal gradient. Under normal circumstances the geothermal gradient is approximately: *B. 30 °/km 11.As seen by an observer on Earth, a star that is moving away from our planet would appear more _______ than the same type which is moving toward the Earth. *B. reddish 12. Which type of rock would be formed deep within the crust? B. igneous C. plutonic *D. both B and C 13. Where would you expect to find new igneous rocks being formed? A. Andes Mountains B. Mid-Atlantic Ridge *D. A and B are both correct 14. With reference to Bowen’s reaction series, which mineral is formed under very hot conditions and is rich in magnesium? *A. olivine Inert gases do not react with the surrounding environment. Why is this? *A. they have full outer orbitals 6. A good example of a mineral that contains Van der Waal’s bonds is: *C. graphite 17. The Andes mountains developed directly from the process of ________: *A. plate subduction 18. with reference to Bowen's reaction series, the ___________ form a continuous reaction series. *C. plagioclase-feldspar group 21. An igneous rock that cools very rapidly at the Earth’s surface has which of the following textures? *C. glassy 22. Which type of soil would you expect to find in a wetland? *C. gleysolic 23. The type of weathering process that effects plutonic rocks and is sometimes called unloading is called ____________ *B. exfoliation 4. Submarine eruptions at mid-ocean ridges produce fresh lava flows of _________ composition. *D. basaltic 25. Youngest rock A. *B. 26. Oldest rock *A. B. C. D. E 27. Continental collision zone A. B. C. *D. E 28. Abyssal plain A. B. *C. D. E 29. The boundary between the accumulation and ablation zone in a glacier is called: *A. firn line 30. Continental drift, volcanism and mountain building are primarily driven by: *A. mantle convection 31. P-waves: *A. vibrate parallel to the direction of travel, travel fast, travel through liquids. 32. Which of the following is most likely to be preserved as a carbonized impression? D. a leaf 33. Which of the following statements is true? *A. few organisms become preserved as fossils after death 34. T he lengthening or stretching of the crust can result in _______ faulting as shown in the diagram. *B. normal 35. The San Andreas Fault is what type of fault? *D. strike-slip 36. Soils are divided into â€Å"horizons† which are labelled in order from the top down as: *C. A, B and C 37. A rock under stress can behave in which of the following ways? *D. all of the above 38. What is (are) the major factor(s) involved in metamorphism? A. pressure B. temperature *E. A and B only 9. When liquid magma rises through solid rock, the solid rock can undergo ____________ metamorphism? *A. contact 40. Regional metamorphism can produce new platy or elongated minerals that are aligned: *C. perpendicular to the principal stress applied 41. The â€Å"Big Bang† is thought to have occurred: *A. 13. 7 billion years ago 42. In the cores of stars _________ reactions occur to produce new heavier elements: *A. atomic fusion 43. Chemical weathering mainly results when minerals react with: *E. w ater, oxygen and carbon dioxide 44. The explosion of a star is known as a: *B. supernova 45.Which of the following is considered a fossil fuel? *B. coal 46. The relative Geologic Time Scale is based on: *B. fossil assemblages 47. The Rock Cycle is: *B. a model for the changes undergone by Earth materials over time 48. Grooves, crescent-shaped gouges, chatter marks and striations are examples of: *A. small scale glacial erosion features 49. The maximum extent of a continental glacier is typically marked by a(n) __________. *B. terminal moraine 50. Which of the following is a sediment produced directly from glacier ice? *C. till 51. Place the following sedimentary structures in order of increasing stream velocity. C. ripples, dunes, plane beds 52. Braided streams result when rivers have: A. large fluctuations in discharge B. abundant sediments *E. A and B are both correct 53. When atoms with 4-6 electrons in their outer orbitals join, they form a covalent bond which can be described a s: A. sharing of electrons B. difficult to form C. very strong after formation *D. all of the above are true 54. __________ forms from the metamorphism of limestone or dolostone. *C. marble 55. __________ is characterized by the segregation of light- and dark-coloured minerals into thin layers or bands. *B. gneiss 56.In which setting would regional metamorphism be most likely? *C. at great depths in the crust where two continents are colliding 57. The ion at the centre of a silicon tetrahedron is surrounded by ____________. *A. 4 oxygen ions 58. The simplest element and the one which was formed first after the big bang is: *E. hydrogen 59. In feldspars, what element substitutes for silicon at the centre of the tetrahedron? *B. aluminum 60. What are vesicles? *D. open spaces formed in the rock as lava solidifies around gas bubbles 61. Which of the following is an example of a trace fossil? *D. a worm burrow 62.Which of the following is the dominant volcanic rock in Hawaii and Iceland ? *D. basalt 63. When the ratio of radioactive parent to stable daughter product reaches 1:3, ________ half-lives have passed. *D. two 64. The formation of the Hawaiian Islands is associated with: *D. no plate boundary of any kind 65. Why is the humus (organic) layer typically thicker in a cool, temperate, forest soil than in a tropical rainforest soil? *B. less humus is produced in the cool, temperate forest but the rate of decay is slower than in a tropical rainforest 66. The world oceans are too large to have the sea level changed by glaciers! *B. alse 67. Which of the following is a colonial organism; that is, many individuals share the same skeleton? *D. coral 68. Which of the following affects the settling velocity of sand grains? *D. all of the above 69. Sediments transported by water or wind can be sorted according their size and density. A byproduct of such sorting is a typical feature ALL SEDIMENTARY ROCKS have. What is such *D. layers 70. When the limbs of a fold are bowe d upward in the form of a â€Å"V†, the structure is called a(n) *D. syncline 71. If the steep side of a roche moutonnee is on the northeast, it indicates that the glacier came from what direction? B. southwest 72. Which one of the following is an important, mechanical weathering process for enlarging fractures and extending them deeper into large boulders and bedrock? *D. frost wedging 73. Of the following, which geologic time is the oldest? *B. Precambrian 74. The Red Sea is forming along a: *B. divergent boundary 75. The destruction of the Minoan civilization can be tied at least indirectly to: *A. a violent volcanic eruption 76. A __________ shaped cross-valley profile is typical of valleys eroded and deepened by alpine or valley glaciers. *A. U 77.A(n) __________ represents a former meltwater tunnel in glacial ice that was filled with fluvial sand and gravel. *A. esker 78. The theory of relativity states that: *C. time is not a constant–it varies depending on the speed of the observer 79. Many scientists believe that the Earth is heating up due to the â€Å"greenhouse effect†. Which of the following gasses is the largest contributor to this effect? *C. carbon dioxide 80. The term â€Å"metamorphic facies† refers to: *A. a particular assemblage of minerals that form under specific conditions of temperature and pressure 81. The definition of a calorie is: *A. he change in heat required to raise the temperature of 1g of water by 1 degree C at sea level 82. The Atlantic Ocean is: *B. 200 million years old and growing. 83. Coarsening upward in grain size is typical of deposits from which type of depositional system? *B. deltas 84. Convergent evolution occurs when? *B. species with different origins begin to evolve similar characteristics because they share the same environment 85. Which of the following is a requirement of index fossils? *A. they lived during a specific time period only 86. In a cross section of a stream channel, wh y is the flow velocity slowest near the bottom? B. because of friction between the water and the streambed 87. The central part of an atom is called the: *D. nucleus 88. The term â€Å"dip† refers to: *D. the angle between a sloping bed of rock and the horizontal 89. Studies of the Atlantic ocean-floor rocks show that: A. the magnetic field of the Earth reverses periodically C. new rock is being formed at the Mid-Atlantic ridge, causing the ocean to become wider *E. A and C are both correct 90. The term orogeny refers to: *A. the formation of mountains 91. Channel migration of a stream at a meandering bend occurs in which direction? B. toward the outside of the bend 92. In a river, gravel would most frequently be transported: *A. as bed load 93. The great majority of carbonates (limestones) are formed by: *A. skeletons of invertebrate organisms and algae 94. Shale is a sedimentary rock formed predominantly from: D. clay 95. Which of the following was an early ancestor of mode rn humans? * D. Australopithecus 96. When fossils are preserved as casts, the following happens: A. the original shell is buried intact B. after cementation of the surrounding sediment the shell dissolved leaving a shell shaped cavityC. minerals carried in by percolating groundwater fill the cavity *E. A, B and C are all correct 97. Which of the following trace elements released from minerals by weathering are essential for human health? *B. zinc 98. When an atom loses or gains electrons, it is called a(n): *E. ion 99. Which of the following does not fit the definition of a mineral? *C. granite What colour of light has the longest wavelength: Red What element wouldn't   likely have been lost to outer space when the Earth was in a molten state during the formation of our solar system?Lead Approximately how old is earth: 4500 million years or 4. 