LAW

English comprehension

EC-17 Session Objectives

RC 6 Passage based on technology

Passage 1
Since Delhi’s announcement banning TikTok and other Chinese apps in June, there has been talk of similar
actions by Washington. US President Donald Trump is doing one better than the NDA government. Like
Delhi, Washington too is citing national security concerns about the widespread use of Chinese apps. Rather
than simply ban TikTok, Washington is “persuading” ByteDance, the Chinese internet company that owns
TikTok, to hand over its business to the US technology giant, Microsoft. “Trump now seems to have embarked
on a more consequential mission at home to redefine ties between US and Chinese technology companies
that flourished in recent years,” writes C Raja Mohan, Director, Institute of South Asian Studies, National
University of Singapore. “On Sunday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo indicated that the takeover of
TikTok is just the first step. The administration is expected to follow through with additional steps against
Chinese apps in the days ahead”. In a hard-hitting speech last month, the US Attorney General William Barr
reminded Apple, Google, Microsoft and Disney not to forget their American identity and their obligations
under US law. Might this offensive stance against the extended nexus between the US companies and
China come to an end if Joe Biden wins the presidency in November?

“The ‘deep state’ in Washington appears to have made up its mind on the urgency of coping with the
Chinese digital threats,” believes Raja Mohan. The new American consensus appears to be in sync with
India’s own recent turn towards decoupling from China and the plan to rearrange its digital engagement with
the world within a framework of trusted political partnerships. Although total digital decoupling between US
and China might take a long time, if it happens at all, new rules are emerging to define terms of engagement.
Many in Washington are now convinced that it was a terrible mistake for the US to have believed that global
trade and technology flows after the Cold War were geopolitically neutral.

[Source (edited): What are the geopolitics of TikTok? The Indian Express, 4th August, 2020]

1.1 Which of the following is the author likely to agree with?

A. It is only because of India’s decision to ban Tiktok, that the US is banning Tiktok.
B. The US is planning to do even better than what India did.
C. India and the US must have decided in advance to ban Tiktok, mutually.
D. The US is taking a completely diametric approach than that of India.

1.2 Which of the following could be inferred from the passage?

A. ByteDance is going to acquire Microsoft.
B. Trump is actively distancing himself from taking any decisive stand on US-China relations.
C. India cited national security reasons to ban Tiktok.
D. The US is not going to do anything more after the acquisition of the Tiktok.

1.3 What is the author’s expectation from Joe Biden, if he becomes president?
A. The author is still in anticipation, not conclusive.
B. He will take this fight against China to an even higher scale.
C. He will engage other countries to get a collective edge over China.
D. He will end this offensive stance against China.

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1.4 What does the American consensus believe of India’s stand?
A. They concur with India’s stand.
B. There is a huge uproar against this decision in India.
C. Indians have welcomed the stance of the government.
D. They disagree with the measure India has taken.

1.5 Which of the following is not a synonym of “nexus”?

A. Tie B. Union C. Link D. Divorce

1.6 “Washington appears to have made up its mind on the urgency of coping with the Chinese digital
threats” implies that:
A. Washington will copy every action of China.
B. Washington will accept its defeat against the strategies of China.
C. Washington has decided to deal effectively with China.
D. Washington has agreed to cooperate with China.

Passage 2
Picture-taking is a technique both for annexing the objective world and for expressing the singular self.
Photographs depict objective realities that already exist, though only the camera can disclose them. And
they depict an individual photographer’s temperament, discovering itself through the camera’s cropping of
reality. That is, photography has two antithetical ideals: in the first, photography is about the world and the
photographer is a mere observer who counts for little; but in the second, photography is the instrument of
intrepid, questing subjectivity and the photographer is all.

These conflicting ideals arise from a fundamental uneasiness on the part of both photographers and viewers
of photographs toward the aggressive component in “taking” a picture. Accordingly, the ideal of a photographer
as observer is attractive because it implicitly denies that picture-taking is an aggressive act. The issue, of
course, is not so clear-cut. What photographers do cannot be characterized as simply predatory or as simply,
and essentially, benevolent. As a consequence, one ideal of picture-taking or the other is always being
rediscovered and championed.

