RC Practice one

Things to be followed
While Reading the passage:

Active Reading

Analyze and evaluate the ideas

Co-relate one idea with another and take short notes

Underline the transitional words particularly

While Reading the question:

Read and understand exactly what is being asked

While Selecting your answer:

Answer the question based on the information provided in the passage

Go through the passage before you select the best answer once more

Be sure about the choices partially answers the questions

Do not choose a choice just because the statement is true

Passage one
Frustrated with the repeated failures in treating patients with back pain through
the conventional methods, Dr.John Sarno, at the institute of rehabilitation
medicine at Manhattan, questioned the fundamental assumption of modern
medicine. In general, doctors assume that bodily pain is a response to bodily
injury. Our back hurts because a disc is herniated or a nerve is pinched or a
muscle is strained. Sarno argued that even healthy people who had nothing
wrong with their muscles or nerves still had back pain. That's when Sarno had
his epiphany: chronic back pain was caused by the mind. He argues that much
of our physical suffering is rooted in the machinations of the unconscious
brain. Sometimes, when we repress our anger, deal with undue amounts of
stress, or experience some upsetting emotion, the mind induces bodily pain as
a form of distraction. According to Sarno, the only way to cure chronic back
pain is through rigorous psychological treatment. Patients need to continually
remind themselves that the pain, though real, is rooted in their own mind. It is
the faith that sets them free. There is little scientific evidence for Sarno's
theories.

Passage one
One back pain specialist told that, while he was sympathetic to Sarno's
psychological theme, he was troubled by his penchant for constructing theories
without the necessary foundation of facts. Dr.Mackey at the forefront of a new
paradigm in pain research found, much to his surprise, that his patients were
getting better more from his talking than from any medical procedure. Robert
Kerns has been studying the psychology of pain for thirty years supports the
view of Mackey. He says that a person's thinking could really affect their pain
experience. Modern medicine has been trying to fix chronic back pain by
fixing the back. We spend tens of billion dollars every year imaging our
degenerated discs, fusing our vertebrae, popping painkillers and engaging in a
vast array of injections, massages and physical therapies. But for many people
suffering from chronic back pain, these medical interventions won't work.
Their doctors have been looking in the wrong place. The best way to treat
chronic pain is to treat the brain. Despite the persuasive body of evidence
demonstrating the psychological component of chronic back pain, the vast
majority of patients still spurn any diagnosis that smacks of psychology.

Ability it tests

Question
Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the argument of Dr.
Sarno?

The ability that this question tests are:

Analyze a text and reach conclusion from it

Developing and considering alternative explanations

Question
Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the argument of
Dr. Sarno?
The Choices are
(A) A young man in Chicago with the chronic back pain has been completely
cured through the conventional methods.

(B) A scientific paper which analyses the root cause of chronic back pain
thoroughly and completely confirmed the possibility the relation between this pain
and the mind.

(C) A result of a survey indicates that the number of easy going people suffering
from chronic back pain is less than the depressed people.

(D)Dr. Mackey's contribution to medical field is recognized with an international

award

(E)The recent study on chronic back pain identified a physical therapy that will
cure the chronic back pain once for all.

Answer
Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the argument of Dr. Sarno?
The Choices are
(A) A young man in Chicago with the chronic back pain has been completely cured
through the conventional methods.

(B)A scientific paper which analyses the root cause of chronic back pain thoroughly
and completely confirmed the possibility the relation between this pain and the mind.

(C) A result of a survey indicates that the number of easy going people suffering
from chronic back pain is less than the depressed people.

(D)Dr. Mackey's contribution to medical field is recognized with an international

award

(E)The recent study on chronic back pain identified a physical therapy that will cure
the chronic back pain once for all.

Tips

Go through your notes and eliminate irrelevant choices.

Shortlist the choices.

Analyze and reason it out which choice could be the best fit and answers the
question.

Beware of the choice which answers partially, are not the best answers.

Ability it tests
Question
In the context in which it appears, "epiphany" most nearly means

The ability that this question test is:

Understanding the meaning of individual words and sentences

Question
In the context in which it appears, "epiphany" most nearly means
Choices are:

(A)a painkiller for chronic back pain

(B) a kind of chronic back pain

(C)new understanding

(D)a misunderstanding

(E)a conventional method of treating back pain

Clues
The word Epiphany has two meanings:
A Christian feast celebrating the manifestation of the divine nature of Jesus to the
Gentiles as represented by the Magi.