5 Billion Which gases composed the primordial atmosphere of earth: Methane, carbon dioxide, sulphur, ammonia How long did it take for earth ’s first crust to develop: 500 million years Main reason that volcanoes developed on primordial earth-uneven internal heat distribution Organic soup which produced the first organic compounds: ammonia and methane In what rocks can you find the oldest known fossils: Archean Rocks of western Australia Coordination number of an octahedral: 6When seismic energy waves reaches a boundary between two materials: Part of the energy is reflected back towards the surface P-waves: vibrate parallel to the direction of transmission Composition of Achondrite meteorites most closely resemble: composition of earths crust Why do geologists think that the inner core of earth is solid: P-Waves speed up there Geothermal gradient in earths crust: 40 c/km Granite differ from rhyolite: Granite is plutonic, rhyolite is extrusive Discontinuity between the base of the crust and the top mantel: Moho discontinuity What rate does mid-atlantic ridge spread: 5 cm/yearWhere does lithosphere material get dest royed: subduction zones Rocks that buried under high pressure formed: Metamorphic rocks Minerals all form in the same temperature range: Quartz, muscovite, K-Fedlspar Ionic bonds are: weak, fond in relatively soluble minerals, formed between opostely charged ions Pumice floats on water because: contains pockets of gas, low overall density Minerals with same chemical composition but different structures are called polymorphs (graphite and diamonds) Hardest minerals: Quartz Magma consists of: Dissolved gas, solid minerals, liquidAndes Moutains have formed at: convergent plate boundary What causes a volcano to erupt: regressive boiling of magma, ionized water changing state from liquid to gas, failureof the volcanic plug Lava that erupts underwater forms deposits of: pillow lava intrusive bodies of rock include: Batholiths, Laccoliths, Dikes Correct order of periods within Paleozoic: Cambrian, Ordo, Sil, Devoni, Carb, Perm Large blobs of lava that are flung from volcanic cone: volcanic bombs Which location is earths crust thinnest: In Atlantic OceanOxidation involves: Loss of electrons Soil is best defined as: accumulation of weathered material Most intensly leached soil horizon: A Horizon Apatite and sylvite are examples of: Minerals used in the production of fertilizers Paris moraine- poorly sorted mixture of different sediments Epoch during most recent glaciation occurred: Pleistocene In accumulation zone of a glacier: more snow and ice being deposited than lost from melting Glacier firn: snow remaining from last season Polar galaciers move mainly by: Ice deformationCause of catastrophic meteorite impact causing mass extinction 65. 5 million years ago: thin iridum-rich bed found worldwide Graded bedding on deep-ocean floor: Turbidity currents River pattern commonly developed in glacial outwash plain: Braided Glaciers covered Australia in: Neoproterozoic and Carboniferous-Permian Little ice age occurred: 600 to 100 years ago Isostatic rebound: rising of earths crust after deglaction Sedimentary environments two classifications: Carbonate or clastic Clastic sediment . 062 to . 004- Silt, loess plainTwo common carbonate sedimentary rocks: Limestone and Dolostone Idealized stream fastest water flow: Near the water surface, near center of the chanel Laminar flow: Low flow velocity/ Rarely found in nature Settling of particle with a . 01 diameter- Stockes law What environment are mud slides most common: Alluvial fans Forest beds are found in which environment: Delta Front Barrier islands: large lakes, shallow continental shelves Carbonate precipitation may form: Ooids Lingula is a good example of: A paleo indicator Conifers belong to which class: Plantae, Pinophyta, Pinospida Noahs Flood: DeluvialistWhy did an â€Å"organic soup† develop on the primordial Earth, and not much today? (image from VITAL): There was no free oxygen to oxidize it ;amp; There was no predators back than. The energy responsible for the original heating and meltin g of the Earth came primarily from: Radioactive decay Organic compounds can be synthesized: In a laboratory ;amp; by lightning Were inert gasses such as Argon or Neon, scattered into the universe by supernovas? Yes Approximate age of earth accepted by scientists is: 4. 6 billion years Original atmosphere of earth was primarily composed of: Methane and carbon dioxide Not all stars are equally hot, why?Atomic fusion reaction Doppler effect makes far away stars appear to be: Redder An enormous amount of energy is needed to start fusion reaction, What type of energy led to fusion reaction in stars: Kinetic The elements of the present universe were scattered into space about: 8-9 billion years ago If earth’s intial atmosphere contained free oxygen: Organic molecules would be have been destroyed as soon as they formed Is the elemental composition of modern earth the same as that of earliest primordial earth: No What is the bang bang: Origin of the universeWhen radioactive elements decay to release subatomic particles it creates: Daughter elements The early composition of the Earth;s atmosphere was: Lacking Oxygen Evidence for an original big bang: Yes, distant galaxies move away from us faster than closer ones If the half-life of Carbon-14 is 5570 years, how much of the parent elemtn will remain after 16,710 years: 1/8 Earth is one of the largest ones in our soar system: FalseModel for the origin of life requires: An oxygen free atmosphere Black holes are characterized by: Matter contracted into very small spaces, Extremely high density, all particles are neutral. The sun’s energy is produced by: Fusion Helium is formed from: Fusion of HydrogensWhy do larger solar planets have an ammonia-rich atmosphere while Earth has an oxygen-rich atmosphere: The larger gravity of larger planets traps ammonia Volcanoes could not form before the development of a solid crust on Earth: True Why did an â€Å"organic soup† develop on the primordial Earth and not m uch today: There was no free oxygen ;amp; there was no predators back then The heavy elements that we know of were formed in the original stars: Yes Why did elements separate in the original earth: They were separated in relation to their mass During the early stages of the Earth, hich elements may have been lost to outer space: Light ones The permissible ring of life is a theoretical zone around a distant start that may contain planets: False 1) S-waves vibrate perpendicular to the direction of the propagation: True 2) Everyday substance that behaves a bit like the mantle when stressed: Plasticin 3) Some meteorities have more or less the same composition as the Earth’s crust: True 4) Our bodies can be considered as analogs for Earth. Accordingly we can recognize: Heat as energy, mineral accumulation, chemical reaction. ) The boundary between the crust and the mantle shows up well in seismic studies because difference in: Density 6) The properties of rocks change from the sur face towards the center of earth. Which one do you think changes more regularly than others: Pressure 7) Refraction and reflection dissipate seismic energy inside the earth: True 8) Iceland is close to Greenland but geologically the two have little in common: True 9) Which of the following are types of convection cells in or on earth: Ocean currents ;amp; Boiling motions in a pot of soup. 0) The sun’s radian energy drives the movement of our atmosphere: True 11) Earth is the centre of the universe: Who Knows 12) Earth should be cooling off as primeval heat is lost to outer space: False 13) Lord Klevin calculated mathematically that Earth is cooling off.His mathematics were correct: True 14) Although interior parts of earth are shown as pretty coloured bands, heat distribution is much uniform: Incorrect 15) Earth is comprised of the same materials and in more or less the same proportion as the sun: Yes 16) Radiant energy received from the sun is the most important type in expl aining continental drift: False 17) The fact that S-waves are lost within the Earth is good evidence for a liquid outer core: True 18) Method used by geologists in injecting the mantle for seismic studies is: Bottom 19) Earth is a planet in the process of becoming a star: Recent studies have indicated that it is heating up at the rate of a few degrees per century: False 20) To date we have not been able to drill to the core, however we can see it in volcanic material: False 21) Lord Kelvin has proved that earth is dying planet. It is cooling off relatively rapidly: False 22) Canada is one of the coutries where solar winds can be seen: True 23) By examining the geothermal gradient in deep wells, we can predict temperature at center of earth: False 24) Various compositions of meteorites reflect: Mantle of earth, whole earth, earths cruts.Oceanic crust of earth has a minimum thickness of about: 5 KM The North American plate is moving away from the European one at a measurable but small distance per century: True Mountains are shaped by both convection cells in the diagram: True The floor of the Atlantic is widening: why is there a ridge in the middle: Volcanoes Iron-rich minerals in basaltic lava can give information on the Earth’s magnectic field at the time Volcanic eruption: True Fundamental differences between the floors of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans: Different ages, different amounts of sediments, Different manganese mineralization Material from the mantle reaches the surface of the Earth along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge: True Radiant energy received from the sun is the most important type in explaining continental drift: True The repetition of two colurs indicate different lava flows indicats: alternating lava flows with different paleomagnestism When seen in cross-section, continents look like thin rafts on the surface of the mantle: Because continents are composed of lighter materials Long before their geologic importance was discovered, paired ba nds of equal magnestism were recognized south of Iceland: The navy during WWII The continents started migrating apart approximately 180 million years ago: True In what ways is Atlantic Ocean spreading analogous to Antartic ice pack behaviour: New ice is forming in cracks joins blocks of older ice ;amp; There are convention currents in the water below There are a lot of thick sediments around the Mid-Atlantic Ridge: False The suns radiant energy drives the movements of our atmosphere: True P-Waves generated at one locality can be detected around the globe if the source is sufficient: False The positive magnetic pole is in Canada and always has been: False Fossil Fuels are usually found in rocks typical of ocean crust: False The magnetic north pole lies in northern Canada: TrueThe magnetic stripes south of Iceland were correctly interpreted as indicating the spreading of the ocean floor: True If new mantle material is added to the crust in marine trenches, it must be consumed along th e mid-Atlantic Ridge: False Which of the following minerals from Bowen’s reaction series forms the highest temperature? Ca-plagioclase What is the crystalline structure of quartz: None of the above Some mineral crystals have an internal structure similar to glass: False Which one is the name of a major element found in quartz: Silicon What is the crystalline structure of feldspar: None of the above Atoms with the maximum number of electrons in their outer orbital: Inert (non-reactive) What is the crystalline structure of biotite: SheetSilicon is the most abundant elemen of the earth’s crust: False Halite and calcite are both: Relatively soft and soluble The resistance of a mineral to scratching is called: hardness In a cooling magma, at what approximate temperature can silicon tetrahedral get close enough to share all their oxygens to form a framework silicate mineral: 800 degrees. An electrically charged atom is called: An Ion Isotopes are good to eat: False What is t he crystalline structure of the pyroxene group of minerals: single chain Musovite has perfect cleavage in one direction: True Mass and weight are synonymous: False What is the crystalline structure of amphibole: Double Chain Calcite has a hardness of 3 on Moh’s scale: TrueWhich of the following is the most common mineral in the earths crust: Feldspar First orbital (energy level) in an atom can have a maximum of: Two electrons