text:
The Luggage

From the beginning, I knew I had to sit on my father’s throne but life has played many tricks with me. If I could hop on a time machine, go back in time and wanted something that would have taken my life on a different path, it would have been to spend more time with my father. Fate has kept my father away from me my entire life. Those few months that I have spent with him are hardly registered in my memory anymore. Even if they were, it would have been harder to cope since my father is someone completely different ever since his brain stroke.
It’s unfathomable to imagine one carrying Mt. Everest on its back but if I had to compare, it would be carrying the luggage full of responsibilities of my six membered family that was bestowed upon me after my fathers’ impairment. I was never raised to be someone capable of lifting such a heavy object and I fumbled constantly until my family gave up on me.
If anyone still had hope on me, it was myself. I just knew it, it was written on the imaginary paper in my rich mind (fueled daily to drag my lazy body)  but it never came to fruition until I met her. Memories of her are hard to discern now a days; it’s like a printed paper that has already been printed once before and the letters are deceitful to eyes and mind. I remember meeting her through the tubes that connect the entire world. I reckon she fell in love with me within few minutes of our conversation and didn't hesitate to confess it to me that very same night. I remember talking to her for endless hours on daily basis as if I was born with the intuition like an infant wired to grasp onto its mother's bosom. It was a part of my life, intertwined. But then one day she was gone as fast as she came into my life. There were no traces of her. If there were any, it was my transformation. She helped me build the strength to lift the luggage and carry it many miles.
Many months have past. Now, my family has new found hope and respect for me. Afterall, I am a coolie carrying the luggage that was left by my father on his throne. I stayed awake many a night longing for the angel who helped me attain my strength. One enlightening night wasn’t any different. It was a starry night as I had my back to the red brick wall, sitting next to my dearest cousin, speaking of things only couple of men would do. As the night grew older, so did our conversations. And then for a while I remained silent. taking in the beauty that was rendered upon us. Stars and moons shining in harmony, giving life and light at the same time for us to continue to survive.
I break the silence, "you reckon that song?".
Pointing at the bright light that occupies our retinas from few blocks away.
It was a late night wedding and the music was as loud as an erupting volcano. Some people didn't have any good sense of time or place. At least both of us loved the song and we didn't waste a minute but started to sing along.
♪♪ Maddening wind hardens,
as my old friend returns.
It has been a long while...
To lose her again, frightens. ♪♪
And suddenly I halted, unable to hold back my tears anymore for the song was her favorite as well. My cousin being the dearest as he is, puts his hand upon my shoulder and asks, “what’s the matter, brother?”. I tell him the tale of her and watched his mouth remain open throughout as if he needed more air to aid his lungs to keep running. I wiped off the tears from my cheek, watch my cousin leave my company and continue to gaze on the stars and wondered whether they know where she is. After considerable amount of time and before the stars started to lose its feature my cousin reappears to show me documentation that hinders my cogitation. There were no one on the other end of the conversation with whom I spend countably infinite hours. My body remained inert, my mind wandered around, trapped inside a maze and I felt my luggage getting a few ton heavier.

title: My First Short Story. Feed, Please?!

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What does the story say about the narrator's family?

answer: No answer

text: No response is given for this question, and an accurate response should be created.

refinement: The narrator's family has faced much hardship since the narrator's father had a stroke, and the burden of responsibility has fallen squarely on the narrator's shoulders. Despite initial struggles, the narrator has started to find his strength thanks to a mysterious woman. The family has new found hope and respect for the narrator now.

answer: The narrator's family has faced much hardship since the narrator's father had a stroke, and the burden of responsibility has fallen squarely on the narrator's shoulders. Despite initial struggles, the narrator has started to find his strength thanks to a mysterious woman. The family has new found hope and respect for the narrator now.

answer: The story suggests that the narrator's family has been through a lot and his father's stroke has put a lot of responsibilities on the narrator. The story also indicates that the narrator desired to spend more time with his father, but fate intervened and he was unable to do so. The singer in the story is someone the narrator once loved and lost. The family is struggling with hardship, with the luggage representing the problems that need to be dealt with.

answer: The narrator has a six person family. His father is his baggage as his brain has been affected by a stroke. His family also have a lot of luggage.

text: This is a very poorly written response and does not adequately answer the question. This response needs to be re-written.

refinement: The narrator's family has faced much hardship since the narrator's father had a stroke, and the burden of responsibility has fallen squarely on the narrator's shoulders. Despite initial struggles, the narrator has started to find his strength thanks to a mysterious woman. The family has new found hope and respect for the narrator now.

answer: The narrator is supposed to eventually follow in his father's footsteps. His only regret is that he never spent enough time with him. Eventually, he meets a woman he falls in love with who helps him ease this burden. She leaves his life as fast as she came and he has trouble forgetting her.

text: This response focuses more on the narrator's feelings towards the woman he loved and lost than his overall dynamic and feelings with his family. The last two sentences of the response should be omitted.

refinement: The narrator is supposed to eventually follow in his father's footsteps. His only regret is that he never spent enough time with him. His father died from a brain stroke, and left him with a pile of baggage to deal with. This baggage alludes to the responsibility of his six family members that he is in charge of.

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What does the story say about the narrator and the woman he loves?

answer: The story talks about the struggle that the narrator has faced as he carries the responsibilities of his family after his father's brain stroke. The narrator also briefly discusses the woman he loves. It is clear that she impacted him deeply and helped him to elevate his strength and abilities. She was the only one he could confide in and truly connect with. The narrator misses her dearly and wonders where she has gone.

answer: The narrator meets a woman he falls in love with who helps him ease his baggage. She leaves his life as fast as she came and he has trouble forgetting her. After she leaves, he learns to carry this baggage on his own and earns the respect of his family.

answer:
The woman he loves fell in love with him when they first met (shortly after his father suffered a brain stroke and required care). He has faith that she is the one he is meant to be with and stays up late hoping she will come back to him. He misses her and feels a weighty sadness whenever she comes to mind, which makes him think she is dead and
goes to his cousin to confirm it. His cousin shows him a picture of them together and confirms the woman is alive, but gone. The man is heartbroken she ended up marrying someone else and has a family. He is still heartbroken and misses her ever day.

text: The last part of this response is an assumption, with nothing closely related to it in the next. The last two sentences of this response need to be omitted. Additionally, the spaces in this response need to be fixed, so the answer is one coherent paragraph.

refinement: The woman he loves fell in love with him when they first met (shortly after his father suffered a brain stroke and required care). He has faith that she is the one he is meant to be with and stays up late hoping she will come back to him. He misses her and feels a weighty sadness whenever she comes to mind, which makes him think she is dead and goes to his cousin to confirm it. His cousin shows him a picture of them together and confirms the woman is alive, but gone.

answer: The narrator loves the woman he meets through the internet but she suddenly disappears. This causes him to experience high levels of sadness and confusion, but he eventually receives proof in the form of documentation that she has passed on. The story also makes it clear that the woman provided support and encouragement when the narrator felt like an inadequate part of his family. As a result, the story portrays the woman as an angel in the narrator's life. The narrator himself evolves into a stronger and more capable man; something that he needed in order to better care for his family.

answer: The narrator met a girl in a few minutes and fell in love with her. They experienced deep feelings for each other since that day but the girl left after a long time. The narrator was left devastated and this feeling turned into deep sadness, fostering a sense of anger in him. The narrator never found his love and instead, found his cousin which pressed him to accept his sadness.

text: The way that this response is written seems to be off balance. Some of the facts are incorrect as well, because it is stated that the girl left the narrator's life as soon as she came, which is different from what is written in the response. Also the story does not describe the narrator's feelings turning into anger.

refinement: The narrator met a girl in a few minutes and fell in love with her. They experienced deep feelings for each other since that day but the girl left him shortly. The narrator was left devastated and this feeling turned into deep sadness. The narrator never found his love and instead, found his cousin who showed him a documentation of his love, and how the narrator must move on.

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What does the story say about the narrator and his cousin?

answer: The narrator and his cousin have a very close relationship and the cousin provides emotional and intellectual support in the narrator's time of grief. The narrator and his cousin sing together and this uniting activity rebuilds the trust and strength between them. The cousin also helps to find evidence that helps the narrator to find closure in his grief. The narrator and his cousin both share similar interests, understanding that music can be a medium of connection even in difficult times.

answer: The story shows that the narrator and his cousin are close friends and family. The narrator had a tough time after his father became disabled and he was suddenly responsible for the family's luggage. The protagonist's cousin helped him move past his sadness and keep going, eventually discovering important and life-changing information. The cousin helped the narrator find closure with the lost love in his life.

answer: The narrator was given the responsibility of being the head of his family, which came with a lot of baggage, after his father suffered a stroke. He wasn't raised to take on the responsibility but struggled to finish what his father started. His cousin was the closest thing he had for a comforting voice when he was going through a rough time. When his love of his life disappears, the narrator confides in his cousin about it. The cousin goes to fetch some documentation, and returns to encourage the narrator to move on and forget the girl.

answer: The narrator cries about the woman he loves. His cousin asks him what's wrong. He tells him what happened to them, and how she disappeared so suddenly. After comforting him for a while, his cousin shows him a piece of document that might be implying she was found dead. He feels his baggage get heavier.

answer: The narrator's cousin is the one who gives him hope.

text: This response is more of an assumption that an answer that depicts what the story has said.

refinement: The narrator's cousin is the one who gives the narrator comfort during his time of sadness. The narrator's cousin provides some documentation about the woman that the narrator loved, and this makes the narrator feel even sadder.


split: train

text:
Influenced by the writings of psychologist Sigmund Freud, the literary, intellectual, and artistic movement called Surrealism sought a revolution against the constraints of the rational mind; and by extension, the rules of a society they saw as oppressive. Freud and other psychoanalysts used a variety of techniques to bring to the surface the subconscious thoughts of their patients. The Surrealists borrowed many of the same techniques to stimulate their writing and art, with the belief that the creativity that came from deep within a person’s subconscious could be more powerful and authentic than any product of conscious thought.

