PAX Prep NLN Verbal Comprehension Passages
Answered, 2022
The way Things Work
It was the ancient Greeks who first had the idea that everything is made up of elements. They
conjured up just four of them-earth, fire, wind and water. As it turned out, the idea was right but
the elements were wrong. Modern elements are less evocative but more numerous. They make
up just over one hundred basic substances. Some are commonplace, like hydrogen, oxygen, iron
and carbon; others are rare and precious, such as mercury, uranium and gold.
Purely by the power of reason, the Greeks also made another fundamental discovery, which is
that all things consist of particles called atoms. Elements are substances that contain only one
kind of atom. All other substances are compounds of two or more elements in which the atoms
group together to form molecules.The way molecules behave governs the workings of many
machines, in particular machines such as ships, airplanes, pumps, refrigerators and combustion
engines, all of which harness the ancient elements and set molecules to work.
The idea that everything is made of particles takes some imagination to understand. For example,
as you read this, molecules of oxygen and nitrogen traveling at supersonic speed are bombarding
you from all directions. The reason that you are unaware of this is that the molecules (which
along with those others gases, make up the air) are on the small side. You could get about 400
million million of them into an empty matchbox. In fact, it would be truer to say that you could
get these millions of molecules out of the matchbox, because the molecules of gases are so
hyperactive that they will fill any space open to them. Like five-year-olds, they dash about in all
directions. With unflagging energy, crashing into any obstacle they meet. In liquids, the
molecules are less energetic and go haphazardly about ion small groups, rather like drunken
dancers prone to colliding with the walls of the dance hall. The molecules in solids are the least
energetic; they just huddle together like a flock of sheep shuffling around in a field.
However invisible molecules might be, their existence does explain the properties and behavior
of materials that are put to use in machines. In a solid, the molecular bonds are strong and hold
the molecules firmly together so that the solid is hard and rigid. The weaker bonds between
liquid molecules pull them together to give the liquid a set volume, but the bonds are sufficiently
weak to allow the liquid to flow. The bonds between gas molecules are weaker still. They enable
the molecules to move apart so the gas expands and fills any space. In all materials, the
molecules urge to stick together or spread apart is put to use in machines and devices as different
as the rocket, the toilet tank and the aqualung.
David Macaulay, The way Things Work Houghton Mifflin Co 1988
Question
1 of 5
In the context of this article, the word conjured as used in paragraph one means?
A.) swept
B.) intertwined
C.) imagined
D.) conferred. - answer: imagined
The way Things Work
Based on this article, we can assume that the author
A.) does not appreciate vocabulary and illustrations.
B.) uses analogies that are confusing.
C.) believes the study of elements is no longer relevant.
D.) is knowledgeable about history and science. - answer: is knowledgeable about history and
science.
The way Things Work
An appropriate title for this selection would be?
A.) Gold in the Elements.
B.) The Useless Molecule.
C.) The Makeup of Everything.
D.) How the Greeks Failed. - answer: The Makeup of Everything.
The way Things Work
From this article we can infer that?
A.) the world is not governed by particles or atoms, but is chaotic.
B.) the ancient Greeks' concept of four elements was the basis of modern science.
C.) modern science does not depend on molecular knowledge.
D.) many machines depend on the properties of molecules. - answer: many machines depend on
the properties of molecules.
The way Things Work
When liquid water is changed to ice, the particles are?
A.) banded further apart.
B.) more energetic.
C.) more fluid.
D.) bound closer together. - answer: bound closer together.
The way Things Work
From the passage, we learn that ancient Greeks proposed that?
A.) the behavior of molecules cannot be observed.
B.) all things are made up of atoms.
C.) there are 105 different elements in the world.
D.) elements are substances that contain many kinds of atoms. - answer: all things are made up
of atoms.