The most common building block of silicate minerals: Has 4 Oxygen atoms and 1 Silicon Atom In a metallic bond: All electrons are shared Which of the following elements commonly substitutes for Silicon in the tetrahedral of silicate minerals: Aluminum The second orbit (energy level) in an atom can have a maximum of: Eight electrons Cleavage occurs when a mineral breaks in random directions: False Which type of bonding in minerals is the weakest: Van Der Waals Which has the densest mineral: Gold If an atom loses an eletron it becomes: Positively chargedThe location of volcanoes on earth is: near plate margins Volcanic eruptions occur primarily because of the voltatile content (gaseous components) of the magma: True Which of the following statements is true: It is possible to derive granite from a basaltic magma. Ashfalls may be useful in establishing: Type of volcanism and paleowind direction. Columnar joints occur primarily: Basaltic lava flows Which of the following statements are not correct: Volcanoes are rarely more than 1000 metres high Most rocks found on the flanks of volcanoes have very small crystals: True In Hawaii the ropy lava is called: Pahoehoe Pumice is solidified crystalline forth: TrueSilica rich lavas are viscous and lead to explosive erutpions: True Pyroxene is the first mineral to cryztallize out of a very hot basaltic magma: False Pumice is very light and may even float because it contains pulverized wood of the volcano: False Which statement is correct: The Hawaiian Islands are large shield volcanoes Which rock does not belong with the others: Rhyolite Shield volcanoes are not normally explosive: True Magma may rise to the surface of earth partly because it is lighter than the surrounding rocks: True The crystal size ofigneous rocks is affected primarily by: Rate of cooling Calderas may be formed by collapse of the crater at the summit of a volcano: true Which one is not a volcanic rock: GabbroOne parent magma can produce several different types of igneous rocks: True Discontinous crystallization sequence from Bowen’s reaction series is indicated by: Olivine-pyroxene A Rock does not need to contain any minerals: True Which of the following is a pyroclastic rock: Tuff Humans have never observed the birth of a completely new volcano: False Obsidian is a typical natural gas: True Sills are: Always younger than the surrounding rocks An igneous rock formed primarily of olivine and Ca-Rich Plagiosclase is called: Basalt Granite does Not contain: Ca-rich plagioclase Granite is made up of the following group of minerals: Quartz, amphiboles, K-Feldspar If cooling is faster, the size of crystals in igneous rocks: Decreases The rocks of the ocean floor are mostly made of: BasaltWhich of the following rocks commonly forms batholiths: Granite Bowmen’s reaction series explains igneous textures: False Most recent basaltic lava is found: In the Atlantic Which one of the following instrustions has the largest volume of rocks: Batholith As a basaltic magma cools and crystals form, the remaining liquid becomes: silicon Magma may contain some solid crystals: True The small holes in many volcanic rocks are due to: trapped air bubbles A stratovolcano: Can produce nuee ardente Which of the following statements is true: Water vapour is a volcanic gas released during eruptions. To form magma, which of the following sources is NOT needed: Solar energy Shield volcanoes: None of the aboveThere is a large volcanic mountain range beneath the Atlantic Ocean: Yes Obsidian can provide beautiful gems: False Carbon dioxide is an important volcanic gas: True Igneous rocks form at about: 1,000 degree C Which mineral is least likely to be associated with an explosive volcano: Olivine Submarine (underwater) laval may develop: Pillows Penetration by plant roots is the most important soil forming factor in tropical forest: False Soil is a necessity for life on earth: True what type of tombstone would weather most quickly: Marble The greater stability of minerals that are formed at the Earth’s surface is due to: Increase covalent bonds Soil profile development is affected by many processes.Which one doesn’t belong: Meditation Minerals that form at lower temperature from a cooling magma are generally more stable in the weathering environment: True Among other things the diagram shows a diamond being cut. Is this real weathering? Yes Snow can physically weather igneous rocks most effectively under which condition: snow cant do this Soil develops pedogenic lay ers (horizons) due to: Leaching and translocation of material Soil profiles do not develop in artic regions: False In what environment does chemical weathering predominate over mechanical weathering: None of the above Wind is the only erosional medium in a desert environment: False What is the main cause of the characteristics fractures of exfoliation dome: Pressure release Amphiboles are so unstable at the earth’s surface that they can never be found in sedimentary rocks.False Why is quartz more resistant to wreathing than pyroxene: It has more covalent bonds A soil profile develops from the bottom upward: False Which rock would weather most quickly in a hot, humid environment: Basalt In desert soils, net movement of material is downward. False Examples of weathering exsist in Ontario: True Which of the following is not produced by the weathering of K-Feldspar: Olivine What is the process involved when minerals lose water molecules from their crystalline structure: Dehydrati on Granite undergoes frost shattering much more easily than dolostone: False Plant roots do not penetrate deeply in the tropics: True Weathering usually takes place in a closed system: FalseChemical weathering invariably leads to angular fragments: False Continental sedimentary rocks (those not formed in the sea) are formed from minerals mostly derived from: The physical breakdown of igneous and metamorphic rocks Can Ice wedging, frost shattering, sandblasting co-exist: Yes Together which particle would have the highest settling velocity: More spherical intermediate particles Carbonates (limestone) dissolve preferentially in: Freezing cold water Saltation: Type of movement of sand grains Delta sequence as seen in a core, would show, from the bottom up: clay-silt-sand Plane beds form in fast moving water when either sand or gravel is present: True Diagnesis starts after the sediments: have been deposited To generate clastic sediments: weathering, transport and deposition must occur C arbonates are most likely to occur: In shallow tropical seas The reat majority of limestones are formed: skeletons of invertebratae organism and algae The maximum stream velocity in a river can be measured: near surface and in the middle Which of the following is a thick deposit of composed mainly of invertebrate skeletons: Reef In colonial corals the individual are called: Polyps Carbonization is fossilization where little or no detail can be seen: True Least likely to contain fossil molds of brachiopods: Conglomerate Organisms that live on the bottom of the sea are called: Benthon What properties of an organism make it a good paleoenvironmental indicator: sharks and turtles Brachiopod: has two shells of unequal size In which rocktype are fossil casts least likely to form: Granite Fossilization occurs at high alititudes: False Which of the following minerals does not form a cast: Pyroxene Human species have been around for : 1/1,000Dolphins and fish have similar external forms: con vergent evolution Fossil species are defined mainly on the basis of: their physical appearance Which of the following has the best change of being fossilized: An oyster Which organism has least likely to fossilize as a cast: Worm The majority of coral reefs are built in warm seas because: Their skeletons persist longer in warm waters Fossils which denote specific short periods of time are called: Index fossils Paleozoic corals lived mainly in: warm, shallow seas Evidence of organic activity is preserved in rocks as: Coprolites, trace fossils and bioturbation Trace fossils include: Tracks, feces, and burrowsWhich is the most important factor affecting preservation potential: Rate of burial If a mold is filled with mineral material result is: Cast What is the most common means of fossilizing plants: Carbonization What is the most common material forming petrified woods: Silica Trilobites first evolved in: Cambrian Pelecypods are generally characterised by: Two shells equal size, bilat eral symmetry, powerful muscles What are the subdiviso ns of the geological time scale from longest to shortest:: Era, Period, epoch sedimentary rocks are never older than igneous rocks: False A daughter element of uranium is: Lead If a bed conformably overlies another it means:no time interval is missing between them What is the approxcimate age of the oldest known rock on earth: 3. billion What is the gap in the stratigraphic record called: Unconformity Why did lord kelvin underestimate the age of the earth: radioactivity had not yet been discovered Living things contain: A constant % of carbon 14 in their tissue Which statement best describes the principle of uniformitariainsims: the present is the key to the past Radiometric dates of sedimentary particles may not represent the true age of the deposit: They are reworked from older rocks Principle of fossil zonation indicates that certain fossils occur: Only certain geological periods What is the most common way of determining abs olute age of a rock: Radioactivity What is a paleosoil-An ancient soil Sedimentary rocks are most accurately dated using: Fossils In shallow water sediments: there are many time gaps If strata are vertical: tilting has occurredFour primary geological ears are: Precambrian, paleozoic, mesozoi and Cenzsoic Relative age is determined mainly using fossils what is needed before doing this: evolutionary sequence Where is carbon 14 primarily produced: Earths atmosphere The evolutionary sequence of an organism is normally found by applying: principle of superposition The limbs of a syncline: Dip towards the center of the fold Forces that cause folding can also force: thrust faults Folding of rocks can occur: at great depths only Alps formed mainly as a result of : continental collision An inactive continental margin is found in: Nova Scotia The beds at the core of an aniticline are: Oldest and bowed downward Denudation means: eroding and exposing deep-seated rocksOlder rocks are generally e xposed at the centre of the eroded: anticline The miogeosyncline of a mountain chain is: Thrust faults Strike-slip faults move mainly-Horizontal The deepest earthquakes occur at a depth of about: 700 km Orogenesis: The formation of mountains A joint is: a fracture plane where motion has not occurred Mid-oceanic ridges are locations of: Formation of new crust Where is the earths crust thickest: Beneath mountainous regions The apls are higher than the Appalachians because: they are younger Dip and strike are: ways to measure deformed bed The average thickness of the oceanic crust is about: 8km The crustal plates movement is measured in: cm/year Inactive continental margins have considerable: sedimentation