In psychology, “automatism” refers to involuntary actions and processes not under the control of the conscious mind—for example, dreaming, breathing, or a nervous tic. Automatism plays a role in Surrealists techniques such as spontaneous or automatic writing, painting, and drawing; free association of images and words; and collaborative creation though games like Exquisite Corpse. Surrealists were also deeply interested in interpreting dreams as conduits for unspoken feelings and desires. The works explored here did not begin with preconceived notions of a finished product; rather, they were provoked by dreams, or emerged from subconscious associations between images, text, and their meanings.

TO EXPLORE MORE, CLICK ON EACH ARTWORK THUMBNAIL, THEN CLICK AGAIN ON THE LARGER IMAGE THAT APPEARS IN THE BOX ABOVE.

Paints composed of pigments ground to an extremely fine texture in an aqueous solution of gum Arabic or gum tragacanth. The absence of white fillers, such as those in gouache, creates a medium with luminous transparency.

A work of art made from paint applied to canvas, wood, paper, or another support (noun).

The method with which an artist, writer, performer, athlete, or other producer employs technical skills or materials to achieve a finished product or endeavor.

A form, sign, or emblem that represents something else, often something immaterial, such as an idea or emotion.

An artistic and literary movement led by French poet André Breton from 1924 through World War II. Drawing on the psychoanalytic theories of Sigmund Freud, the Surrealists sought to overthrow what they perceived as the oppressive rationalism of modern society by accessing the sur réalisme (superior reality) of the subconscious. In his 1924 “Surrealist Manifesto,” Breton argued for an uninhibited mode of expression derived from the mind’s involuntary mechanisms, particularly dreams, and called on artists to explore the uncharted depths of the imagination with radical new methods and visual forms. These ranged from abstract “automatic” drawings to hyper-realistic painted scenes inspired by dreams and nightmares to uncanny combinations of materials and objects.

In popular writing about psychology, the division of the mind containing the sum of all thoughts, memories, impulses, desires, feelings, etc., that are not subject to a person’s perception or control but that often affect conscious thoughts and behavior (noun). The Surrealists derived much inspiration from psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud’s theories on dreams and the workings of the subconscious mind.

A combination of pigment, binder, and solvent (noun); the act of producing a picture using paint (verb, gerund).

A technique that involves rubbing pencil, graphite, chalk, crayon, or another medium onto a sheet of paper that has been placed on top of a textured object or surface. The process causes the raised portions of the surface below to be translated to the sheet. The term is derived from the French frotter, which means “to rub.”

A game in which each participant takes turns writing or drawing on a sheet of paper, folds it to conceal his or her contribution, then passes it to the next player for a further contribution. The game gained popularity in artistic circles during the 1920s, when it was adopted as a technique by artists of the Surrealist movement.

Derived from the French verb coller, meaning “to glue,” collage refers to both the technique and the resulting work of art in which fragments of paper and other materials are arranged and glued or otherwise affixed to a supporting surface.

Strategies of writing or creating art that aimed to access the unconscious mind. The Surrealists, in particular, experimented with automatist techniques of writing, drawing, and painting.

Questions & Activities

1.  FREE ASSOCIATE

    Sigmund Freud and other psychoanalysts used a variety of techniques to discover thesubconscious thoughts of their patients. The Surrealists used many of the same techniques to stimulate their writing and art. One of the best-known techniques is called “free association.”

    You will need a partner for this activity. Copy five of the following words onto a sheet of paper and read them to your partner one at a time. After you read each word, instruct your partner to respond immediately with the first word that comes to mind. Jot down their responses next to each word on the paper, then switch! Are any of these associations surprising?

    Feel free to come up with a new list of words for additional rounds.

    Round 1:
    Pine tree
    Flashlight
    Book
    Hand

    Round 2:
    Mushroom
    Parrot
    Ship
    Bus
    Glove

2.  PLAY EXQUISITE CORPSE

    These instructions for playing Exquisite Corpse were originally published in a 1927 issue of the Surrealist journal _La revolution Surrealiste_. Play a round with your family or friends (ideally in groups of four). The instructions can be adapted to make drawings, collages, and poems.

    1.  A piece of paper is folded into the same number of sections as there are participants.
    2.  The paper is unfolded and given to the first player, who draws in the first space, spontaneously, leaving slight traces of lines extending into the next section. The player then folds the paper over to hide what he or she drew.
    3.  Each player continues the drawings in their successive section, taking cues from the bits of lines that their predecessor left visible.
    4.  When the last player has finished, the sheet is opened to reveal the full drawings.

    What was it like to draw or write without seeing the other sections? Are you pleased with the results? How do you think your drawings or poems would have differed if you’d had a chance to view the previous contributions?

    Share your work with others.

3.  MAKE AND INKBLOT DRAWING

    In the days before ballpoint pens, people wrote using metal-tipped nib pens and bottles of ink. Sometimes the metal tips would leak, causing a messy inkblot. Psychoanalysts like Sigmund Freud noticed that people would see pictures in these inkblot patterns; Freud became interested in them as tools for delving into his patients’ subconscious.

    Make your own “inkblot” using ink, paint, watercolor—even black coffee or dark tea, if those are more readily available. Drop a bit of your chosen stain in the middle of a sheet of paper. Fold the paper in the center, pressing the two halves together. Repeat this process enough times to create five to 10 inkblot drawings.

    Write down the images evoked by the inkblots. If you have friends or family nearby, show your inkblot drawings to them and ask what they see. How are your answers similar? How are they different? Are you surprised by the different associations people have for the same inkblots?

4.  MAKE A FROTTAGE

    Max Ernst used frottage—rubbing atop materials as diverse as string, mesh, even crusty bread—as a way tapping into his subconscious. Find a sheet of paper and place it on a variety of textured surfaces. Rub the paper with a soft pencil or crayon.

    What associations with people, symbols, objects, or things from nature do the resulting textures conjure for you? Elaborate on your associations by outlining certain sections, adding new features and colors to the rubbings.

    When your picture is complete, share your work with others.

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What is the name of the artistic movement that rose out of the writings of Sigmund Freud?

answer: The name of the artistic movement is Surrealism. It arose from the writings of Sigmund Freud, who used a variety of techniques to discover the thoughts of his patients' subconscious. The Surrealists used automatist techniques to stimulate their writing and art. Techniques such as free association, collage, and frottage all aim to access the subconscious mind.

text: Influenced by the writings of psychologist Sigmund Freud, the literary, intellectual, and artistic movement called Surrealism sought a revolution against the constraints of the rational mind; and by extension, the rules of a society they saw as oppressive.

answer: The movement is called Surrealism.

text: Influenced by the writings of psychologist Sigmund Freud, the literary, intellectual, and artistic movement called Surrealism sought a revolution against the constraints of the rational mind; and by extension, the rules of a society they saw as oppressive.

answer: The Surrealist Movement.

text: Influenced by the writings of psychologist Sigmund Freud, the literary, intellectual, and artistic movement called Surrealism sought a revolution against the constraints of the rational mind; and by extension, the rules of a society they saw as oppressive.

answer: The Surrealist movement

text: Influenced by the writings of psychologist Sigmund Freud, the literary, intellectual, and artistic movement called Surrealism sought a revolution against the constraints of the rational mind; and by extension, the rules of a society they saw as oppressive.

answer: Surrealism.

text: Influenced by the writings of psychologist Sigmund Freud, the literary, intellectual, and artistic movement called Surrealism sought a revolution against the constraints of the rational mind; and by extension, the rules of a society they saw as oppressive.

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What is Surrealism?

answer: A literary, intellectual, and artistic movement

text: Influenced by the writings of psychologist Sigmund Freud, the literary, intellectual, and artistic movement called Surrealism sought a revolution against the constraints of the rational mind; and by extension, the rules of a society they saw as oppressive.

answer: It is an artistic and literary movement led by French poet  andré Breton.

text: An artistic and literary movement led by French poet André Breton from 1924 through World War II.

answer: The Surrealist movement was a literary and artistic movement led by André Breton. It sought to overthrow what was perceived as the oppressive rationalism of modern society by accessing the "superior reality" of the subconscious. Their practices include using automatism such as free association, automatic writing, and collaborative creation though games.

text: An artistic and literary movement led by French poet André Breton from 1924 through World War II.

answer: It is based on the belief that "creativity that came from deep within a person’s subconscious could be more powerful and authentic than any product of conscious thought".

text: The Surrealists borrowed many of the same techniques to stimulate their writing and art, with the belief that the creativity that came from deep within a person’s subconscious could be more powerful and authentic than any product of conscious thought.

answer: The Surrealist movement is led by André Breton in response to what they perceive as the oppressive rationalism of modern society, focusing on accessing the sur-realism (superior reality) of the subconscious mind by techniques such as spontaneous or automatic writing, free association of images and words, and collaborative creation through games like Exquisite Corpse. Techniques such as collage, frottage, and automatism were also used to stimulate artworks and writing.

text: An artistic and literary movement led by French poet André Breton from 1924 through World War II. Drawing on the psychoanalytic theories of Sigmund Freud, the Surrealists sought to overthrow what they perceived as the oppressive rationalism of modern society by accessing the sur réalisme (superior reality) of the subconscious.

