CONFIDENTIAL PI/OKT2022/TSL024

SCORE :
MID TERM TEST (20%)

COURSE FUNDAMENTALS OF WRITING CODE TSL024

LECTURER / TUTOR DURATION 1 HOUR 30
MINUTES
NAME
STUDENT
ID GROUP

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES

1. This question paper consists of one (1) question.

2. Answer ALL questions.

QUESTION 1
Based on the text below:
i. Read all texts.
ii. Write a summary on Text A in about 150 to 200 words.
(20 MARKS)
iii. Write a 250 to 300 word synthesis on two (2) reasons why we should incorporate yoga in our lives
(50 MARKS) iv. Your synthesis must include information from Text A, Text B and Text C.
v. Include in-text and end-text citations.

TEXT A

Title : Importance of Meditation and Yoga in Student’s Life

Year : 2008
Source : https://targetstudy.com/articles/importance-of-meditation-and-yoga-in
-students-life.html

We usually never thought of meditation, yoga and studying all together in the same
sentence, but it is worth noting that they all can be interrelated. Well, wonder no longer,
meditation is absolutely fantastic for young people and there are a lot of benefits of
meditation for young people and students that they can avail of. Yoga techniques date back
to at least the 5th century, and through a lot of research, it has been proved that its benefits
for students and youngsters are outstanding. Yoga includes physical poses called asana,
breathing techniques and meditation. It has been suggested that practising yoga sessions
two or three times per week for at least 20 minutes per session can lead to some
considerable positive effects.

If practised regularly, yoga and meditation can yield some progressive results that can be
quite beneficial for the students as well as for other people in general. Some proven studies
have revealed that yoga and meditation essentially have a biochemical effect on the human
body that resembles the benefits of antidepressant and anti-anxiety medications. Studies
also reveal that in addition to reduced adrenaline production, yoga and meditation result in
decreased production of the neurotransmitter dopamine (lower dopamine levels produce an
overall feeling of calm), along with an increase in the hormone oxytocin, the bonding
hormone resulting in an overall feeling of well-being and trust in others.

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There are lots of problems like obesity and uneasiness in breathing that are related to the
weight and are very common among the students. Also, it has been observed that fat
children are always on the target of bullies. The fast-paced life of a student can cause you to
eat processed and high-calorie food and drinks. The thyroid gland plays a large role in body
metabolism and there are several yoga poses, such as the fish pose, that specifically targets
the thyroid gland. The deep breathing in yoga increases oxygen intake within your body
cells, including fat cells, which can increase fat cell burn up. Fat metabolism is also
increased, which causes increased calorie burn and increased energy.

Strength and endurance are very important especially for young people who have to toggle
between various activities all around the day. Various yoga poses such as the plank,
downward dog and upward dog increase upper body strength, holding standing poses for
several long breaths increases strength within your quadriceps, hamstrings and abdominal
muscles. Different breathing techniques improve your air intake, as a result, you tend to get
less tired during heavy activities. Lower back muscles are strengthened by practising poses
like the chair pose and upward dog. Nearly all yoga poses help to build deep abdominal
muscles and core strength. Increased strength allows for daily activities to be easier, and an
increase in lean body mass increases your metabolism. Also with meditation, you tend to get
a great deal of strength and calmness of mind.

The main purpose of meditation is the peace of mind. Yoga also leads to a peaceful mind
thereby decreasing stress levels. The life of a student can be stressful, dealing with school,
tuition, games and other activities can be very tiresome and stressful which can lead to a lot
of tension and stress thus yoga can help you relax. Yoga and its precise movements draw
focus away from your busy and hectic day and can have calming effects on your body. In the
same way meditation focus on inner peace leads to decreasing stress level among the
preacher.

Yoga helps in increasing concentration by few techniques like gazing. Both of the techniques
can contribute directly towards improved mental focus and concentration. Both yoga and
most forms of meditation include an increased focus on long, deep, slow breaths, as well as
the coordination of mental concentration with some kind of structured activity, such as yoga
poses, breath patterns, chanting or even just focusing your gaze on a specific spot.