Surah Fatiha

Surah Fatiha is the first surah of the quran. This surah is also called†The Mother of the Quran†. Surah Fatiha is considered as a summarized surah of the Quran. We recite Surah Fatiha 17times a day in our 5 time prayers.† When the Prophet Muhammad ? said to a companion that he would teach him the greatest chapter in the Quran, he recited Surah Al Fatihah† The Prophet Muhammad ? said that â€Å"Whoever does not recite Surah Al Fatihah in his prayer, his prayer is invalid†. This Surah is a condition for the effectiveness of the prayer. It is the Makki Surah of the Holy Quran, which means that it was revealed on the Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) while He was in Makkah. It was initially the 5th chapter to be disclosed but after Furqan e Hameed was assembled together, it was put at the beginning.Surah Al-Fatiha itself means â€Å"The Opening† as this chapter comes right at the start of the Holy Book. Moreover, it also serves as the starting of Salah. It also has the honor of being the very first Surah that is made known completely. Although it consists of 7 Ayats only, but it still explains the Veneration of the Almighty in a very comprehensive fashion and also is a great means of supplication of asking Allah for keeping one on the right path.Virtues of Surah FatihaThere are many virtues associated with this Surah. Hazrat Abu Saeed al-Khudri narrates: â€Å"While on a journey we halted at a place. A girl came to us and said: â€Å"The chief of this tribe has been stung by a scorpion and our men are not present, is there anybody amongst you who can recite something upon him to treat him?† Then, one of our men went along with her although we did not think that he knew any such treatment. However, our friend went to the chief and recited something upon him and the chief was cured. Thereupon, the chief gave him thirty sheep and gave us all milk to drink. When he returned, we asked our friend: â€Å"Did you know anything to recite upon him to cure him?† He said: â€Å"No, I only recited Umm al-Kitab (i.e. Surah al-Fatiha) upon him.† We said that do not do anything until we reach Madinah and ask the Prophet regarding this (practice and rewardwhether the sheep were lawful or not for us). Upon reaching Madinah, we narrated this to the Prophet (PBUH), whereupon he remarked: â€Å"How did he come to know that Al-Fatiha can be used as a cure? (PBUH) Distribute your reward amongst yourselves and a lot a share for me as well†.† (Sahih Bukhari)Theme of Surah FatihaThe essence of the Quran is Surah Fatiha. Surah fatiha is paired surah. It can be recited alone but you cannot start reciting other surah before Surah Fatiha, we must have to recite Surah Fatiha and then the other Surah of the Quran. Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) said† The greatest i can recite is Surah Fatiha. This surah has a mind boogling tafseer and its impact on human life is great. This is the only surah on which Allah Himself commented, there is no other surah than this on which Alllah commented. Surah Fatiha starts with the praise of Allah and ends with a dua that Allah guide us the path on which your mercy is bestowed not the opposite of this. Brief Tafseer of Surah Fatiha1)In the Name of Allah The first ayah of Surah Fatiha is: In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Most Merciful. (Al-Fatiha:This phrase is known as the bismillah. It is good to recite it before doing any action.Surah Fatiha is the surah which makes every muslim wheather he is Aalim(Scholar), or Jahil, man or woman to accept that they dont to how to live life.If you accept that you know nothing than Surah Fatiha is the guidance surah, which shows how to live a perfect life, which path to follow and who to obey.All Praise is due to Allah The second ayah is: All praise be to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds. (Al-Fatiha: 2)The Meaning of Hamd and the Difference between Hamd and Shukr Hamd means praise and also thankfulness. The scholars differed as to the relation between the words hamd and shukr. Some said that they both have the same meaning. So, the meaning of hamd, in their view, is the same as shukr (thankfulness, gratitude). Hamd is something which must be done with love and reverence, but shukr does not need this. Shukr is done in response to a favour which is done to a person but hamd is done simply because the one being praised and thanked is worthy of that. â€Å"Whatever is created in between land and sky is created for a mean but non-muslim dont understand and deny the existence of Allah. If we ponder in the universe we see the huge and perfectly creation of everything so we came to conclusion that who created perfect design of a universe must be a perfect creator and surely these people are the best who know their God. The word Rab which means master of the master in terms of having full knowledge of each and everything.The Beneficent, The Most Merciful The third ayah is: The Beneficent, The Most Merciful. (Al-Fatih: 3)We see that these two words are already mentioned above and now they are mentioned again. The previous ayah mentioned that Allah is the Rab of the mankind. So again in this ayah it says the Ar-rehman and Raheem which means Allah being the Rab of the Mankind is all part of mercy for us, Allah is one who loves humans 70times more than a mother's love.Master of the Day of Reward The fourth ayah is: The Only Owner of the Day of Recompense. (Al-Fatiha: 4)Malik which means king, the dominion of a person. In this ayah we clearly see that Allah is the lord of the mankind. At the day of judgement when all mankind will be gathered and each person will be either rewarded or punished on their deeds. We see that Allah is the one who will have absolute power on the day of judgment and no other creation will hold such power to resist the enforcement of punishments that He decrees or to prevent anyone from receiving the rewards that He decides to confer.You (Alone) We Worship The fifth ayah is: You (alone) we worship and You (alone) we ask for help. (Al-Fatiha: 5)This is the middle of the surah and the shift of the surah. At this point there is a great shift in the surah. In previous 3 ayah we already praised Allah. Allah says this ayah is now between Me and my worshipper, I will give my worshipper whatever he/she asks for. â€Å"We worship† means we obey. Worship is obedience and self-abasement. It means to humble yourself before Allah (SWT) and to submit to His Will. Outwardly it is self-abasement, but in reality, it is glory and beautification. The ayah affirms the Lordship of Allah and affirms that worship is due to Him. â€Å"Iyyaaka nasta'een† means we seek help, support and success. Usually, in most sentences the verb comes first and then the object; but in this ayah the object of the verb is mentioned first and then the verb. So why is this? It is in order to attach importance to it, to Allah (SWT). It also refers the status of the slave and his worship which is lower so it will come after mentioning the Lord, Allah (SWT).Guide us on the Straight Path The sixth ayah is: Guide us on the Straight Path. (Al-Fatiha: 6)In previous ayah as Allah mentioned that whatever my worshipper will ask I will give him. So whats better than to ask Allah to guide us the straigth path, guide us the path which will benefit us in this world and in the hereafter. For example in normal life when we visit some new often we often need someone to guide us to the destination so we ask someone and he illustrates us the directions. But in this ayah we ask Allah to hold our hands and guide us the path like hold our hands and take us the right place we are looking for. The word seerat means road or a path. But whats the difference between seerat and tareeq or sabeel? Seerat is a road on which we go and get our goals, it is the shortest road with great space for everyone to join. The word Mustaqeem also means straight path, which emphasis the straightness of the path. It means to remain firm and stand without tilting. We should avoid to fall and follow the wrong path.The Path of Those†¦ The seventh and final ayah is: The path of those you have blessed, not of those with anger on them, nor of those who are astray. (Al-Fatiha: 7)As it is mentioned in the previous ayah that guide us the straight path, so there must be a choice of a path which we want Allah to guide us, which path is that? It is the path on which Allah has granted his blessed but not his anger. Whosoever obeys Allah, and the Messenger, they are with those whom Allah has favored, the Prophets, the sincere, the martyrs and the righteous, and these are the best company. (Al-Nisa': 69)So, the favored and blessed people are the Prophets, the righteous, the martyrs and the pious. And who are the people with anger on them and those who are astray? This is explained by the Prophet. ‘Adi ibn Hatim (RA) asked him about those with anger on them and he replied that it refers to the Jews. He then asked him about those who are astray and he replied that it refers to the Christians. This is reported by al-Tirmidhi and is authentic

Loneliness in Hamlet

Loneliness in Hamlet The article â€Å"Personal and Social Influences on Loneliness: The Mediating Effect of Social Provisions† defined loneliness by stating, â€Å"First, loneliness is thought to result from perceived deficiencies in one’s social world. Second, loneliness is thought to be a subjective state experienced by the individual, rather than some objective feature in the individual’s social world. Third, this experience frequently is unpleasant and distressing† (Kraus et al. 85). Everyone faces loneliness and despair in their lives.In today’s world people may feel misunderstood or isolated, or they could feel deficient because the lack a family or missing a loved one. In Hamlet, much of the loneliness and suffering he endures is due to the secrets he is forced to keep. There were many instances where Hamlet felt alone and upset, but he could not share his pain with anyone else. We can also find examples of Hamlet’s despair due to bet rayal from his so-called friends. The loneliness and despair in Hamlet are factors that added to his suffering and caused his overall demise.Hamlet is a lonely, isolated character, with few friends and little faith in humanity. His loneliness plays a great role in his downfall, by alienating him from his friends and family and eventually taking control of his actions. He does not share the knowledge of his father's murder with anyone. He can't trust his friends and family, and he hides his true feelings from his only love, Ophelia, adding to her insanity. These events eventually lead to his downfall, and could have been avoided by sharing his dilemma.Throughout the play, Hamlet discovers who is loyal to him and also who his real enemies are. Right away, Hamlet dislikes his uncle. He is already distraught over losing his father, but he has also to deal with the marriage of his beloved mother to his uncle, who killed his father and whom he perceives as being cruel and cold-hearted. Ha mlet refers to his uncle as, â€Å"A little more than kin, and less than kind† (1. 2. 564). This clearly demonstrates the extreme hatred Hamlet has towards his uncle. Hamlet also feels intensely betrayed by his mother.Claude Williamson states that â€Å"[†¦] the shock which he suffered on hearing of the murder and on realizing the full horror of his mother's action made, as it were, a wound in his mind, which hurt whenever he thought of his uncle or of his mother's connection with that uncle† (98). Hamlet trusted his mother and feels as if she has disregarded any love she ever felt towards her former husband. In Hamlet’s eyes, his mother has offended his father, and he blames her for his death. Hamlet says to his mother, â€Å"A bloody deed!Almost as bad, good mother, As kill a king, and marry with his brother† (3. 4. 621). This shows that he is revolted by the idea of the marriage between his uncle and his mother. Hamlet also encounters loneliness a nd despair with Ophelia. Due to his experiences throughout the play, Hamlet distances himself from Ophelia, whom he is actually in love with. He does this by insulting her and convincing her that he is mad and never had any true feelings for her. By pretending to be mad and not telling Ophelia about his true feelings, he is misleading her as well.Ophelia believed his affections were true and she fell in love, only to be crushed by his madness. However, in his madness, Hamlet came to see Ophelia in a disheveled state, â€Å"[†¦ ] with his doublet all unbraced, no hat upon his head, his stockings fouled, ungartered, and down-gyved to his ankle, pale as his shirt, his knees knocking [†¦ ]† and frightened her (2. 1. 585). Her father bid her not to speak to him, and she complied. Poor Hamlet sank deeper into his madness, alone and dejected. Ophelia, also depressed, was ready to take her own life.Hamlet is devastated because he never actually meant to hurt her. Hamlet say s, â€Å"I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum† (5. 1. 654). This shows how much Hamlet truly loved Ophelia. The last factor that contributed to Hamlet’s loneliness is that he didn’t share his problems with anyone (except for Horatio). He hid his hatred towards his uncle, the loss he felt with his mother, and the secret of his encounter with his murdered father’s ghost. If he had told more people his secrets, then they could have been more willing to help him.The person who could have helped him the most and spared him the most grief is Ophelia. By telling her about his father’s murder and about his plan to avenge his death, Ophelia would have provided Hamlet with comfort and understanding. His tragic flaw came from the misleading act he put on in order to hide his ambitions, and the crafty schemes he came up with to reach his goals. However, some topics are so complex that Hamlet may face limitations in discussing them with people who are not as deep as he.Hamlet’s loneliness was caused by many incidents, some of which Hamlet brought upon him himself. Had he shared his problems with the few people he could trust, and not hidden the knowledge of his father's murder, he might have avoided the great loss of his family, his friends, and his life. Secrets, deception, and despair plagued Hamlet throughout the play, and ultimately caused his downfall. It is important that we have support from our friends through difficult times. When we alienate people by keeping secrets from them, it is to our disadvantage. We cause our own loneliness.