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What are the practical ways in which surrealism is expressed in art?

answer: Surrealist techniques such as free association, automatic writing, collage, and frottage allow artists to approach the creation of their work from deep within their subconscious. The creations made through these techniques often convey original portrayals of imagination, emotion, and the relationship between the creative and unconscious minds.

text: Automatism plays a role in Surrealists techniques such as spontaneous or automatic writing, painting, and drawing; free association of images and words; and collaborative creation though games like Exquisite Corpse. Surrealists were also deeply interested in interpreting dreams as conduits for unspoken feelings and desires. The works explored here did not begin with preconceived notions of a finished product; rather, they were provoked by dreams, or emerged from subconscious associations between images, text, and their meanings.

answer: Spontaneous writing, painting, or drawing in a way that is free from association with images and words.

text: Automatism plays a role in Surrealists techniques such as spontaneous or automatic writing, painting, and drawing; free association of images and words; and collaborative creation though games like Exquisite Corpse. Surrealists were also deeply interested in interpreting dreams as conduits for unspoken feelings and desires. The works explored here did not begin with preconceived notions of a finished product; rather, they were provoked by dreams, or emerged from subconscious associations between images, text, and their meanings.

answer: The Surrealists used automatist techniques of writing, drawing, and painting to access the subconscious mind. Automatist techniques include "free association," "collage," and "frotage." These techniques are ways of expressing surrealism through art.

text: Automatism plays a role in Surrealists techniques such as spontaneous or automatic writing, painting, and drawing; free association of images and words; and collaborative creation though games like Exquisite Corpse. Surrealists were also deeply interested in interpreting dreams as conduits for unspoken feelings and desires. The works explored here did not begin with preconceived notions of a finished product; rather, they were provoked by dreams, or emerged from subconscious associations between images, text, and their meanings.

answer: Frottage, which is intense rubbing atop materials for instance grit, meat, or mesh to create textures; automatic drawing (which subconsciously chooses images to be drawn); and collage, which is an intricate art form in which the artist makes use of a wide variety of non-traditional materials.

text: Max Ernst used frottage—rubbing atop materials as diverse as string, mesh, even crusty bread—as a way tapping into his subconscious. Find a sheet of paper and place it on a variety of textured surfaces. Rub the paper with a soft pencil or crayon.

answer: Perhaps the most familiar examples from the author's time are Salvador Dali's and René Magritte's paintings. Dali's unique and expansive sense of figurative form and space combines with Magritte's representational paintings. Artists of the movement broke with social norms at the time levered emotional interpretation in their work. It was not the cost of their manifestos that set it apart from other art movements, but it was the frank desire to subvert normative thought and to be completely unique that set them apart.

text: Automatism plays a role in Surrealists techniques such as spontaneous or automatic writing, painting, and drawing; free association of images and words; and collaborative creation though games like Exquisite Corpse. Surrealists were also deeply interested in interpreting dreams as conduits for unspoken feelings and desires. The works explored here did not begin with preconceived notions of a finished product; rather, they were provoked by dreams, or emerged from subconscious associations between images, text, and their meanings.

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What is the name of one of the leading cheerleaders of surrealism?

answer: André Breton is one of the leading cheerleaders of surrealism.

answer: André Breton was the leading cheerleader of surrealism.

answer: André Breton.

answer: André Breton.

answer: French poet, Andre Breton.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: This article discusses Arthur Cravan, Surrealist arts and culture, and the word automatism which pertains to involuntary/automatic actions and processes not under control of the conscious mind.

answer: The Surrealists experimented with subconscious-based techniques such as free association, collaborative creation through games (like Exquisite Corpse), and collage. Automatism and dreams were major influences in their work, as they sought to access the deeper layers of the subconscious mind. Techniques like frottage and collage also tapped into this subconscious imagination and yielded surprising results.

answer: Surrealism as an art or creative philosophy arose out of Sigmund Freud's writings. Proponents of this school of thought championed the belief that "creativity that came from deep within a person’s subconscious could be more powerful and authentic than any product of conscious thought". Hence, they produced creative works that are mostly abstract and free from the strappings of logical explanations. French Poet, Andre Breton, was one of the leading lights of surrealism.

answer: The Surrealist movement began in France in the 1920s as a reaction to the perceived oppressive rationalism of modern society. Drawing on the psychoanalytical theories of Sigmund Freud, the Surrealists sought to access the subconscious through automatist techniques of writing, drawing, and painting. Techniques included free association of images, games like Exquisite Corpse, and collaboration through the art of collage. Additionally, artists used techniques like frottage and making inkblot drawings to access their subconscious minds. These techniques led to a heightened creative freedom and a deeper understanding of the subconscious mind.

answer: The surrealism art movement is indebted to the writings of Sigmund Freud. The Surrealists, influenced by Freud's writings, used techniques such as automatic writing and free association to stimulate their writing and art. It reached its height in the 1920s and 1930s. They drew on the belief that the creativity that came from deep within the subconscious could be more powerful and authentic than any product of conscious thought.


text:
[NTT DATA Services SAPA Digital Transformation blog]

Digital Transformation: Leaders vs. Laggards

No doubt about it. In today’s digital universe the stakes are high. Leading digital companies generate better gross margins, better earnings and better net income than organizations in the bottom quarter of digital adopters. According to a study reported in Harvard Business School., digital leaders post a three-year average gross margin of 55%, compared to just 37% for digital laggards.

Bain & Company recently surveyed 1,000 companies around the world to gauge their level of digital readiness. According to the study, the payoff from digital transformation can be impressively high. Revenues at digital leaders grew more than twice as fast as those at companies slower with digital adoption. Profit followed a similar pattern—leaders were nearly twice as likely as followers to increase profit. These findings leave little doubt that digital transformation can yield significant results. Regrettably, the study also revealed a high rate of failure for digital projects, with lack of sufficient funding playing a significant role.

According to Gartner's 2017 CEO survey, 42% of CEOs are now taking a digital-first approach to business change or taking digital to the core of their enterprise model. As reported by CIO, IDC estimates that all 40% of all technology spending will go toward digital transformations, with enterprises spending in excess of $2 trillion in 2019.

So, where are digital investments being made? According to IDC, the following three areas are expected to receive the most funding in 2018:

-   $662 billion will go toward technologies that support new or expanded operating models as organizations seek to make their operations more effective and responsive by leveraging digitally connected products/services, assets, people, and trading partners.
-   $326 billion will be spent on technologies supporting omni-experience innovations that transform how customers, partners, employees, and things communicate with each other and the products and services created to meet unique and individualized demand.
-   $240 billion will be spent on information as organizations strive to obtain and leverage information for competitive advantage through better decisions, optimized operations, and new products and services.

Show me the money!

Sustained innovation is by definition, a journey. Corporations must clearly articulate their digital strategy and provide support, both in investment dollars and in human capital, to execute on it. Talk is cheap. Until business leaders take the time to develop a thoughtful strategy backed with meaningful funding, the chances of digital projects bearing fruit will remained limited.

At NTT DATA, we see funding digital transformation as a three-fold challenge: establishing initial funding, planning for perennial or annual funding, and developing and applying principles for administering the digital fund now and moving forward.

Initial funding

Almost every company we deal with has some seed funding available, but it typically isn’t enough to create a complete initial fund. In these situations, NTT DATA works closely with our clients on drawing additional funding from the following five areas:

-   Freeing funds through automation
-   Migrating to an on-demand cloud and reducing total on-premise spend
-   Revisiting reshoring / outsourcing options
-   Eliminating anachronistic/non-critical services better handled by new, digital processes now possible via SAP Leonardo
-   Cost and efficiency savings through enterprise application portfolio rationalization and migrating to S/4HANA

Perennial/Annual funding:

Regardless of where the funding comes from, closely tracking outcomes and reinvesting positive gains is absolutely vital to keeping your digital program on track and moving forward.

On this score, we’ve worked with clients to keep funding for digital projects flowing by reinvesting gains from completed projects -- such as better-than-planned-for savings, labor savings, maintenance savings and a percentage of new revenue.

By approaching transformation in a strategic, incremental manner and ‘paying forward’ measurable gains, confidence grows as positive outcomes mount up and your organizations’ transformation progress never stalls.

5 guiding principles for digital fund allocation:

Once funding is established, clients must decide how best to manage spending and prioritize projects over the short- and long-term. On this score, NTT DATA advises following five guiding principles.

-   Assess and prioritize digital initiatives strictly based on business needs.
-   Adhere to a ‘No-code / Lo-code’ policy – avoid making customizations that make future changes difficult.
-   Ensure easy maintenance by embracing COTS, PaaS, SaaS.
-   Maintain a customer-first/enterprise-wide perspective – all digital initiatives must improve the customer experience and, as a rule, will extend across organizational boundaries.
-   Adopt a cloud-first strategy – put as much as you can as fast as you can in the cloud.

