Paul Allen The ideal man Reading Answers

Sep 20, 2024

Paul Allen The ideal man Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic. Paul Alle The ideal man Reading Answers has a total of 13 IELTS questions in total. The questions require you to choose the correct section as the answer. In the next set there are questions where you have to tell whether the statement is true or false.

Candidates should read the IELTS Reading passage thoroughly to recognize synonyms, identify keywords, and answer the questions below. IELTS Reading practice papers feature topics such as Paul Allen The ideal man Reading Answers. Candidates can use IELTS reading practice questions and answers to enhance their performance in the reading section.

Section 1

PAUL ALLEN, THE IDEA MAN

The first personal computer (PC) rolled out of an IBM plant in Florida in 1981 and soon became the industry standard. Later, only 'IBM compatible PCs' would see the light of the day. These machines reached our office in a small town in India soon, enabling me to begin playing with PCs in 1987 After using typewriters for ages, I found the new machine fascinating. On a screen, I could read what I was typing, and also. edit the text. I could store tonnes of data and take any number of 'original' prints. No smudgy carbon copies anymore! Besides, by tinkering with utilities called spreadsheet or DBMS (Data- Base Management System), anyone could develop a system that would do in an hour what an army of clerks would do in a week.
While the beneficiaries of these machine were spread around the globe, the benefactors were from the USA, who had created affordable and easy-to-use hardware and software. Among them were Paul Allen and Bill Gates, who, with incredible prescience dreamed of putting 'a computer in every home' at a time when computers were huge, unwieldy, monstrously expensive machines that only colossal organisations could buy. It had been a devise reserved for scientists, and a few passionate hobbyists, aka nerds. Even industries hardly used them in the 1970s.
IBM PCs and their clones changed everything. Originally known as microcomputers, they were first built around the microprocessor or microchip called Intel 8086 Subsequent models were based on Intel 8088 and Intel 80826 With every new avatar, we experienced exponential increase in data storage capacity and speed of computation. As users, we were a tiny part of a revolution that would later change the way people interact buy movie tickets, gather news, fall in love, in short, the way people live.
If we watched these revolutionary changes as participating audience at a theatre, Paul Allen's autobiography, Idea Man (Penguin Books London, 2011), gives us a glimpse into what happened backstage. Paul Allen and Bill Gates were together at an exclusive school in Seattle For them, it was a stroke of fortune that the school installed a terminal linked to a mainframe computer located far away. The 2 friends used the terminal to teach themselves programming and begged borrowed and stole as much computer time as they could. Before he was 20, Allen had 'working familiarity' with 10 computers, 10 high-level languages, 9 machine-level languages, and 3 operating systems.
A brilliant student and apparently, a rather conceited young man, Gates went to Harvard to study math. He was shocked to discover that he was not the smartest there, but just one of the best. One of his math professors had 'got his PhD at 16. Gates shifted to applied math. Allen got a 'dead-end job' nearby, but their obsession with programming continued.
In 1975, an unknown New Mexico entrepreneur Ed Roberts produced MITS Altair, the world's first microcomputer. But it was less than a fancy toy because strangely, Ed didn't have a clue to the software that could run his machine. Allen and Gates, assisted by a freshman Monte Davidoff worked like crazy to write the software that would enable the machine to run programs. To their mild surprise, the software worked! And thus was born Microsoft (= MICROcomputer + SOFTware).
In 1980, when IBM was looking for an operating system (the basic software on which computer programs operate) to run its new personal computer, they approached Microsoft. Microsoft had little experience, but jumped at the opportunity. The tiny Microsoft team sweated blood and delivered The rest is history: the IBM PC became the benchmark in an ever-expanding industry and Microsoft DOS became its operating system. Some people believed with MS-DOS, Microsoft acquired a licence to print money.
However, underneath the teamwork, there was tension. The jealousy and competition between the 2 brilliant men could have been between any 2 semi-educated small-town business partners. Yet, the story of their collaboration and conflicts is no less absorbing than the finest of thrillers. And After spending 8 feverish years in developing Microsoft into a behemoth, Allen was afflicted with Hodgkin's lymphoma at the age of 29 Although he survived, he never returned to an active role in the company.
But a 30 per cent ownership of Microsoft meant he is an enormously rich man. He hasn't used his wealth like any other eccentric billionaire. Rather, he has used it like an eccentric billionaire who has a genuine, umbilical connection with science in particular and knowledge in general. and who has varied interests ranging from basketball to rock music to wild life. One cannot but bow to a man who spends millions to map the brain and the spinal cord and puts the findings in the public domain, and sets up libraries and museums, and funds SETI, the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence.
Paul Allen is a brilliant entrepreneur who played a key role in a technology revolution which will surely rank alongside the invention of fire, wheels, agriculture, and the steam engine. He is also tremendously inquisitive about the frontiers of science, and wants to be a part of any project that might achieve a breakthrough into the future. And he says, 'From my youth, I'd never stopped thinking in the future tense'

Questions 27 - 34

Reading Passage 3 has 10 sections, A-J.

Which section contains the following information?

You may use any letter more than once.

Initial progress made in the field of personal computers

Answer: C

Supporting statement: “........IBM PCs and their clones changed everything. Originally known as microcomputers, they were first built around the microprocessor or microchip called Intel 808.......”

