HESI Reading Comprehension 2020 Exam Questions
and Answers
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.
and Answers
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.