NTT DATA’s comprehensive services portfolio, provides our clients a tailored digital journey, combining industry experience across industry leading platforms and software technologies. Our experience is deep, or methodology is proven and for our SAP clients, the meaningful and measurable results speak for themselves:

-   Yaskawa America Inc. gives employees and suppliers real-time insight into a global supply chain with an innovative portal that connects silos, automates workflows and speeds development by 50%.
-   Greene, Tweed & Co. improves quality by synchronizing inspection data across separate production systems and automating data collection.

Providing the full spectrum of digital services, from strategic guidance, business case development to full scale implementations, NTT DATA is a preferred digital transformation partner.

Contact NTT DATA today learn more how our experts can help you fund your digital program and identify high-value initiatives that deliver outcomes that matter.

POST DATE: 7/9/2018

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What does the text say about success in digital transformation?

answer: Digital transformation can yield significant results. Revenues, profit, and investment can increase. However, the study shows that a high rate of failure for digital projects and lack of funding has a role in its failure. The longest ROI will take place at 12 months. Lack of funding and sustained investing highlights the difficultly of digital transformation.

text: It shows there is a high rate of failure

refinement: Digital transformation can yield significant results. Revenues, profit, and investment can increase. However, the study shows that there is a high rate of failure for digital projects, and lack of funding has a role in its failure. The longest ROI will take place at 12 months. Lack of funding and sustained investing highlights the difficultly of digital transformation.

text: Nothing is said about ROI

refinement: Digital transformation can yield significant results. Revenues, profit, and investment can increase. However, the study shows that there is a high rate of failure for digital projects, and lack of funding has a role in its failure. Lack of funding and sustained investing highlights the difficultly of digital transformation.

answer: Digital transformation can result in a noticeable increase in profit and revenue. The payout is reportedly high which suggests a high payout from digital transformation. The study revealed a high rate of failure for digital projects due to a lack of financial support. The study also reveals a high rate of failure for digital projects because of lack of sufficient funding. The 42% of CEOs are taking a digital-first approach to business change or taking digital to the core of the enterprise model. If a company doesn't have a strategy and doesn't have funding and the support to execute a digital strategy, then the chances of digital projects bearing fruit will remain limited. The success of digital transformation is heavily reliant on a company's strategy in addition to sufficient funding.

text: Remove redundancies

refinement: Digital transformation can result in a noticeable increase in profit and revenue. The payout from digital transformation is reportedly high. The study revealed a high rate of failure for digital projects due to a lack of financial support. The 42% of CEOs are taking a digital-first approach to business change or taking digital to the core of the enterprise model. If a company doesn't have a strategy and doesn't have funding and the support to execute a digital strategy, then the chances of digital projects bearing fruit will remain limited. The success of digital transformation is heavily reliant on a company's strategy in addition to sufficient funding.

text: Fix "the 42%"

refinement: Digital transformation can result in a noticeable increase in profit and revenue. The payout from digital transformation is reportedly high. The study revealed a high rate of failure for digital projects due to a lack of financial support. 42% of CEOs are taking a digital-first approach to business change or taking digital to the core of the enterprise model. If a company doesn't have a strategy and doesn't have funding and the support to execute a digital strategy, then the chances of digital projects bearing fruit will remain limited. The success of digital transformation is heavily reliant on a company's strategy in addition to sufficient funding.

answer: The payoff from digital transformation can be impressively high. Revenues at digital leaders grew more than twice as fast as those at companies slower with digital adoption. Profit followed a similar pattern—leaders were nearly twice as likely as followers to increase profit. These findings leave little doubt that digital transformation can yield significant results.

answer: The payoff from digital transformation can be impressively high. Revenues at digital leaders grew more than twice as fast as those at companies slower with digital adoption. Profit followed a similar pattern—leaders were nearly twice as likely as followers to increase profit. These findings leave little doubt that digital transformation can yield significant results.

answer: Digital investment is a crucial role and those that are not making investments won't be able to reap the full benefits of digital investments. Digital transformation can yield significant results. Revenues, profit, and investment can increase. However, the study shows that a high rate of failure for digital projects and lack of funding has a role in its failure. In all likelihood, lack of funding will further slow down and or stall the digital transformation of businesses.

text: The first sentence doesn't make sense

refinement: Digital transformation can yield significant results. Revenues, profit, and investment can increase. However, the study shows that a high rate of failure for digital projects and lack of funding has a role in its failure. In all likelihood, lack of funding will further slow down and or stall the digital transformation of businesses.

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What does the text say about managing spending?

answer:
To reduce spending concerns, the author shows five general principles of digital fund allocation that can guide executives' decision-making for when and how much to invest in digital initiatives.
- Assess and prioritize digital initiatives strictly based on business needs.
- Adhere to a ‘No-code / Lo-code’ policy – avoid making customizations that make future changes difficult.
- Ensure easy maintenance by embracing COTS, PaaS, SaaS.
- Maintain a customer-first/enterprise-wide perspective – all digital initiatives must improve the customer experience and, as a rule, will extend across organizational boundaries.
- Adopt a cloud-first strategy – put as much as you can as fast as you can in the cloud.

answer: According to NTT DATA, clients must make sure that they prioritize digital initiatives strictly based on business needs. They must also adhere to a 'No-code / Lo-code' policy - avoid making customizations that make future changes difficult. They must also ensure easy maintenance by embracing COTS, PaaS, and SaaS. They must maintain a customer-first/enterprise-wide perspective - all digital initiatives must improve the customer experience and, as a rule, will extend across organizational boundaries. They must also adopt a cloud-first strategy - put as much as you can as fast as you can in the cloud.

answer: Digital transformation is a three-fold challenge: establishing initial funding, planning for perennial or annual funding, and developing and applying principles for administering the digital fund. Once funding is established, clients must decide how best to manage spending and prioritize projects over the short- and long-term. On this score, NTT DATA advises following five guiding principles: Assess and prioritize digital initiatives strictly based on business needs, adhere to a "No-code / Lo-code" policy, ensure easy maintenance by embracing COTS, PaaS, SaaS, maintain a customer-first/enterprise-wide perspective, and adopt a cloud-first strategy.

answer:
Digital transformation requires a solid plan and related budgetary plans and expenditures. This information shows that with each progressive step of a digital transformation new funding is required and often there is not enough. To reduce funding concerns, the author shows five general principles of digital fund allocation that can be seen in this excerpt:
- Assess and prioritize digital initiatives strictly based on business needs.
- Adhere to a ‘No-code / Lo-code’ policy – avoid making customizations that make future changes difficult.
- Ensure easy maintenance by embracing COTS, PaaS, SaaS.
- Maintain a customer-first/enterprise-wide perspective – all digital initiatives must improve the customer experience and, as a rule, will extend across organizational boundaries.
- Adopt a cloud-first strategy – put as much as you can as fast as you can in the cloud.

answer: Digital transformation is a three-fold challenge: establishing initial funding, planning for perennial or annual funding, and developing and applying principles for administering the digital fund. Once funding is established, clients must decide how best to manage spending and prioritize projects over the short- and long-term. On this score, NTT DATA advises following five guiding principles: Assess and prioritize digital initiatives strictly based on business needs, adhere to a "No-code / Lo-code" policy, ensure easy maintenance by embracing COTS, PaaS, SaaS, maintain a customer-first/enterprise-wide perspective, and adopt a cloud-first strategy.

answer: No answer

text: Provide a response

refinement: NTT DATA recommends businesses assess and prioritize digital initiative strictly based on the business's needs, adhere to a 'No-code/Lo-code policy,' ensure easy maintenance by embracing COTS, PaaS, and SaaS, maintain a customer-first/enterprise-wide perspective, and adopt a cloud-first strategy.

answer: According to NTT DATA, clients must make sure that they prioritize digital initiatives strictly based on business needs. They must also adhere to a 'No-code / Lo-code' policy - avoid making customizations that make future changes difficult. They must also ensure easy maintenance by embracing COTS, PaaS, and SaaS. They must maintain a customer-first/enterprise-wide perspective - all digital initiatives must improve the customer experience and, as a rule, will extend across organizational boundaries. They must also adopt a cloud-first strategy - put as much as you can as fast as you can in the cloud.

