Reading comp PrepTest 154 · Section 3 · Question 14

Passage

 For nearly a century after the discovery in the 1880s that a bacterium, Vibrio cholerae , causes cholera, scientists believed Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage SummaryTopic: Science

Paragraph 1
  • Paragraph note
    • A common scientific belief is discussed, and a question it leaves open is raised
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Common belief - Cholera travels via human hosts (waste into food and water supplies)
    • Question - How do spontaneous outbreaks in areas cholera was eliminated happen?
Paragraph 2.1 (Lines 12-25)
  • Paragraph note
    • A new belief is brought up and skepticism is discussed
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Rita Colwell (1970s) - Claimed to have found cholera in seawater and it can go undetected by common culture tests
    • Skepticism - "No" biologist thought it could live outside of humans, and there were no outbreaks since 1911
Paragraph 2.2 (Lines 25-39)
  • Paragraph note
    • Colwell's hypothesis is put to the test
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Colwell used a new test (antibodies/UV) and found cholera bacteria in bayous that traditional tests missed
Paragraph 3
  • Paragraph note
    • Further studies backing up/expanding on Colwell's hypothesis, and a future course of inquiry
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Tests show bacteria go into sporelike state that can't be detected using traditional tests
    • That state is more survivable
    • Question - What gets them out of sporelike state? Potential answer - Sea-surface temp spikes (e.g., Bay of Bengal)
Main Point:
There is evidence suggesting that Rita Colwell's hypothesis about "viable but nonculturable" cholera bacteria surviving in the ocean and in a sporelike state is correct, as it explains seemingly spontaneous outbreaks of the disease in areas where it has been eradicated.

Key Lines:
Lines 3-6 - Traditional scientific theory is discussed
Lines 9-11 - A question left open by this theory
Lines 12-14 - A new scientist/theory is introduced
Lines 21-24 - More on that theory
Lines 25-30 - The new theory is tested
Lines 40-42 - The new theory is expanded
Lines 49-51 - A question is posed for the new theory
Lines 51-54 - An answer is put forward

Meta-Structure:
Old Theory/New Theory - The old theory concerning the spread of cholera is shown to leave open a question that a new theory answers.

Question/Answer - Two questions are posed. The first (Lines 9-11) is broad and leads to the main point - Colwell's new theory. The second (Lines 49-50) is limited and leads to a hypothesis to be tested under Colwell's theory.

Last Thoughts:
Normally, the Author is a bit more on board with a new theory being presented. Here, there's a mix. She states that Colwell's studies "revealed" some things about V. cholerae (Line 40), but also poses Colwell's water theory as being something that isn't 100% certain ("If, as Colwell believes" in Line 54).

So we need to be careful in selecting answers that don't overshoot the Author's feelings towards Colwell's theory and pick an answer that reflects a certainty that doesn't exist.

Also, note that we split Paragraph 2 up. It was pretty long, and there was a natural breaking point between where Colwell raised her claim and people expressed skepticism, and the specific situation that allowed her to discover evidence for her hypothesis.

Question prompt

The passage provides information Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: A

The notes below walk through why it fits the stem and how to eliminate the rest.

Question Type

Science

Answer choices

  1. A
    Why did Colwell suspect Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A matches the stem
    Correct. Question Type:
    Must Be True

    Strategy Overview:
    Use our understanding of the passage and notes to identify a line that answers one of the questions in the answers

    Answer Anticipation/Relevant Lines:
    The question stem here gives us nothing to work with, so let's head straight to the answer choices, find ones that align with what we know the passage said, and then use our notations to find the specific detail that answers that question (if it exists).

    Answer Explanation:
    (Lines 20-21) The first half of Paragraph 2 is where Colwell claimed to have found cholera in seawater, so we can check for an answer to this question in that section. Doing so, we see that she suspected cholera lived there because most outbreaks occurred on the seacoasts. That answers this question, so it's the correct answer.

    Key Takeaway:
    Questions such as this one are all about being able to quickly find the relevant portion of the passage. You should be going back there to check to see if there are sufficient details to justify the answer.
  2. B
    What other bacteria are Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited
    Incorrect. (Line 41) The passage notes that ""some other bacteria"" go into a dormant state similar to V. cholerae, but it doesn't note which ones they are. This answer actually isn't that bad to check—the name of the bacterium is italicized, and it's easy to see that there are no other names in the passage.
  3. C
    Does ultraviolet light as Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited
    Incorrect. (Lines 32-39) The UV test is mentioned at the end of Paragraph 2, but there's no discussion of the reproduction of the bacterium there.
  4. D
    Is V. cholerae harmful Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited
    Incorrect. (Line 30) Crabs are mentioned as something that people who had contracted cholera ate, but there's no discussion of the health of those animals.
  5. E
    How does Colwell intend Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited
    Incorrect. (Lines 49-58) This question reflects the unknown information/implied question at the end of the passage, but the passage never mentions what experiments Colwell is planning to run to answer it.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A Credited 81%
  2. B 3%
  3. C 2%
  4. D 2%
  5. E 12%

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