Why Rescue Robots May Take Their Cues from Octopuses

Study the questions and tasks

Work through the material below, or start the interactive practice above to complete an attempt. Try the exercises before opening any answer or transcript sections, then use them to review your work.

Practice level

C2. Try this level if you can follow the instructions and understand most of the language; choose an earlier level if you need more support.

Question formats

Single choice

How to approach this practice

Read the questions, then listen before opening the transcript. Notice names, numbers and any corrections the speaker makes.

1. Question 1 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What feature of the robot’s movement or form does the recording identify as a design question?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Whether it can alter its movement or the space it occupies.
   2. Whether it can identify the precise location of a person.
   3. Whether it can reproduce an animal’s body proportions.
   4. Whether it can inspect a space without entering it.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Whether it can alter its movement or the space it occupies.

   The sentence frames the issue as a choice about movement or occupied space.

   The comparison points to a basic design problem: a robot must be able to change how it moves, or how much space it occupies, to get through a confined route.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What limitation of the supplied account is stated explicitly?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. It does not specify the mechanism studied or the designs developed.
   2. It does not explain why rescue teams need robots.
   3. It does not identify the octopus as a contortionist.
   4. It does not mention cracks or crevices.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It does not specify the mechanism studied or the designs developed.

   The account leaves both the biological mechanism and designs unspecified.

   The supplied account identifies the octopus as a natural contortionist, but does not specify the particular biological mechanism researchers are studying or the robot designs they have developed.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What may prevent equipment from approaching directly?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. The restricted width of the passage.
   2. The absence of a robot operator.
   3. The animal model’s unfamiliar behavior.
   4. The need to inspect a space beforehand.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The restricted width of the passage.

   A narrow recording is presented as a barrier to direct approach.

   A narrow passage may prevent equipment from approaching directly.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What could a machine capable of wriggling through cracks do, in principle?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Enter places that would otherwise be difficult to inspect.
   2. Locate every person trapped behind rubble.
   3. Move faster than conventional equipment in all conditions.
   4. Operate without any human supervision.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Enter places that would otherwise be difficult to inspect.

   The stated possible outcome is entry into hard-to-inspect spaces.

   A machine capable of wriggling through cracks and crevices could, in principle, enter spaces that are otherwise difficult to inspect.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   How might engineers use a capability observed in nature?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. They can turn the underlying challenge into a mechanical design question.
   2. They can copy an organism’s complete body and behavior.
   3. They can establish that a machine will succeed before testing.
   4. They can avoid considering the machine’s intended application.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   They can turn the underlying challenge into a mechanical design question.

   The recording describes translating an observed capability into an engineering question.

   Researchers can study a capability in nature and translate the underlying challenge into a mechanical design question: how can a device negotiate a restricted opening?

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What broad relationship between nature and engineering does the recording describe?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Engineers may draw on natural capabilities when designing machines.
   2. Engineers must duplicate evolution before building machines.
   3. Natural organisms are designed by engineers for demanding environments.
   4. Machines and organisms encounter identical surroundings.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Engineers may draw on natural capabilities when designing machines.

   The sentence presents natural movement as a source of design ideas.

   Natural organisms have evolved ways to move through their surroundings; engineers can look to those capabilities when designing machines for demanding environments.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does the recording say is required before a robot can be useful in rescue work?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. It must be able to reach the area where it is needed.
   2. It must resemble the animal that inspired its design.
   3. It must enter every restricted space without assistance.
   4. It must already have been used in a rescue operation.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It must be able to reach the area where it is needed.

   The recording makes reaching the needed area a condition of usefulness.

   In search and rescue, access matters because a robot can be useful only if it can reach the area where it is needed.

8. Question 8 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which criterion does the recording emphasize when judging a rescue robot?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Whether it can pass through the openings between it and its destination.
   2. Whether its body resembles an octopus closely.
   3. Whether it can reproduce an animal’s behavior in detail.
   4. Whether it can move through open terrain at high speed.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Whether it can pass through the openings between it and its destination.

   The recording prioritizes practical movement over visual resemblance.

   For rescue robots, the relevant benchmark is not resemblance to an octopus but the ability to move through the narrow cracks and crevices that may stand between a robot and the space it is meant to reach.

What to review next

Listen again to difficult sections, then open the transcript to check what you heard. Repeat a useful phrase aloud and try the recording once more without the text.

A focused practice result shows how you did on these tasks. Use several activities across skills to decide what to study next; one practice score does not certify an overall CEFR level.

Before you practise: a worked example

Listen for the final information, especially when a speaker corrects or changes an earlier statement.

Example transcript: “Let’s meet at five — actually, half past five would be better.” What is the final suggested time?

The final suggested time is 5:30. Actually signals a correction; the first time is replaced by the later suggestion.

This teaching example is separate from the scored questions. After your test, compare any mistakes with the explanation and revisit the topic before trying again.