Conflicts and disputes on commercial projects Essay

Conflicts and disputes on commercial projects - Essay Example The business deal is characterised by a choice to close the deal or walk away from it and on the other side a contractual agreement is entered into out of shear necessity. Contractual agreements have no option of walking away from hence senior managers should be aware of this fact before appending their signatures on the dotted lines. Even if a project and its distribution of work is better defined and the parties are better prepared and even if the contract is better drafted there still will be changes that give rise to disagreements between parties. In any commercial project, there will be unforeseeable changes that will require to be handled by the parties in a commercial manner. Hence there is need for an effective way of handling such disagreements for the project to be completed on time and with satisfactory results for the parties involved (Altfeld, 2010, p. 3-7). The presence of attitudes and aspects such as confrontation, problem solving, compromising, smoothing and withdraw al could all be applied by a strong facilitator to solve conflicts between team members. Leaders need to understand that most conflicts, in fact, contribute enormously to the experience and well performance of a team and for that reason must be regarded as constructive elements of multi-framework as long as the conflict is managed properly and channelled by a facilitator. Facilitation helps others to voice their views comfortably and avoid power and personality conflicts, (Spiess & Felding, 2008, p.407) According to Lowe and Leiringer, (2006, p.264) disputes and conflicts on projects or contracts are unpleasant and unavoidable at the same time as they divert valuable resources from the overall aim, which must be completion on time, on budget and to the quality specified to other unnecessary tasks such as dispute or conflict negotiations. In addition, they generally cost money and take time to solve, and they can destroy relationships which may have taken years to develop. Conflict i n part of western societies and idioms; to use the academic jargon, there is a western dialect argument idiom. Conflict can be said to be a part of dynamic capitalism and an integral part of commercialism conflict in the current commercial world. It can as well be seen as the functional and necessary part and its management is seen where the emphasis is on the axiom that it must be in the interest of all the parties to avoid disputes by managing conflict in such a way that disputes do not arise as this is sometimes described as dispute avoidance. The understanding of a dispute on the other hand it is important as it can be said to only develop when conflict is not or cannot be managed. A dispute can be described as the unnecessary or dysfunctional element that brings about a diversion of resources from the real goal in terms of settling unnecessary scores. During dispute resolution, there must be occasions where the parties have legitimate disputes and that the techniques of dispute resolution are employed to bring about the conclusion or resolution of the dispute. Commercial management needs to recognise both conflict management and dispute resolution and hence have a different approach in addressing each of them. There has been strong evidence for the ability of commercial banks to signal their strong conflicts through their organisational structure. Contrary to the impression in the congressional hearings, the potential for conflict of interest was not something that was discovered among commercial banks the day after the 1929 crash of the stock market. Some bankers were well aware of the problem even in the middle decade, before the market heated up. The farmers’

Principles of Adult Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1

Principles of Adult Education - Essay Example Fron this discussion it is clear that  the focus is on the individual, and particularly that person’s conscious, rational activities of perceiving, interpreting, categorising and storing knowledge. Basically it depends upon the capabilities of an individual as to how he perceives learning. Schemata theorists, for example, suggest that as learners we first acquire new information, interpret it according to our previous experiences, then evaluate and remember concepts using our existing mental schemata or categories, and restructure our concepts and organising schemata as we are challenged by new experiences.This paper highlights that  in the everyday process of ‘meaning-making’ and problem solving, reflective theories explain that pupil learn procedural knowledge (how to do things or solve problems) and propositional knowledge (what things mean) through reflecting on experiences. But in critical reflection people question how they framed the problem in the firs t place. Even if no apparent problems exist, the thoughtful practitioner questions situations, asking why things are the way they are, why events unfold in the way they do.  One problem with explaining adult learning as a straightforward matter of individuals reflecting carefully and even critically on their experiences is that we are embedded so thoroughly in our cultures that we may not be able to distance our thinking from our own experiences.

Student's Post Week 1 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Student's Post Week 1 - Research Paper Example Your post does not however seem to identify or compare characteristics of the practices and environments (Dlabay, Scott and Scott, 2010). I therefore think that you did not identify the exact objective of the discussion. I like your post’s concept about the United States’ reliance on foreign human resource. You also identify the concept of wage difference that encourages people to emigrate from their native countries into the United States for better wages. Based on your concepts, I identify two business environments that distinguish the United States from the international set up. The health care business environment in the United States lacks sufficient human resource for service delivery while its remuneration rates are relatively higher than rates in some segments of the international set up and this offers the nation a comparative advantage towards attracting human resource. Your experience therefore identifies sufficient knowledge of business operations and environment in both the United States and the international set up (Marber, 2007; Dlabay, Scott and Scott, 2010). Your proposed strategy to reconciling the different and contradictory views on globalization is valid, though it does not seem to be comprehensive. Researching on the views will only develop another knowledge base without significant impacts on the existing positions. This identifies the need for further initiatives and efforts for merging the views because of their respective opposition to each other. Reconciliation would also require a credible and analytical approach to merging the different opinions. I therefore believe that key parties to the different positions should be involved in the knowledge development and their hard lines determined before exploring long term and wide scoped impacts of globalization. The approach is likely to develop a central position but you only responded to one section of the discussion question

Voronoi Diagram Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Voronoi Diagram - Essay Example Traditional GIS methods have been found to inapplicable for marine mapping. This is primarily because they were built for two-dimensional land application making it hard to integrate marine features into the model. Marine objects are also likely to move over time which cannot be modeled using the traditional GIS. These limitations necessitated the development of a new modeling system that can accurately incorporate marine features while allowing modifications to the system which does not require an overhaul of the whole model. Christopher Gold (1990) responded to the challenge by spearheading research and development of the Voronoi Diagram - a modeling system with a dual geometric structure. Most of the literature on the development of the VD, either in 2D or in 3D, was authored by him. Voronoi diagrams that were developed were able to solve most of the problems because of the following features: All of these features are available in 2D and 3D Voronoi Diagrams. This paper aims to differentiate 2D Voronoi Diagrams from 3D Voronoi Diagrams delineating their differences, advantages and disadvantages over the other. This paper also aims at pointing out the strengths and weakness of the two diagrams such that a conclusion on which one is more advantageous can be made. In 2D Voronoi Diagram, the cell surrounding a data point is a flat convex polygon having a defined number of neighbors (Gold and Ledoux, 1992). That is, its coordinates are only x and y with no z attribute. The analogy is the same as that of drawing figures on a piece of paper. When a plan view is done on the paper, one can see the shapes defined by the lines that were drawn. When the paper is leveled against one's eyesight, there are no figures which can be seen. This illustrates that no such elevation or depth attribute of the figures exist. The geometric dual structure of 2D Voronoi Diagrams are also "flat" in nature and are defined by Delaunay triangles. In Figure 1, Delaunay Triangles are shown by the dashed lines while the solid lines defining a polygon represent the cells surrounding a data point p.Figure 1. A 2D Voronoi Sample Output (Gold, 1991) The vertices of the triangle generating each Voronoi cell must satisfy the empty circumcircle test. A circle is considered empty when there are no points in its interior but more than three points can be directly on the circle - i.e. the points are on its edges. 3D Voronoi Diagram Construct 3-Dimensional Voronoi Diagrams, as implied by its name, have 3 coordinates defining the space where the figure can be drawn. As opposed to 2D VDs', leveling the plane of the paper with one's eyesight provides a view of the sides of a figure. An appropriate analogy would be that of the viewing a cube held by the hand. When the figure is viewed from the top, one can see a square. When the hand is leveled against one's eyesight, one can still see the figure of a square. The figure is a volumetric object. The convex polygon in a 2D, thru a construction algorithm, generalizes to a convex polyhedron. The geometric dual becomes a Delaunay tetrahedron. In Figure 2, the edges are the Delaunay edges joining the generator

Predictive Policing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Predictive Policing - Essay Example By making use of information technology through implementation of COMPSTAT, police departments are able to cut costs in their daily operations. In the past, police officers often used to make random patrols which would cost more to the departments since they had no prior knowledge of possible crime zones. Information technology has, therefore, made it possible to cut down costs by mapping out crime zones where police officers would make their patrols from (McDonald, 2002). It has been reported by police departments such as the New York City Police Department that information technology such as COMPSTAT has significantly improved performance of the organization through accountability at different departments in the organization. Each department is assigned with particular task and with the help of information technology; weak links or poor performance can easily be detected within the organization. Quick identification of crime coupled with prompt and creative solutions has enabled many police departments to perform better in recent years. Information technology has enable police officer to respond swiftly to crime through monitoring and evaluation of crime statistics of a given neighborhood or region. Creative solutions such as early detection or preventive measure have significantly improved their performance. Despite these numerous gains brought by the use of information technology, there are other setbacks that come along with it. Random patrols for instance, would be effective in situations where new crime zones develop. The use COMPSTAT places emphasis on known crime zones, leaving out other parts unpatrolled. In such an event, COMPSTAT would perform very poorly in determining patrol routes. Unless new data is introduced into the system, patrols by police based on COMPSTAT would be definite hence predictable. This means that criminals can easily predict patrol routes of police officers due to the predetermined route of patrol. In such

Detail-level technical architecture- Information technology Research Paper

Detail-level technical architecture- Information technology - Research Paper Example The overall system/farm encompasses system process and people (Shelly, & Rosenblatt, 2012). System process involves rules and procedures that must be followed when the system architecture is executing its operation to give out the most optimal solution (Object Management Group, Inc, 2012). On the other hand, people include; system architectural personnel, information system managers, Information Technology specialist and information security personnel’s who are responsible towards ensuring that the overall information system is running properly as intended (Wang & Wang, 2012). The technological infrastructural aspect may help adopt farm to address system security issues as well as problems attributed to organization governance because it integrate the entire system which allows system administrators to identify the potential problem and develop the most optimal solution (Lang, 2008). The Integrated Architectural design may help Adopt-A-Farm to operate virtually in a more effec tive and efficient manner (Dennis, Wixom & Roth, 2009). For proper analysis of the technical architecture artifacts, the following four divisions may be vital for the purpose of this analysis. The first division entails contextual level analysis, under this level, business visions, missions and drivers are integrated together and documented in a manner that provide the overall architectural design with a clear guideline on what is to be achieved (Schuck, 2007). Moreover, the guiding architectural principles are put so that it can be possible to identify the most urgent priorities and their effects on the operations of Adopt-A-Farm Business (Compton, W. D., & National Academy of Engineering, 1988). Additionally, contextual stage entails data collection and compilation which further provide a blue print for the overall architectural framework (Boucher & YalcÃŒ §in, 2006). Conceptual level analysis is the second division for technical architectural design. Under this level, the

