Reading Comprehension HESI A2 Practice Test Related

Life Expectancy in the US:
Where would you expect the United States to rank in life expectancy, the average number of years a person is expected to live? Near the top in the world, right? Well, surprise—we rank number 31, after Costa Rica and right before Cuba. World Health Organization data from 2015 indicate that the average life expectancy worldwide is 71 years—slightly more for females and slightly less for males. In the United States, we beat that average by around eight years. Yet we are several years behind Japan, with a female life expectancy of 86.8 years, or Switzerland, with a male life expectancy of 81.3 years. Even relatively poor European countries, such as Slovenia, Cyprus, and Malta, do better than we do.
There are a number of indicators that lead to our low score among wealthy nations. Those include obesity and its accompanying heart disease and diabetes, car crash deaths, gun violence, and embarrassingly high infant mortality rates. We eat more, drive more, have more guns, and allow poor women to go through pregnancies unattended by regular physicians. There are many other health indicators that separate us from other developed nations, but most correspond to the extreme wealth inequities in the United States.
It is too soon to tell whether an increase in insured Americans will help to turn this distasteful data around. Certainly those nations with universal health care have better numbers than we do. Much of our problem has to do with lifestyles that will not be easy to alter. We continue to build living spaces that are not walkable, to work long hours and drive long distances, to overeat—and we love our Second Amendment right to bear arms. It is difficult to imagine how we will overcome these realities and improve our longevity status.

A reader might infer from this passage that ___________.

• A. Obesity can be detrimental to a long life
• B. Car crashes are most frequent in the United States
• C. The Second Amendment should be overturned
• D. People in Asia and Africa have the shortest life spans

MRSA:
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a form of the Staphylococcus aureus bacterium that is resistant to antibiotics and, as a result, is very difficult to treat. MRSA now kills more Americans every year than HIV/AIDS, and the rates of infection are rising. Methicillin, an antibiotic introduced in the 1960s, was intended to combat Staphylococcus aureus, which is ubiquitous in hospitals. However, within a year of its introduction, doctors began finding strains of bacteria that had already developed immunity to methicillin. By the 1990s, MRSA had become the leading hospital-acquired skin infection in the United States.
At the same time MRSA started appearing outside of hospitals, different strains of the bacteria emerged, spreading just as quickly and being just as dangerous. In the past 15 years, MRSA bacteria have become ubiquitous not only in hospitals but also in gyms, locker rooms, swimming pools, and other settings with frequent human contact.
Researchers in Ireland are developing technology that may significantly halt the spread of hospital-associated MRSA bacteria. They have created a textile made of nanomaterials 1,000 times smaller than a human hair. These textiles have been shown to halt the spread of infection and can be used for linens, drapes, and upholstery in hospitals. The potential for this technology to reduce instances of hospital-associated MRSA is staggering.
To reduce your risk of community-associated MRSA infection, regularly wash your hands, cover all open wounds with a clean bandage, and avoid sharing personal items like razors or towels.

Which of the following statements is an opinion related to MRSA?

• A. Hand-washing stations are one means of combating MRSA infection.
• B. Not all Staphylococcus bacteria are resistant to antibiotics.
• C. Hospitals in the United States should quickly adopt the use of new germ-fighting textiles.
• D. MRSA infection kills more people in the United States than does HIV/AIDS.

Life Expectancy in the US:
Where would you expect the United States to rank in life expectancy, the average number of years a person is expected to live? Near the top in the world, right? Well, surprise—we rank number 31, after Costa Rica and right before Cuba. World Health Organization data from 2015 indicate that the average life expectancy worldwide is 71 years—slightly more for females and slightly less for males. In the United States, we beat that average by around eight years. Yet we are several years behind Japan, with a female life expectancy of 86.8 years, or Switzerland, with a male life expectancy of 81.3 years. Even relatively poor European countries, such as Slovenia, Cyprus, and Malta, do better than we do.
There are a number of indicators that lead to our low score among wealthy nations. Those include obesity and its accompanying heart disease and diabetes, car crash deaths, gun violence, and embarrassingly high infant mortality rates. We eat more, drive more, have more guns, and allow poor women to go through pregnancies unattended by regular physicians. There are many other health indicators that separate us from other developed nations, but most correspond to the extreme wealth inequities in the United States.
It is too soon to tell whether an increase in insured Americans will help to turn this distasteful data around. Certainly those nations with universal health care have better numbers than we do. Much of our problem has to do with lifestyles that will not be easy to alter. We continue to build living spaces that are not walkable, to work long hours and drive long distances, to overeat—and we love our Second Amendment right to bear arms. It is difficult to imagine how we will overcome these realities and improve our longevity status.

What is the overall tone of the essay?

• A. Apathetic
• B. Fascinated
• C. Discouraged
• D. Hopeful

MRSA:
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a form of the Staphylococcus aureus bacterium that is resistant to antibiotics and, as a result, is very difficult to treat. MRSA now kills more Americans every year than HIV/AIDS, and the rates of infection are rising. Methicillin, an antibiotic introduced in the 1960s, was intended to combat Staphylococcus aureus, which is ubiquitous in hospitals. However, within a year of its introduction, doctors began finding strains of bacteria that had already developed immunity to methicillin. By the 1990s, MRSA had become the leading hospital-acquired skin infection in the United States.
At the same time MRSA started appearing outside of hospitals, different strains of the bacteria emerged, spreading just as quickly and being just as dangerous. In the past 15 years, MRSA bacteria have become ubiquitous not only in hospitals but also in gyms, locker rooms, swimming pools, and other settings with frequent human contact.
Researchers in Ireland are developing technology that may significantly halt the spread of hospital-associated MRSA bacteria. They have created a textile made of nanomaterials 1,000 times smaller than a human hair. These textiles have been shown to halt the spread of infection and can be used for linens, drapes, and upholstery in hospitals. The potential for this technology to reduce instances of hospital-associated MRSA is staggering.
To reduce your risk of community-associated MRSA infection, regularly wash your hands, cover all open wounds with a clean bandage, and avoid sharing personal items like razors or towels.

Which statement would not be inferred by the reader in the passage about MRSA?

• A. Hospitals may soon limit the spread of infection with a new textile.
• B. MRSA begins by infecting the skin.
• C. You are most likely to contract MRSA in a crowded location.
• D. Used clothing stores may harbor MRSA.

ACUPUNCTURE:
Over the years, acupuncture has become a more widely accepted type of alternative medicine. It is used for a wide variety of ailments, and if a recent study from Germany is valid, relieving menstrual pain can be added to the continuously growing list.
Traditionally nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the typical treatment for menstrual discomfort. However, as many consumers and physicians are aware, NSAIDs have a number of side effects, including nausea, vomiting, rash, dizziness, headache, and drowsiness. Acupuncture rarely has any kind of side effects other than the occasional stinging sensation when the needle is inserted or a deep ache around it after it is in place.
Acupuncture has proven helpful with relieving a number of kinds of pain, so researchers at Charité University Medical Center in Berlin wanted to find out how effective it might be in combating cramps and other menstrual discomforts. More than 200 women were enrolled in the study, and after three months and approximately 10 sessions, the women who were treated with acupuncture reported significantly less pain than those in the control group who received no treatment at all. They also reported a 33 percent improvement in their symptoms.
Because of these findings, the researchers came to the conclusion that “acupuncture should be considered as a viable option in the management of these patients.”

Which detail is not given as a side effect of NSAIDs?

• A. Nausea
• B. Headache
• C. Weight loss
• D. Dizziness