TEXT B

Author : Catherine Woodyard

Title : Exploring the therapeutic effects of yoga and its ability to increase
quality of life
Year : 2011
Source : https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3193654/

A 3,000 year old tradition, yoga, is now regarded in the Western world as a holistic approach
to health and is classified by the National Institutes of Health as a form of Complementary
and
Alternative Medicine (CAM). The word “yoga” comes from a Sanskrit root “yuj” which means
union, or yoke, to join, and to direct and concentrate one's attention. Sustained practice also
leads to important outcomes such as changes in life perspective, self-awareness and an
improved sense of energy to live life fully and with genuine enjoyment. The practice of yoga
produces a physiological state opposite to that of the flight-or-fight stress response and with
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that interruption in the stress response, a sense of balance and union between the mind and
body can be achieved.

Evidence shows that stress contributes to the etiology of heart disease, cancer, and stroke
as well as other chronic conditions and diseases. Due to the fact that stress is implicated in
numerous diseases, it is a priority to include a focus on stress management and reduction of
negative emotional states in order to reduce the burden of disease. Viewed as a holistic
stress management technique, yoga is a form of CAM that produces a physiological
sequence of events in the body reducing the stress response. The scientific study of yoga
has increased substantially in recent years and many clinical trials have been designed to
assess its therapeutic effects and benefits.

One of the main goals of yoga is to achieve tranquillity of the mind and create a sense of
wellbeing, feelings of relaxation, improved self-confidence, improved efficiency, increased
attentiveness, lowered irritability, and an optimistic outlook on life. The practice of yoga
generates balanced energy which is vital to the function of the immune system. Not only that,
Yogic practices inhibit the areas responsible for fear, aggressiveness and rage, and stimulate
the rewarding pleasure centers in the median forebrain and other areas leading to a state of
bliss and pleasure. This inhibition results in lower anxiety, heart rate, respiratory rate, blood
pressure, and cardiac output in students practicing yoga and meditation.

Improved flexibility is one of the first and most obvious benefits of yoga. With continued
practice comes a gradual loosening of the muscles and connective tissues surrounding the
bones and joints; this is thought to be one reason that yoga is associated with reduced
aches and pains. Yoga helps to build muscle mass and/ or maintain muscle strength, which
protects from conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis and back pain. During a yoga
session, the joints are taken through their full range of motion, squeezing and soaking areas
of cartilage not often used and bringing fresh nutrients, oxygen and blood to the area, which
helps to prevent conditions like arthritis and chronic pain. Without proper sustenance,
neglected areas of cartilage will eventually wear out and expose the underlying bone.
Numerous studies have shown that asana, meditation or a combination of the two reduced
pain in people with arthritis, Carpel Tunnel syndrome, back pain and other chronic
conditions.

TEXT C

Author : Rachael Rettner

Title : The 4 Types of Exercise You Need to Be Healthy
Year : 2016
Source : https://www.livescience.com/55317-exercise-types.html

When you think of exercise, you may imagine strenuous activities such as running or biking
— the ones that make you breathe hard, turn flush and drip with sweat. But aerobic activity is
only one type of exercise, and although it is critical for boosting fitness, there are actually
three other types of exercise that are also important: strength training, balance training and
flexibility training.

First, we have aerobic exercises, such as running, swimming or dancing, are activities that
work your cardiovascular system — they get your heart rate up and make you breathe
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harder. This type of exercise can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes
and high blood pressure, and may even lower the risk of cancer. Strength exercises, such as
weight lifting, push-ups and crunches, work your muscles by using resistance (like a
dumbbell or your own body weight.) This type of exercise increases lean muscle mass,
which is particularly important for weight loss, because lean muscle burns more calories than
other types of tissue.

That’s not all, including balance exercises improve your ability to control and stabilize your
body's position. This type of exercise is particularly important for older adults, because
balance gets worse with age. But balance exercises can be beneficial for everyone, including
people who have gained or lost a lot of weight or those who become pregnant, which can
throw off your centre of gravity, Drew said. Finally, flexibility exercises stretch your muscles
and may improve your range of motion at your joints. They can improve your flexibility and
reduce your risk of injury during sports and other activities.

Ideally, you should include all four types of exercise in your workouts. But that doesn't mean
you have to do four separate workouts, Drew said. You can combine some exercises
together, like strength and balance training. For example, you could do bicep curls while
standing on one leg. Some workouts, such as yoga, incorporate strength, flexibility and
balance exercises.

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END OF QUESTION PAPER

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