Man, like other animals, is host to a great number of
parasites: foreign organisms which cling to the skin or
live inside the body. Most of these parasites cause us
little discomfort, but a few are responsible for serious
parasitic diseases particularly in tropical countries.
Malaria and sleeping sickness, for instance, which are
caused by small protozoan parasites consisting of a single
cell, are still major causes of death in many parts of the
world. Other parasitic diseases like schistosomiasis,
which are due to much larger worm-like parasites, cause
relatively few deaths but seriously affect the well-being
of more than two hundred million people. In Western
countries the parasites of man are relatively unimportant,
although livestock are seriously affected. We are much more
familiar with infectious diseases caused by very small
organisms called microbes: the bacteria and viruses. To
the biologist these microbes are parasitic too, but the
diseases they cause are, for convenience, not referred to
as parasitic. Not so many years ago, some of the diseases
caused by bacteria or viruses like cholera, pneumonia,
smallpox, and poliomyelitis were an important cause of
deaths in Western countries. Nowadays cases of some of
these diseases are so rare that medical students feel
fortunate ever to see them.
John
Clegg, "The Immunology of Parasitic
Diseases", Biology in Human Affairs,
1974
(1)
Man...
(a)
likes the other creatures... (b)
feeds, keeps, breeds and cares for his parasites... (c)
is the carrier of many parasites... (d)
usually kills his host... (e)
likes to cling to foreign organisms...
Comment:
This is the type of question which does not really depend
upon a close reading of the passage itself; common sense
should prove an adequate guide in choosing your answer.
(2)
Which of the following is not a parasitic
disease?...
(a)
Sleeping sickness... (b)
Protozoa... (c)
Schistosomiasis... (d)
Malaria... (e)
None of them is...
Comment:
And, this is the type of question which can be answered by
referring to one's own mastery of the subject...
General
Comment: Yet, it might still be a good idea to refer to
the text itself briefly, for it may have been written by
an unknowledgeable person, a madman, or a teaser or
jester... After all, you are expected to display your
powers of "Reading Comprehension", and it is the
passage itself that counts...
(3)
Schistosomiasis...
(a)
has caused two hundred million people to die... (b)
is caused by a parasite consisting of a single cell... (c)
likes parasites more than worms... (d)
is a parasitic disease... (e)
is itself a large parasite...
Comment:
To answer this and the following questions, you must go
back to the passage and check the text itself for
relevant/appropriate information.
(4)
Who or what is more likely to be affected by parasites in
Western countries?...
(a)
Man... (b)
Smallpox... (c)
Livestock... (d)
Microbes... (e)
Schistosomiasis...
(5)
The last sentence means:...
(a)
It is impossible for a medical student to come across a
case suffering from one of these... (b)
Medical students are lucky not to see these diseases any
more... (c)
There is no need to study these diseases any more... (d)
Some of diseases are so dangerous that even medical
students should avoid studying them... (e)
Nowadays a medical student may not have an opportunity to
study some of these diseases during his training...