Artifacts near Rio de Janero
Which of these titles is the most appropriate for this passage? - answer: artifacts in Rio May
mean Roman visit
Artifacts near Rio de Janero
If one were to look inside in amphora the bottom would appear - answer: pointed
Artifacts near Rio de Janeiro
Marx beliefs on Forest found at the site indicate that - answer: Romans sailed into the bay
Artifacts near Rio de Janeiro
Dr. Edgerton has helped the project by - answer: confirming the identity of the anphoras
Artifacts near Rio de Janeiro
From the passage it can be inferred that the Rio de Janeiro has a problem with - answer: waste
disposal
Artifacts near Rio de Janeiro
According to the passage Mr. Marks cannot begin serious excavation of the site until he answer: receives authorization from the Brazilian government
Road Runner
The sound made by the roadrunners - answer: vary with specific activity
Road Runner
Which of the titles is most appropriate for this passage ? - answer: survivors of the desert
Road Runner
The roadrunners diet for nestlings consist of - answer: reptiles
Road Runner
If the night temperature drops 50° the roadrunners internal energy censuration permits a lowering
of body temperature to - 94°
Road Runner
The phrase "boon to farmers" the term boon means - answer: blessing
Origins of HIV
We've learned a lot about AIDS in the past 25 years since it was first documented in the U.S.
among gay men and then intravenous drug users. Virologists have chronicled HIV's fiendish
ability to attack the immune system from within. We've all seen how the virus propagates along
the fault lines of stigma and poverty. But no one has yet really figured out where HIV comes
from—until now.In this week's Science, researchers from Cameroon, England, France and the
U.S. provide definitive evidence that HIV made the jump from chimpanzees to people in the
forests of southeastern Cameroon. By genetically analyzing viruses found in the fecal droppings
of wild chimpanzees, the investigators have traced the origin of HIV to a simian virus that is
itself a composite of two other viruses.There has been circumstantial evidence to suggest
Cameroon as the birthplace of HIV. The simian version of the virus was found in some captive
chimpanzees, but the original reservoir had not been identified in wild animals.And how did a
chimp virus wind up infecting humans? That may never be known for certain, but Beatrice Hahn
of the University of Alabama, one of the co-authors of the Science study, speculates that the
transfer occurred when people hunted chimps for bush meat. That's a very bloody process—with
chimps biting their captors and then being slaughtered.Chimp viruses have probably jumped to
humans many times in the past—after all chimps and people share 98% of their genome. Why
those other jumps weren't as successful as this one we may never know.Somehow, the new virus
adjusted to its human hosts and traveled with them down the Sangha River to the Congo River
and eventually to the city of Kinshasa in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. From
there, HIV traveled the world.The irony is that hunting probably explains how the chimps
became infected as well.Further genetic analysis by Hahn and her colleagues shows that the
chimp virus is a composite of two other viruses, found in a couple of monkey species that chimps
themselves like to attack and eat.-Christine Gorman
Question
1 of 5
Since chimps and people share 98% of their genome, it is reasonable to expect that
A.) the mechanism of the transfer of the virus would be established.
B.) fewer chimps would be hunted for bush meat.
C.) chimps would be used to investigate human health issues.
D.) researchers would identify more of the genes shared by humans and chimps. - answer:
chimps would be used to investigate human health issues.
Origins of HIV
According to the article, which statement is true?
A.) Beatrice Hahn was the lead author of the science study.
B.) AIDS is caused by a simple virus.
C.) Cameroon was probably the birthplace of HIV.
D.) Chimps and humans share the same genes. - answer: Cameroon was probably the birthplace
of HIV.
Origins of HIV
The best title for the selection is
A.) A Traveling Virus.
B.) Origins of HIV.
C.) Chimpanzees and Humans.
D.) Beatrice Hahn, Virologist. - answer: Origins of HIV.
Origins of HIV
The article states that
A.) researchers have identified 98% of the chimp genome.
B.) intravenous drug users were the first identifiable victims of HIV.
C.) we may soon know definitively the mechanism of chimp virus infection of humans.
