READING - General Information, Texts & Questions

7/28/2019 READING - General Information, Texts & Questions

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Tim allcati

60 minutes.

Tst frmat ad rcdur

In this sub-test candidates must read two texts and answer 20-24 questions. The texts are on general topics related

to the medical and health proessions. The texts are not specic to a proession. The questions are designed toassess understanding o the texts.

The questions are in multiple choice ormat. For each question candidates have to choose which alternative answer

is the best answer. Some questions are in the orm o unnished statements and candidates must select the best

way to nish the statement. Only one alternative can be given.

Answers are to be written on the computer readable answer sheet provided (see example next page) by lling in the

appropriate circle with a pencil. I a mistake is made, candidates should rub out the rst mark with an eraser and ll

in another circle. I two answers are marked, the question will be marked wrong. Marks or smudges on the answer

sheet may be mistaken or answers and may be marked wrong.

Assssmt rcdur

This sub-test is computer marked.

Th saml matrials

The sample materials consist o:

• acomputerreadableanswersheet

• twotexts

• aseriesofquestionsrelatedtothetexts• areadingtestanswerkey(seepage12).

Usig th matrials

• Allowenoughtimetodoallthesamplereadingsub-testintheonesitting.Thiswillgiveanindicationofthe

requirements o the actual test.

• Setatimeroralarmclockfor60minutesorasksomeonetoactasatimer.

• Makesureapencilandaneraserareavailable.

• Checkanswersagainsttheanswerkey.

• Atotalscoreofaround65%onthesetests(PartsAandBcombined)shouldgiveyouagoodchanceof

getting a satisactory result.

Sub-tst

RadigGral ifrmati

OET – CANDIDATE INFORMATION & SAMPLE MATERIALS 1



CompUTeR AnSweR SheeT




OET–SAMPLE

Radig Sub-tst

Time allowed : 60 minutes

There are two reading passages in this test. Ater each passage you will nd a number o questions or

unnished statements about the passage, each with our suggested answers or ways o nishing.

Youmustchoosetheonewhichyouthinktsbest,i.e.,thebestanswer.Foreachquestion,1-20,indicateon

youranswersheettheletterA,B,CorDagainstthenumberofthequestion.

Answer all questions. Marks will not be deducted or incorrect answers.

You must complete your answer sheet within the 60 minutes allowed or this sub-test.

ReADInG SUB-TeST




OET–SAMPLE

Latin America struggles as cholera spreads

Paragraph 1

HealthofcialsfromtenLatinAmericancountriesmetinWashingtonDCthisweektosearchformeasurestocontrolthegrowingcholeraepidemicintheircountries.LastweektheWorldHealthOrganization(WHO)setupa

taskforcetocombatthespreadofthediseasewhich,itpredicts,couldaffectasmanyas120millionpeople–a

quarterofLatinAmerica’spopulation.

Paragraph 2

CholerahasnowreachedbeyondthewesterncoastalcountriesofPeru,Colombia,Ecuador,andChiletothe

edgeofBrazil.Sofar,thevecasesreportedinBrazilarethoughttobePeruvianswhohavecrossedtheborder

atanislandintheAmazoncalledTabatinga.Morethan163,000caseshavebeenreportedtotheWHOfrom

LatinAmerica.

Paragraph 3

Despitethelargenumbersinfected,thedeathratehassofarbeenrelativelylow.FiguresfromPerushowthat

outof158,929casesofthediseasetherewere1,130deaths–fewerthan1percentofthoseaffected.The

WHOsayscommunitiesunpreparedforcholerausuallysufferamuchhigherdeathrate–uptohalfofthosewho

develop the disease.

Paragraph 4

ThisistherstwidespreadoutbreakofcholeraintheAmericasforacentury.‘Peruhasdoneremarkablywell,’

saysDavidBennett,co-ordinatorforthecholerataskforceatthePanAmericanHealthOrganization(PAHO)in

WashingtonDC.

Paragraph 5

Choleraistreatablewhendiagnosedpromptly.JimTulloch,headofthediarrhoealdiseasesprogramattheWHO,

saysPeruhasforyearsbeentrainingitsdoctorstotreatdiarrhoealdiseaseandthatthishashelpedtoreduce

the death toll.

Paragraph 6

The cholera bacterium produces a toxin which paralyses the gut, stopping it rom absorbing liquid. It kills only

because it dehydrates the body rapidly. Nine out o ten patients will recover simply by drinking oral rehydration

fuids – a balance o water, sugar and salt. Intravenous inusions o fuid are necessary or the one in ten who

become severely dehydrated or are unable to keep liquids down. Antibiotics help to reduce the time that people

suer rom diarrhoea or and also make the diarrhoea itsel less inectious.