Tumultuous Sixties Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Tumultuous Sixties - Essay Example However, their hopes were crushed when President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Lyndon Johnson replaced Kennedy as president and brought the culture of working actively to promote the lives of Americans. Johnson believed that the only way to improve the livelihoods of the American people is through education and ending poverty. Johnson introduced the Civil Rights Act from the urging of the Congress, which then outlawed discrimination that is openly based on race, color, sex, religion, national and origin in the American federal programs (Nicholas, 2012). There was an introduction of mechanisms for enforcement to the American culture where there was an open application for voting, employment and public accommodations of American citizens and residents regardless of the race, color and religion.President Johnson introduced new student loans and grant programs that were free from racial discrimination and supported the consumer-protection legislation act. The presidentâ€⠄¢s ambitions to end poverty in America led to the effort of championing for better education and job training. However, the effort enjoyed mixed success, as it was not fully successful. In essence, the federal programs and economic expansion that Johnson initiated increased the number of problems that the poor Americans faced (Nicholas, 2012). What Americans had thought of the administration of Johnson turned out negative and critics pointed out at the numerous assassinations and unrest that occurred during his rule.

Impact of New Media on Modern elections - Literature Review Essay

Impact of New Media on Modern elections - Literature Review - Essay Example Online democracy is not limited to polls and elections online. ICT does invite new opportunities. There are three categories broadly in which Internet voting may be classified – poll websites, kiosks and remote voting system. External influence is very common in case of remote voting compared to the well-monitored election booths. The problem of access cannot be ignored and the ‘digital divide’ exists across race, ethnicity and gender. The authors have also stated through thorough research that casting votes over the Internet might hamper the secrecy of a voter. The case presented here is that of TruE-Vote which uses smart card techniques and cryptography to design and formulate user accommodative system of voting through the Internet. Care has been taken such that the system is secret and secured. Field experiments were conducted through focus groups at five different locations. Tools used apart from the e-voting system designed include questionnaires. Results sh ow that the participants and pollsters did not expect that turnout rate would be influenced by this method of voting. Therefore the argument usually given in favor of e-voting (regarding increased turnouts) is proven wrong and the real cause could be cost curtail and time saving. The researchers concluded that traditional voting should not be substituted as his might leave out a large section of the population and internet voting might be used alongside the traditional ballot system. Also, despite expectations that e voting might enhance the democratic element there has been no definite plan about how this might be done in reality. (Besselaar and Oostveen 2004) With the advent of Facebook, Orkut and YouTube, a wide range of polling activities are already taking place on these sites. These websites obviously have great potential to assist the political elections as well but regulations will be essential. Already huge number of polls is taking place through Facebook. (Facebook: Polls, 2010) It is

Analysis of two stories from Roald Dahls Tales of the Unexpected Essay Example for Free

Analysis of two stories from Roald Dahls Tales of the Unexpected Essay The story is about an old lady, Mrs. Foster, who doesnt like to be late. Her husband teases her by always being a little bit too late, just to make her suffer. One day, she is going to Paris to see her daughter and her family, but she has to wait for her husband to be done, because he is driving with her, to be dropped off at a club. When he finally out in the car with her, he has forgot his present for her daughter, so he goes back into the house to get it. She goes up to the door of their house, but when she is about to open it, she suddenly hears a strange sound and goes back into the car. She tells the driver to go, even though; Mr. Foster is still in the house. She catches her plane and enjoys her time in Paris, but when she gets back home, after six weeks, there is no lead of Mr. Foster. Then she calls a guy, which can come and fix their lift. You would think that Mrs. Foster is the main character in this story, because we are following her life and the story starts up with an introduction of her. But at the same time, we are also introduced to Mr. Foster right after, and in the end of the story, you wonder if it actually was Mr. Foster, that we were supposed to keep up with, because he is kind of the victim in the end. Almost like we are told about how he died in their lift, because of his lunatic of a wife. And then still Mrs. Foster can be seen as the victim, because she is this sad woman, who is manipulated by her husband, and then finally does what she has always wanted to do, just in a more drastic way. So therefore I see them both as main characters in this story. Mrs. Foster is described in the text as a woman with a pathological fear of missing something, and if she feels that she is about to miss something, she gets into a state of nerves and starts to wink with her left eye, because of a vellicating muscle in the corner of her eye. She lives in a large six-storey house in New York City, on East Sixty-Second Street with her husband and they have four servants. She is also a modest woman, who has served his husband loyally and well, for over thirty years, but she still wonders sometimes, if his husband always is being late on purpose, just to torture her. Her biggest wish is to live in Paris, so she can see her daughter, her son in law and her grandchildren all the time. Mr. Foster is nearly seventy years old and also living with his wife in their large six-storey house. He is described in the text as a man who tortures her wife, by always being late, because he is irritated by her making a fuss about everything. And he smokes cigars. We can tell by their big house, their four servants and their rented car with a chauffeur, that they are a very wealthy couple. They dont speak to each other like a normal couple; Mr. Foster has disciplined Mrs. Foster to not say, what she wants to say, like she is under his control. Like it says in the text; that she would never dare to call out and tell him to hurry. He had disciplined her too well for that. The Landlady The story is about a young man, Billy Weaver, who has travelled down from London, and now he needs a place to sleep. He was told that he should try The bell and dragon, but on his way down to the hotel, he suddenly catches sight of a printed notice, that says BED AND BREAKFAST on a boarding house. He stares at the notice and feels like the words are a large black eye that is staring at him, like he is forced to go in, so he decides to do it. A middle-aged woman invites him in and shows him where he is going to sleep, and she keeps talking about how she has been waiting for a young boy like him. He later finds out, when he is about to write in her guestbook, that only two other guys has been staying there, and the latest guest is over two years ago. He finds it strange that he feels like he has heard these two guys names before. She keeps getting him to drink her tee, and then he suddenly notices that the dog he thought was alive is dead and stuffed. She tells him that she has stuffed them herself. When he sits for a moment, he finds out where he has heard the other guests names before, he has read about them being missing, in the newspaper. The main character in this story is definitely Billy Weaver, because we are following his moves and thoughts of the weird lady. Billy Weaver is seventeen years old and he has travelled from London. He is wearing a navy-blue overcoat, a brown trilby hat and a brown suit. He is a young businessman and he is trying to do everything briskly. When he is told that there has only been two guests before him and that the last guest was over two years ago, and that they are even still living there, he is a bit naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve not to see that something is really weird. But you also know that he must be a smart kid, if he is already a businessman and he reads the newspaper. The old lady seems kind and harmless in the beginning, because she is calling him my dear and smiling all the time. And like it says in the text; She looked exactly like the mother of ones best school-friend welcoming one into the house to stay for the Christmas holidays. But when things get more and more weird, Billy starts to think that she is slightly dotty and off her rocker. We also know that she has a bad memory, because she has a hard time remembering her guests names. Billy and the old lady have no relation, the old lady is a total stranger to Billy, but he somehow seems to trust her anyway. And Billy is also a total stranger to the old lady, but she keeps talking like if she knew that exactly he would show up on her doorstep, almost like if she had been watching him. Comparison of the two stories Both stories are written by an omniscient 3rd person. And in both of the stories they are using the language dear; In The landlady the old lady probably uses it, because many British old women spoke like that in the old days, but also to sound extra kind, to Billy. And in The way up to heaven, it sounds like they are only using it because the finer families spoke like that in the old days. So both of the stories could be going on in, maybe the 50s. Mrs. Foster and the landlady are both killers, but really different kinds; Mrs. Foster is feeling trapped in her marriage and she has a fair reason not to save him, when she has the chance. And the landlady is simply a lonely lunatic, who wants fake company, by stuffing her victims. The landlady is killing them herself and Mrs. Foster just didnt save him, when she could. The main theme in both of the stories is deception, because in both of the stories, the victims have faith in their killers, but are duped by them. The ending of The landlady Then he said Are you sure Mulholland and Temple are upstairs? with a stiff look on his face. Of course they are, my dear. Im sure they are enjoying themselves, you shouldnt worry that much. She answered. Billys eyes flickered and his legs felt so heavy, when he tried to stand up. Sit down, my dear. It will soon be over she said, with a calm tone in her voice, like nothing was wrong. Billy couldnt walk, so he sat down again and tried to hold his head still. Something is wrong with me! What did you give me? he yelled with a pathetic voice. She smiled and went over to the windows to draw the curtains, and when she sat down again, she started telling him, that she had been looking forward to having such a young boy in the house, and that she had been waiting for him for such a long time. Why do you want me, you crazy woman? he said. Youre just perfect, my dear. So young and handsome! she said, still witch a nice and calming voice. Billy didnt get to say much more, before everything turned black. One month later MISSING! A seventeen year old boy named Billy Weaver, last seen in Bath.