D.) HIV spread worldwide from a city in the Democratic Republic of Congo. - answer: HIV
spread worldwide from a city in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Origins of HIV
In order for virologists to determine causes of certain diseases in the future, they will probably
A.) apply principles of drug therapy.
B.) depend on animal droppings.
C.) utilize genetics and cooperative researching.
D.) look for ironies in genetic analysis. - answer: utilize genetics and cooperative researching.
Origins of HIV
The current information about HIV is the result of
A.) geographical oddities.
B.) limited speculation.
C.) captured animals.
D.) coordinated research. - answer: coordinated research.
Coffee or Tea
Coffee or tea? There's a growing body of research to suggest that both are probably good for
you.
We've heard a lot about the health benefits of tea, especially green tea. It is high in polyphenols-compounds with strong antioxidant activity that in test-tube and animal models show anticancer
and heart-protective effects. Good clinical studies are few, however, and although I and other
physicians tell our patients to drink green tea, there hasn't been any definitive proof of the value
of that advice
That's why I was so interested in a report last week in the Journal of the American Medical
Association. A team of Japanese researchers was able to link green-tea consumption with
decreased mortality from all causes--including cardiovascular disease. The researchers tracked
40,530 healthy adults ages 40 to 79 in a region of northeastern Japan where most people drink
green tea, following them for up to 11 years. Those who drank five or more cups of green tea a
day had significantly lower mortality rates than those who drank less than one cup a day. There
were also fewer deaths from cardiovascular disease.
But no such association was seen with deaths from cancer. Nor was consumption of oolong or
black tea correlated with any decrease in mortality. Those teas are more oxidized in processing,
which not only darkens the color of the leaves and changes their flavor but also reduces their
polyphenol content.
Coffee is more complicated. It has received both gold stars and black marks in the medical
literature. It too contains antioxidants, although they are less well studied than tea polyphenols.
Evidence for the health benefits of coffee is growing, however. In the August issue of the
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, for example, a group of investigators from Finland, Italy
and the Netherlands report that coffee seems to protect against age-related cognitive decline. The
scientists studied 676 healthy men born from 1900 to 1920 and followed them for 10 years, using
standardized measures of cognitive function. Their conclusion: the men who consumed coffee
had significantly less cognitive impairment than those who didn't. Three cups a day seemed to
provide maximum protection.
Population studies like those help us form hypotheses about relationships between dietary habits
and long-term health. We still have to test our suppositions in controlled conditions and measure
the effects of coffee and tea on various systems of the body.
In the meantime, enjoy your tea and coffee, get the best quality you can, and know that they are
probably doing you more good than harm.
By ANDREW WEIL, M.D.
Posted Tuesday, Sep. 19, 2006
Question
1 of 5
Which of the following best states the theme of the selection?
A.) Mortality and Beverages.
B.) Health Benefits of Tea and Coffee.
C.) Black Tea vs. Green Tea.
D.) The Need for Controlled Tests. - answer: Health Benefits of Tea and Coffee
Coffee or Tea
Age-related mental deterioration was reported to be
A.) unchanged during the years of the study.
B.) greater among tea drinkers than coffee drinkers.
C.) less with drinkers of three daily cups of coffee.
D.) similar for tea and coffee drinkers. - answer: less with drinkers of three daily cups of coffee.
Coffee or Tea
Further studies could help to ascertain the
A.) standardized measures of cerebral function.
B.) number of daily cups of green tea to drink.
C.) antioxidant activity and effects of coffee.
D.) ethnicity of those in the study who drink green tea. - answer: antioxidant activity and effects
of coffee.
Coffee or Tea
Which of the following is most likely to occur as a result of the European study of coffee's health
benefits?
A.) Job-related effects on health will be documented.
B.) Research will be extended to Alzheimer's disease.
C.) Tests of athletic prowess will be conducted.
D.) Men's esthetic activities will be investigated. - answer: Research will be extended to
Alzheimer's disease.
