Even the smallest quantity of salmonella may, in the future, be easily

Question

Even the smallest quantity of salmonella may, in the future, be easily detected with a technology known as SERS, short for “surface enhanced Raman scattering.” U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist Bosoon Park at Athens, GA, is leading exploratory studies of this analytical technique’s potential for quick, easy, and reliable detection of salmonella and other foodborne pathogens.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, salmonella causes more than one million cases of illness in the United States every year.

If SERS proves successful for cornering salmonella, the technique might be used at public health laboratories around the nation to rapidly identify this or other pathogens responsible for outbreaks of foodborne illness, according to Park, an agricultural engineer. What’s more, tomorrow’s food makers might use SERS at their in-house quality control labs.

The Agricultural Research Service is the USDA’s chief intramural scientific research agency. Park’s research supports the USDA priority of enhancing food safety.

In a SERS analysis, a specimen is placed on a surface, such as a stainless steel plate, that has been “enhanced,” or changed from smooth to rough. For some of their research, Park’s team enhanced the surface of stainless steel plates by coating them with tiny spheres, made up of a biopolymer encapsulated with nanoparticles of silver.

Rough surfaces, and colloidal metals such as silver, can enhance the scattering of light that occurs when a specimen, placed on this nanosubstrate, is scanned with the Raman spectrometer’s laser beam.

The scattered light that comes back to the spectroscope forms a distinct spectral pattern known as a Raman spectral signature, or Raman scattered signal. Researchers expect to prove the concept that all molecules, such as those that make up salmonella, have their own unique Raman spectral signature.

The idea of using a substrate of silver nanoparticles for Raman spectroscopy is not new. But in SERS studies to detect foodborne pathogens, the use of a surface enhanced with biopolymers coated with silver nanoparticles is apparently novel.

In work with comparatively large concentrations of two different kinds, or serotypes, of salmonella enterica—enteritidis and typhimurium—Park’s tests showed apparently for the first time, that SERS can differentiate these two serotypes. With further research, SERS may prove superior for finding very small quantities of bacteria in a complex, real-world background, such as a food or beverage sample, Park notes.     1 
 1. Which of the following is NOT like the rest of the answer choices?

a. foodborne pathogens 
b. salmonella 
c. typhimurium 
d. clemteritidis 
e. biopolymers

2 
 2. Which of the following most accurately expresses the main idea of the passage?

a. Colloidal metals such as silver can enhance the scattering of light that occurs when a specimen is placed under a Raman laser. 
b. Scientists are close to finding a way to detect salmonella and other foodborne illnesses with the development of a surface enhanced Raman scattering laser. 
c. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has been diligently looking for an effective way to detect foodborne illness earlier. 
d. The idea of using a substrate of silver nanoparticles is revolutionary and SERS is one way of illustrating that. 
e. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, salmonella causes a great number of health problems that the general public is not aware of.

3 
 3. According to the passage, a nanosubstrate is

a. a laser beam that can detect salmonella. 
b. tiny spheres made of a colloidal metal. 
c. an enhanced surface that the specimen being tested will be placed on. 
d. the scattered light that comes back to the spectroscope after using SERS. 
e. a foodborne pathogen.

4 
 4. The enhanced surface described in the passage most resembles which of the following?

a. a stripped screw that no drill bit can reckon with 
b. a peach’s skin as opposed to an apple’s skin 
c. a skinned knee after a few days 
d. a cat’s reaction to a red laser beam light 
e. an old tire’s tread

5 
 5. The author’s inclusion of the information in the second paragraph is most likely intended to

a. criticize the work of the United States Centers for Disease Control. 
b. support the research of Park for the SERS project. 
c. alienate the specific problems salmonella can produce. 
d. emphasize the importance of the research being conducted. 
e. reiterate the main idea of the article.

RC Butler 2022  -  Practice Two RC Passages Everyday.   
Passage # 258 Date: 28-Jun-2022
 This question is a part of RC Butler 2022 .  Click here for Details

Kritika09 · Answer

According to me answers are -
1.E
2.B
3.C
4.B
5.D

VarunDiwan · Answer

Hey !
Can anyone please explain the 4th question?

Thank you

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

4. The enhanced surface described in the passage most resembles which of the following?

Difficulty Level:   700

Explanation

The surface in the passage is described as changing from smooth to rough, just as the surface of a knee would change from smooth to rough while it was scabbing over and healing. A stripped screw would be an example of a surface changing its shape, but not from smooth to rough, so choice a is incorrect. Peaches and apples are different fruits with different surfaces, unlike the one surface that changes, making choice b incorrect. A cat’s reaction to a laser has nothing to do with the enhanced surface, so choice d is incorrect. An old tire’s tread would go from grooved to smooth, so choice e is incorrect.

Answer: C

blablabla1997 · Answer

Need an explanation on #2 question, why B is the correct one?

Scientists are close to finding a way to detect salmonella and other foodborne illnesses with the development of a surface enhanced Raman scattering laser.

Is it changing the real meaning of the main idea? The SERS method will be used to find the substance even with the smallest amount of concentration, but the way to detect these foodborne illness has already been here in the market. I chose C even i know the main idea is about SERS not USDA, please explain, thanks

Sajjad1994 · Answer

The main idea of the passage is about a new technology called surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) that could be used to detect salmonella and other foodborne illnesses quickly and easily. The passage explains how SERS works and describes the research being done by USDA scientist Bosoon Park to explore its potential for detecting salmonella. The passage also notes that SERS could be used by public health laboratories and food makers in the future.

Option B  accurately expresses the main idea of the passage because it highlights the new technology (SERS) and its potential use for detecting foodborne illnesses like salmonella. The other options either focus on specific details mentioned in the passage  (option A)  or are not accurate summaries of the main idea  (options C, D, and E) .

While it's true that the USDA is involved in the research on SERS and enhancing food safety, the focus of the passage is on the SERS technology and its potential use for detecting salmonella, not on the USDA's overall efforts to detect foodborne illnesses. Therefore,  option C  is not the best choice for the main idea of the passage.

Even the smallest quantity of salmonella may, in the future, be easily

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Even the smallest quantity of salmonella may, in the future, be easily

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615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

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