A comprehension or perception of reality by means of a sudden intuitive realization.

Passage:
Frustrated with the repeated failures in treating patients with back pain through
the conventional methods, Dr.John Sarno, at the institute of rehabilitation
medicine at Manhattan, questioned the fundamental assumption of modern
medicine. In general, doctors assume that bodily pain is a response to bodily
injury. Our back hurts because a disc is herniated or a nerve is pinched or a
muscle is strained. Sarno argued that even healthy people who had nothing
wrong with their muscles or nerves still had back pain. That's when Sarno had
his epiphany: chronic back pain was caused by the mind. He argues that much
of our physical suffering is rooted in the machinations of the unconscious
brain. Sometimes, when we repress our anger, deal with undue amounts of
stress, or experience some upsetting emotion, the mind induces bodily pain as
a form of distraction.

Answer
In the context in which it appears, "epiphany" most nearly means
Choices are:

(A)a painkiller for chronic back pain

(B)a kind of chronic back pain

(C)new understanding

(D)a misunderstanding

(E)a conventional method of treating back pain

Tips

Be sure your choice represents the way the word is being used in the passage.

Note: Many words have different meanings when used in different contexts.

Ability it tests
Question
The concluding line in the passage indicates that

Ability that this question test is:

understanding the meaning of paragraphs and larger bodies of text

understanding the structure of a text in terms of how the parts relate to one another

Question
The concluding line in the passage indicates that
Choices are:

(A)the author is not in favor of psychological treatment for chronic back pain.

(B)The author blames the psychologists for all the misunderstanding in the treatment
of chronic back pain.

(C)The diagnostic test for understanding the back pain should be without any
psychological element.

(D)The vast majority of patients want a psychologist to treat their chronic back pain.

(E)The author bemoans that there is few takers for the psychological cure for the
chronic back pain.

Answer
The concluding line in the passage indicates that
Choices are:

(A)the author is not in favor of psychological treatment for chronic back pain.

(B)The author blames the psychologists for all the misunderstanding in the treatment
of chronic back pain.

(C)The diagnostic test for understanding the back pain should be without any
psychological element.

(D)The vast majority of patients want a psychologist to treat their chronic back pain.

(E)The author bemoans that there is few takers for the psychological cure for the
chronic back pain.

Passage Two
In recent years, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has
been a subject of increasing public attention and concern. Affecting an
estimated 4 to 5 percent of children, ADHD is the most common chronic
mental health problem among young children in the U.S. Janet Currie and
Mark Stabile explore this subject in "Child Mental Health and Human
Capital Accumulation: The Case of ADHD". They examine whether the
effects of ADHD and treatment for the disorder vary by income level. The
find that children in high-income families are less likely to be retained in
grade, but are otherwise similarly affected by ADHD symptoms as
children in low-income families. Surprisingly, children in high-income
families are no more likely to be treated for ADHD, in stark contrast with
treatments for physical health problems. The authors suggest that lowincome families may have access to ADHD treatment through Medicaid or
school referrals and that high-income families may avoid treatment for
ADHD due to perceived stigma.

Ability it tests
Question
It can be inferred from the passage ADHD children in high income families are
less likely to repeat the grade because ________

Ability that it test is:

Drawing conclusion from the information
Note: Inferential question

Question
It can be inferred from the passage ADHD children in high income families are less
likely to repeat the grade because ________
Choices are

(A)They get better teaching aids.

(B)They are diagnosed very early and the problem was solved at the beginning itself

(C)The treatment for ADHD is not accessible to the low income families.

(D)ADHD children in high income families eat healthy and recuperate from the
disorder sooner than the children in low income families

(E)They feel keeping their children in the same grade and letting others know about
their children's problem affect their social status and so they some how get their children
promoted.

Answer
It can be inferred from the passage ADHD children in high income families are less
likely to repeat the grade because ________
Choices are:

(A)They get better teaching aids.

(B)They are diagnosed very early and the problem was solved at the beginning itself

(C)The treatment for ADHD is not accessible to the low income families.