Coffee or Tea
The article states that black tea
A.) is dissimilar to oolong tea in some respects.
B.) can result in lower mortality from heart disease for consumers.
C.) may cause a decrease in mortality for its drinkers.
D.) has a reduction in polyphenols when processed. - answer: has a reduction in polyphenols
when processed
Coffee or Tea
We can conclude that research was designed to determine specifically the
A.) harm beverage consumption does to the body.
B.) correlation of tea drinking and mortality.
C.) effects of coffee and tea on bodily systems.
D.) correlation of coffee drinking and mortality. - answer: correlation of tea drinking and
mortality.
Vaccine Zostavax
A new vaccine called Zostavax is available to reduce the risk of shingles (herpes zoster) in
people ages 60 and older.
"This vaccine gives health care providers an important tool to help prevent an illness that affects
many older Americans and often results in significant chronic pain," says Jesse L. Goodman,
M.D., director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.
Shingles is a disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox.
After an attack of chickenpox, the virus lies dormant in certain nerve tissue. As people age, it is
possible for the virus to reappear in the form of shingles, which is estimated to affect 2 out of
every 10 Americans during their lifetimes. Evidence of shingles includes clusters of blisters,
which develop on one side of the body and can cause severe pain that may last for weeks,
months, or even years after the virus reappears.
Zostavax, a live virus vaccine, has been shown to boost immunity against varicella-zoster virus.
This is thought to be the mechanism by which the vaccine protects against zoster and its
complications. The vaccine is given as a single injection under the skin, preferably in the upper
arm.
Zostavax was studied in about 38,000 individuals 60 and older throughout the United States. Of
these people, half received Zostavax, and half received a placebo. All study participants were
then followed for an average of three years to see whether they developed shingles and, if they
did, how long the pain lasted.
At the conclusion of the study, researchers found that, overall, the vaccine reduced the
occurrence of shingles by about 50 percent in people ages 60 and older. It reduced occurrence by
64 percent in those ages 60 to 69.
The vaccine not only prevented approximately half of the cases, but also slightly reduced the
duration of pain after the onset of shingles in people who developed the disease despite being
vaccinated with Zostavax.
The most common side effects in people who received Zostavax were redness, pain and
tenderness, swelling at the site of injection, itching, and headache. The percentage of significant
adverse events observed in the study did not differ among those who received the vaccine and
those who received the placebo.
As part of the vaccine development program, a smaller study was conducted to closely examine
the vaccine's safety. In this smaller study, serious adverse events for all age groups were noted
more frequently in those who received Zostavax than those who received placebo. Although the
FDA has concluded that the available data do not establish that these events are related to the
vaccine, the manufacturer will perform a Phase 4 (postmarket) study to provide additional safety
information.
FDA Consumer magazine
September-October 2006
Question
1 of 5
What can we conclude about this vaccine?
A.) Shingles is a minor ailment, affecting young people.
B.) Complaints from those who received the placebo are numerous.
C.) Further study of the herpes Zoster vaccine is needed.
D.) Withdrawal of FDA approval is imminent. - answer: Further study of the herpes Zoster
vaccine is needed.
Vaccine Zostavax
From this article, we may infer that
A.) the vaccine destroys the immune system of older Americans.
B.) there is hopeful news for the many older Americans who suffer the pain of shingles.
C.) the vaccine does not work in treating symptoms or preventing occurrence of shingles.
D.) a live virus vaccine is undesirable. - answer: there is hopeful news for the many older
Americans who suffer the pain of shingles.
Vaccine Zostavax
In the Phase 4 study scientists will investigate
A.) age-related effects of the virus.
B.) vaccine viability.
C.) serious side effects.
D.) causes of shingles. - answer: serious side effects.
Vaccine Zostavax
The new vaccine Zostavax was studied in
A.) people with chickenpox.
B.) people with low immunity.
C.) individuals 60 and older.
