Summarizing Passage

Text 1

Chickenpox is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by the Varicella zoster virus; sufferers
develop a fleeting itchy rash that can spread throughout the body. The disease can last for up to 14 days
and can occur in both children and adults, though the young are particularly vulnerable. Individuals
infected with chickenpox can expect to experience a high but tolerable level of discomfort and a fever as
the disease works its way through the system. The ailment was once considered to be a “rite of passage”
by parents in the U.S. and thought to provide children with greater and improved immunity to other
forms of sickness later in life. This view, however, was altered after additional research by scientists
demonstrated unexpected dangers associated with the virus. Over time, the fruits of this research have
transformed attitudes toward the disease and the utility of seeking preemptive measures against it.

A vaccine against chickenpox was originally invented by Michiaki Takahashi, a Japanese doctor and
research scientist, in the mid-1960s. Dr. Takahashi began his work to isolate and grow the virus in 1965
and in 1972 began clinical trials with a live but weakened form of the virus that caused the human body
to create antibodies. Japan and several other countries began widespread chickenpox vaccination
programs in 1974. However, it took over 20 years for the chickenpox vaccine to be approved by the U.S.
Food & Drug Administration (FDA), finally earning the U.S. government’s seal of approval for
widespread use in 1995. Yet even though the chickenpox vaccine was available and recommended by
the FDA, parents did not immediately choose to vaccinate their children against this disease. Mothers
and fathers typically cited the notion that chickenpox did not constitute a serious enough disease against
which a person needed to be vaccinated.

Strong belief in that view eroded when scientists discovered the link between Varicella zoster, the virus
that causes chickenpox, and shingles, a far more serious, harmful, and longer-lasting disease in older
adults that impacts the nervous system. They reached the conclusion that Varicella zoster remains
dormant inside the body, making it significantly more likely for someone to develop shingles. As a result,
the medical community in the U.S. encouraged the development, adoption, and use of a vaccine against
chickenpox to the public. Although the appearance of chickenpox and shingles within one person can be
many years apart—generally many decades—the increased risk in developing shingles as a younger
adult (30-40 years old rather than 60-70 years old) proved to be enough to convince the medical
community that immunization should be preferred to the traditional alternative.

Another reason that the chickenpox vaccine was not immediately accepted and used by parents in the
U.S. centered on observations made by scientists that the vaccine simply did not last long enough and
did not confer a lifetime of immunity. In other words, scientists considered the benefits of the vaccine
to be temporary when given to young children. They also feared that it increased the odds that a person
could become infected with chickenpox later as a young adult, when the rash is more painful and
prevalent and can last up to three or four weeks. Hence, allowing young children to develop chickenpox
rather than take a vaccine against it was believed to be the “lesser of two evils.” This idea changed over
time as booster shots of the vaccine elongated immunity and countered the perceived limits on the
strength of the vaccine itself.

Today, use of the chickenpox vaccine is common throughout the world. Pediatricians suggest an initial
vaccination shot after a child turns one year old, with booster shots recommended after the child turns
eight. The vaccine is estimated to be up to 90% effective and has reduced worldwide cases of chickenpox
infection to 400,000 cases per year from over 4,000,000 cases before vaccination became widespread.

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In light of such statistics, most doctors insist that the potential risks of developing shingles outweigh the
benefits of avoiding rare complications associated with inoculations. Of course , many parents continue
to think of the disease as an innocuous ailment, refusing to take preemptive steps against it. (C) As
increasing numbers of students are vaccinated and the virus becomes increasingly rarer, however, even
this trend among parents has failed to halt the decline of chickenpox among the most vulnerable
populations.

1. According to paragraph 1, which of the following is true of the chickenpox virus?

(A) It leads to a potentially deadly disease in adults.
(B) It is associated with a possibly permanent rash.
(C) It is easily transmittable by an infected individual.
(D) It has been virtually eradicated in the modern world.
(E) It is common to do vaccination to prevent chickenpox

2. Which of the following best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in
paragraph 1 ?
(A) U.S. parents believed that having chickenpox benefited their children.
(B) U.S. parents believed that chickenpox led to immunity against most sickness.
(C) U.S. parents wanted to make sure that their children developed chickenpox.
(D) U.S. parents did not think that other vaccinations were needed after chickenpox.
(E) U.S. parents wanted to improve their own immunity to prevent sickness

3. Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 2 about the clinical trials for the
chickenpox vaccine?
(A) They took longer than expected.
(B) They cost a lot of money to complete.
(C) They were instantly approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).
(D) They took a long time to finish.
(E) They were ultimately successful.

