Nokea
HCFS:
The impact of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) on health has been a topic of concern in recent years. High fructose corn syrup, a sweetener derived from corn, has been linked to various health issues, including obesity. Unlike refined table sugar, which is a natural product, HFCS is manufactured through a chemical process. Studies have shown that rats tend to prefer HFCS over other sweeteners, raising questions about its effects on human health. The American Medical Association (AMA) has examined the implications of HFCS consumption and its potential role in the obesity epidemic. Despite some benefits in terms of cost and versatility in food products, the association has highlighted potential health risks, including increased caloric intake and potential links to obesity. As research continues, the debate over the safety and health implications of HFCS remains relevant.
Choose the best summary of the passage about High Fructose Corn Syrup.
- A. After extensive studies, scientists recommend removing HFCS from grocery products.
- B. A recent study on rats confirms suspicions that HFCS contributes to unhealthful weight gains.
- C. Until more research is done, using HFCS is preferable to replacing it with refined sugar.
- D. Avoiding HFCS can have immediate, healthful results on overweight patients, as suggested by the AMA.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The best summary of the passage is choice B. The passage discusses concerns about the impact of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) on health, particularly its link to obesity. It mentions a recent study on rats that confirms suspicions about HFCS contributing to unhealthful weight gains. Choices A, C, and D are incorrect as they introduce recommendations or implications not explicitly mentioned in the passage. Choice A goes beyond the information by stating that scientists recommend removing HFCS from grocery products, choice C suggests that using HFCS is preferable until more research is done, and choice D implies immediate healthful results on overweight patients by avoiding HFCS, as suggested by the AMA, which is not supported by the passage.
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YOGA:
Yoga is an exercise that everyone should try. Yoga was first practiced thousands of years ago. It helps connect the mind and body by taking a person through a series of poses while emphasizing controlled breathing and meditation.
Every year hundreds of thousands of people enjoy the benefits of yoga by treating the movements and postures as exercise. Yoga works by safely stretching muscles, ligaments, and tendons. This helps release the buildup of lactic acid in the muscles that can often cause stiffness, tension, and even pain. Yoga helps develop the body’s range of mobility and increases the ease of everyday movements. Many participants report improved flexibility, especially in the trunk and shoulders, after only two months of practice.
Yoga improves posture, balance, and sleep, and it also helps with weight control. Physically, many yoga poses help build upper-body strength, which is increasingly important as the body ages. Other poses help strengthen the muscles in the lower back, and when properly practiced, nearly all of the poses strengthen the body’s abdominal, or core, muscles. This helps improve the circulation of blood that increases the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to the body and also removes wastes produced by the body. When combined with yoga’s benefit of lowering a person’s heart rate, the result is increased cardiovascular endurance.
The University of Maryland School of Nursing recently published a study that showed yoga was especially effective at reducing stress. In addition, researchers found that yoga surpassed traditional aerobic exercise, often significantly, in improving flexibility, pain tolerance, and daily energy levels. One enthusiast says that her advice to skeptics is simple, “Take a deep breath, stretch, and indulge in a few poses. You’ll feel better.”
What is the author's primary purpose in writing this essay?
- A. To persuade
- B. To entertain
- C. To analyze
- D. To reflect
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The author's attitude toward yoga seems to be positive and sincere.
Earnest (choice A) would be a good description of this tone.
The Long-Term Impact of Toxic Exposure:
Lie out in the sun too much today—and get skin cancer 20 years from now. Smoke too many cigarettes now—and get lung cancer decades down the road. Now there is potentially a third danger to add to this list: be exposed to too much lead, pesticides, or mercury now and have your aging brain become seriously confused during your senior years.
“We’re trying to offer a caution that a portion of what has been called normal aging might in fact be due to ubiquitous environmental exposures like lead,” says Dr. Brian Schwartz of Johns Hopkins University. “The fact that it’s happening with lead is the first proof of the principle that it’s possible.” A new area of medical research is one that studies how exposure to toxic elements in younger years can result in serious health problems in senior years.
It is difficult to research these problems because the only way to do so is to observe people over many years. Physicians test for lead amounts by seeing how much has accumulated in a person’s shinbone. Testing the blood also often reveals amounts of lead, but that is a sign of recent, not lifelong, exposure. The higher the lifetime lead dose, according to the study, the worse the performance of mental functions, including verbal and visual memory and language ability.
What is the meaning of the word exposed as used in the first paragraph about Toxins and Your Health?
- A. Uncovered.
- B. Subjected.
- C. Visible.
- D. Divulged.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Exposed in this context means subjected, as in being subjected to toxins.
YOGA:
Yoga is an exercise that everyone should try. Yoga was first practiced thousands of years ago. It helps connect the mind and body by taking a person through a series of poses while emphasizing controlled breathing and meditation.