Paragraph 7

Nooneisbelittlingtheimpactofthedisease.TheWHOsaystheepidemicisan‘unfoldingtragedy’worldwide,

withgrowingnumbersofcasesinBeninandZambiaaswellasthoseinLatinAmerica.ButTullochemphasises

that the epidemic must be seen in the context o other deaths caused by diarrhoeal disease. He says that while

2,000peoplehavediedofcholeraworldwidesincetheendofJanuary,inthesameperiod800,000children

under ve years o age have died rom diarrhoea.

Paragraph 8

‘The(LatinAmerican)epidemicismuchmoreofadisastertotheeconomythantopublichealth,’saysSandy

CairncrossattheLondonSchoolofHygieneandTropicalMedicine.Manycountrieshavebannedimportsof

foodfromPeru,despitetheWHO’sadvicethatnolargecholeraoutbreakhaseverbeentracedtocommercial

imports.TheWHOestimatesthattheepidemicwillcostPeru$1billionthisyearinlossestoexports,tourismand

other earnings.

Paragraph 9

OfcialssayPeru’spoorwatersupplyandovercrowdingoftheshantytownsthatsurroundthecoastalcitieshavehelped to spread the disease. The cholera bacterium is excreted in the aeces o inected people and thrives in

situations where sewage can mix with supplies o resh water.

ReADInG SUB-TeST – pART A

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Paragraph 10

HoratioLores,seniorepidemiologistattheLimaofceofthePAHO,says,‘Wehavemuchpovertyhere,no

sanitationandbasicconditions.’Fewhouseshavepipedwater.Cairncrosssaysthateventenyearsagopeople

were spending a tenth o their income on water bought rom street vendors. Since then real incomes have

declined sharply.

Paragraph 11

AccordingtothePAHO,thewaterandseweragesystemsinLimaandPeru’sothercoastalcitieshavenotbeen

properlyrepairedforyears.Levelsofchlorinedisinfectantinthewatersupplieshavenotbeencheckedregularly

and the water pressure is not maintained or 24 hours a day, so wasted water can fow into any pipes that are

cracked.Wherepopulationshavegrownrapidly,watersupplieshavebecomegrosslyoverstretched.

Paragraph 12

‘Atraditionalpracticeinthedrycoastalplainsistousesewagetofertiliseeldswhenwaterisscarce,’says

Cairncross.‘Peopleevensmashopensewersorpumpwatercontaminatedwithrawsewagedirectfromrivers,’

he says. ‘Farmers need to grow the kind o crops that have high cash yields and short growing seasons, and

theseareoftenvegetablesthatareeatenraw.’

Paragraph 13

Butwhileepidemiologistsblamepovertyandthedeterioratinginfrastructureforthecholeraoutbreak,noone

can explain why it should have happened suddenly. The conditions that have uelled the disease have been

worsening or years. ‘One assumes that cholera must have been introduced periodically during the last 20 or

30years,’admitsBennett.However,TullochinGeneva,says,‘thepreciseoriginoftheepidemicisirrelevant

becausethelevelofcontaminationintheenvironmentnowisveryhigh.’

Paragraph 14

The bacterium that causes cholera, Vibrio cholerae,hastwomainformsor‘biotypes’:theElTorbiotypeisthe

cause o the current epidemic and the classical biotype was responsible or outbreaks earlier this century. The

WHOsaysLatinAmerica’scurrentepidemicispartoftheseventhpandemic,orworldepidemic,whichbeganas

longagoas1961.Paragraph 15

ElTorwasendemicinIndonesiabeforeitbegantospread.Probablycarriedbytravellers,itreachedBangladesh

in1963,IndiaayearlaterandtheSovietUnioninthemid-1960s.In1970,ElTorreachedWestAfrica,aregion

that had been virtually ree o cholera until then. The disease remains endemic in this area, where it is dicult to

distinguishfromothercausesofdiarrhoea.Childrenaremostaffected.

Paragraph 16

BennettsaysthatElTorspreadsrapidlybeforeitisdetected,becauseforeveryonepersontosuffersevere

diarrhoea there are eight who have no symptoms or only mild disturbance, and so do not seek medical help. In

contrast, the classical biotype causes severe symptoms in hal o those inected.

