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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
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CompUTeR AnSweR SheeT
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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.
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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.
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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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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.
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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
OET – CANDIDATE INFORMATION & SAMPLE MATERIALS 7
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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
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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
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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
OET – CANDIDATE INFORMATION & SAMPLE MATERIALS 12
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