Professional Communication Lab

1. HS8581
I. Read the given passage and answer the following questions. (10 x 1 = 10)
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have created a tiny robot
which looks like a thread or a worm and is designed to crawl through the blood vessels
inside the brain. The robot is magnetically controlled and it is made for gliding through the
narrow, winding pathways, such as the labyrinthine vasculature of the brain.
The aim of this robotic thread is to create a tool by which the doctors can deliver clot
reducing therapies to patients who have blockages and lesions, such as the ones that occur
in aneurysms and stroke. The wormlike thread has been developed by Xuanhe Zhao,
associate professor of mechanical engineering and of civil and environmental engineering
at MIT along with lead author Yoonho Kim, a graduate student in MIT’s Department of
Mechanical Engineering.
“Stroke is the number five cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United
States. If acute stroke can be treated within the first 90 minutes or so, patients’ survival
rates could increase significantly,” Zhao said in a statement. “If we could design a device
to reverse blood vessel blockage within this ‘golden hour,’ we could potentially avoid
permanent brain damage. That’s our hope.”
The latest research combines the expertise of hydrogels and biocompatible materials made
mostly of water. It also includes 3-D printed materials which are controlled with the help
of magnetism. These can crawl, jump, and even catch a ball, simply by following the
direction of a magnet. The worm-like robot at its core is made from a nickel-titanium alloy
called “nitinol,” which is both bendy and springy.
The robotic thread is coated with a rubbery paste, embedded with particles to give it its
magnetic properties. The MIT researchers demonstrated the precision of the robotic worm
by using a large magnet to steer the thread through an obstacle course of small rings. This
has been described as being similar to guiding a thread through the eye of a needle.
The scientists have also tested this magnetic worm through a silicone replica of major
blood vessels of the human brain. The silicone replica was modeled after the CT scans of
an actual patient’s brain. The team of scientists filled the silicone vessels with a liquid
simulating the viscosity of blood.
This research project was partly funded by the Office of Naval Research, the MIT Institute
for Soldier Nanotechnologies, and the National Science Foundation (NSF).
1. What is the robot described in the passage designed to do?
a. It is designed to travel through labyrinths
b. It is designed to crawl through narrow pathways
c. It is designed to identify worms
d. It is designed to crawl and glide through the blood vessels of the brain
2. What is the purpose of creating this robot?
a. To cause strokes and aneurysms
b. To prevent strokes and aneurysms before their onset
c. To treat strokes and aneurysms promptly

2. d. To analyse strokes and aneurysms thoroughly
3. How is the movement of the robot controlled?
a. Magnetically
b. Electrically
c. Electronically
d. Manually
4. What does the “golden hour” referred to in the passage mean?
a. The hour just before the onset of stroke
b. The period of an hour and a half immediately after the stroke
c. The hour after the patient reaches the hospital
d. The period when the patient is still alive and conscious
5. Which of the following materials makes up the core of the robot?
a. Biocompatible materials
b. 3 D printed materials
c. Hydrogels
d. Nickel titanium alloy nitinol
6. Which of the following is not an effect of stroke?
a. Disability
b. Death
c. Worm infection
d. Brain damage
7. Which of the following gives evidence of the precision of the robot?
a. Leading the robot through a pathway made up of small rings using a magnet
b. Passing the robot through the eye of the needle
c. Modeling an actual brain using silicone and the CT scans of a real brain
d. Simulating the viscosity of the brain using a thick liquid in silicone vessels
8. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a step in increasing survival rates among
stroke victims?
a. Treating the stroke within 90 minutes of the occurrence of the stroke
b. Reversing blood vessel blockage through clot reducing therapy
c. Making the patient crawl, jump and catch a ball
d. Avoiding permanent brain damage through prompt treatment
9. Which of the following properties is NOT one of the properties of the robot?
a. Rubbery
b. Bendy
c. Magnetic
d. Springy
10. Which of the following is mentioned as one of the funding agencies of the project?
a. Department of Mechanical Engineering, MIT
b. National Science Foundation
c. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, MIT
d. US Navy
II. A. Listen to the given passage and answer the questions that follow: (5 x 1 = 5)
Listening Transcript

