Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Baccalaureate

Nervous System Anatomy

• Functions:

  • Controls perception (sight, touch, hearing, taste).
  • Maintains homeostasis (e.g., blood pressure, body temperature).

• Divisions:

  • Central Nervous System (CNS): Brain & spinal cord (processes information and sends responses).
  • Peripheral Nervous System (PNS): Motor & sensory neurons connecting the CNS to the rest of the body.

• PNS Subdivisions:

  • Somatic Nervous System: Controls voluntary movement (e.g., moving hands).
  • Autonomic Nervous System: Controls involuntary functions (e.g., heart rate).
    • Sympathetic Division (Fight or Flight): Increases alertness, heart rate, etc.
    • Parasympathetic Division (Rest & Digest): Slows heart rate, promotes digestion, etc.

• Structural Differences (Autonomic):

  • Parasympathetic: Long preganglionic

Essential English Vocabulary and Phrasal Verbs

Look back on

Recordar

Look down on

Menospreciar

Stand up for

Defender

Go through

Pasar por

Miss out on

Perderse algo

Keep up with

Mantener el ritmo

Come up against

Enfrentarse a algo

Get on with

Ponerse a ello

To keep a close watch on

Vigilar de cerca

It turns out that

Resulta que

A common sight

Muy habitual

On a leash

Con correa

To make way for

Hacer espacio

Be scrap

Sobrar

To fight for scraps

Luchar por las sobras

To perch on

Posarse en

Turning point

Un cambio decisivo

To seek ways to improve

Buscar maneras para mejorar

To overcome

Superar

To achieve

Alcanzar

Adjectives for Describing Change and Quality

• Remarkable: Notable
• Dramatic: Importante
• Far-reaching: De gran alcance
• Refreshing: Fresco
• Subtle: Sutil
• Appealing: Atractivo
• Affordable: Económico
• Effortless:

Essential English Vocabulary

Personality Vocabulary (English to Spanish)

• Innocence → Inocencia
• Sensitivity → Sensibilidad
• Shy → Tímido/a
• Self-conscious → Cohibido/a
• Confident → Seguro/a de sí mismo/a
• Frustration → Frustración
• Assertive → Asertivo/a
• Nervous → Nervioso/a
• Defensive → A la defensiva
• Openness → Apertura
• Aggressive → Agresivo/a
• Impatient → Impaciente

Actions and Gestures Vocabulary

• Wave → Saludar con la mano / Agitar la mano
• Catch their eye → Llamar su atención / Cruzar miradas
• Hold hands → Tomarse de la mano / Agarrarse de la mano
• Interrupt → Interrumpir
• Apologize → Disculparse / Pedir perdón
• Answer your mobile phone → Contestar el móvil / teléfono
• Kiss → Besar
• Touch → Tocar
• Shaking hands → Dar la mano

English Grammar Transformation Exercises

1. That's the girl Susanne and Lisa were talking about. Susanne, who was talking with Lisa about a girl, is her friend.
2. Why were you left out of the team? Why were you left out of the team?
3. Melanie's wedding invitations were made by a graphic designer. Melanie had her wedding invitations made by a graphic designer.
4. They're building a new stadium outside the town centre. A new stadium is being built outside the town centre.
5. Laura won her third championship. Her achievements are astounding. Laura, whose achievements are astounding, won her third championship.
6. The spot is perfect. Greg chose it. The spot that Greg chose is perfect.
7. You shouldn't leave the equipment here. The equipment shouldn't be left here.
8. He talked

Subjectivity, Objectivity, and Bias in History

• Objectivity

  • The goal of history.
  • But historians say that objectivity is not possible as history is based on interpretation, and hence subjectivity is bound to come.

• Bias

  • Something that is done deliberately.
  • For propaganda.
  • Vested interest, to prove something.
  • This is known as pattern writing.

• Why Subjectivity Enters Historical Writing

  • Social Animal

    • Everyone goes through the process of social interactions.
    • The personality that evolves through social interaction also lies within the historian.

  • Ideology

    • Ideas people incorporate with them.

  • Area of Research

    • When a historian chooses their area for investigation, the moment they choose it out of their own inherent interest, subjectivity obviously enters.

  • Religion

    • For example,

Reading: Paying with Plastic

Exercise 1c

Year: 1980

Exercise 2a & 2

1. adopted
2. fraud
3. wear
4. manufactured

Exercise 3b

Topic: Damage

1. ruined
2. handle
3. fake
4. largely
5. fit
6. facilities

Exercise 2b & 3a

Issued, Handle, Fake:

4. in the long term
5. fit facilities

Listening Comprehension: Chris's Interview

Version A (With 'D')

1c, 2d, 3b, 4a, 5c, 6a, 7b, 8b, 9a, 10d

Version B (Without 'D')

1c, 2b, 3a, 4a, 5c, 6b, 7c, 8a, 9c, 10b

Grammar: Passive Voice and Causatives

Exercise 1: Passive Voice Sentences

1. These shoes were designed by Manolo Blahnik.
2. All the clothing has been folded by the shop assistant.
3. This cheese must be consumed within two days.
4. Every half-price tablet had been sold before lunchtime.

Exercise 2: Double Object Passives

1. ...was sent the toys this morning.
2. ...have been given to

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (1630-1680)

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (1630-1680) was a renowned Indian warrior king and the founder of the Maratha Empire in western India. He is celebrated for his valor, strategic military tactics, and administrative prowess. Here are some key highlights of his life and legacy:

Early Life

Born on February 19, 1630, in the Shivneri Fort, near Pune, to Shahaji Bhosale and Jijabai, Shivaji was deeply influenced by his mother and his tutor, Dadaji Kondadev. His upbringing instilled a strong sense of justice and a desire for independence.

Military Achievements

Shivaji is known for his guerrilla warfare tactics and successfully challenging the mighty Mughal Empire and other regional powers like the Adil Shahi Sultanate.... Continue reading "Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj: Founder of the Maratha Empire" »

This implementation demonstrates how to find the shortest path from a source node to all other nodes in a graph using Dijkstra's Algorithm.

Core Components

• minDist: Identifies the node with the minimum distance not yet included in the shortest path tree.
• print: Displays the calculated shortest distances from the source.
• dijkstra: The primary logic that updates distances based on the adjacency matrix.

import java.util.*;

public class Main {
    static int V;

    // Find the node with the minimum distance not yet in the shortest path tree
    int minDist(int dist[], Boolean boolset[]) {
        int min = Integer.MAX_VALUE, min_value = -1;
        for (int i = 0; i < V; i++) {
            if (!boolset[i] && dist[i] <= min) {

Past vs. Present: Using "There Was/Were"

Twelve years ago, there were several trees. There weren't stores in front of the clock. There were a lot of people around. There weren't uncomfortable wooden benches.

Let's compare the past and present using "There was" / "There wasn't":

• There was a cool view around the square.
• There wasn't any Play Queen Desserts store near the clock.
• There was a big amount of tea.

Rules for "There Was" / "There Were"

Positive Forms

• I/He/She/It: was
• You/We/They: were

Negative Forms

• I/He/She/It: wasn't (was not)
• You/We/They: weren't (were not)

Interrogative Forms

• Was (I/She/He/It)...?
• Were (You/We/They)...?

Short Answers

• Positive: Yes, I was. Yes, you were. Yes, he/she/it was. Yes, we were. Yes, they were.
• Negative: No, I wasn't. No,