Paragraph 17 ‘Malnourished people and those who are carrying many intestinal parasites may be more susceptible than

healthypeople,’saysCairncross.‘Ittakes100billionvibriosinthegutofahealthypersontocausethedisease,

becauselargenumbersareimmobilisedbyacidinthestomach.Butinsomeonewhosegutislessacidic

becauseofaheavyparasiteburden,ittakesonly1millionorganisms.’

Paragraph 18

ThePAHObelievesgoodsurveillanceandspeedyreportingbycountriesismorecosteffectivethanborder

controls or halting the spread o the disease. The organisation has sent diagnostic equipment to laboratories in

countriesatriskandhassentsomestaffontrainingcoursesattheCentersforDiseaseControlinAtlanta.

Paragraph 19

The existing vaccine against cholera, which is based on killed vibrios, protects only hal o those who receiveit,andthenonlyforafewmonths.TheWHOhopestostartatrialinBrazilofanoralvaccinethatcontains

fragmentsofcholeratoxinaswellaskilledvibrios.ThisvaccinewastestedinBangladeshinthemid-1980s,with

partial success.

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ReADInG SUB-TeST – pART A

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OET–SAMPLEReADInG SUB-TeST – pART A

QUeSTIonS

Latin America struggles as cholera spreads

1 Sofar,thenumberofpeopleaffectedbythecurrentcholeraepidemicinLatinAmericais......

A about120million.

B between160,000and120million.

C between60,000and160,000.

D lessthan60,000.

2 ThenumberofpeoplewhohavediedfromthecurrentepidemicinPeruis......

A surprisingly high.

B about1percentofthepopulation.

C surprisinglylow.

D about50percentofthoseaffected.

3 Accordingtothearticle,whichoneofthefollowingstatementsaboutcholeraisFALSE?

A Itusuallykillsabout50percentofthepeopleaffectedbyit.

D Ithasnotbeenseenonsuchalargescaleinthatregionformorethan100years.

C Thegutofapersonaffectedbyitisunabletoprocessliquids.

D 90percentofthoseaffecteddonotneedtobetreatedintravenously.

4 Accordingtothearticle,Peru’swatersupply…...

A is linked directly to the large number o houses.

B hasaconstantpressure.

C ischlorinated.

D systemisbeingoverhauled.

5 Thepracticeofusingsewagetofertiliseelds…...

A is traditionally carried out throughout the country.

B hasbeenrecentlyintroduced.

C hascausedthecurrentoutbreakofcholera.

D isanoldsolutiontoanoldproblem.




OET–SAMPLE

6 ThecurrentcholeraepidemicinLatinAmerica…...

A beganinColombia.

B beganinBrazil.

C ispartofaworld-wideepidemic.

D isofunknownorigin.

7 ElTor…...

A is NOT the classical biotype o the cholera bacterium.

B wasmostlikelyspreadbytravellers.

C wasidentiedinIndiaafterBangladesh.

D is/wasalloftheabove.

8 WhichoneofthefollowingstatementsaboutElTorisTRUE?

A ItwastherstcholerabacteriumtobedetectedinWestAfrica.

B Itisnotdetectedaseasilyastheoldbiotype.

C Itcausesseverediarrhoeainallsufferers.

D IthasalsoappearedinisolatedcasesinGeneva.

9 WhichoneofthefollowingisgivenasTHELEASTUSEFULMEASUREforkeepingthedisease

incheck?

A increased patrols along common borders

B monitoringareasinwhichcholerahasbeendetected

C efcientsharingofinformation

D animproveddiet

10 Fromthearticle,itcanbeinferredthat…...

A WHOisnowclosetondinganeffectivepreventativevaccineforcholera.

B peoplearemorelikelytodiefromdiarrhoealdiseasethanfromcholera.

C uptoaquarterofLatinAmerica’spopulationcoulddieunlesstrialswithaneworalvaccine

succeed.

D theoutbreakofcholerainanycountrywillaffectitseconomyasmuchasitspublichealth.

END OF PART A

TURN OVER FOR PART B


ReADInG SUB-TeST – pART A QUeSTIonS



OET–SAMPLEReADInG SUB-TeST – pART B

Trans fat – Does margarine really lower cholesterol?

Paragraph 1

Butter,asanyonewhohasnotbeenlivinginacaveforthepasttenyearshasprobablyheard,containsaloto saturated at, which increases the levels o cholesterol in the blood. Margarine, on the other hand, is made

rom vegetable oils, which contain cholesterol-lowering polyunsaturated at. So switching to a diet with only

vegetablefatsshouldlowercholesterollevels,right?