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

Summarize Bain and Company's survey.

answer: Bain and Company surveyed 1,000 companies around the world to gauge their level of digital readiness. They found that the payoff from digital transformation can be impressively high. Revenues at digital leaders grew more than twice as fast as those at companies slower with digital adoption. Profit followed a similar pattern—leaders were nearly twice as likely as followers to increase profit. These findings leave little doubt that digital transformation can yield significant results.

answer: Bain and Company surveyed 1,000 companies around the world to gauge their level of digital readiness. These findings leave little doubt digital transformation can yield significant results.

answer: A survey conducted by Bain and Company of 1,000 companies around the world gauged their level of digital readiness. The payoff from digital transformation can be impressively high. Revenues of digital leaders grow more than double than of followers and so does the profit. The study also revealed a high failure rate. The study didn't mention what companies Bain was surveying, but implied that technology companies were in the front of the pack.

text: The last sentence is unnecessary

refinement: A survey conducted by Bain and Company of 1,000 companies around the world gauged their level of digital readiness. The payoff from digital transformation can be impressively high. Revenues of digital leaders grow more than double than of followers and so does the profit. The study also revealed a high failure rate.

text: Elaborate on the high failure rate

refinement: A survey conducted by Bain and Company of 1,000 companies around the world gauged their level of digital readiness. The payoff from digital transformation can be impressively high. Revenues of digital leaders grow more than double than of followers and so does the profit. The study also revealed a high failure rate for digital projects, with a lack of sufficient funding playing a significant role.

answer: A survey conducted by Bain and Company of 1,000 companies around the world gauged their level of digital readiness. The payoff from digital transformation can be impressively high. Revenues of digital leaders doubled the rate of followers. Profit followed a similar pattern, leaders nearly doubled. The study also revealed a high failure rate. The study didn't mention what companies Bain was surveying, but implied that technology companies were in the front of the pack.

answer: Bain and Company surveyed 1000 companies around the world to gauge their level of digital readiness. They found that the payoff from digital transformation can be impressively high. Revenues at digital leaders grew more than twice as fast as those at companies slower with digital adoption. Profit followed a similar pattern--leaders were nearly twice as likely as followers to increase profit.

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What does the text have to say about the founders of NTT DATA?

answer: The text does not mention the founders of NTT DATA.

answer: No answer

answer: No answer

answer: No answer

answer: No answer

answer: The founders of NTT DATA are not mentioned in the article.

answer: The text has nothing to say about the founders.


text:
The clearest thing about that night was the slight laugh lines that formed at the corners of his eyes and lingered by his lips. I wanted to trace them, slowly...perhaps with my fingers; perhaps with my own lips. I couldn't quite decide.

I spotted him midway through the show. The band had a Rockabilly vibe and he was the only other person moving to the beat in the tiny space. It was, after all, a local pub with no dance floor. He didn't have a lot of dance moves, but I could tell he loved the music. We smiled at each other and quickly looked away, but our feet kept leading us closer together. Finally, there was only a rough looking Biker between us, covered in piercings. I took a deep breath, placed my hands on the leather-clad gentleman's shoulders, and whispered tantalizingly in his right ear..."Sweetheart, I'm sorry, but you're the only thing between me and the man who's dancing. I'm going to move you over a bit."

And I did just that, guiding the slightly confused guy out of the way, as I slid up next to the man with the shy smile. The band played on, sweat dripping and beer chugging; singing about heartbreak and sex and beautiful women. We danced, bumped into people, made room for ourselves--we twisted and stomped and cheered until our voices were raw and feet sore. "Can I buy you a drink?" he asked with an accent, during a brief pause from the band. "Well, I..." I looked up at his face, at his smile, noticing the laugh lines. "Sure. I'll have whatever you're having." He ducked off while I tried to place it. Aussie, maybe?

He returned a minute later, empty handed. "They won't serve me! They think I've had enough." Though he didn't seem that inebriated to me, I started to laugh. He looked puzzled. "It's your accent! They think you're worse off than you are!" He groaned and we both shrugged and turned our attention back to the music. Back to the beat, back to the rhythm. We danced in tandem but we didn't touch, not even once.

At the end of the show the singer threw his arms around me. "I'm sorry, I'm so sweaty!" I didn't mind. He was giddy, he had thrown all of his joy into that hug, and he released me with the biggest grin on his face. "You boys were fantastic tonight. I'm so glad I came." I hugged the bass player and said my goodnights, while the band had another beer.

Outside, my new friend asked if there was somewhere else we could get a drink. "There's an Irish pub a couple blocks down." I gave him a sideways glance. "Maybe I should order for us." He laughed with me and we headed out. At the pub, I tried to figure out when and how to say what I needed to. I didn't want him to waste his money on buying me drinks, only to be disappointed. In the end I just kinda blurted it out--"I am in a bit of a different relationship situation. I am married, but we see other people...I don't do one night stands, though." He shrugged. "Eh, I'm not sure how to pick up girls, anyway." He was an engineer, though what he really wanted was to be a helicopter pilot. He was in town for work and only had one night to live it up. "I still want to dance! Do you know any nightclubs?"

I took him to the gay bar. It was the nearest place I could think of with a dance floor still going. "You don't mind, do you?" I asked while he took my hand. "Nah. Gay people are pretty good dancers. Is this okay...?" He squeezed my hand lightly. "Yeah, I think so. It's nice." He nodded. Our steps were a little uneven as the alcohol made its way through our limbs.

"So," he said, pausing a little. "If you aren't planning on having sex with me, do you think you could be my wing woman?" I laughed. "Of course."

At the club, we made our way out on the floor and moved and grooved to the awful music. The alcohol made us care a little less about the lyrics and we just followed the beat. We still didn't touch, except the accidental bumps when someone else crashed into us. I nodded towards the pole at the side of the dance floor. "You know, I broke my arm here once." He raised an eyebrow and the corners of his eyes crinkled as he grinned, taunting me a little. "Well, you should get back on the horse then, yeah?" "Yeah, perhaps."

I jumped up, closed my eyes, and moved through two more songs, not daring to look at him. When I came back down he whispered to me "Well, you've got some moves." We had another drink and he looked over the crowd. "I feel bad about chatting someone else up; I'm here with you!" "Go, silly, I brought you here to have a good time. Do what you want to do."

"Well, mostly, I want to do you."

"...Okay, not that. Go on now." I shooed him away, laughing. He talked and danced with a few girls before returning to me. "She just asked me straight up if I'd like a fuck." He motioned to a pretty blonde across the floor. "Oh. That's rather direct. Well then?" "I turned her down." He smiled. I smiled. We danced some more.

When our feet would no longer hold us and I was sure my lungs would burst, we sat on a couch in the corner. "So....what about kissing?" he inquired, as we were close together and comfortable. "Kissing is not a one night stand, is it?" I paused. "I...I don't really know!" "Well it's your rules, silly, what do you mean you don't know?"

His kisses were gentle and warm. I pulled back, blushing. He leaned in again, and I kissed him on the nose and dashed back to the dance floor. He followed. We had one more dance left in us. This time, we moved in close, and I slid my arm around his neck briefly. We moved together--slightly apart, but I could feel the warmth of his chest. Then the song was over, and we pulled away.

Outside, I told him we had two options. "We can go find some food, or part ways here." "Food!" After some discussion, however, we realized that our only option that late was ordering from the 24 hour pizza place. "We could order to my room...?" He was so hopeful. "Not happening, my dear." "Well, you can't fault me for trying," he said sheepishly. I couldn't. I probably would have enjoyed the one night with him, but it really wasn't my thing. I called him a cab and said I could walk home from there, as my house wasn't far. "Will you be alright, though?"

"Probably!"

The walk took me a half hour. I met others on the way, with calls of "Pretty lady!" and "Where's the party?" but I made it home fine, of course. I texted him to let him know I made it, and he replied in kind. The next morning we each texted once to say thanks for the company and we had had a good time. He was the last to text and I left it at that, smiling.

Two days later, I received one more text from him.

"Hi, good meeting you and all the very best, but I would appreciate not texting me as I am with someone and she would not like me getting texts from strange women. I hope you can understand, take care and look after yourself, me."

I would have traced his laugh lines with my fingers after all, I think. Very lightly.

title: Saturday night

question: Why are the man's laugh lines his most memorable feature to the narrator?

answer: The narrator is attracted to the man because of his laugh lines.

answer: The narrator finds the man's laugh lines to be memorable because they are a sign of his warmth and kindness. They also make him seem approachable and easy to talk to.

text: This response isn't too accurate. The narrator seems to only want to touch the man's laugh lines with her fingers or lips.

refinement: The narrator finds the man's laugh lines to be memorable because she wants to touch them with her fingers or her lips.

answer: The narrator clearly fancies him.

text: The intent of this response is correct but can be properly completed by finishing the sentence.

refinement: The narrator clearly fancies him and remembers the man's laugh lines as his most memorable feature.

answer: The narrator is attracted to him.

question: Where do the narrator and the man meet?

answer: At a show/concert.

text: This response is incorrect and the correct response needs to be added.

text: In the passage, the setting is described as "a local pub with no dance floor".

answer: At a pub.

answer: The narrator and the man meet at a local pub where a band is playing.

answer: The narrator and the man meet at a local pub.

question: Why is the man waiting for the narrator outside?

answer: Presumably he has taken a liking to her.

answer: He wants to take her home.

answer: The man is waiting outside because he wants to walk the narrator home, but she declines.

text: This response isn't too accurate and can be completely changed to show a more accurate response.

refinement: The man is waiting outside because he wants to spend more time during the night with the narrator.

answer: The man is waiting for the narrator because he wants to dance with her.

question: Why do they choose a gay bar?

answer: The two decide to go to a gay bar because it is the nearest place with a dance floor still going. They both enjoy dancing and want to continue doing so.

answer: The man and woman choose a gay bar because they are both gay.

text: This response is inaccurate and has made a far-fetched assumption that needs to be changed or omitted.

refinement: The man and woman choose a gay bar because it still has a dance floor going that late at night.

answer: The narrator says that gay people are good dancers.

text: While this response is something that is said in the passage, by the man, not the narrator, the response is incorrect.

refinement: The narrator says that the gay bar is the only place that would still have a dance floor going.

answer: They want to dance-but the other reasons are not clear.

text: The last part of this response can be omitted.

text: More can be added to this response to make it clearer.

