ATI TEAS 7 READING COMPREHENSION
STUDY GUIDE EXAM
Questions 1 to 4 pertain to the following passage:
It is most likely that you have never had diphtheria. You probably don’t
even know anyone who has suffered from this disease. In fact, you may not
even know what diphtheria is. Similarly, diseases like whooping cough,
measles, mumps, and rubella may all be unfamiliar to you. In the
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, these illnesses struck hundreds
of thousands of people in the United States each year, mostly children, and
tens of thousands of people died. The names of these diseases were
frightening household words. Today, they are all but forgotten. That change
happened largely because of vaccines.
You probably have been vaccinated against diphtheria. You may even have
been exposed to the bacterium that causes it, but the vaccine prepared
your body to fight off the disease so quickly that you were unaware of the
infection. Vaccines take advantage of your body’s natural ability to learn
how to combat many disease-causing germs, or microbes. What’s more,
your body remembers how to protect itself from the microbes it has
encountered before. Collectively, the parts of your body that remember
and repel microbes are called the immune system. Without the proper
functioning of the immune system, the simplest illness—even the common
cold—could quickly turn deadly.
On average, your immune system needs more than a week to learn how to
fight off an unfamiliar microbe. Sometimes, that isn’t enough time. Strong
microbes can spread through your body faster than the immune system
can fend them off. Your body often gains the upper hand after a few weeks,
but in the meantime you are sick. Certain microbes are so virulent that they
can overwhelm or escape your natural defenses. In those situations,
vaccines can make all the difference.
Traditional vaccines contain either parts of microbes or whole microbes
that have been altered so that they don’t cause disease. When your
immune system confronts these harmless versions of the germs, it quickly
clears them from your body. In other words, vaccines trick your immune
system in order to teach your body important lessons about how to defeat
its opponents.
, 1. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. The nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were a dark period for
medicine.
B. You have probably never had diphtheria.
C. Traditional vaccines contain altered microbes.
D. Vaccines help the immune system function properly.
2. Which statement is not a detail from the passage?
A. Vaccines contain microbe parts or altered microbes.
B. The immune system typically needs a week to learn how to fight a
new disease.
C. The symptoms of disease do not emerge until the body has learned
how to fight the microbe.
D. A hundred years ago, children were at the greatest risk of dying from
now-treatable diseases.
3. What is the meaning of the word virulent as it is used in the third
paragraph?
A. tiny
B. malicious
C. contagious
D. annoying
4. What is the author’s primary purpose in writing the essay?
A. to entertain
B. to persuade
C. to inform
D. to analyze
Questions 5 to 8 pertain to the following passage :
, Foodborne illnesses are contracted by eating food or drinking beverages
contaminated with bacteria, parasites, or viruses. Harmful chemicals can
also cause foodborne illnesses if they have contaminated food during
harvesting or processing. Foodborne illnesses can cause symptoms ranging
from upset stomach to diarrhea, fever, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and
dehydration. Most foodborne infections are undiagnosed and unreported,
though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that
every year about 76 million people in the United States become ill from
pathogens in food. About 5,000 of these people die.
Harmful bacteria are the most common cause of foodborne illness. Some
bacteria may be present at the point of purchase. Raw foods are the most
common source of foodborne illnesses because they are not sterile;
examples include raw meat and poultry contaminated during slaughter.
Seafood may become contaminated during harvest or processing. One in
10,000 eggs may be contaminated with Salmonella inside the shell.
Produce, such as spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, and melons, can
become contaminated with Salmonella, Shigella, or Escherichia coli (E. coli).
Contamination can occur during growing, harvesting, processing, storing,
shipping, or final preparation. Sources of produce contamination vary, as
these foods are grown in soil and can become contaminated during growth,
processing, or distribution. Contamination may also occur during food
preparation in a restaurant or a home kitchen. The most common form of
contamination from handled foods is the calicivirus, also called the
Norwalk-like virus.
When food is cooked and left out for more than two hours at room
temperature, bacteria can multiply quickly. Most bacteria don’t produce an
odor or change in color or texture, so they can be impossible to detect.
Freezing food slows or stops bacteria’s growth, but does not destroy the
bacteria. The microbes can become reactivated when the food is thawed.
Refrigeration also can slow the growth of some bacteria. Thorough cooking
is required to destroy the bacteria.
