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READING COMPREHENSION Science has its own fallibilities; many incidents of the past have proved us that. Acknowledging the fact is the way forward for any man who applies science to earn a living-a doctor, an engineer or a scientist. Certainty of science is just as presumptuous as the idea of a perfect man. And the wages of a relatively small mistake in science may well be the worst blunder committed yet. Such an incident in Italy aroused the curiosity of the public and the anxiety of the scientific community. In a place called L'Aquila in Italy, which suffered an earthquake on April 5, 2009, causing large scale damage to property and the loss of over 300 lives. The citizens there have sued a group of 7 scientists for manslaughter and rightfully so. This is perhaps the first time that a community has taken a group of scientists to court for having caused a large number of deaths by negligence. Expectedly, scientific societies and academics have condemned the petitioners; one such group has said that it was unfair and nave of the local prosecutors to charge the scientists for failing to alert the population of L'Aquila of an impending earthquake. The incident has been covered widely across the world, and in scientific circles (Nature, Science, Scientific American, The Economist). But the one mistake that they did was telling the press that they had nothing to be scared about the seismic activity and that they could carry on with their normal life. The result of their negligence which should be correctly rephrased as overconfidence was the loss of more than 300 lives and huge loss to property and of course, they are in the dock. Dr. Willy Aspinall, a Professor in Natural Hazards and Risk Science, says that scientists in sensitive situations should think carefully about their use of social media (such as press conferences), and of the legal implications. He puts it succinctly: the world is litigious and scientists are not immune. A situation which is quite similar in terms of the uncertainty of safety of the local people is the Koodankulam nuclear plant in Tamil Nadu which is in the south of India. It is being alleged that the plants safety is not assured and so a massive stir is up against the installation and inception of a fully functioning plant. But in India the uncertainty lies not in whether science is fallible or not but in the dilemma if things are done for the good of the people or if they are politically motivated. So the people are left wondering if the escalation of the issue is for their own good or if it is yet another ego clash between politicians. Dr.A.P.J.Abdul Kalam, the former President of India and an eminent scientist, assured the safety (meaning the probability of risk is less) of the people. In spite of the image of the man in the country people are refusing to believe in the safety of the 1300 crore rupee project. Theres a huge power deficit in Tamil Nadu which relies on fossil fuel and wind power, which is very unreliable. Nuclear power is a good solution to the power crisis, provided the people allow the

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government ahead. Of course, its only time before the government, which has invested a huge amount in the project, would go ahead with opening the plant for functioning, even if it has to be done with the aid of military force. (Courtesy: The Hindu)

1. The tone of the line But in India is

a. Sympathetic b. Ironic c. Sarcastic d. None of the above

2. Dr.Willy Aspinalls statement, .and scientists are not immune means that a. Scientists are prone to diseases

b. Scientists have been facing lawsuits in the past over seismic problems c. Scientists may have to face situations identical to the one in Italy if they dont accept Sciences fallibility d. Scientists have filed lawsuits against people in the past 3. The intention of the author is to a. Prove sciences fallibility b. Encourage lawsuits against scientists c. Throw light on the irony of the term uncertainty between Italy and India d. Vouch for the safety of Koodankulam project