An important result of the coexistence of these two ideals is a recurrent ambivalence toward photography’s
means. Whatever the claims that photography might make to be a form of personal expression on par with
painting, its originality is inextricably linked to the powers of a machine. The steady growth of these powers
has made possible the extraordinary informativeness and imaginative formal beauty of many photographs,
like Harold Edgerton’s high-speed photographs of a bullet hitting its target or of the swirls and eddies of a
tennis stroke. But as cameras become more sophisticated, more automated, some photographers are tempted
to disarm themselves or to suggest that they are not really armed, preferring to submit themselves to the
limits imposed by premodern camera technology because a cruder, less high-powered machine is thought to
give more interesting or emotive results, to leave more room for creative accident. For example, it has been
virtually a point of honor for many photographers, including Walker Evans and Cartier-Bresson, to refuse to
use modern equipment. These photographers have come to doubt the value of the camera as an instrument
of “fast seeing.” Cartier-Bresson, in fact, claims that the modern camera may see too fast.

This ambivalence toward photographic means determines trends in taste. The cult of the future (of faster
and faster seeing) alternates over time with the wish to return to a purer past—when images had a handmade
quality. This nostalgia for some pristine state of the photographic enterprise is currently widespread and
underlies the present-day enthusiasm for daguerreotypes and the wok of forgotten nineteenth-century
provincial photographers. Photographers and viewers of photographs, it seems, need periodically to resist
their own knowingness.

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2.1 According to the passage, interest among photographers in each of photography’s two ideals can be
described as
A. rapidly changing B. cyclically recurring
C. steadily growing D. unrelated to changes in technology

2.2 The author is primarily concerned with

A. analyzing the influence of photographic ideals on picture-taking.
B. tracing the development of camera technology in the twentieth century.
C. describing how photographers’ individual temperaments are reflected in their work.
D. explaining how the technical limitations imposed by certain photographers on themselves affect
their work.

2.3 The passage states all of the following about photographs EXCEPT:
A. They can display a cropped reality. B. They can depict the photographer’s temperament.
C. They can possess great formal beauty. D. They can change the viewer’s sensibilities.

2.4 The author mentions the work of Harold Edgerton in order to provide an example of
A. how the content of photographs has changed from the nineteenth century to the twentieth.
B. the popularity of high-speed photography in the twentieth century.
C. the relationship between photographic originality and technology.
D. the primacy of formal beauty over emotional content.

2.5 The passage suggests that photographers such as Walker Evans prefer old-fashioned techniques and
equipment because these photographers
A. admire instruments of fast seeing.
B. strive for intense formal beauty in their photographs.
C. like the discipline that comes from self-imposed limitations.
D. dislike the dependence of photographic effectiveness on the powers of a machine.

Passage 3
Scientists have, for the first time, radio-tagged the Indian pangolin, an endangered animal, that is rarely
sighted in forests here.

The Indian pangolin, which resembles an ant-eater but dons a thick scaly skin, is hunted for meat and used
in traditional Chinese medicine. Researchers say tagging the animal will help understand the habits of the
reclusive, nocturnal animal.

Radio-tagging involves attaching a transmitter to an animal to monitor its movements. Several wild animals
— tigers, leopards and migratory birds — have been tagged over decades.

“The Special Task Force of the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department has been actively working to curb
wildlife poaching in the State. In recent years, we have successfully busted pangolin-smuggling syndicates
that involved poachers and smugglers from more than nine States,” said Rajesh Shrivastav, Chief Wildlife
Warden of Madhya Pradesh.

Pangolins are among the most trafficked wildlife species in the world. The International Union for the
Conservation of Nature says these toothless animals have seen a rapid reduction in population. The projected
population declines range from 50% to 80 % across the genus.

