The use of probiotic medicines is increasing day by day; around 9

Question

The use of “probiotic” medicines is increasing day by day; around 9 million adults in the United States take these supplements-pills packed with microorganisms such as Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium lactis, bacteria that are known to promote gut health. In addition, foods containing microbial cultures, including yogurt, bear probiotic labels claiming they build immunity and improve digestion. Over the past five years, the U.S. probiotics business has grown almost 9 percent to about $5 billion a year, according to market research estimates.

But do probiotics actually improve the average person’s health? Researchers are not sure. “A live yogurt with a few billion organisms sounds like a lot. But when you compare that with the trillions of organisms already in the body, it’s a bit like throwing a packet of poppy seeds in a giant weed field and expecting to grow poppies,” says Jeremy Nicholson, a biological chemist at Imperial College London. Nevertheless, Nicholson has found that some probiotics can have a dramatic impact. For example, in 2008, he fed Lactobacillus to mice with a transplanted human microbiome; he observed metabolic changes in the animals’ gut, liver, kidneys, and parts of the brain. Yet Nicholson discovered that the animals’ internal bacterial communities barely changed, suggesting that probiotics work by chemically signaling the microbes already living in the body, causing them to become more active.

Predicting the effect of probiotics on an individual is difficult. “A lot of them work in some people but not others because of differences in a person’s biology, genetics, and environment,” Nicholson says. Moreover, there is no conclusive evidence that commercial probiotic pills and foods will benefit someone already in good health. But David Relman, a microbiologist at Stanford University, notes that malnutrition may limit the gut bacteria that help digest nutrients, exacerbating the impact of a poor diet. “Many kids in the developing world are not able to make efficient use of their food supply,” he says. “A carefully constructed set of microbial strains could help them.”    1 
 1. According to the passage, which of the following about probiotics is true?

A. the USA is not the only country in which probiotic pills are being consumed
B. Five years ago, the business of probiotics in the USA was less than $4.5 billion per year
C. Probiotics are proven to help improve gut health
D. Injecting probiotics in mice makes mice’ internal bacterial communities more active
E. Probiotic pills help a person with good health more than a person with no good health

2 
 2. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

A. According to Jeremy Nicholson, probiotics might have a dramatic impact on mice and humans
B. Feeding Lactobacillus to mice will be less likely to improve their gut health compared to humans
C. Injecting Lactobacillus in mice resulted in an ignorable change in the number of their internal bacterial communities
D. Lactobacillus works in the body by blocking the microbes already living there
E. Foreseeing the effect of probiotics on an individual is not possible

3 
 3. David Relman has used a quote in the second last sentence of the passage, most probably to

A. State how developing countries are facing the problem of malnutrition
B. Stress that comparatively children need more attention to their gut health
C. Show one example of a key use of probiotics
D. Show his disagreement with Jeremy Nicholson on the impact of the use of probiotics
E. Show how malnutrition might affect the gut health of children

4 
 4. All of the following can be inferred from the passage EXCEPT

A. The effect of probiotics in humans varies because of the differences in the bodily structures of individuals.
B. The issue of commercial use of probiotic pills is the reason for disagreement between Relman and Nicholson.
C. A person with good health might benefit from probiotics, but it is not verified yet.
D. Environment is one of the reasons that might affect the working of probiotics in individuals.
E. According to Relman, carefully constructed doses of probiotic pills can help kids.

5 
 5. The author of the passage is primarily interested in:

A. Probiotics and their benefits for human
B. Probiotics and the work of Jeremy Nicholson and David Relman
C. Probiotics and their use in the United States
D. Probiotics and the reality of their benefits
E. Probiotics and the field of Medical

GMAT Club's Reading Comprehension Challenge 2022   
   10 Days | 20 Passages | Win Prizes | Get Better at GMAT   
 Passage # 15  |  Date: 09 March 2022 
 Click here for more details and master thread

vijayram2496 · Answer

1.According to the passage, which of the following about probiotics is true?

A. the USA is not the only country in which probiotic pills are being consumed
B. Five years ago, the business of probiotics in the USA was less than $4.5 billion per year
C. Probiotics are proven to help improve gut health
D. Injecting probiotics in mice makes mice’ internal bacterial communities more active
E. Probiotic pills help a person with good health more than a person with no good health

My Answer is  D 
A mentions that USA isn't the only country but there is no mention of any other country except for David Relman's suggestion about developing countries making use of this probiotics . So wrong
B talks about business stats , but then it is clearly mentioned that it rose from 9% to 5 billion per year , but was that 9% equals 4.5 bn ? not mentioned , so I eliminated that .
C is about proven gut health and the theme of the passage is exactly opposite , it isn't proven.Wrong
E says it helps person with good health more than others but there is clear mention in 3 Rd paragraph that this is not proved yet .So wrong

Author talks about D option in 2nd para and so it is true.