Keywords: built, intel

Keyword Location: para C, Line 1

Explanation: This section explains the pivotal role that IBM PCs played in the initial progress of personal computers. The introduction of IBM PCs, referred to as microcomputers, and their successive models revolutionized the industry, making computers more accessible and significantly improving their storage capacity and speed

A unique learning opportunity

Answer: D

Supporting statement: “......It was a stroke of fortune that the school installed a terminal linked to a mainframe computer... The 2 friends used the terminal to teach themselves programming.........”

Keywords: mainframe, programming

Keyword Location: para D, Line 2

Explanation: The unique learning opportunity refers to Paul Allen and Bill Gates having access to a terminal linked to a mainframe computer, which was rare at that time. This allowed them to learn and experiment with programming in ways few others could.

A great enterprise takes baby steps

Answer: F

Supporting statement: “........Allen and Gates... worked like crazy to write the software that would enable the machine to run programs. And thus was born Microsoft.......”

Keywords: machine, programs

Keyword Location: para F, Line 3

Explanation: This section narrates the humble beginnings of Microsoft. Paul Allen and Bill Gates worked tirelessly to create the software for the MITS Altair, which eventually led to the founding of Microsoft.

Manipulating data with a personal computer

Answer: A

Supporting statement: “........By tinkering with utilities called spreadsheet or DBMS... anyone could develop a system that would do in an hour what an army of clerks would do in a week.......”

Keywords: system, hour

Keyword Location: para A, Line 5

Explanation: This section describes how personal computers, with tools like spreadsheets and database management systems (DBMS), revolutionized data manipulation. These tools made it possible for users to process and manage vast amounts of data much more efficiently than before, leading to significant productivity improvements

Conflict between 2 associates

Answer: H

Supporting statement: “.......Underneath the teamwork, there was tension... The jealousy and competition between the 2 brilliant men........”

Keywords: jealousy, brilliant

Keyword Location: para H, Line 1

Explanation: This section discusses the underlying tension and competition between Paul Allen and Bill Gates, despite their successful partnership. The phrase "jealousy and competition" highlights the conflicts that existed between the two as they built Microsoft together.

Details of expertise of a young man

Answer: D

Supporting statement: “.........Before he was 20, Allen had 'working familiarity' with 10 computers, 10 high-level languages, 9 machine-level languages, and 3 operating systems.......”

Keywords: level, languages

Keyword Location: para D, Line 5

Explanation: This section details the vast technical knowledge Paul Allen possessed at a very young age. It emphasizes the breadth of his expertise across multiple computers, programming languages, and operating systems. Therefore, D is the correct answer.

The foresight of 2 entrepreneurs

Answer: B

Supporting statement: “.......Paul Allen and Bill Gates... dreamed of putting 'a computer in every home' at a time when computers were huge, unwieldy, monstrously expensive.........”

Keywords: home' , computers

Keyword Location: para B, Line 2

Explanation: This section highlights the visionary thinking of Paul Allen and Bill Gates, who foresaw the potential for personal computers to become household items at a time when computers were large, expensive, and inaccessible to most people. Hence, B is the correct answer.

Investing wealth for the benefit of mankind

Answer: I

Supporting statement: “.......He spends millions to map the brain and the spinal cord and puts the findings in the public domain, and sets up libraries and museums, and funds SETI.........”

Keywords: domain, museums

Keyword Location: para I, Line 4

Explanation: This section describes how Paul Allen used his wealth to benefit humanity by funding scientific research, educational institutions, and libraries. His investments in fields like brain research and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence show his commitment to advancing knowledge.

Questions 35 - 37

Complete the summary using the list of words. Write the correct letter, A-F.

communications
difficult
lifestyle
lookalikes
replicas
unaffordable

Introduction of personal computers

Before personal computers (PCs) came to the market, computers were huge, complicated, and (35)........... not only to individuals, but also to smaller industries. The

Answer: F

Supporting statement: “.......Computers were... monstrously expensive machines that only colossal organisations could buy........”

Keywords: Computers, expensive

Keyword Location: para B, Line 3

Explanation: The passage emphasizes that early computers were incredibly expensive and only accessible to large organizations, making them unaffordable for individuals and smaller businesses. Therefore, F (unaffordable) is the correct answer.

situation changed significantly after IBM PCs and their (36)........ became popular. They

Answer: E

Supporting statement: “........IBM PCs and their clones changed everything........”

Keywords: clones, everything

Keyword Location: para C, Line 1

Explanation: The term "clones" refers to replicas or lookalikes of IBM PCs that became widespread, revolutionizing the computer industry. Therefore, E (replicas) is the correct answer.

represented the beginning of a technology revolution that would soon change people's (37).........

Answer: C

Supporting statement: “........We were a tiny part of a revolution that would later change the way people... live........”

Keywords: tiny, live

Keyword Location: para C, Line 4

Explanation: The passage explains how the personal computer revolution transformed various aspects of daily life, affecting how people interact and conduct everyday tasks. Therefore, C is the correct answer.

Questions 38-40

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 3?

True - if the statement agrees with the information

No - if the statement contradicts the information

Not Given - if there is no information on this.

When Bill Gates enrolled at Harvard, Paul Allen found a job without much future.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: “........Allen got a 'dead-end job' nearby, but their obsession with programming continued.......”

Keywords: end, obsession

Keyword Location: para E, Line 4

Explanation: The passage clearly states that Paul Allen took up a "dead-end job" while Bill Gates enrolled at Harvard, indicating that the job had limited prospects for Allen. Therefore, the correct answer is TRUE.