Out of the eight species of pangolin, the Indian Pangolin and the Chinese Pangolin are found in India. Both
these species are listed under Schedule I Part I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, nineteen seventy-two. “In
anti-poaching operations, during which pangolin scales are recovered, those animals are already dead.

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Where live pangolins are involved, globally there is about 50% death rate among released pangolins. Given
that several pangolins are rescued in the central Indian landscape, this new initiative by the Madhya Pradesh
Forest Department and the Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT) is to ensure better survival rates of these
released individuals in the wild, and thus have a positive impact on the population of this endangered species,”
said Aditya Joshi, a wildlife biologist with the WCT, who is overseeing this project.

World Pangolin Day, celebrated on the third Saturday in February, is an international attempt to raise awareness
of pangolins and bring together stakeholders to help protect these unique species from extinction.

3.1 According to the passage, what do researchers say about radio-tagging animals?
A. Radio-tagging is harmful to the animals’ health.
B. Radio-tagging helps understand the habits of the animal.
C. Radio-tagging makes the animal uncomfortable.
D. Radio-tagging is harmful but we have to use it to do more research on animals.

3.2 Which statement cannot be supported by the passage?

A. Indian pangolin looks like an ant-eater with thick skin.
B. Indian pangolin has scales on its skin.
C. Indian Pangolin is killed for its beak which is used Chinese medicine.
D. Indian Pangolins are protected in the central Indian landscape.

3.3 What according to the researchers is true according to the passage?

A. Pangolins have a shorter life span compared to ant-eaters.
B. Pangolins are omnivorous.
C. Indian pangolins are smuggled to other places.
D. Indian and Chinese pangolins are reared in Madhya Pradesh.

3.4 Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage?
A. Madhya Pradesh forest department and wildlife conservation trust have come together to bring
about the extinction of pangolins.
B. Madhya Pradesh Forest Dept and Wildlife Conservation Trust have come together to save the
pangolins.
C. Madhya Pradesh govt has funded the WCT to save Pangolins.
D. Madhya Pradesh Forest Dept is funding the govt to save pangolins.

3.5 On which date was World Pangolin day celebrated this year?
A. It was celebrated on third Saturday of the second month.
B. It was celebrated on Third of February, Saturday.
C. It was celebrated on February twenty-third, Saturday.
D. It was celebrated on the fifteenth of February

3.6 Under which act are the Indian and Chinese pangolins protected?
A. Wildlife conservation act, 1972
B. Under schedule I, part I of the wildlife protection Act, 1978
C. Under Part I of the first schedule of the Wildlife Protection Act,1972
D. Under Madhya Pradesh wildlife act, 1972

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Passage 4
Much has been written about the emerging networked society. The ideal world imagined for this society has
many laudable goals. In a networked society, according to its proponents, Information and Communication
Technologies will take us to an inflection point to enable transformative and disruptive changes across
industries and society, catalyzing an entirely new economic model. The promise is that a networked society
will deliver growth and prosperity based on greater social cohesion and environmental sustainability. But
what we have now is more networked individualism and less networked common good. The paradox of
living in a networked society is that mistakes get accentuated and efforts get a short shrift.

Earlier this month, The New York Times carried five corrections to its story “The Silent Partner” that
profiled Melania Trump. Is such a cache of corrections possible in, say, The Washington Post, which reposed
its faith in the networked society to critique it independent of its newsroom rather than having an ombudsman?
There were mail forwards, social media tags and tongue-in-cheek missives that wanted to know how The
Hindu fared compared to The New York Times. The sneer in a section of the social media was all about the
lapses in the legacy media and not about its earnestness to rectify it, in an open manner. The NYT was not
indulging in invisible mending, which is a recurring phenomenon in social media.