refinement: They want to dance and the gay bar may have the only dance floor open that late at night.

question: Why does the narrator state she would trace his laugh lines anyway?

answer: The narrator states she would trace his laugh lines because she finds him attractive and enjoys his company. She also feels a connection with him, even though they do not have sex.

answer: The narrator states she would trace his laugh lines because she is married and they see other people.

text: This is an incorrect response to the question and the response needs to be changed completely.

refinement: The narrator states she would trace his laugh lines because she is attracted towards it.

answer: She seems to regret not having done more sexually/physically with him, but that's just a guess.

text: This response is just a guess, but still has some incorrect components to it. The response needs to be fully changed.

answer: She is attracted to him.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: The narrator is at a local pub with a band playing Rockabilly music. She spots a man who seems to be enjoying the music. She moves closer to him and they dance together. They go to an Irish pub and dance some more. They kiss and the narrator goes home.

answer: The protagonist meets a man at a pub and they dance together. They go to a gay bar and dance some more. They go to an Irish pub and the protagonist offers to buy the man a drink. They dance some more and the protagonist tells the man she is married and they are allowed to see other people. They dance some more and the protagonist tells the man she is not interested in sex. They dance some more and the protagonist tells the man she is not interested in sex. They dance some more and the protagonist tells the man she is not interested in sex. The protagonist tells the man she is not interested in sex. The protagonist tells the man she is not interested in sex. The protagonist tells the man she is not interested in sex. The protagonist tells the man she is not interested in sex. The protagonist tells the man she is not interested in sex. The protagonist tells the man she is not interested in sex. The protagonist tells the man she is not interested in sex. The protagonist tells the man she is not interested in sex. The protagonist tells the man she is not interested in sex. The protagonist tells the man she is not interested in sex. The protagonist tells the man she is not interested in sex. The protagonist tells the man she is not interested in sex. The protagonist tells the man she is not interested in sex. The protagonist tells the man she is not interested in sex

text: This summary is very poorly written and has many repeating sentences that need to be omitted.

refinement: The protagonist meets a man at a pub and they dance together. They go to a gay bar and dance some more. They go to an Irish pub and the protagonist offers to buy the man a drink. They dance some more and the protagonist tells the man she is married and they are allowed to see other people. They dance some more and the protagonist tells the man she is not interested in a one-night stands.

answer: A woman meets a man at a show. She tells him she's married, but they go dancing and she acts as his wingwoman. They kiss before parting at the end of the night. Two days later, he texts telling her not to text him, as his girlfriend wouldn't appreciate his getting messages from other women.

answer: The protagonist meets a man at a local pub and they dance together. They enjoy each other's company, but when the night comes to an end, the man explains that he is in a relationship and does not want to continue texting the protagonist.


text:
Midwives, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other non-doctors do as good a job as MDs in the care they deliver — and patients often like them better, a World Health Organization team reported on Thursday.

These non-physicians are especially effective in delivering babies, taking care of people infected with the AIDS virus, and helping people care for chronic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure, the team reported in a WHO bulletin.

The findings extend from the poorest nations to the United States and Europe, they said. While some physician groups have resisted wider use of such professionals, they should embrace them because they are often less expensive to deploy and are far more willing to work in rural areas, the WHO experts said.

“There are some obvious advantages in terms of relying on mid-level health workers,” WHO’s Giorgio Cometto told NBC news in a telephone interview.

“They take less time to be trained. Typically, they cost less to remunerate. In some countries they are more likely to be retained in rural areas.”

David Auerbach, a researcher at the Rand Corp., says other studies have shown the same thing. “There’s really not much difference you can find in the quality,” he said.

Doctors are scarce in the United States. The Association of American Medical Colleges projects a shortfall of 90,000 physicians by 2020. Family practitioners and other generalists are especially scarce, and experts predict it will only get worse as millions of Americans get health insurance under the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

Doctors are also scarce in the developing world, and many countries are looking for ways to fill gaps.

Cometto and colleagues around the world looked at all the studies they could find on the quality of care delivered by non-physicians. They settled on 53 that looked specifically at the quality of care delivered — and at how happy patients were with the care they got.

“The evidence shows there aren’t statistically significant differences,” Cometto said. “The quality of care they provide is comparable to physicians. In some cases, for specific services, they actually outperform physicians.”

For instance, nurse-midwives or midwives who deliver babies end up using fewer drugs and they are less likely than doctors to make a type of cut called an episiotomy. Groups such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend against episiotomies because they don’t heal as well as the natural tears that occur during childbirth.

Midwives were no more or less likely than doctors to induce labor, perform cesarean sections or use instruments to deliver a baby, Cometto’s team found, and the rates of death of either mother or child were the same among doctors as among midwives.

There were similar findings for treating patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS. “One study compared the effects of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in patients managed by nurses and those managed by doctors. There was no significant difference in the likelihood of ART failure between groups of patients managed by nurses and those managed by doctors,” the researchers wrote. “Nor was there any difference in mortality, failure of viral suppression or immune recovery between the groups.”

When it came to caring for heart disease and diabetes, patients actually seemed to like nurses and other non-doctors better, the report found. This jibes with what nurse-practitioners and physician assistants working in the United States report. “We look at patients in a more holistic manner,” Judy Honig, associate dean at the Columbia University School of Nursing, said in a recent interview.

The Institute of Medicine, which advises the federal government on health matters, says nurses can do more than they already do and can help meet ballooning demands as the population ages and as more people get health insurance and start seeking care.

The United States has more than three million nurses. They already deliver much of the front line health care that Americans need, from giving vaccinations to delivering babies.

Nurse-practitionersare registered nurses who hold graduate degrees and can perform virtually all of the functions of front-line family doctors — depending on the laws of the state they’re in.

Between 1998 and 2010, the number of Medicare patients treated by NPs increased 15-fold to more than 450,000 people, University of Texas Medical Branch researchers found recently. Groups such as the American Association of Nurse Practitioners are calling for even more to be trained.

Physician assistants are also seen asoffering a big plugin the health care hole “Currently, there are more than 93,000 PAs throughout the U.S. whose education in general medicine prepares them to be extremely nimble, positioning them very well to address an influx of 20 million new patients entering the health care system,” says Lawrence Herman, president of the American Academy of Physician Assistants.

Rand’s Auerbach says integrated clinics, using electronic health records and other technology, can really help fill the gaps. But he notes that not all medical groups are on board with the idea.

“It’s getting over a cultural barrier and learning how to work in teams of providers with different expertise,” Auerbach said. “That is not trivial.”

The American Society of Anesthesiologists recently spoke out against what it sees as the overuse of nurse-anesthetists. “Somehow there has become the notion that you can take physician extenders and replace physicians,” said Dr. Jane Fitch, a former nurse anesthetist who is now a physician anesthesiologist. “We are really concerned about patient safety.”

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What does the text say about nurse practitioners?

answer: Nurse practitioners are registered nurses with graduate degrees. Nurse practitioners can perform almost all the functions of front-line family doctors in the United States, depending on the laws in their state. The number of Medicare patients being treated by nurse practitioners increased 15-fold between 1998 and 2010. However, some physicians such as Dr. Jane Fitch have claimed that the use of nurse practitioners can result in patient safety issues. However, according to these results from the WHO and other research studies, there is no difference when comparing the quality of care of physicians to the quality of care of nurse practitioners.

answer: According to the text, nurse practitioners do as good a job as MDs and people get along better with them. Nurse practitioners also experience fewer negative effects.

text: It is not stated that nurse practitioners also experience fewer negative effects.

refinement: According to the text, nurse practitioners do as good a job as MDs and people get along better with them.

text: It is omitted that some physicians such as Dr. Jane Fitch have claimed that the use of nurse practitioners can result in patient safety issues.

refinement: According to the text, although some physicians such as Dr. Jane Fitch have claimed that the use of nurse practitioners can result in patient safety issues, nurse practitioners do as good a job as MDs and people get along better with them.

text: It is omitted that nurse practitioners are registered nurses who hold graduate degrees and can perform virtually all of the functions of front-line family doctors — depending on the laws of the state they’re in.

refinement: Nurse practitioners are registered nurses who hold graduate degrees and can perform virtually all of the functions of front-line family doctors — depending on the laws of the state they’re in. According to the text, although some physicians such as Dr. Jane Fitch have claimed that the use of nurse practitioners can result in patient safety issues, nurse practitioners do as good a job as MDs and people get along better with them.

answer: Nurse practitioners are registered nurses with graduate degrees. Nurse practitioners can perform almost all the functions of front-line family doctors in the United States, depending on the laws in their state. The number of Medicare patients being treated by nurse practitioners increased 15-fold between 1998 and 2010. However, some physicians such as Dr. Jane Fitch have claimed that the use of nurse practitioners can result in patient safety issues.

text: It is omitted that nurse practitioners do as good a job as MDs in the care they deliver.

refinement: Nurse practitioners are registered nurses with graduate degrees. Nurse practitioners can perform almost all the functions of front-line family doctors in the United States, depending on the laws in their state. The number of Medicare patients being treated by nurse practitioners increased 15-fold between 1998 and 2010. Although some physicians such as Dr. Jane Fitch have claimed that the use of nurse practitioners can result in patient safety issues, the text says that nurse practitioners do as good a job as MDs in the care they deliver.