5. What is the subject of the passage?
A. foodborne illnesses
B. the dangers of uncooked food
C. bacteria
D. proper food preparation
6. Which statement is not a detail from the passage?
STUDY GUIDE EXAM
Questions 1 to 4 pertain to the following passage:
It is most likely that you have never had diphtheria. You probably don’t
even know anyone who has suffered from this disease. In fact, you may not
even know what diphtheria is. Similarly, diseases like whooping cough,
measles, mumps, and rubella may all be unfamiliar to you. In the
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, these illnesses struck hundreds
of thousands of people in the United States each year, mostly children, and
tens of thousands of people died. The names of these diseases were
frightening household words. Today, they are all but forgotten. That change
happened largely because of vaccines.
You probably have been vaccinated against diphtheria. You may even have
been exposed to the bacterium that causes it, but the vaccine prepared
your body to fight off the disease so quickly that you were unaware of the
infection. Vaccines take advantage of your body’s natural ability to learn
how to combat many disease-causing germs, or microbes. What’s more,
your body remembers how to protect itself from the microbes it has
encountered before. Collectively, the parts of your body that remember
and repel microbes are called the immune system. Without the proper
functioning of the immune system, the simplest illness—even the common
cold—could quickly turn deadly.
On average, your immune system needs more than a week to learn how to
fight off an unfamiliar microbe. Sometimes, that isn’t enough time. Strong
microbes can spread through your body faster than the immune system
can fend them off. Your body often gains the upper hand after a few weeks,
but in the meantime you are sick. Certain microbes are so virulent that they
can overwhelm or escape your natural defenses. In those situations,
vaccines can make all the difference.
Traditional vaccines contain either parts of microbes or whole microbes
that have been altered so that they don’t cause disease. When your
immune system confronts these harmless versions of the germs, it quickly
clears them from your body. In other words, vaccines trick your immune
system in order to teach your body important lessons about how to defeat
its opponents.
, 1. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. The nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were a dark period for
medicine.
B. You have probably never had diphtheria.
C. Traditional vaccines contain altered microbes.
D. Vaccines help the immune system function properly.
2. Which statement is not a detail from the passage?
A. Vaccines contain microbe parts or altered microbes.
B. The immune system typically needs a week to learn how to fight a
new disease.
C. The symptoms of disease do not emerge until the body has learned
how to fight the microbe.
D. A hundred years ago, children were at the greatest risk of dying from
now-treatable diseases.
3. What is the meaning of the word virulent as it is used in the third
paragraph?
A. tiny
B. malicious
C. contagious
D. annoying
4. What is the author’s primary purpose in writing the essay?
A. to entertain
B. to persuade
C. to inform
D. to analyze
Questions 5 to 8 pertain to the following passage :
, Foodborne illnesses are contracted by eating food or drinking beverages
contaminated with bacteria, parasites, or viruses. Harmful chemicals can
also cause foodborne illnesses if they have contaminated food during
harvesting or processing. Foodborne illnesses can cause symptoms ranging
from upset stomach to diarrhea, fever, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and
dehydration. Most foodborne infections are undiagnosed and unreported,
though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that
every year about 76 million people in the United States become ill from
pathogens in food. About 5,000 of these people die.
Harmful bacteria are the most common cause of foodborne illness. Some
bacteria may be present at the point of purchase. Raw foods are the most
common source of foodborne illnesses because they are not sterile;
examples include raw meat and poultry contaminated during slaughter.
Seafood may become contaminated during harvest or processing. One in
10,000 eggs may be contaminated with Salmonella inside the shell.
Produce, such as spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, and melons, can
become contaminated with Salmonella, Shigella, or Escherichia coli (E. coli).
Contamination can occur during growing, harvesting, processing, storing,
shipping, or final preparation. Sources of produce contamination vary, as
these foods are grown in soil and can become contaminated during growth,
processing, or distribution. Contamination may also occur during food
preparation in a restaurant or a home kitchen. The most common form of
contamination from handled foods is the calicivirus, also called the
Norwalk-like virus.
When food is cooked and left out for more than two hours at room
temperature, bacteria can multiply quickly. Most bacteria don’t produce an
odor or change in color or texture, so they can be impossible to detect.
Freezing food slows or stops bacteria’s growth, but does not destroy the
bacteria. The microbes can become reactivated when the food is thawed.
Refrigeration also can slow the growth of some bacteria. Thorough cooking
is required to destroy the bacteria.
5. What is the subject of the passage?
A. foodborne illnesses
B. the dangers of uncooked food
C. bacteria
D. proper food preparation
6. Which statement is not a detail from the passage?