What will happen if the legacy media gives way to only social media? Despite being across different platforms
— print, radio, television or digital — the legacy media prides itself in being able to adhere to the rules of the
game that include the act of verification and the act of public correction of errors. There is no method that
is totally foolproof. Hence, there is a need to have institutional mechanisms to address the lapses and errors
that creep in. The key role of a newspaper ombudsman is to rectify rather than punish. The idea is not about
dispensing sentences and condemnations but about ensuring accuracy and fairness. I am often asked whether
the public act of corrections and clarifications undermines the morale of the reporters and the desk. A
responsible newspaper recognizes the importance of collective responsibility and does not try to find a
scapegoat. An ombudsman is neither a nitpicker nor a vicious taskmaster. One of the ways in which an
ombudsman establishes trust with the reporters, the desk, and the readers is by acknowledging his own
errors, mistakes and momentary lapses in the same manner as he deals with the mistakes committed by a
reporter or by the desk. If we acknowledge that journalism is the first draft of history, then its natural
corollary is to have a system to revise the draft and rectify it.

4.1 Which of the following is the most suitable title for the passage?
A. Ombudsman in the time of Social media B. Legacy Media vs Social Media
C. Paradox of a Networked Society D. Error-free Newspapers

4.2 Which of the following is not considered a part of legacy media as per the given passage?
A. The Times of India Newspaper B. All India Radio
C. Economic Times Twitter page D. Doordarshan

4.3 What is the paradox of living in a networked society?

A. Networked society should bring people closer but people live in silos and critique others.
B. Networked society leads to better growth and prosperity.
C. Networked society would enable disruptive changes across industries leading to new economic
world.
D. Networked society is more open to criticism.

4.4 Which of the following is the primary role of the ombudsman?

A. Identifying errors before a newspaper is printed and circulated.
B. Identifying the cause of errors in a newspaper.
C. Examining errors in a newspaper and publishing corrections and clarifications.
D. Ensuring the morale of the reporters and news desk is maintained.

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4.5 The writer is likely to agree with which of the following statements?
A. Mistakes in social media are rectified without any notice to the readers.
B. Mistakes in social media are rarely rectified.
C. Mistakes in legacy media cannot be rectified.
D. Mistakes are rare in social media.

Passage 5
At an archaeological dig, a piece of wooden tool is unearthed and the archaeologist finds it to be 5,000 years
old. How do scientists know how old an object or human remains are?

Carbon-14 dating is a way of determining the age of certain archeological artifacts of a biological origin up
to about 50,000 years old. It is used in dating things such as bone, cloth, wood and plant fibers that were
created in the relatively recent past by human activities.

The carbon-14 atoms that cosmic rays create combine with oxygen to form carbon dioxide, which plants
absorb naturally and incorporate into plant fibers by photosynthesis. Animals and people eat plants and take
in carbon-14 as well. The ratio of normal carbon (carbon-12) to carbon-14 in the air and in all living things at
any given time is nearly constant. The carbon-14 atoms are always decaying, but they are being replaced by
new carbon-14 atoms at a constant rate. At this moment, your body has a certain percentage of carbon-14
atoms in it, and all living plants and animals have the same percentage.

As soon as a living organism dies, it stops taking in new carbon. The ratio of carbon-12 to carbon-14 at the
moment of death is the same as every other living thing, but the carbon-14 decays and is not replaced. The
carbon-14 decays with its half-life of 5,700 years, while the amount of carbon-12 remains constant in the
sample. By looking at the ratio of carbon-12 to carbon-14 in the sample and comparing it to the ratio in a
living organism, it is possible to determine the age of a formerly living thing fairly precisely. Because the
half-life of carbon-14 is 5,700 years, it is only reliable for dating objects up to about 60,000 years old.
However, the principle of carbon-14 dating applies to other isotopes as well. Potassium-40 is another radioactive
element naturally found in your body and has a half-life of 1.3 billion years. Other useful radioisotopes for
radioactive dating include Uranium-235 (half-life = 704 million years), Uranium -238 (half-life = 4.5 billion
years), Thorium-232 (half-life = 14 billion years) and Rubidium-87 (half-life = 49 billion years).The use of
various radioisotopes allows the dating of biological and geological samples with a high degree of accuracy.
However, radioisotope dating may not work so well in the future. Anything that dies after the 1940s, when
nuclear bombs, nuclear reactors and open-air nuclear tests started changing things, will be harder to date
precisely.