answer: Nurse practitioners are known for their ability to focus on the holistic health of their patients and together with their diverse background, they are able to efficiently tackle the care of patients in an effective manner. In some countries, nurse practitioners are more likely to be retained in rural areas. Some studies have showed no difference between doctor and nurse practitioner performance.

answer: Nurse practitioners  are known for their ability to focus on the holistic health of their patients and together with their diverse background, they are able to efficiently tackle the care of patients in an effective manner. In some countries, nurse practitioners are more likely to be retained in rural areas. Some studies have showed no difference between doctor and nurse practitioner performance.

answer: No answer

text: It is omitted that nurse practitioners are registered nurses with graduate degrees and that they can perform almost all the functions of front-line family doctors in the United States, depending on the laws in their state.

refinement: Nurse practitioners are registered nurses who hold graduate degrees and can perform virtually all of the functions of front-line family doctors — depending on the laws of the state they are in.

text: It is omitted that the number of Medicare patients being treated by nurse practitioners increased 15-fold between 1998 and 2010.

refinement: Nurse practitioners are registered nurses who hold graduate degrees and can perform virtually all of the functions of front-line family doctors — depending on the laws of the state they are in. The number of Medicare patients being treated by nurse practitioners increased 15-fold between 1998 and 2010.

text: It is omitted that some physicians such as Dr. Jane Fitch have claimed that the use of nurse practitioners can result in patient safety issues.

refinement: Nurse practitioners are registered nurses who hold graduate degrees and can perform virtually all of the functions of front-line family doctors — depending on the laws of the state they are in. The number of Medicare patients being treated by nurse practitioners increased 15-fold between 1998 and 2010. Some physicians such as Dr. Jane Fitch have claimed that the use of nurse practitioners can result in patient safety issues.

text: It is omitted that the text implies that nurse practitioners do as good a job as MDs in the care they deliver.

refinement: Nurse practitioners are registered nurses who hold graduate degrees and can perform virtually all of the functions of front-line family doctors — depending on the laws of the state they are in. The number of Medicare patients being treated by nurse practitioners increased 15-fold between 1998 and 2010. Although some physicians such as Dr. Jane Fitch have claimed that the use of nurse practitioners can result in patient safety issues, the text says that nurse practitioners do as good a job as MDs in the care they deliver.

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What does the text say about midwives?

answer: Midwives take care of most pregnant women and, help people care for relatives with chronic diseases. Nurse-midwives or midwives who deliver babies end up using fewer drugs and are less likely than doctors to make a type of cut called an episiotomy.

text: The text does not say that midwives take care of most pregnant women and, help people care for relatives with chronic diseases.

refinement: Nurse-midwives or midwives who deliver babies end up using fewer drugs and are less likely than doctors to make a type of cut called an episiotomy.

text: It is omitted that midwives were no more or less likely than doctors to induce labor, perform cesarean sections or use instruments to deliver a baby, Cometto’s team found, and the rates of death of either mother or child were the same among doctors as among midwives.

refinement: Nurse-midwives or midwives who deliver babies end up using fewer drugs and are less likely than doctors to make a type of cut called an episiotomy. Midwives were no more or less likely than doctors to induce labor, perform cesarean sections, or use instruments to deliver a baby, Cometto’s team found, and the rates of death of either mother or child were the same among doctors as among midwives.

text: It is omitted that according to WHO, midwives do as good a job as MDs in the care they deliver.

refinement: Nurse-midwives or midwives who deliver babies end up using fewer drugs and are less likely than doctors to make a type of cut called an episiotomy. Midwives were no more or less likely than doctors to induce labor, perform cesarean sections, or use instruments to deliver a baby, Cometto’s team found, and the rates of death of either mother or child were the same among doctors as among midwives. According to WHO, midwives do as good a job as MDs in the care they deliver.

answer: While doctors are scarce, midwives are not and are proven to be effective. Midwives are less likely to use drugs and use fewer episiotomies than doctors. Midwives are also less likely to induce labor and cesarean sections than doctors. They are not likely to do more damage because in this case, mom and baby is same mortality rate.

text: I would rewrite the last sentence as it is not quite clear.

refinement: While doctors are scarce, midwives are not and are proven to be effective. Midwives are less likely to use drugs and use fewer episiotomies than doctors. Midwives are also less likely to induce labor and cesarean sections than doctors. The rates of death of either mother or child were the same among doctors as among midwives.

text: It is inaccurate that midwives are less likely to induce labor and cesarean sections than doctors.

refinement: While doctors are scarce, midwives are not and are proven to be effective. Midwives are less likely to use drugs and use fewer episiotomies than doctors. Midwives are no more or less likely than doctors to induce labor, perform cesarean sections, or use instruments to deliver a baby. The rates of death of either mother or child were the same among doctors as among midwives.

answer: Nurse-midwives or midwives who deliver babies end up using fewer drugs and they are less likely than doctors to make a type of cut called an episiotomy. Groups such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend against episiotomies because they don’t heal as well as the natural tears that occur during childbirth.

text: It is omitted that midwives were no more or less likely than doctors to induce labor, perform cesarean sections or use instruments to deliver a baby, Cometto’s team found, and the rates of death of either mother or child were the same among doctors as among midwives.

refinement: Nurse-midwives or midwives who deliver babies end up using fewer drugs and they are less likely than doctors to make a type of cut called an episiotomy. Groups such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend against episiotomies because they don’t heal as well as the natural tears that occur during childbirth. Midwives were no more or less likely than doctors to induce labor, perform cesarean sections, or use instruments to deliver a baby, Cometto’s team found, and the rates of death of either mother or child were the same among doctors as among midwives.

text: It is omitted that according to WHO, midwives do as good a job as MDs in the care they deliver.

refinement: Nurse-midwives or midwives who deliver babies end up using fewer drugs and they are less likely than doctors to make a type of cut called an episiotomy. Groups such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend against episiotomies because they don’t heal as well as the natural tears that occur during childbirth. Midwives were no more or less likely than doctors to induce labor, perform cesarean sections, or use instruments to deliver a baby, Cometto’s team found, and the rates of death of either mother or child were the same among doctors as among midwives. According to WHO, midwives do as good a job as MDs in the care they deliver.

answer: Midwives take care of most pregnant women, deliver babies, treat men with the AIDS virus, treat chronic diseases such as diabetes, treat heart diseases, and help people care for relatives with chronic diseases. Nurse-midwives or midwives who deliver babies end up using fewer drugs and are less likely than doctors to make a type of cut called an episiotomy.


text:
I wrote this story for a school competition, and I ended up being one of the winners, just wanted to share it with you guys! It's about a German soldier from WWI. Enjoy.

Prologue:

Face down. Face down. Not face up. Face down. Didn't scream or anything. Just dropped. Stone cold. I tried to save him, but he was bleeding too hard. Straight through the jugular. Dead.

Chapter 1:

2 days earlier…

"The front line?"

"Yep."

"But we've only been here for a couple days!"

"Well, you won't miss it then."

I couldn't believe it. The front line. The big one. No more wallowing in the reserves, doing boring training. We were going to the big show.
"So, Alan, how long for?"
"2 weeks, then they rotate us out"
"Only 2 weeks?"
"Yep. Pack your things."
Alan was on his bed, packing his backpack with all he needed. I was still processing this new knowledge. After a few seconds, I put my pack on my bed and began to pack.

Chapter 2:

The front line…
Our ride to the front was uneventful, except for the constant pounding of artillery, but that eventually faded into background noise. When we got there, we were directed to our trenches under an iron sky of guns, grenades and bullets.
Apparently, the enemy were making a push towards us. At one point, they came about 10 metres away from our trench and we could see the whites of their fear-stricken eyes. I killed my first man that day. Got him in the stomach, then finished him off when he sank to his knees. The charge broke a few moments afterwards, with men running as fast as they could back to their trenches.
About a quarter of them actually made it back. The rest lay dead or dying in various amounts of pain, strewn around the battlefield like discarded toys. The one I shot had apparently been one of the enemies braver officers, and people were calling me things like "Hero" and "Saviour".

Someone told me that the person I shot had been leading the charges for months on end and that we lost lots of men whenever he was at the head of a charge.
"Now he's gone", he stated, "We'll have that trench within the week, you mark my words!"

Chapter 3:

The next day…
Alan thought that what I'd done was pretty heroic, too. He patted me on the back like everybody else. I felt like shit. I couldn't see what I had done as a good thing. I'd killed a man. Sure, he had been killing our men too, but he was a hero to the enemy. I'd killed one of their greatest inspirations. If any of those men, in that trench not too far from ours, survived, they would be reduced to emotional wrecks. Not just from losing a great hero, but from the war itself. I'd seen it already, on our side. Veterans walking around, almost trance-like, probably trying to remember a happier time, like before the war. Or their 10th birthday. They had lost touch with reality. That's what any sane soldier fears. Not the cold, dark embrace of death, or the pain, but the sight. The feel. The loss of what you think the world is, stripped away until there is-
"Sam?"
I snapped out of it. I realised I was drooling from lack of concentration. Oh feth, I thought. Is it already happening? Surely not this fast?
"Sam?" Alan repeated. I was aware now.
"Yeah, Alan?"
"We're moving up-trench"
"Really? Why?"
"Logistics apparently thought that losses would be much higher, so the trench is overcrowded. We need to move up in case of bombardment, or it gets too hard to fight."
That made a lot of sense. "How much did Logistics misestimate by?" I asked.
"Well, word from the rabble is that they thought we'd lose the same amount as all the other times, 'cos of that officer you killed. They thought the casualties would be up in the hundreds"
I stared at him, wide-eyed with shock. Had that one man been that inspiring? Could one man really make other men fight with such fervour and fury that his death is the tipping point in a battle?"
These thoughts were at the forefront of my mind as we packed our meagre belongings up and moved up the trench, to the heavier fighting.