Every year hundreds of thousands of people enjoy the benefits of yoga by treating the movements and postures as exercise. Yoga works by safely stretching muscles, ligaments, and tendons. This helps release the buildup of lactic acid in the muscles that can often cause stiffness, tension, and even pain. Yoga helps develop the body’s range of mobility and increases the ease of everyday movements. Many participants report improved flexibility, especially in the trunk and shoulders, after only two months of practice.
Yoga improves posture, balance, and sleep, and it also helps with weight control. Physically, many yoga poses help build upper-body strength, which is increasingly important as the body ages. Other poses help strengthen the muscles in the lower back, and when properly practiced, nearly all of the poses strengthen the body’s abdominal, or core, muscles. This helps improve the circulation of blood that increases the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to the body and also removes wastes produced by the body. When combined with yoga’s benefit of lowering a person’s heart rate, the result is increased cardiovascular endurance.
The University of Maryland School of Nursing recently published a study that showed yoga was especially effective at reducing stress. In addition, researchers found that yoga surpassed traditional aerobic exercise, often significantly, in improving flexibility, pain tolerance, and daily energy levels. One enthusiast says that her advice to skeptics is simple, “Take a deep breath, stretch, and indulge in a few poses. You’ll feel better.”
Identify the overall tone of the essay
- A. Earnest
- B. Negative
- C. Self-satisfied
- D. Skeptical
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Although this passage is partly informative, that is not a choice
here. The author does present the opinion that everyone should try
yoga, making this a persuasive essay
The Long-Term Impact of Toxic Exposure:
Lie out in the sun too much today—and get skin cancer 20 years from now. Smoke too many cigarettes now—and get lung cancer decades down the road. Now there is potentially a third danger to add to this list: be exposed to too much lead, pesticides, or mercury now and have your aging brain become seriously confused during your senior years.
“We’re trying to offer a caution that a portion of what has been called normal aging might in fact be due to ubiquitous environmental exposures like lead,” says Dr. Brian Schwartz of Johns Hopkins University. “The fact that it’s happening with lead is the first proof of the principle that it’s possible.” A new area of medical research is one that studies how exposure to toxic elements in younger years can result in serious health problems in senior years.
It is difficult to research these problems because the only way to do so is to observe people over many years. Physicians test for lead amounts by seeing how much has accumulated in a person’s shinbone. Testing the blood also often reveals amounts of lead, but that is a sign of recent, not lifelong, exposure. The higher the lifetime lead dose, according to the study, the worse the performance of mental functions, including verbal and visual memory and language ability.
What is the main idea of the passage about Toxins and Your Health?
- A. Environmental toxins may have dire health effects over time.
- B. Of three toxins studied, lead has the worst effect on health.
- C. Toxins may accumulate in the bones of older patients.
- D. Johns Hopkins University has discovered a new use for lead.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The passage discusses the long-term effects of environmental toxins, which aligns with this main idea.
Sickle-Cell Anemia:
Healthy red blood cells are shaped like a disc. Each cell contains the protein hemoglobin, which carries oxygen throughout the body. In some people, a crescent-shaped cell forms instead of the normal disc-shaped cell. The crescent-shaped cells contain abnormal hemoglobin. These sickle-shaped cells are fragile and are unable to carry oxygen properly throughout the body.
Sickle-cell anemia is an inherited disease that affects about 72,000 people in the United States. It is more common among people of South American or African descent. The genes for sickle-cell anemia are inherited from both parents. When both parents carry a gene for the trait for sickle-cell, there is a one in four chance that they will pass the disease on to their children.
Symptoms of sickle-cell anemia can include sudden occurrences of extreme abdominal and back pain, bone pain, fever, fatigue, and a rapid heart rate. One patient compared the pain in his back to a jackhammer and said the pain could take over his entire body. Another patient, an eight-year-old girl, described fevers and the feeling of someone squeezing her arms and legs. Cycles of symptoms are often unpredictable and can occur infrequently or almost constantly. Some people who are affected report weekly occurrences of persistent pain, while others report occurrences once a month. Some report that relief comes only by using powerful painkillers. For others, relief comes with bed rest and a hot-water bottle. Most agree that while the challenges of managing sickle-cell anemia are great, with diligent care, it can be managed.
What is the overall tone of the essay?
- A. Informative
- B. Insensitive
- C. Grim
- D. Uplifting
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The passage discusses the challenges and symptoms associated with sickle-cell anemia, portraying a somber and serious tone. The descriptions of persistent pain, difficulties, and the impact on individuals' lives make the overall tone fairly grim. The essay focuses on the hardships faced by individuals with sickle-cell anemia, highlighting the severity of the disease. Choices A, B, and D are incorrect because the tone of the essay is not informal, insensitive, or uplifting. It is important to consider the language used, the subject matter, and the overall emotional impact of the text to determine the tone accurately.