D.) participants for about one year. - answer: individuals 60 and older.
Vaccine Zostavax
According to this article, a conclusion about the new vaccine could be that it
A.) is mainly for persons under twenty-one years of age.
B.) is an important tool to reduce the occurrence of shingles.
C.) may prevent shingles, but it does not reduce the duration of pain.
D.) produced no side effects. - answer: is an important tool to reduce the occurrence of shingles
Vaccine Zostavax
The meaning of the word placebo, as used in paragraph five, is a/an
A.) active serum introduced into an organism for study and review.
B.) alcoholic solution of a medicinal substance.
C.) tube for insertion into a bodily passage or cavity.
D.) inert medication used for purposes of comparison in an experiment. - answer: inert
medication used for purposes of comparison in an experiment.
Heart Attack
Which of the following pairs of words expresses a correct cause-and-effect relationship - answer:
coronary occlusion/myocardial infarction
Heart Attack
When the author "put it all together" after defining technical terms, the author could now tell the
reader about the - answer: physiology of heart attack
Heart Attack
The author identifies which of these contribution factors in heart attacks - answer: tissue death
Heart Attack
The most likely intent by the author of this passage is to - answer: convey social responsibility
Heart Attack
It may be inferred from the passage that "angina" means - answer: soffocating pain
The Passage about Vitamin C
In their study James Ernstrom and his colleagues use which of these criteria to determine
longevity - answer: death rate as compared to the Vitamin C dosage
The Passage about Vitamin C
Most likely the author's purpose in writing this passage was to - answer: increase public
awareness of federal surveys
The Passage about Vitamin C
which of this titles with best describe this passage? - answer: "Two studies differ on vitamin c
intake"
The Passage about Vitamin C
a statement which most accurately reflects dr. Herbert view of the findings of the federal health
survey is that he - answer: is skeptical of the results of the study
The Passage about Vitamin C
An inference that can be made from the study is that: - answer: Vitamin c is not as effective for
women as it is for men
The Passage about Vitamin C
James Enstrom effectively refuted Dr. Herbert's reasoning by - answer: Maintaining a theoretical
position different from Dr. Herberts
The Passage about Alcohol
the best title for this passage would be - answer: " The causes of alcoholism"
Passage about Alcohol
Cicero and Wozniak used young rats in their experiment instead of older rats because young rats
are - answer: More sensitive to alcohol
Passage about Alcohol
the rats in the experiment were mated with teetotaling females.(Teetotaling means) - answer:
Abstaining from alcohol
Passage about Alcohol
which of these factors is a variable in Cicero and Wozniak's research - answer: Liquid diet of 6%
alcohol
Passage about Alcohol
Cicero and Wozniak probably decided to restrict their study to male offspring of alcoholic male
rats because they wanted to
A.) test the effects of alcoholism on the rate reproduction
B.) prove that adverse effects on male offspring are accidental
C.) compare results with prior findings from human studies
D.) test generational alcoholism in both sexes - answer: Test generational alcoholism in both sex
The Passage about Blood Pressure
The success of the 1970s campaign to prevent hypertension can be attributed to - answer:
Information from the framingham study
The Passage about Blood Pressure
A method of keeping blood pressure low that is not mentioned in this passage is - answer:
Moderation of daily routines
The Passage about Blood Pressure
A successful outcome of the 1970 campaign was the - answer: Better control of hypertension by
the public
The Passage about Blood Pressure
The blood pressure of 130/80 is cited in this passage because it is assumed that this is the
American adults - answer: Top range of normal blood pressure.
The Passage about Blood Pressure
As used in the second sentence of the third paragraph the word "toll" means - answer: Cost
The Passage about Blood Pressure
this article implies that a particular problem in the treatment and prevention of high blood
pressure is that it - answer: Frequently goes undected
The Passage about Blood Pressure
in the context of this article the word "conjured" as used in paragraph one means - answer:
Imagined