5.1 In the passage, the author states that which of the following isotopes cannot be used to date fossils?
A. Rubidium-87 B. Uranium-238 C. Uranium-236 D. Thorium-232

5.2 How is carbon-14 present in human beings?

A. Cosmic rays create Carbon-14 and millions of cosmic rays hit human beings every day
B. Consumption of plant fibers results in intake of Carbon-14
C. Carbon -14 is present in human bones
D. It is naturally found in human body

5.3 The main purpose of the passage is to

A. explain why it has not been possible to determine the age of fossils that are more than 50000 years
old
B. explain how it is possible to date archeological excavations
C. compare two alternative approaches to determine the age of archeological excavations
D. compare a method of dating bones with a method used to date certain plants

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5.4 The passage answers which of the following?
A. Why the half lifes differ for isotopes
B. The most effective carbon dating isotope
C. Why carbon dating is called so?
D. A timeline after which the most discussed methodology may not be effective

Passage 6
Managing risk has always been seen as an esoteric business function designed to control losses and adhere
to compliance standards. But as more organizations fall prey to complex intangible risks, from unwanted
disclosure due to rampant cyber threats to breaches of conduct driven by skewed incentive systems, the
aperture of risk management is expanding from protecting the balance sheet to promoting ethical leadership
and values-based decision making.

Consider Yahoo, with its record-breaking cyber breach estimated at more than 500 million records, or Wells
Fargo, facing unwanted public excoriation after creating thousands of fake customer accounts, or the
Volkswagen emissions scandal or the warning signs that could have prevented the German wings disaster.
Many of these failures were lost in the maze of modern enterprise, which often breeds a indifference and
short-termism.

Complex systems fail in complex ways. But all start with human failings. Senior business leaders and their
boards must therefore change the way they think about risk and respond to it. Rather than countering risk
with complex risk management system, leaders have to equip the individuals in their charge with common
levels of risk awareness, codes of conduct, and value systems.

While maxims can sometimes sound cliché like a phrase on a motivational poster that employees walk past
every day but never really look at, they can also be useful if leaders put real muscle into them. Values matter
most when they are least convenient. In an environment riddled with uncertainty and variability, value
systems are meant to be the only constants. However, all too often they are proven to be meaningless words
in an annual report. For value statements to be more than empty slogans, they must withstand the trial by fire
of tough calls guiding behaviour and decision making when it is least convenient. The Tylenol recall of the
1980s is an enduring example of how Johnson & Johnson’s credo guided decision making in a time of crisis.
A small number of firms are counterintuitively becoming activists about championing their value systems,
even at the risk of short-term shareholder returns. No one gets extra credit for doing the right thing when it
is easy.

Bad things happen in the dark. Ethical lapses arise when people take risks but do not bear the downside of
their risky behaviour. These hazards are most prevalent where they can be most easily hidden such as in
remote locations, less supervised business units, or on understaffed teams. Misaligned incentives can also
create organizational “blind spots.” Wells Fargo’s massive account rounding scandal illustrates the insidious
effects of incomplete employee incentives that turn a blind eye to unethical behaviour. Combating issues like
these begins with transparency and accountability. When information is shared quickly and openly across
the organization, bad dealings can be rooted out before they spread. It’s leaders’ responsibility to shine a
light into any dark organizational corners.

6.1 Which of the following best summarizes the thematic highlight of the passage?
A. It explores a new insight into the nuances of risk management and suggests ways to improve the
area.
B. It criticizes the traditional approach to risk management and suggests an alternative.
C. The author offers advice to business leaders on how to manage their companies better.
D. The author prescribes certain guidelines which will help the managers tackle risks more efficiently.

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6.2 Which of the following is definitely not true according to the passage?
A. Wells Fargo fabricated customer related data.
B. The Germanwings disaster could not have been averted.
C. Value systems are not supposed to change even in an uncertain environment.
D. Some firms are actively working towards better ethical practices in their organizations.

