Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Epilogue of 6th Semester

Wednesday was preparation leave for the End-Semester exams, which started on Thursday. The first paper was Applied Thermodynamics. The refrigeration part was all right, but the main problem was IC Engines part, in which none of us knew what to study. I did most of my preparations from the html file provided by Prof. Ramanujam. Rest I left for God to worry. The question paper was divided into 2 parts of 25 marks each. I started with Refrigeration Part. Question No. 1 was a bouncer. So I jumped to question no. 2. Since then, I found that all of the other questions were "Bread and Butter Problems". I left some space for the first question and proceeded for the IC Engine part. I was anticipating another numerical, but there was not to be. All the questions were theoretical, and fortunately, there were choices. I selected the ones I knew well. The questions went like : One engine creates noise while the other doesn't, the first is nuisance to start while the other isn't. Identify which is SI engine and which is CI Engine.

Next we had the Fluid Machinery Exam on Friday. We were expecting a tough paper (on Mid-Sems lines), but all the problems were "bread and butter problems". So it was a cruise along paper. There were a few derivations, but they were so predictable that I was able to say which all will be asked.

After the Fluid Machinery Exam, we had a 3-day break for the next exam, the Design Of Machine Elements (DOME). I did nothing the first two days. I got together with Suman and Aditya and bhatted for hours together on various topics. Then, on Sunday, I realized that I am in a soup and should start studying. As I had lost touch with studies, it was a slow start with very frequent breaks. So the Sunday also went without any significant progress.

I decided that I have to go full throttle from Monday onwards. And the day went with so hectic a schedule that I can hardly remember any break, except the ones for meals.

The exam was on Tuesday morning, from 9am onwards. That paper also was relatively easier than expected, although I didn't knew answer to a question. Thank God there was choice of one question. I was able to finish the paper just in time as the bell rang.

Then, after another day's break, we had the Casting, Forming and Welding Exam. I had some advantage over others as most other students had Enterprise Integration Exam (a subject taken by Prof. M.A. Farouqi) on Wednesday, giving them less time to study for this exam. The examination question paper was really tough, vague and long, although Prof. Surja Kanta Pal gave very easy questions from the Forming part. Prof. G.L. Dutta knows exactly what things are most difficult to mug up (owing to his experience), and he never thinks twice before striking the leash.

Just next day, on the 29th of April, we had the Biomechanics Exam, in N-201 of Civil Department. The venue is spooky, to say the least. It is located in some far-fetched corner of the department where no one would suspect that a room could be accommodated. But thanks to the series of signboards, it was easy to locate.

Unlike the mid-sems, there were other exams also held in the same room. So many people from the Biotechnology department were disappointed, as they could not cheat. Some tried, but were caught by other professors. Even Prof. Dhang could not suggest any answers to the questions. The paper was OK and went well.

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