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 passage for its main idea, then return to the relevant sentence or paragraph for each question. Base answers on the passage.

1. Question 1 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which statement best captures the article’s main point?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Octopuses provide a model for robots designed to pass through restricted routes.
   2. Researchers have already developed robots that reproduce an octopus’s body.
   3. Rescue robots are useful only when they resemble animals.
   4. The article explains the specific biological mechanism behind octopus flexibility.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Octopuses provide a model for robots designed to pass through restricted routes.

   The article links octopus contortion to a practical access problem.

   The central idea is that an animal’s ability to negotiate tight spaces may offer useful guidance for engineering machines that face similar physical constraints.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “that challenge” refer to in the first paragraph?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Reaching a person through a route too restricted for conventional access.
   2. Identifying the octopus’s precise biological mechanism.
   3. Reproducing animal behavior in a mechanical device.
   4. Inspecting a space after rescue work has concluded.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Reaching a person through a route too restricted for conventional access.

   The preceding sentence identifies the difficulty the phrase refers to.

   Researchers are looking to the octopus, an animal known for contorting its body, for inspiration as they consider how robots might handle that challenge.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why does the article mention that access matters in rescue work?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. To explain why mobility through restricted routes has practical value.
   2. To show that rescue workers cannot inspect difficult spaces.
   3. To establish that robots are more effective than people.
   4. To suggest that all rescue operations involve narrow passages.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To explain why mobility through restricted routes has practical value.

   The passage connects usefulness to reaching the relevant location.

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

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What can be inferred from the article’s final qualification?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. The concept is presented as a research direction, not a verified result.
   2. Researchers have abandoned the idea of flexible rescue robots.
   3. The animal’s movement has been fully replicated in machines.
   4. The article reports successful field trials in confined spaces.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The concept is presented as a research direction, not a verified result.

   The article presents a possibility while withholding evidence of achieved performance.

   Whether particular designs can achieve that remains unspecified, but the animal offers researchers a compelling point of departure.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   How is the article organized?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. It introduces a design challenge, considers an animal model, and notes what remains unknown.
   2. It compares several robot prototypes before ranking their performance.
   3. It recounts a rescue operation and then explains its outcome.
   4. It describes an octopus study in detail before rejecting its relevance.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It introduces a design challenge, considers an animal model, and notes what remains unknown.

   It moves from the access problem to the model, application, and limits.

   The concept connects biology with technology in a straightforward way.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   According to the article, what is the “central idea” of the comparison?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. A capability in nature may inform machines facing comparable constraints.
   2. Robots should be designed to look like the organisms that inspire them.
   3. Biological systems are always superior to mechanical designs.
   4. The same movement mechanism must work in animals and machines.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   A capability in nature may inform machines facing comparable constraints.

   The comparison suggests guidance from a shared physical constraint.

   The central idea is that an animal’s ability to negotiate tight spaces may offer useful guidance for engineering machines that face similar physical constraints.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What is the practical need behind researchers’ interest in flexible movement?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. A narrow passage may keep equipment from approaching directly.
   2. Robots must copy animal behavior to operate safely.
   3. Rescue sites are generally inaccessible to human teams.
   4. Engineers need a standard way to classify octopus movement.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   A narrow passage may keep equipment from approaching directly.

   The article links flexibility to access in rescue settings.

   This is the practical need behind the researchers’ interest in flexible movement.

8. Question 8 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What distinction does the article make between the octopus and the intended robot?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. The octopus illustrates contortion; the robot is meant for rescue work.
   2. The octopus is the intended rescue device; robots provide the model.
   3. Both are described as already operating in confined rescue sites.
   4. The robot is intended to reproduce the octopus’s body and behavior.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The octopus illustrates contortion; the robot is meant for rescue work.

   The animal supplies a capability model, while rescue is the application.

   The octopus serves here as a model of contortion, while the intended application is search-and-rescue robotics.

What to review next

Find the words that support each answer. For a mistake, compare the question with the evidence and identify the detail or inference you missed.

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

Look for evidence in the text. Separate what the writer says from what you already know about the topic.

The library normally closes at six, but on Fridays it stays open until eight. When does it close on Friday?

The answer is eight. But introduces an exception to the normal closing time, so the first time mentioned is not the answer.

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.