(D)ADHD children in high income families eat healthy and recuperate from the
disorder sooner than the children in low income families

(E)They feel keeping their children in the same grade and letting others know
about their children's problem affect their social status and so they some how get
their children promoted.

Question
In the context in which it appears "perceived stigma" most nearly means
Choices are:

(A)A set of negative or unfair beliefs about

something

(B)One of the symptoms of ADHD

(C)Socio-economic status

(D)One of the symptoms of physical health problems

(E)A set of positive or fair beliefs about something.

Answer
In the context in which it appears "perceived stigma" most nearly means
Choices are:

(A)A set of negative or unfair beliefs about something

(B)One of the symptoms of ADHD

(C)Socio-economic status

(D)One of the symptoms of physical health problems

(E)A set of positive or fair beliefs about something.

Passage Three
According to the Weismann barrier,
hereditary information moves only from
genes to body cells, and never in reverse.
Evidence has begun to mount for
horizontal gene transfer. Different species
appear to be swapping genes through the
activities of retroviruses. Retro-viruses
are able to transfer genes between species
because they reproduce by integrating
their code into the genome of the host and
they often move nearby code in the
infected cell as well. If the cell they infect
is a germ line cell then that integrated
DNA can become part of the gene pool of
that species.

Other evidence against Weismann's

barrier is found in the immune system. A
theory of Edward J. Steele suggests that
endogenous retroviruses carry new
versions of V genes from body cells in the
immune system to the germ line cells.
Steele observes that the immune system
needs to be able to evolve fast to match
the evolutionary pressure as the infective
agents evolve very fast. He also observes
that there are plenty of endogenous retroviruses in our genome and it seems likely
that they have some purpose. Even if both
of these possible exceptions turn out to be
legitimate, the Weismann barrier just
loses its absolute status. Without further
examples, the penetration of the
Weismann barrier is still very much an
exception.

Ability it tests
Question
It can be inferred from the passage, the author would agree with which of the
following statements?( Multiple answers)

Ability that it tests:

Drawing conclusion from the information

Multiple choice question

Question
It can be inferred from the passage, the author would agree with which of the
following statements?( Multiple answers)
Choices are:

(A)Weismann barrier is not an unquestionable principle.

(B)Hereditary information moves from genes to body cells and body cells to genes

(C)Herditary information moves only from genes to body cells and never from body
cells to genes.

Answer
It can be inferred from the passage, the author would agree with which of the
following statements?( Multiple answers)
Choices are:

(A)Weismann barrier is not an unquestionable principle.

(B)Hereditary information moves from genes to body cells and body cells to
genes.

(C)Herditary information moves only from genes to body cells and never from body
cells to genes.

Tips

Do not select the answers as soon as you see the question

Read all the answer choices before you select your answers.

Go through the passage every time when you consider an option

Passage four
With the announcement of the discovery of two fossilized specimens of feathered dinosaurs
in China's Liaoning province, a group of paleontologists claimed birds evolved from small
coelurosaurian dinosaurs. But there has been criticisms of idea that birds evolved from
dinosaurs. One of them Caudipteryx and Protoarchaeopteryx, the kinds of dinosaurs found
are reportedly 120-145 million years old. The oldest known bird is the 150-million-year-old
Archaeopteryx. This timing puts the Darwinian cart before the horse. Phylogenetic analysis
indicates that they are both more primitive than the earliest known bird. And to say
dinosaurs did not become extinct is to contradict an enormous body of well-established
evidence that the final dinosaur era, the Cretaceous era, was terminated some 65 million
years ago when an asteroid collided with the Earth. Recent discoveries show that similar
extraterrestrial catastrophes marked both the Triassic-Jurassic and Jurassic-Cretaceous
boundaries. Geologists from Britain, Canada, and the U. S. published their discovery of a
crater chain caused by the impact of a fragmented comet or asteroid. The collision date,
roughly 214 million years ago, coincides with the close of the Triassic period. The diameters
of the five impact craters, 100, 40, 25, 15, and 9 kilometers respectively, indicate that
altogether they could account for the extinction of most, if not all, Triassic dinosaurs. These
dramatic catastrophes imply that the so-called "ancestors" of modern birds could not have
survived the devastation. Each of the comet or asteroid collisions that closed off the Triassic,
Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods were of such magnitude that no land animal larger than a
rodent would have survived. The geological and geophysical data rule out that
Protoarchaeopteryx and Caudipteryx could be the ancestors of birds.

