Reading comp PrepTest 141 · Section 3 · Question 6

Passage SummaryTopic: Science

Paragraph 1

• Paragraph note
  • Definitions and background on infection
• Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
  • Infection - Pathogen (disease cause) has viable presence (can reproduce)
  • Belief (recently changed) - List of pathogens, (Assumption) all with DNA

Paragraph 2

• Paragraph note
  • Belief/assumption challenged
• Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
  • CJD - Symptoms
  • CJD cause - protein, called prion

Paragraph 3

• Paragraph note
  • Science of prions - how they work
• Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
  • Prions normally in body
  • Disease when they change shape
  • Cause cascade of other prions to change
  • Inevitably fatal as of now

Paragraph 4

• Paragraph note
  • Skepticism, convincing evidence, and further study
• Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
  • Prions as cause saw initial skepticism
  • Research has supported it
  • Other neurological conditions also caused by it
  • Further research - how they reproduce and cause disease

Main Point:
Research into CJD has revealed a new type of pathogen that lacks DNA but can still reproduce, the prion, which is believed to be responsible for degenerative neurological diseases, though the full mechanism isn't yet understood.

Key Lines:
Lines 9-11 - An assumption of an old view is noted
Lines 13-15 - What led to the assumption being questioned
Lines 19-24 - The new view (adds to old)
Lines 28-30 - How it works
Lines 48-50 - Initial skepticism towards new view
Lines 50-52 - New view accepted
Lines 57-60 - Further areas for research

Meta-Structure:
Old Theory/New Theory - This passage introduces an old theory about the means by which pathogens reproduce themselves—they require DNA/RNA to do so (Lines 9-11). However, recent research into a specific disease (CJD) has led to this old view being questioned and a new type of pathogen "added" to the old list—prions, which are all protein and no genetic material (Lines 19-24). The Author presents the results of studies all supporting this new view. When the Author sides with the new view, that new view (and how certain the Author is of it) is the main point of the passage. Here, the Author is fully on board, and she highlights it as being true and accepted despite initial skepticism (Lines 48-52). This leads to a strong main point, as we stated above.

Further Research - Some scientific passages end with a suggestion of further research to be done in the relevant area. This one does, highlighting a few things that are still unknown and thus suggesting areas where research is needed (Lines 57-60).

Last Thoughts:
That third paragraph . . . Don't try to remember or even understand everything, just get the broad strokes and rely on the passage itself for any questions asking about the details of how prions cause disease.