6.3 According to the passage, which of the following best describes the traditional view on risk management?
A. It is seen as a complex process requiring unwanted disclosures.
B. It actively promotes both ethical leadership and value based decision making.
C. It involves equipping the employees with common levels of risk awareness, codes of conduct and
value systems.
D. It is a function involving adherence to compliance standards and minimization of losses.

6.4 The word “excoriation”, according to the passage, cannot be substituted by which of the following
words?
A. Denunciation B. Criticism C. Abrogation D. Rebuke

6.5 Which of the following best describes the structure of the passage?
A. The author gives solutions to improbable problems.
B. The author uses rhetoric to revolutionize the current system of governance.
C. The author suggests ways to improve certain aspects of the current business structure.
D. The author describes a business problem and its solutions in a biased manner.

6.6 The author of this passage is most likely to be a/an:

A. public policy maker. B. public activist.
C. educational reformer. D. management teacher.

6.7 What does the author mean by the line “insidious effects of incomplete employee incentives that turn a
blind eye to unethical behaviour”?
A. Incentive plans that reward employees despite their unethical behaviour result in detrimental effects.
B. Deleterious effects of the numerous incentives which are given to ethical employees.
C. Unethical behaviours like insider trading are prevalent throughout many organizations due to lack of
proper incentive schemes.
D. The management’s ignorance of unethical behaviour of its employees gives rise to scandalous
employee behaviour as proven by the case of Wells Fargo.

6.8 According to the passage, which of the following does not encourage bad things involving ethical
lapses?
A. Remote locations B. Understaffed teams
C. Newly started business D. Less supervised business units

Passage 7
In the modern scientific story, light was created not once but twice. The first time was in the Big Bang,
when the universe began its existence as a glowing, expanding, fireball, which cooled off into darkness after
a few million years. The second time was hundreds of millions of years later, when the cold material
condensed into dense form under the influence of gravity, and ignited to become the first stars.

The long interval between these two enlightenments is known as the cosmic ‘Dark Age’ not only due to the
poorly lit conditions, but also ignorance of astronomers about that period. Nobody knows exactly when the
first stars formed, or how they organized themselves into galaxies They may have been preceded by quasars,
which are mysterious, bright spots found at the centres of some galaxies.

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Two independent groups of astronomers, one led by Robert Becker and the other by George Djorgovski,
claim to have peered far enough into space with their telescopes to observe the closing days of the Dark
age. The main problem that plagued previous efforts to study the Dark Age was not the lack of suitable
telescopes, but rather the lack of suitable things at which to point them. Because these events took place
over 13 billion years ago, astronomers must study objects that are at least 13 billion light years away. The
best prospects are quasars, because they are so bright and compact that they can be seen across vast
stretches of space. The energy source that powers a quasar is unknown, although it is suspected to be the
intense gravity of a giant black hole. However, at the distances required for the study of Dark Age, even
quasars are extremely rare and faint.

Recently some members of Dr Becker’s team announced their discovery of the four most distant quasars
known. They analysed the light from all four quasars. Three of them appeared to be similar to ordinary, less
distant quasars. However, the fourth and most distant, showed unmistakable signs of being shrouded in a fog
because new-born stars and quasars emit mainly ultraviolet light, and hydrogen gas is opaque to ultraviolet.
Seeing this fog had been the goal of would-be Dark Age astronomers since 1965, when James Gunn and
Bruce Peterson spelled out the technique for using quasars as backlighting beacons to observe the fog’s
ultraviolet shadow. The fog prolonged the period of darkness until the heat from the first stars and quasars
had the chance to ionise the hydrogen. Ionised hydrogen is transparent to ultraviolet radiation, so at that
moment the fog lifted and the universe became the well-lit place it is today. For this reason, the end of the
Dark Age is called the ‘Epoch of Re-ionisation’. Because the ultraviolet shadow is visible only in the most
distant of the four quasars, Dr Becker’s team concluded that the fog had dissipated completely by the time
the universe was about 900 million years old, and one-seventh of its current size.