Question
What is the author's prime purpose in writing this passage
Choices are:
(A)To provide deep insights into the evolution of modern day birds from primitive
dinosaurs such as Archaeopteryx, Protoarchaeopteryx and Caudipteryx.

(B)To bring to light that Dinosaurs have not become extinct and in fact they are alive
and well and represented by over 10,000 species of birds.

(C)To show that the timings of different dinosaurs, dating from 120

(D)To reiterate the fact that dinosaurs did become extinct when the final dinosaur era
was terminated some 65 million years ago when an asteroid collided with Earth.

(E) To categorically rule out the possibility that neither Protoarchaeopteryx and
Caudipteryx could be the ancestors of birds.

Answer
What is the author's prime purpose in writing this passage
Choices are:
(A)To provide deep insights into the evolution of modern day birds from primitive
dinosaurs such as Archaeopteryx, Protoarchaeopteryx and Caudipteryx.

(B)To bring to light that Dinosaurs have not become extinct and in fact they are alive
and well and represented by over 10,000 species of birds.

(C)To show that the timings of different dinosaurs, dating from 120

(D)To reiterate the fact that dinosaurs did become extinct when the final dinosaur era
was terminated some 65 million years ago when an asteroid collided with Earth.

(E)To categorically rule out the possibility that neither Protoarchaeopteryx and
Caudipteryx could be the ancestors of birds.

Tips
Go through the first few lines and the last few lines as soon as you got the question.

Shortlist the choices.

Eliminate the close choices by evaluating the information you have understood from
your reading.

Note: For few main idea type of questions the main idea might be in between the
passage. In such cases go through the passage and the notes you have taken and then
select your best answer

Question
The term "This timing puts the Darwinian cart before the horse" is used to refer
__________

Choices are:
(A)The horse cart has referred to indicate that evolution is indeed a slow and a steady
process.

(B)In the process of evolution, it is often difficult to indicate what came first, the cart
or the horse. In the passage, primitive birds or dinosaurs. The order is difficult to
determine.

(C)Cart before the horse indicates lack of further progress or movement, in this case
the devastation of the the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods following collisions
with asteroids and comets resulted in a slow down in the evolutionary process.

(D)To contradict the theory that birds evolved from dinosaurs. According to the
author, the earliest known birds and the dinosaurs considered as ancestors of the birds
almost co-existed.

(E)To provide analogy with an enormous body of well-established evidence that the
final dinosaur era, the Cretaceous era, was terminated some 65 million years ago when
an asteroid collided with Earth.

Clue
With the announcement of the discovery of two fossilized specimens of feathered
dinosaurs in China's Liaoning province, a group of paleontologists claimed birds
evolved from small coelurosaurian dinosaurs. But there have been criticisms of idea
that birds evolved from dinosaurs. One of them Caudipteryx and Protoarchaeopteryx,
the kinds of dinosaurs found are reportedly 120-145 million years old. The oldest
known bird is the 150-million-year-old Archaeopteryx. This timing puts the Darwinian
cart before the horse. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that they are both more primitive
than the earliest known bird.
Claim: Birds evolved from Dinosaurs
Caudipteryx and Protoarchaeoptery 120-145 million years old (Dinosaur)
Archaeopteryx-150 million years old (Bird)

Answer
The term "This timing puts the Darwinian cart before the horse" is used to refer
__________

Choices are:
(A)The horse cart has be referred to indicate that evolution is indeed a slow and a
steady process.

(B)In the process of evolution, it is often difficult to indicate what came first, the cart
or the horse. In the passage, primitive birds or dinosaurs. The order is difficult to
determine.

(C)Cart before the horse indicates lack of further progress or movement, in this case
the devastation of the the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods following collisions
with asteroids and comets resulted in a slow down in the evolutionary process.

(D)To contradict the theory that birds evolved from dinosaurs. According to the
author, the earliest known birds and the dinosaurs considered as ancestors of the
birds almost co-existed.

(E)To provide analogy with an enormous body of well-established evidence that the
final dinosaur era, the Cretaceous era, was terminated some 65 million years ago when
an asteroid collided with Earth.

Thank You