Evaluating Human Resource Planning At Shandrani Hotel

Evaluating Human Resource Planning At Shandrani Hotel For any business to perform well, it must acquire and optimize the deployment of people with talent. Identifying the right talent to fill particular positions and roles is critical to an organizations effective functioning. All, too often, though, businesses fail to devote sufficient attention to this issue. Organizations and jobs will never be the same eternally. Changes are based on the global economy, on changing technology, on our changing work force, on cultural and demographic changes, and on the changing nature of work itself. We need to learn new skills and develop new abilities, to respond to these changes in our lives, our careers, and our organizations. HR planning is a decision making process that combines three important activities which are: identifying and acquiring the right number of people with the proper skills, motivating them to achieve high performance and creating interactive links between business objectives and people planning activities. The purpose of this assignment is to document on the human resource planning at Shandrani Hotel as HR planning is based on the belief that people are an organizations most important strategic resource. We will try to show how far theory can be put into practice as it is difficult to predict the future and also the policies and strategies within the organization can shift suddenly from one priority to the other. Moreover there is lack of evidence that Human Resource Planning really works as there has been little research evidence of increased use or of its success. To assess future requirement of new staff both in terms of numbers and of levels of skills and competences, formulating and implementing plans to meet those requirements through proper recruitment and training. Due to huge competition and globalisation around the world, managers have, to train and develop their employees to make them more efficient in the workplace. Human resource planning refers to the process of employing the right person for the right job. In all industry, organisation have now realised the importance of human resource planning, and all organisation may have different approach to HRP, however, this assignment lays focus in one particular sector, that is the tourism sector. Tourism sector which is labour intensive compared to other industries, for instance, sugar industry which is machine intensive. Therefore the application of human resource planning shall differ and be applied according to the need of the organisation. Chapter 1 gives an idea about what is the position of tourism in Mauritius, we can therefore deduce from past figures that tourism industry is growing, thus very profitable for Mauritian economy Chapter 2 defines the Human Resource planning since its year of introduction to its actual use in the market. We have compiled the views of various theorists on HRP. Chapter 3 shows the procedures followed to gather information for the assignment, with particular reference to Shandrani Resort and Spa. Chapter 4 gives an overview about Beachcomber group and presents Shandrani Resorts and Spa. Chapter 5 will focus on the process of Human Resource Planning at Shandrani Resort and Spa. CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF TOURISM SECTOR IN MAURITIUS The tourism sector, besides facing cut-throat competition knew an excellent performance for the first semester of 2010. Figures from the Central Statistical Office (CSO) of Mauritius has revealed that tourists arrivals for the period January-June 2010, has attained its 439,150 compared to 413,504 in the corresponding year of 2009, thus representing an increase of 6.2%. The tourism industry is of such paramount importance for the Mauritian economy, that the figures indicating the importance for the Mauritian economy towards GDP is expected to rise from 26.5% (MUR 77.8bn) to 32.4% (MUR216.4bn) in 2010. The credits of the massive increases go to a combination of factors, such as aggressive advertising campaigns abroad, the opening up of air access to the country coupled with the increased capacity of airlines already serving the route and the greater consensus amongst all the industry stakeholders. At the end of June 2010, there were 104 registered hotels in Mauritius, with a total room capacity of 11,362 and 23,168 bed places. For the first semester of 2010, the room occupancy rate for all hotels averaged to 64% compared to 59% in the corresponding semester of 2009 while the bed occupancy rate was 56% against 52%. Data from Bank of Mauritius indicates that gross tourism receipts for the first semester of 2010 were MUR 19,869m that is an increase of 8.5% compared to MUR18.249m for the same period of 2009. Based on data available on tourist arrivals for the first six months of the year 2010 and information gathered from various stakeholders, the Central Statistical Office (CSO) and the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) forecast of receiving nearly 1 million tourists this year, representing 5% year on year. According to Bank of Mauritius, tourism receipts for this year will be around MUR 935 millions, representing an increase of 6.3% over last year figures. Moreover, in order to tap the hospitality industry in Mauritius, major Indian hotel chains are aggressively setting up hotels in the country. According to Vijaye Haulder, Deputy Director, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA), about 5 major hospitality chains in India are in talks with the Mauritian government for getting land to build hotels. All these hotels are expected to add about 1500 rooms in the next three-four years. The Sagar Hotel Group which is already running two luxury hotels in Mauritius is planning another hotel spread over 20 acres in the country. The tourism industry is a colossal pillar for the Mauritian economy because we have a lot to give, sell and share with the world. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.0 Introducing HRP Organizations are presently operating in a rapidly changing and competitive environment. Managers have to optimize the use of the available employees in order to be competitive. HRP therefore attempts to reconcile organisations needs for resources with available supply of labour. HRP therefore results in matching people to the job, that is, the right people doing the right thing. HRP needs to be adjusted from time to time because the goals and objectives of an organization are not stable due to various uncertainties. 2.1 Defining HRP Walker (1980) defines it as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a management process of analyzing an organisations human resource needs under changing conditions and developing the activities necessary to satisfy these needs. Similarly, Vetter (1967), Burrack and Mathys (1985) define it as a process aimed at assisting management to determine how the organization should move from its current staffing position to its desired position. Nel et al (2008:216) maintains that HR planning ensures that a predetermined amount of employees with appropriate skills, knowledge and abilities are available at a specified time in the future à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Hr planning therefore systematically identifies what is needed to be able to guarantee their availability. As defined by Bulla and Scott (1994), it is the process for ensuring that the human resource requirements of an organization are identified and plans are made for satisfying those requirements. From the definitions of Human Resource planning proposed by the various researchers and practitioners, it is possible to attempt to define what HRP is in todays circumstances. It is in our terms a management process designed to translate strategic objectives into targeted quantitative and qualitative skill requirements, to identify the human resource strategies and objectives necessary to fulfill these requirements over both the shorter and the longer terms, As Quinn Mills indicates, human resource planning is a decision-making process that combines three important activities: 1) Identifying and acquiring the right number of people with the proper skills, 2) Motivating them to achieve high performance, and 3) Creating interactive links between business objectives and people-planning activities. However, it must be recognized that although the notion of human resource planning is well established in the HRM vocabulary it does not seem to be established as a key HR activity. As Rothwell (1995) suggests: Apart from isolated examples, there has been little research evidence of increased use or of its success. She explains the gap between theory and practice as arising from: The impact of change and the difficulty of predicting the future the need for planning may be the inverse proportion of its feasibility; The shifting kaleidoscope of policy priorities and strategies within organizations; The distrust displayed by many managers of theory or planning- they often prefer pragmatic adaptation to conceptualization; The lack of evidence that human resource planning really works.and to provide necessary feedback mechanism to assess progress. Overall the purpose of the planning is to invoke an institutional learning process and to generate information which can be utilized to support management decision-making in all staffing areas. 2.2 The process of Human Resource Planning (HRP) Organizations engage in the process of HRP to identify HR needs and the ways of meeting those needs. Business strategic plan; Defining future activity levels and initiatives demanding new skills. Resourcing strategy; Contributes to the formulation and implementation of business strategies. It refers to planning in order to achieve competitive advantage by developing intellectual capital employing more people than rivals; these people will have a wider and deeper range of skills and behave in ways that maximize their contribution-The organisation attracts such people by being an employer of choice. Scenario planning; assessing in broad terms where the organisation is going in its environment and the implications for human resource requirement. Scenario planning has been fairly described as a formal process but it can also be regarded as an informal approach to thinking about the future in broad terms, based upon an analysis of likely changes in the external and internal environment.(Armstrong 2001) The next stage in the process involves predicting how the need for and the availability of Human resource is likely to change in the future. Demand forecasting; estimating the future quantity and quality of people required. The ideal basis of the forecast is an annual budget and longer term business plan, translated into activity levels for each function and department or decisions on downsizing. Various demand forecasting methods are available and they will be analyzed below: managerial or expert judgment This is the most common method and it simply requires management to sit down and estimate the human resources necessary to achieve corporate goals. ratio-trend analysis It is carried out by identifying past trends, using statistical and mathematical techniques and project these into the future to determine requirements. work-study techniques This is effective when individual components of jobs can be measured. This job is broken down into discrete tasks, measure the time taken to complete each component and calculating the amount of labour required. modeling Mathematical modeling techniques using computers help to prepare demand forecast. Supply forecasting; measuring the number of people likely to be available from within and outside the organization having allowed for absenteeism, internal movements, and promotions among others. The forecast will be based on: 1) An analysis of the existing human resources in terms of skills, occupations 2) Forecast losses to existing resources through attrition/labour wastage. 3) Forecast changes to existing resources through internal promotions 4) Effects of changing condition of work and absenteeism 5) Source of supply from within the organization 6) Source of supply from outside the organization in national and local labour market Analysing internal human resources The review of current resources needs to cut organizational and occupational boundaries to provide inventories of skills and potential. It may be important 1) To know how many people with potential promotion exist and where they can be found 2) To know how many people have special skills and abilities in the organization 3) To identify the problems that may arise from retirement In fact the above can help to ensure that the organization is making the most efficient use of its existing resources and can help to identify any potential problem areas. Analysing external supply External supply of potential employees needs to be indentifies- some factors which can have important impacts on the supply of manpower at local and national market are: Population densities within reach of company The attractiveness of the company as a place to work in The effect of changing educational patterns, students staying longer in schools Analysing demand and supply forecasts The demand and supply forecast can then be analyzed to determine whether there are any deficits or surpluses in human resource. This provides the basis for recruitment, retention and if unavoidable, downsizing plans. It refers to the analysis of the number of people leaving the organisation. It provides data for use in supply forecasting, so that calculations can be made on the number of people lost who may have to be replaced. Moreover, an analysis of the number of leavers and the reasons behind their leaving the company will indicate whether actions are needed to improve retention rates. The most common method of measuring labour turnover is expressed as follows: Number of leavers in a specific period x 100 Average number of employees during same period This measure is used most effectively on a comparative basis and frequently provides the basis for internal and external benchmarking. Investigations into reasons for turnover are undertaken via exit interviews and leaver questionnaires or even through attitude surveys. Reasons for leaving are: More pay Better career prospects More security Poor relationships with manager or team leader Bullying, harassment Labour turnover can be very costly since it represents an opportunity cost of time spent by HR and Line Manager in recruitment, loss arising from reduce input from new starters until they are fully-trained, direct costs of introducing induction course. Work-environment analysis It refers to the analysis of the environment in which the people work in terms of scope it provides for them to use and develop their skills and achieve satisfaction. Operational effectiveness analysis Analysing productivity, the utilisation of people and the scope for increasing flexibility to respond to new and changing demand. Human Resource Plans The HR plans are derived from the resourcing strategy