4. According to paragraph 3, which of the following is true of Varicella Zoster ?

(A) It typically attacks adults who are over 60 years old.
(B) Shingles are not commonly found in patient’s body
(C) It is linked to a serious disease that occurs more commonly in adults.
(D) It likely is not a serious enough threat to human health to require a vaccine.
(E) It is completely eradicated from the body after chickenpox occurs.

5. According to paragraph 3, all of the following is true about the chickenpox virus EXCEPT:
(A) It causes two distinct yet related ailments.
(B) Younger adult tend to be more susceptible in developing shingles
(C) People did not view it as a serious public health threat.
(D) It tended to quickly become dormant and remain inoperative over time.
(E) Vaccination against it would help prevent the onset of shingles.

6. According to paragraph 4, many parents did not choose the chickenpox vaccine because
(A) they believed that the virus was weak and not especially harmful
(B) they thought that scientists did not have enough data to reach a conclusion

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 (C) they were unsure about the utility of the vaccine given its expected duration
(D) they were convinced it was potentially very toxic, particularly for older children
(E) they were not aware of their health

Text 2

As Philadelphia grew from a small town into a city in the first half of the eighteenth century, it
became an increasingly important marketing center for a vast and growing agricultural hinterland.
Market days saw the crowded city even more crowded, as farmers from within a radius of 24 or more
kilometers brought their sheep, cows, pigs, vegetables, cider, and other products for direct sale to the
townspeople. The High Street Market was continuously enlarged throughout the period until 1736,
when it reached from Front Street to Third.

By 1745 New Market was opened on Second Street between Pine and Cedar. The next year the
Callowhill Market began operation. Along with market days, the institution of twice yearly fairs
persisted in Philadelphia even after similar trading days had been discontinued in other colonial cities.
The fairs provided a means of bringing handmade goods from outlying places to would-be buyers in the
city. Linens and stockings from Germantown, for example, were popular items.

Auctions were another popular form of occasional trade. Because of the competition, retail
merchants opposed these as well as the fairs. Although governmental attempts to eradicate fairs and
auctions were less than successful, the ordinary course of economic development was on the merchants’
side, as increasing business specialization became the order of the day. Export merchants became
differentiated from their importing counterparts, and specialty shops began to appear in addition to
general stores selling a variety of goods.

One of the reasons Philadelphia’s merchants generally prospered was because the surrounding
area was undergoing tremendous economic and demographic growth. They did their business, after all,
in the capital city of the province. Not only did they cater to the governor and his circle, but citizens from
all over the colony came to the capital for legislative sessions of the assembly and council and the
meetings of the courts of justice.

7. What does the passage mainly discuss?

(A) Philadelphia’s agriculture importance
(B) Philadelphia’s development as a marketing center
(C) The sale of imported goods in Philadelphia
(D) The administration of the city of Philadelphia
(E) The council of Philadelphia

8. It can be inferred from the passage that new markets opened in Philadelphia because ...
(A) they provided more modem facilities than older markets
(B) the High Street Market was forced to close
(C) the previous market was destroyed by natural cause
(D) existing markets were unable to serve the growing population
(E) farmers wanted markets that were closer to the farms.

9. It can be inferred that the author mentions “Linens and stockings” in paragraph 2 to show that
they were items that
(A) retail merchants were not willing to sell
(B) consumers couldn’t make it themselves
(C) were not available in the stores in Philadelphia

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 (D) were more popular in Germantown man in Philadelphia
(E) could easily be transported

10. What does the author mean by stating in paragraph 3 that “economic development was on the
merchants’ side”?
(A) Merchants had a strong impact on economic expansion.
(B) Merchants had suffer from economic activities
(C) Economic forces allowed merchants to prosper.
(D) Merchants had to work together to achieve economic independence
(E) Specialty shops near large markets were more likely to be economically successful.

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