Reading comp PrepTest 154 · Section 3 · Question 20

Incorrect. This answer is suspect because it talks about ""most"" cases. While Colwell does argue that V. cholerae can survive in seawater, she never uses language strong enough to support the view that this is how ""most cases"" are transferred.

Incorrect. (Lines 51-54) Everything we said for (A) applies here! On top of that, Colwell notes in the last paragraph that the outbreaks coincide with peaks in sea-surface temperatures, suggesting at least the possibility that the bacterium awakens from dormancy because of temperature changes rather than entering a human host.

Incorrect. Never is an unbelievably strong word, and you shouldn't pick an answer that includes it (or always) without equally strong language in the passage. We would have noted such language if it were present, and we didn't, so this answer is incorrect. Colwell puts forward awakening from dormancy as one way for an outbreak to happen, but she doesn't state that it's the only way.

Correct. Question Type:
Must Be True

Strategy Overview:
Review the parts of the passage where Colwell's viewpoint was discussed

Answer Anticipation/Relevant Lines:
Looking back at our notes, we can see that Colwell wasn't introduced until Paragraph 2. There, she claimed that she had isolated V. cholerae in the Chesapeake Bay despite there being no cases (Lines 13-18). She ""suspected"" that it could survive in seawater and couldn't always be detected with the traditional test (Lines 21-24). She invented a new detection method (Line 28).

Then, in Paragraph 3, she hypothesized that V. cholera goes dormant (Lines 40-42) that functions as a survival mechanism (Line 47). And she links seasonal peaks in sea-surface temperature to outbreaks of cholera (Liens 51-54).

The correct answer could bring up any, all, or any combination of these, so let's stay flexible.

Answer Explanation:
(Lines 28-34; Lines 12-14) Colwell used a new detection method that found V. cholerae in 51/52 samples, and she claimed to have found that bacterium in Chesapeake Bay water samples. That strongly implies that she believes the new test that she used in New Orleans would have also shown the bacterium in the Chesapeake Bay samples, had the test been available at the time. Note that this answer essentially says, ""Colwell believes that her test would have worked at detecting what she claims it can detect,"" which seems like something she'd probably agree with!

Key Takeaway:
There were a lot of statements establishing Colwell's beliefs throughout this passage! That can make it hard to anticipate a correct answer. However, note that the correct answer essentially says that Colwell believed her test would work. When rephrased that way, it's a lot easier to pick it as the correct answer! It's generally a good move to see if the gist of an answer lines up with the viewpoint the question is asking about, so feel free to simplify it during an initial consideration. If it passes that bar, then dive in deeper.

Incorrect. (Lines 52-53) The only region in Asia that's discussed is the Bay of Bengal in south Asia. That doesn't allow us to commit Colwell to believing that dormant V. cholerae is present in every coastal region throughout Asia. She is committed to believing that her new test would almost certainly reveal it if present.