and takes into account data from a combination of scenario planning, demand and supply and forecasting and labour turnover analysis. Again there is a lack of certainty and predictability. The plans often have to be short term and flexible because of the difficulty of making firm predictions about HR requirement in times of rapid change. (Armstrong 2001: 375) Plans need to be prepared in the areas of resourcing, flexibility, retention, downsizing and productivity Resource planning This is primarily concerned with preparing plans for finding people from within the organisation, recruiting externally and attracting high quality candidates as the employer choice Internal resourcing is the first step to analyse the availability of suitable people from within the organisation, by referring t assessments of potential and a skill database- decisions can be made to promote, redeploy and provide extra training to eligible staffs. The recruitment plan would include the number and type of employees required to make up any deficits and when they are needed. The likely sources of recruits are colleges, advertising. Plan for trapping alternative sources such as part timers How recruitment programme will be conducted Employer of choice plan Recruitment plans should include plan for attracting good candidates by ensuring that the organization will become an employer of choice. Initiatives to become an employer of choice might include Providing opportunities for development and career progression Addressing work life balance issue Better remuneration packages Retention Plan Man Fred De Vries (cited in Williams 2000:28) stated that todays high performers are like frogs in a wheelbarrow: they can jump anytime Various organizations recognize this and are turning their attention to key staff. Retention measures can include the following: Pay and benefit competitive rates of pay, flexible benefits Recruitment and selection set appropriate standards, match people to posts, provide an accurate picture of the job Training and development good induction processes, provision of development opportunities to meet the needs of the individual and the organizations. Job design, provision of interesting work as much autonomy and ream working as possible. Management ensures that managers and supervisors have the skills to manage efficiently. Flexibility Plan Planning for increased flexibility in the use of Human Resource to enable the organization to make the best of its people and adapt swiftly to changing circumstances. Armstrong suggests that the aim of the flexibility plan should be to Provide for greater operational flexibility Improve the utilization of employees skills and capabilities Reduce employment costs Help to achieve downsizing smoothly and avoid the need for compulsory redundancies Increase productivity Thus strategies like job sharing, home working, tele working, subcontracting and employing part time workers should be implemented. Productivity Plan It sets out programmes for improving productivity and reducing employment costs in such areas as: Improving methods, systems and processes Mechanization, automation and computerization The use of financial and non financial incentives Downsizing plan The downsizing plan is implemented as last resort if all else fails It may be necessary to deal with unacceptable employment costs/surplus number of employees by downsizing. The downsizing plan should be based on timing of reductions and the process itself. The plan should set out the following: The number of people who have to go and when and where this need to take place A forecast of the likely numbers who will be volunteer to leave Arrangement for informing and consulting with employees and their trade unions 2.3 Aims of HRP Planning of human resource is extremely important as it enables the optimum use of the most valuable asset of an organization in the attainment of its objectives and goals. To find gaps and devise solutions. As we say, nobody plans to fail; they just fail to plan. To attract and retain the number of people with the appropriate skills, expertise and competencies To anticipate the problems of potential surplus and deficits of people To develop a well trained and flexible workforce, thus contributing to the organizations ability to adapt to an uncertain and changing environment To reduce dependence on external recruitment when key skills are in short supply by formulating retention as well as employee development strategies. 2.4 Factors affecting HRP Employment HRP is affected by the employment situation in the country i.e. in countries where there is greater unemployment; there may be more pressure on the company, from government to appoint more people. Similarly some company may force shortage of skilled labour and they may have to appoint people from other countries. Technical changes in the society Technology changes at a very fast speed and new people having the required knowledge are required for the company. In some cases, company may retain existing employees and teach them the new technology and in some cases, the company has to remove existing people and appoint new. Organizational changes Changes take place within the organization from time to time i.e. the company diversify into new products or close down business in some areas etc. in such cases the HRP process i.e. appointing or removing people will change according to situation. Demographic changes Demographic changes refer to things referring to age, population, composition of work force etc. A number of people retire every year. A new batch of graduates with specialization turns out every year. This can change the appointment or the removal in the company. Shortage of skill due to labour turnover Industries having high labour turnover rate, the HRP will change constantly i.e. many new appointments will take place. This also affects the way HRP is implemented. Multicultural workforce Workers from different countries travel to other countries in search of job. When a company plans its HRP it needs to take into account this factor also. Pressure groups Company has to keep in mind certain pleasure. Groups like human rights activist, woman activist, media etc. as they are very capable for creating problems for the company, when issues concerning these groups arise, appointment or 2.5 Human resource activities Human Resource (HR) planning is imperative to an organizations success. It serves as an analysis of the current and future needs of the organization. This process helps guide an organization in several areas, such as staffing, development, training, and benefits and compensation designs. Staffing Staff, or personnel, planning is one of the most common activities conducted by HR departments, according to an article on AllBusiness.com. It typically is comprised of using the current staff size and design to predict staffing levels for the upcoming year. HR departments may utilize a companys strategic plan as a resource for information. For example, if an organization intends to launch a new interactive website in the following year, the HR department will budget for additional staff to build and maintain the website. Training and Development HR departments create training and employee development plans as well. This type of planning must be conducted in advance of the companys needs in order to prepare for them, both from financial and resource perspectives. Training for new employees and product rollouts may be included. Teaching current employees new skills is considered an aspect of development. Organizations benefit from having streamlined and consistent training programs Career Development Career development is imperative in order to prepare an organization for upcoming retirements, as well as to retain long-term employees. Companies need to have a strategic plan on how they intend to replace their management with qualified leaders. This means that current employees should have career road maps and plans that incorporate both short-term and long-term goals. For example, if an organization is grooming a top, young salesperson for the management track in five years, training should begin now. This may include time management courses, classes on how to coach others and a mentor program. Downsizings When companies foresee an upcoming need to downsize, its in their best interest to have their HR departments plan for it in advance to ensure that the process is smooth and orderly, and complies with all legal requirements. This type of planning also may prevent loss of knowledge and resources. Some companies begin the downsizing process by eliminating non-essential personnel. Others lay off administrative staff, but keep money-generating positions. Organizations may be hit by lawsuits and high unemployment costs if downsizing is not strategically planned. 2.6 Advantages and disadvantages of HRP HRP, in both its traditional and more contemporary forms, can be perceived to have a number of distinct advantages. Firstly, it is argued that planning can help to reduce uncertainty as long as plans are adaptable. Although unpredictable events do occur, the majority of organizational change does not happen overnight so the planning process can provide an element of control, even if it is relatively short term. Taylor (2002 : 73-74) suggests that in the HR field there is potentially more scope for change and adaptation in six months than there is in relation to capital investment in new plant and machinery. Thus he argues that many of the assumptions about the difficulties of planning generally are less relevant to HR. Other advantages relate to the contribution of planning to organizational performance, for ex, the planning process can make a significant contribution to the integration of HR policies and practices with each other and with the business strategy, i.e. horizontal and vertical integration. Marchington and Wilkinson (2002: 280) suggest that HR plans can be developed to fit with strategic goals or they can contribute to the development of the business strategy, but conclude that either way, HRP is perceived as a major facilitator of competitive advantage. Another way that HRP can contribute is by helping to build flexibility into the organization, either through the use of more flexible forms of work or through identification of the skills and qualities required in employees. IRS (2002c) report that a number of organizations have predicted that jobs are likely to change radically over the next few years and so are using selection techniques to assess core values rather than job-specific skills. 2.7 Difficulties in implementing HRP Planners face significant barriers while formulating a Human Resource Planning. The major ones are the following: People question the importance of making human resource practices future oriented and the role assigned to the practitioners in formulation of the organisational strategies. Their argument is simple- there are people when needed offer attractive package of benefits to quit when you find them in surplus. HR practitioners are perceived as experts in handling personnel matter, but are not experts in managing business. The personnel plan conceived and formulated by the HR practitioners when enmeshed with organisational plan, might make the overall strategic plan itself defective. HR information often is incompatible with the information used in strategy formulation. Strategic planning efforts have long been oriented towards financial forecasting often to the exclusion of other types of information. Conflicting may exist between short-term and long-term HR needs. For example, there arises a conflict between the pressure of getting work done on time and the long term needs, such as preparing people assuming greater responsibilities. Many mangers are of the belief that HR needs can be met immediately because skills are available on the market as long as wages and salaries are competitive. These managers fail to recognise that by resorting to hiring or promoting depending on short term needs alone, long term issues are neglected. There is conflict between quantitative and qualitative approach to HRP. Some people view HRP as a number game designed to track flow of people across the departments. These people are strictly quantitative approach to planning. Others take a qualitative approach and focus on individual employee concerns such as promotability and career development. Best results are accrued if there is a balance between the qualitative and quantitative approaches. Non involvement of operating managers renders HRP ineffective. HRP is not strictly an HR department function. Successful planning needs a coordinated effort on the part of operating managers and HR personnel. CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH AND METHODOLOGY This chapter examines the methodology used to carry out the research survey so as to collect data for the topic under consideration that is the process of Human Resource Planning with particular reference to Shandrani Resorts and Spa, member of the Beachcomber Hotels. It involves the examination of the whole research process from beginning to end. 3.1 Problem definition A problem well defined is half-solved.Kotter. Human resource planning is assumed to consist of 4 clear steps: 1)forecasting future needs, 2)analyzing the availability and supply of labour, 3)drawing up plans to meet supply to demand, 4) monitoring the implementation of the plan. The main issue of this assignment is to analyse the process of human resource planning and the focus of the research is on the hotel industry. 3.2 Research objectives The survey was most specifically carried out at Shandrani Resort and Spa and its objective is To assess future people requirements both in terms of numbers and level of skills and competences, formulating and implementing plans to meet those requirements in terms of recruitment and training. 3.3 Research design For the purpose of this assignment, the most appropriate strategies used were exploratory and descriptive as the research is analysing the process of HRP. On a first instance, an exploratory research was made to reach a better understanding of the research of the research problem. It took the form of an in-depth interview with professionals working at Shandrani, and for the Beachcomber hotels as well. The in-depth interview took the form of a question list with open-ended questions. 3.4 Data collection methods Secondary data Secondary data were collected from books, journals, articles, and appropriate websites. Information about the hotel has been collected from Shandrani Resorts and Spa documents, namely the Beachcomber group manual and Shandranis Livret Daccueil. Primary data An interview was carried out with top management to gather primary data. A questionnaire was therefore designed for this purpose. (See Appendix) Other primary researches Interview with the Director of Shandrani . Face to face interview with Director of Human Resource. Interview with Director of Beachcomber Training Academy for 3 hours. Interview with the Quality assurance manager. Int