Paragraph 2

‘Wrong,’saysMargaretAFlynn,anutritionistattheUniversityofMissouri.Whensheperformedthe

experimentwithagroupof71facultymembers–switchinginbothdirections–shefoundthat‘basically

itmadenodifferencewhethertheyatemargarineorbutter.’Thereason,accordingtoagrowinggroup

ofnutritionists,couldbepartiallyhydrogenatedfats.Recentstudiessuggestthatsuchfatsmightactually

altercholesterollevelsinthebloodinallthewrongways,loweringthe‘good’high-densitylipoproteinand

increasingthe‘bad’low-densitylipoprotein.Paragraph 3

Partiallyhydrogenatedfatsaremadebyreactingpolyunsaturatedoilswithhydrogen.Theadditionof

hydrogen turns the oils solid, and some o their polyunsaturated at is turned into trans monounsaturated ats.

Monounsaturated at is generally perceived as good, but things are not so simple. ‘Trans monounsaturates

actinthebodylikesaturatedfats,’saysFredAKummerow,afoodchemistattheUniversityofIllinoisat

Urbana-Champaign.‘Almostallnaturallyoccurringmonounsaturatedfatisofthecisvariety,whichismorelike

polyunsaturatedfat.’

Paragraph 4

Flynn’sstudyisnotthersttoraisequestionsabout transfattyacids.TenyearsagoaCanadiangovernment

task orce noted the apparent cholesterol-raising eects o trans ats and requested margarine manuacturersto reduce the amounts – which can easily be done by altering the conditions o the hydrogenation reaction.

Paragraph 5

LastAugusttwoDutchresearchers,RonaldPMensinkandMartijnBKatan,publishedastudyinthe New

England Journal of Medicine that showed eating a diet rich in trans ats increased low-density lipoprotein and

decreasedlevelsofhigh-densitylipoprotein.Inaneditorialaccompanyingthestudy,ScottMGrundy,alipid

researcherattheUniversityofTexasSouthwesternMedicalCenteratDallas,wrotethattheabilityof trans atty

acidstoincreaselow-densitylipoprotein‘initselfjustiestheirreductioninthediet.’Grundycalledforchanges

in labelling regulations so that cholesterol-raising atty acids, including trans monounsaturates, are grouped

together.

Paragraph 6

JamesICleeman,co-ordinatoroftheNationalCholesterolEducationProgram,disagrees.‘Toraiseared

agispremature,’hesays.‘Mensink’saudienceistheresearchcommunity–thepublicneedsuseable

simplications.’CleemanpointsoutthatthesubjectsinMensinkandKatan’sstudyaterelativelylarge

amounts o trans ats. He believes more typical consumption levels should be investigated beore any change

in recommendations is warranted.

Paragraph 7

Furthermore,CleemannotesthatstudieslikeFlynn’sarehardtointerpretbecausesubjectswereallowedto

eatastheypleased.Flynn’sstudy,publishedthismonthinthe Journal of the American College of Nutrition,

foundconsiderablevariabilityamongsubjectsintheirbloodlipidproles.‘Theonlywaytostudythequestion

properlyisinametabolicward,’Cleemansays.‘ Transfatsareawonderfulexampleofanissuethat’snot

readyforprimetime.’

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Paragraph 8

Edward A Emken, a specialist on transfatsattheAgriculturalResearchServiceinPeoria,Illinois,alsodownplaystheconcernbutfordifferentreasons.AlthoughMaryGEnig,anutritionalresearcheratthe

UniversityofMaryland,hasestimatedAmericanadultsconsume19gramsof trans at per day, Emken thinks

that gure is too high. According to his calculations, eliminating trans atty acids rom the diet will or most

peoplemakeonlyatinychangeinlipoproteinlevels.‘Ifyou’rehypercholesterolaemic,itcouldbeimportant,

butifyou’renot,thenitisnotgoingtoaffectriskatall,’heconcludes.

Paragraph 9

Emken,togetherwithLisaCHudginsandJulesHirsch,hasperformedastudytobepublishedinthe

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that nds no association between levels o trans ats in at tissue in

humans and their cholesterol proles. To Emken, that suggests transfatsarenotamajorthreatformost

people.

Paragraph 10

Nevertheless, trans ats seem destined or more limelight. ‘How can one deend having cholesterol and

saturated and unsaturated ats listed on ood labels but not allow public access to trans inormation when

suchfatsbehavelikesaturates?’asksBruceJHolub,abiochemistattheUniversityofGuelphinOntario.