7.1 In the passage, the Dark Age refers to

A. the period when the universe became cold after the Big Bang.
B. a period about which astronomers know very little.
C. the medieval period when cultural activity seemed to have come to an end.
D. the time that the universe took to heat up after the Big Bang.

7.2 Astronomers find it difficult to study the Dark Age because

A. suitable telescopes are few.
B. the associated events took place aeons ago.
C. the energy source that powers a quasars is unknown.
D. their best chance is to study quasars, which are faint objects to begin with.

7.3 The four most distant quasars discovered recently

A. could only be seen with the help of large telescopes.
B. appear to be similar to other ordinary, quasars.
C. appear to be shrouded in a fog of hydrogen gas.
D. have been sought to be discovered by Dark Age astronomers since 1965.

7.4 The fog of hydrogen gas seen through the telescopes

A. is transparent to hydrogen radiation from stars and quasars in all states.
B. was lifted after heat from stars and quasars ionised it.
C. is material which eventually became stars and quasars.
D. is broken into constituent elements when stars and quasars are formed.

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Passage 8
After the World Trade Towers collapsed in 2001, rescuers dispatched shoe box–size robots to explore the
debris for trapped victims. Using two miniature bulldozer treads to muscle over the ruins and a video camera
to beam back images, the robots managed to find a few remains. But what they really needed was a way to
peer inside all the openings and crevices dammed up by curtains, paper, and loose materials.
Daniel Goldman’s latest robot behaves less like an ATV and more like a sandfish lizard, relying on a chain of
six motors encased in slick spandex to mimic that animal’s undulating motion. Last June a prototype version
managed to crawl through a box of plastic beads, a significant first step toward more challenging environments
such as rubble.

Goldman began the project by learning everything he could about reptile physics. To start, he placed a
sandfish lizard in a vat of sand and snapped 1,000 X-ray images each second as it wiggled its way beneath
the surface. He then broke down its motion frame by frame to characterize the movement of the lizard’s
body in relation to the sand around it. He also calculated variations in the density and size of the sand
particles affecting the lizard’s friction, drag, and thrust. When Goldman fed this torrent of data into a computer
model, he discovered that the main mechanism underlying sand swimming was a wave that passed from
head to tail, pushing off from the sand and generating enough thrust to propel the lizard forward. His robot
now uses the same motion to move steadily at about three and a half inches per second. This May, Goldman
upgraded the design with a wedge that can be tilted up or down to allow the robot to burrow deeper or snake
its way back to the surface. His colleague, calls Goldman’s work “very exciting”, but we hope the tool sees
little use.

This May, Goldman upgraded the design with a wedge that can be tilted up or down to allow the robot to
burrow deeper or snake its way back to the surface. His colleague, calls Goldman’s work “very exciting”,
but we hope the tool sees little use.

8.1 What can be inferred from the words of Goldman’s contemporary?

A. He emphasizes on the lack of financial support for the ongoing research.
B. He generates skepticism about the rubbles on which it is being tested and real time scenario.
C. He criticizes the scientists who once doubted the theories in question and their interference in not
allowing the project to succeed
D. The problem and necessity that is the mother of this invention should never occur.

8.2 Which of the following best explains the organization of the passage?
A. A chronological account of a scientific development is presented, and then future developments are
proposed.
B. A tentative proposal is made and historical reasons for the proposal are mentioned and then an
updated version of the proposal is offered.
C. A lesson was learnt and to overcome it in future, a solution that is being developed is explained.
D. A theory is presented and then the reasoning behind the initial theory is summarized.

8.3 What prompted Goldman’s research and invention, based on the passage?
A. Passion and interest in reptile physics.
B. The need to peer inside all the openings and crevices in rubble that are covered by curtains, paper,
and loose materials
C. Increasing number of accidents.
D. Increasing frequency of earthquakes

8.4 What is the meaning of the term ‘torrent’ used in the passage?
A. abundant flow B. garbled and incomprehensible
C. Tiny and minute D. important and useful

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Abhyaas/Law Prep/C2/EC-17 10