3. Among countless stands of car manufacturers, software developers and engineering
universities at Cologne’s video games convention, the sight of fatigue-clad soldiers manning
the German military’s brightly-lit stall draws in the curious.
With a stand boasting a helicopter simulator and ultra-fast games, the Bundeswehr,
Germany’s army, has turned to the Gamescom fair in its bid to recruit computer-savvy
potential soldiers.
The call to arms is clear under a “Centre of Cyber Operations” sign with a keyboard-inspired
logo in the colours of the German flag.
“We are looking for people who specialise in information technology — those with a taste for
computers are knocking at the right door,” Nils Feldhoff, an army communications officer,
said. Dozens of young gamers, visiting the stand at the Gamescom convention, flocked to try
their hand at the army’s flight simulator or test their reactions on a two-player game.
However, the military personnel were careful to spell out the difference between the reality of
life in the ranks and violent military-based video games.
“We have a clear educational mission: we strictly try to separate virtual games from reality
by explaining to any interested young people that this is not a video game,” Mr. Feldhoff
said.
If a gamer “wants to become a soldier because he is interested in weapons, that’s not a good
argument,” he added.
The move is part of an initiative to change the public image of obsolete equipment and under-
investment that has plagued the Bundeswehr.
1. What is the Gamescom convention?
a. A car manufacturers’ convention
b. A convention of engineering universities
c. A video games convention
d. A software programmers’ convention
2. Where is the convention being held?
a. Bundeswehr
b. Cologne
c. Centre of Cyber Operations
d. Military stall
3. Which of the following is NOT an objective of the German military in putting up the
stall?
a. To educate the German youth who visit the stall about the differences between virtual
games and army life
b. To recruit young tech savvy soldiers
c. To change the image of the army among the public
d. To attract the curious public to the army
4. Which of the following is NOT one of the attractions at the army’s stall?
a. Army weapons
b. Flight simulator
c. Military based two player games

4. d. Keyboard inspired logo in German flag colours
5. The army has put up a stall at this convention because
a. The soldiers wish to showcase their games
b. The army wishes to enter the IT domain
c. The army is unable to recruit through conventional means
d. There is a need in the army for young soldiers specialising in information technology
II. B. Listen to the given passage and answer the following questions. (5 x 1 = 5)
Listening Transcript
As an effort to strengthen supply chain in southern India, Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India
(BPPI) has established a regional warehouse at Gummidipoondi, Tiruvallur district on
Thursday.
The warehouse was inaugurated under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana
scheme to provide generic medicines at affordable prices.
Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers V. Sadananda Gowda inaugurated the
warehouse, spread over 65,000 sq.ft., which has modern amenities for storage and
distribution. The aim was to reduce the cost of health care.
He said there are nearly 5,500 Jan Aushadhi kendras in 684 districts across the country. The
total sales had crossed 315.70 crore this fiscal as the medicines are cheaper by 50-90% than
the average market price. About 900 drugs and 154 surgical goods and consumables are
available for sale at the stores. The scheme also provided self-employment opportunities.
The BPPI, which is a society set up under Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of
Chemicals and Fertilisers, has three warehouses in Gurugram, Bengaluru and Guwahati and
the one in Gummidipoondi was WHO- Good Distribution Practice compliant, a press release
said.
1. What goods are stocked at the warehouse at Gummidipoondi?
a. Chemicals
b. Fertilisers
c. Consumer good
d. Medicines
2. Which of the following is NOT an aim of the Janaushadhi scheme?
a. To market patented drugs
b. To provide generic medicines at affordable prices
c. To reduce the cost of healthcare.
d. To provide self-employment opportunities
3. Why are the sales of medicines high at the Janaushadhi Kendras?
a. They are compliant with the WHO’s Good Distribution Practices.
b. The medicines are much cheaper than the medicines available in the market.
c. The kendras are large and spread over the entire country.
d. The kendras have modern amenities for storage and distribution.
4. Which of the following is NOT available at the Janaushadhi kendras?
a. Medicines
b. Surgical goods

5. c. Pesticides
d. Consumable medical supplies
5. The Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India has been established under
a. WHO
b. Prime Minister’s Office
c. Department of Pharmaceuticals
d. Fiscal department
III. Among the following sets of sentences state which sentence (A or B) is correct.
(5 x 1 = 5)
1. A. We are used to doing so much work at the office that when we get a holiday, we feel
bored.
1. B. We are used to do so much work at the office, that when we get a holiday, we feel
bored.
2. A. Our house is near to the railway station, so you will not have any difficulty finding it
2. B. Our house is so close to the railway station, that you will not have any difficulty finding
it.
3. A. Inspite of I felt tired, I sat up and completed my homework.
3. B. In spite of feeling tired, I sat up and completed my homework.
4. A. Yesterday I got a call from the exams office informing me that I would get my
transcripts in a week.
4. B. Yesterday I got a call from the exams office informing me that I will get my transcripts
in a week.
5. A. Can you tell me where the administrative block is?
5. B. Can you tell me where is the administrative block?