‘At the very least, one has to ask whether cholesterol-ree claims should be allowed on high- transproducts.’

– Tim Beardsley

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OET–SAMPLEReADInG SUB-TeST – pART B

QUeSTIonS

Trans fat – Does margarine really lower cholesterol?

11 MAFlynn’sndingissupportedbythepropositionthat…...

A butter lowers high-density lipoprotein while margarine increases low-density lipoprotein.

B buttercontainsjustasmuchpartiallyhydrogenatedfatasmargarinedoes.

C transmonounsaturatesbehavesimilarlytomostnaturallyoccurringmonounsaturates.

D transmonounsaturatedfatincreasescholesterollevel.

12 Recentstudiessuggest…...

A partially hydrogenated ats decrease high-density lipoprotein.

B partiallyhydrogenatedfatsdonotincreaselow-densitylipoprotein.

C bothAandB.

D neitherAnorB.

13 According to the article, ......

A eating butter is not as dangerous or cholesterol levels as was previously thought.

B cholesterollevelsinhumanscanbenoticeablyreducedbycuttingoutanimalfats.

C eatingmargarineishealthierthaneatingbutter.

D thebenetsofusingonlyvegetablefatsinthehumandietarearguable.

14 Researchintotransfats…...

A has been going on or at least ten years.

B hasbeengoingonforlessthantenyears.

C hasreachedanadvancedstage.

D hasledtopopularsupportforrelabellingofbutterandmargarine.

15 AsaresultofFlynn’sstudy,......

A aCanadiangovernmenttaskforcerecommendedthereductionoftransfatsinmargarine.

B aCanadiangovernmenttaskforcerecommendedthattheconditionsforthehydrogenation

reaction should be changed.

C margarinemanufacturersinCanadachangedtheirpractices.

D noneoftheabove




OET–SAMPLE

QUeSTIonS

16 WhichoneofthefollowingstatementsisFALSE?

A WedonotknowwhatconclusionsFlynndrewaboutlipoproteins.

B MensinkandKatancametothesameconclusionaboutlipoproteinasFlynn.

C Grundy’srecommendationwassupportedbyMensinkandKatan’sndings.

D noneoftheabove

17 JamesICleemanDOESNOT…...

A agreewithGrundy’srecommendationforrelabelling.

B disputeMensinkandKatan’sresearchintotheeffectsofeatingtransfats.

C wantMensinkandKatan’sworkdiscussedoutsidetheresearchcommunity.

D wanttowaitanylongerbeforewarningthepublic.

18 WhichstatementwouldCleemanagreewith?

A Flynn’sstudyisnotveryvaluablebecausesheishardtounderstand.

B Transfatsshouldnowbediscussedanddebatedbyinterestedmembersofthepublic.

C Flynn’sstudywasnotsufcientlyrigorous.

D Flynn’ssubjectsshouldhavehadmorefoodofamorevariednature.

19 IthasbeenestimatedthatAmericanadultsconsume19gramsoftransfatsperday.EdwardEmken…...

A believes that a reduction in this gure could be achieved quite easily.

B isnotveryconcernedabouttransfatintakelevelsformostpeople.

C doesnotthinkthattheyshouldconsumesomuchintransfats.

D thinksthatpeopleshouldeliminatetransfatsfromtheirdiets.

20 According to the writer o the article, ......

A Emken, in a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, has challenged other

researchers’claims.

B thelevelsoftransfatstissueinhumansandtheircholesterolprolesarenotconnected.

C theissueoftransfatislikelytoreceivemore,ratherthanless,attentioninthefuture.

D foodproductsshouldbelabelledwiththeirtransinformationinadditiontothecurrent

inormation.

END OF READING TEST

ReADInG SUB-TeST – pART B




OET – SAMPLE

Answer Key

Part A – Latin America struggles as cholera spreads

1 B paragraphs 1-3

2 C paragraph 3

3 A paragraphs 3-6

4 C paragraphs 9-11

5 D paragraph 12

6 C paragraphs 1-14

7 D paragraphs 14-15

8 B paragraphs 13-16

9 A paragraph 18

10 B paragraph 7-19

Part B – Trans fat

11 D paragraphs 1-3

12 A paragraph 2

13 D paragraphs 1-4

14 A paragraphs 1-5

15 D paragraphs 4-5

16 B paragraphs 2-5

17 A paragraph 6

18 C paragraphs 6-7

19 B paragraph 8

20 C paragraphs 9-10

ANSWERS – READING SUB-TEST


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