Final Chapter:

The next day, I had had an epiphany.
I was that man, now.
I was the hero that all the other men were inspired by.
I could make them fight with the fury and strength of a million men, when we were only a few thousand.
Word had already spread to the other trenches. I was Slayer der Götter, who was already a figure of legend.
 It showed how low morale had been, for me to be elevated to such a high status without being an officer or commander.

These men would follow me to hell and back.

Suddenly, the was a clamour rising from the trench. Men were shouting orders to get ready. We were going to assault the enemy trenches. I looked around. About a dozen men were looking my way, as if I was going to lead them. As soon as the sirens went, I knew I had no choice. I clambered up the trench line with Alan by my side. We were best friends, nothing could stop us.
The few trees in our way provided a little cover from the withering, inaccurate fire coming from the other trench. We had 20 meters to go.
18.
15.
11.
Then, out of nowhere, Alan dropped.
Face down. Face down. Not face up. Face down. Didn't scream or anything. Just dropped. Stone cold. I tried to save him, but he was bleeding too hard. Straight through the jugular. Dead.
My fury was taken to new heights. I grabbed his bayonet from the end of his rifle. I had two in my hands. One to murder and one to avenge. I sprinted the final 10 meters with a war cry on my lips. The men around me did the same.
Then, I was among them. Swinging wildly. It was all a blur of stabbing, ripping, killing, swinging, screaming, blood, death, stamping.
I stopped. The men I had killed were strewn about me, in various states of mutilation. I sprinted around the trench corner.
And I saw him. Death was 20 years old or so, clad in the combat gear of the enemy, bearing a rifle. I stared Death down the barrel of his gun, and didn't flinch when he claimed me.
-Sam-

title: Chains of Command

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What does the story say about the narrator and Alan?

answer: Alan was the narrator's best friend. He was told that they were going to the front line since they rotated in the reserves, and they would be there for 2 weeks. The narrator and Alan were ready to move up in the trench when they realized that more people were needed in the front. Alan was trying to motivate the soldier that he and his comrade Sam was supposed to protect to leave their seats and join the assault during the attack.

text: The last line is unattested.

refinement: Alan was the narrator's best friend. He was told that they were going to the front line since they rotated in the reserves, and they would be there for 2 weeks. The narrator and Alan were ready to move up in the trench when they realized that more people were needed in the front.

text: Should mention Alan's reaction to the narrator's feat.

refinement: Alan was the narrator's best friend. He was told that they were going to the front line since they rotated in the reserves, and they would be there for 2 weeks. The narrator and Alan were ready to move up in the trench when they realized that more people were needed in the front. Alan believes the narrator's killing of an enemy soldier was heroic.

text: The answer should mention Alan's death.

refinement: Alan was the narrator's best friend. He was told that they were going to the front line since they rotated in the reserves, and they would be there for 2 weeks. The narrator and Alan were ready to move up in the trench when they realized that more people were needed in the front. Alan believes the narrator's killing of an enemy soldier was heroic. At the end of the story, Alan is shot dead and the narrator flies into a rage.

answer: The story shows that the narrator and Alan are best friends. Alan dies while fighting at the front line, and this motivates the narrator to push forward and kill in order to avenge him. The narrator is elevated to a heroic status by the other soldiers, who see him as crucial to their fighting capabilities.

text: The last line is irrelevant.

refinement: The story shows that the narrator and Alan are best friends. Alan dies while fighting at the front line, and this motivates the narrator to push forward and kill in order to avenge him.

answer: The story says that both the narrator and Alan were unprepared and inexperienced at being on the front line. However, the narrator went on to become an inspirational figure to the other men on the front line, while Alan was killed by the enemy. The story thus indicates that the narrator was more successful and capable than Alan.

answer: The narrator and Alan are assigned to the frontline. The narrator killed his first man that day. The person he killed was important and even Alan was impressed by him. Unfortunately, the narrator feels nothing but guilt for killing him. Out of nowhere, Alan is shot dead. The narrator fights back but is eventually shot dead.

answer:
The narrator, Sam is tired of being a reserve at the front line and feels he needs to get out of the safe zone and see the real show.
He and his good friend Alan feel considerable relief that they and their comrades are finally going to the front. Sam gets his first kill the next day. The enemy comes right to their trenches and, even though Sam and Alan's chap chase the others away, they kill their hero. Sam is distraught, but soon Alan dies, Sam survives his encounter with the enemy soldier, and they take back their position faster.

text: The first line does not pertain to the narrator and Alan's relationship.

refinement: The narrator and his good friend Alan feel considerable relief that they and their comrades are finally going to the front. Sam gets his first kill the next day. The enemy comes right to their trenches and, even though Sam and Alan's chap chase the others away, they kill their hero. Sam is distraught, but soon Alan dies, Sam survives his encounter with the enemy soldier, and they take back their position faster.

text: The answer should touch on Alan's reaction to Sam's kill.

refinement: The narrator and his good friend Alan feel considerable relief that they and their comrades are finally going to the front. Sam gets his first kill the next day and Alan thinks it's heroic. The enemy comes right to their trenches and, even though Sam and Alan's chap chase the others away, they kill their hero. Sam is distraught, but soon Alan dies, Sam survives his encounter with the enemy soldier, and they take back their position faster.

text: The line about their "chap" is confusing and unnecessary.

refinement: The narrator and his good friend Alan feel considerable relief that they and their comrades are finally going to the front. Sam gets his first kill the next day and Alan thinks it's heroic. Sam is distraught, but soon Alan dies, Sam survives his encounter with the enemy soldier, and they take back their position faster.

text: The final sentence should touch more on Sam's reaction to Alan's death.

refinement: The narrator and his good friend Alan feel considerable relief that they and their comrades are finally going to the front. Sam gets his first kill the next day and Alan thinks it's heroic. Sam is distraught by Alan's death and goes on a rampage, Sam survives his encounter with the enemy soldier, and they take back their position faster.

text: It is inaccurate to state that Sam survives.

refinement: The narrator and his good friend Alan feel considerable relief that they and their comrades are finally going to the front. Sam gets his first kill the next day and Alan thinks it's heroic. Sam is distraught by Alan's death and goes on a rampage.

question:
Answer the following question based on the above passage:

What does the story say about the narrator's feelings?

answer: The narrator expresses varying degrees of fear during the war over time. Initially, he feels unprepared to go to the front, but accepts his fate and adjusts quickly out of necessity. During the assault, he elucidates his own and his friend's bravery for the sake of others, acknowledging the horror of war. After his friend dies, the narrator feels utterly and profoundly angry, bearing all of a soldier's fears and despair, but also the elevated rage of righteous revenge.

text: The line about the narrator acknowledging the horror of war is confusingly phrased.

refinement: The narrator expresses varying degrees of fear during the war over time. Initially, he feels unprepared to go to the front, but accepts his fate and adjusts quickly out of necessity. He feels awful upon taking another man's life. After his friend dies, the narrator feels utterly and profoundly angry, bearing all of a soldier's fears and despair, but also the elevated rage of righteous revenge.

answer: The story reveals the narrator's feelings as conflicted and complex. On the one hand, the narrator knows that his actions caused the death of a man and that this death likely caused a host of trauma among the enemy. At the same time, the narrator also feels empowered by the role he played in making his comrades fight harder than they otherwise would have done. He feels emboldened by his position and is aware of the respect others give him because of his actions.

text: The answer should also mention his anger upon Alan's death.

refinement: The story reveals the narrator's feelings as conflicted and complex. On the one hand, the narrator knows that his actions caused the death of a man and that this death likely caused a host of trauma among the enemy. At the same time, the narrator also feels empowered by the role he played in making his comrades fight harder than they otherwise would have done. He feels emboldened by his position and is aware of the respect others give him because of his actions. He is filled with rage when his friend Alan is killed.

answer: The protagonist is feeling very emotional in the beginning. They feel sad that they killed a man, even though he was a soldier.

answer: The story shows the narrator being traumatized by the death of a friend. The narrator has a realization that his actions in battle have a devastating effect on everyone else around him. Despite the role he has been given as a leader, he is still horrified by the brutality and loss of life that he bears some responsibility for. The narrator ultimately realizes that the lives he takes and the immense amount of pain and suffering he causes other people weighs heavily on him and will haunt him for the rest of his life.

answer: The narrator and Alan are assigned to the frontline. The narrator killed his first man that day. The person he killed was important and even Alan was impressed by him. Unfortunately, the narrator feels nothing but guilt for killing him. Out of nowhere, Alan is shot dead. The narrator feels fury at the sight of his death and goes on a killing spree until he is eventually shot dead.

text: There are lines unrelated to the narrator's emotions that can be cut for coherency.

refinement: The narrator feels nothing but guilt for killing an enemy soldier. The narrator feels fury at the sight of Alan's death and goes on a killing spree until he is eventually shot dead.