2.Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

A. According to Jeremy Nicholson, probiotics might have a dramatic impact on mice and humans
B. Feeding Lactobacillus to mice will be less likely to improve their gut health compared to humans
C. Injecting Lactobacillus in mice resulted in an ignorable change in the number of their internal bacterial communities
D. Lactobacillus works in the body by blocking the microbes already living there
E. Foreseeing the effect of probiotics on an individual is not possible

My Answer is  C

A,B are easy to spot errors as it contradicts the info present in passage
D says that bacteria blocks the microbes present in body and if so how can they be more active.? .. So wrong
E says foreseeing effects of probiotics is not possible .. This option is extreme and it is only mentioned in the first line of third para that it is  difficult  but  not possible .So Wrong
And correct choice C mentions that there is barely any change in number, that is clearly mentioned in 2 nd para and so it is the answer.

3. David Relman has used a quote in the second last sentence of the passage, most probably to

A. State how developing countries are facing the problem of malnutrition
B. Stress that comparatively children need more attention to their gut health
C. Show one example of a key use of probiotics
D. Show his disagreement with Jeremy Nicholson on the impact of the use of probiotics
E. Show how malnutrition might affect the gut health of children.

My answer is  C

A talks about projecting the problem in developing countries ,though it is partially correct that is not the main intention of David to suggest probiotics.Wrong

B is never mentioned in the passage ..No preference is mentioned.

D is about disagreement between David and Jeremy but that is not the purpose of that line as it never mentions any disagreement point in that line.

E talks about how malnutrition can affect gut health of children .E is very close but the how part is not explained in the passage and on that basis I chose C.

4.All of the following can be inferred from the passage EXCEPT

A. The effect of probiotics in humans varies because of the differences in the bodily structures of individuals.
B. The issue of commercial use of probiotic pills is the reason for disagreement between Relman and Nicholson.
C. A person with good health might benefit from probiotics, but it is not verified yet.
D. Environment is one of the reasons that might affect the working of probiotics in individuals.
E. According to Relman, carefully constructed doses of probiotic pills can help kids.

My answer is  B 
A says its effect cannot be accurately estimated and that it is true theme of passage . So can be inferred.
C is accurately mentioned in 2nd and 3rd Paras that it might be useful but not proved .
D ,E can be found in third para where it is clearly mentioned

A lot of them work in some people but not others because of differences in a person’s biology, genetics, and environment 
and E from David suggestions in last lines of passage.

So correct option C has no excerpts from the passage as there is no commerical usage differences mentioned between two researchers.

5.The author of the passage is primarily interested in:

A. Probiotics and their benefits for human
B. Probiotics and the work of Jeremy Nicholson and David Relman
C. Probiotics and their use in the United States
D. Probiotics and the reality of their benefits
E. Probiotics and the field of Medical

My Answer is  A

In the first para Author talks about probiotics and its significance and in second para author mentions his doubts on its effectiveness,followed by an experiment and results.Third para mentions more light on effectiveness aspect and how it is difficult to assess.

So combining all Paras ,author is trying exhort  Probiotics and its benefits for human beings  which is option A.

Posted from my mobile device

ElninoEffect · Answer

1. According to the passage, which of the following about probiotics is true?

A. the USA is not the only country in which probiotic pills are being consumed
The passage mentioned the use of probiotic in USA only and its possible use in 3rd world countries.
B. Five years ago, the business of probiotics in the USA was less than $4.5 billion per year
This cannot be true.
C. Probiotics are proven to help improve gut health
There is a debate over the same we cannot say its proven to help.
“A lot of them work in some people but not others because of differences in a person’s biology, genetics, and environment,”
D.  Injecting probiotics in mice makes mice’ internal bacterial communities more active 
By POE
E. Probiotic pills help a person with good health more than a person with no good health
If anything its just the opposite.

2. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

A. According to Jeremy Nicholson, probiotics might have a dramatic impact on mice and humans
Only one aspect of it has been tested that is the mice part and that to changes was observed nothing dramatic of sort.
B. Feeding Lactobacillus to mice will be less likely to improve their gut health compared to humans
No such experiment has been conducted.
C.  Injecting Lactobacillus in mice resulted in an ignorable change in the number of their internal bacterial communities 
This can be inferred.
"Nicholson discovered that the animals’ internal bacterial communities barely changed."
D. Lactobacillus works in the body by blocking the microbes already living there
Just the opposite it increases the activeness of the microbes already present in the body.
E. Foreseeing the effect of probiotics on an individual is not possible
Not possible is a strong use of the word when the passage suggests its difficult.
"Predicting the effect of probiotics on an individual is difficult."

3. David Relman has used a quote in the second last sentence of the passage, most probably to

A. State how developing countries are facing the problem of malnutrition
He has used the developing countries malnutrition problem to point out how probiotics can be helpful there.
B. Stress that comparatively children need more attention to their gut health
There is no comparison between children and adults as to who needs more attention to their gut health.
C.  Show one example of a key use of probiotics 
Exactly the point Relman is trying to point out.
D. Show his disagreement with Jeremy Nicholson on the impact of the use of probiotics
He is not disagreeing with Nicholson on the impact of probiotics just suggesting an area where it can be helpful.
E. Show how malnutrition might affect the gut health of children
Its already known how malnutrition affect the gut health of children he uses this data to point out how probiotics can be helpful there.

4. All of the following can be inferred from the passage EXCEPT

"A lot of them work in some people but not others because of differences in a person’s biology, genetics, and environment,”

A. The effect of probiotics in humans varies because of the differences in the bodily structures of individuals.
Person's biology. - Can be inferred.
B.  The issue of commercial use of probiotic pills is the reason for disagreement between Relman and Nicholson. 
Cannot be inferred.
C. A person with good health might benefit from probiotics, but it is not verified yet.
"there is no conclusive evidence that commercial probiotic pills and foods will benefit someone already in good health." - can be inferred.
D. Environment is one of the reasons that might affect the working of probiotics in individuals.
Environment. - Can be inferred.
E. According to Relman, carefully constructed doses of probiotic pills can help kids.
Can be infered.

5. The author of the passage is primarily interested in:

A. Probiotics and their benefits for human
If we consider this then the work done by Nicholson and Relman becomes redundant because they did their work to prove how effective or ineffective probiotics are.
I think the D is better here.
B. Probiotics and the work of Jeremy Nicholson and David Relman
Work of Nicholson and Relman has been done to prove the effectiveness of the probiotics. There work is not the main theme of the passage but has been used to prove the main theme of the passage.
C. Probiotics and their use in the United States
Not just in United States but also in the developing countries as has been suggested by the last passage.
D.  Probiotics and the reality of their benefits 
Reality of their benefits makes it better as then we can justify the importance of the work of Nicholson and Relman.
E. Probiotics and the field of Medical
We are concerned about their benefits not the field of Medical. D is better.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Competition mode is off now.

OAs are revealed:

DCCBD

vijayram2496  (7.5/10)

ElninoEffect  (5.5/10)

ElninoEffect · Answer

I have a question if you can help me with the same:

For question 1:

1. According to the passage, which of the following about probiotics is true?

A. the USA is not the only country in which probiotic pills are being consumed
B. Five years ago, the business of probiotics in the USA was less than $4.5 billion per year
C. Probiotics are proven to help improve gut health
D. Injecting probiotics in mice makes mice’ internal bacterial communities more active
E. Probiotic pills help a person with good health more than a person with no good health

How it can be D.?

he fed Lactobacillus to mice  with a transplanted human microbiome;  -doesn't this statement is makes that mice different from normal mice.?
Because if it dosent then why not simply say he fed Lactobacillus to mice.
He did the experiment to check the effects of Lactobacillus on human microbiome not internal bacterial communities of mice.

How this can be right.?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

1. According to the passage, which of the following about probiotics is true?

A. the USA is not the only country in which probiotic pills are being consume d

We have data of only the USA so we cannot say anything about countries other than the USA. This option is out of scope.

B. Five years ago, the business of probiotics in the USA was less than $4.5 billion per year

This is simply incorrect. The passage states that:

Over the past five years, the U.S. probiotics business has grown almost 9 percent to about $5 billion a year, according to market research estimates.

If today the business of probiotics is about 5 billion $ and increase is 9% then five years ago the business should be greater than 4.5 billion $. (4.59 billion $ the exact)

C. Probiotics are proven to help improve gut health

This is the opposite. The passage states that the use of probiotics is not proven yet.

D. Injecting probiotics in mice makes mice’ internal bacterial communities more active

This is correct!

For example, in 2008,  he fed Lactobacillus to mice with a transplanted human microbiome;   (He does this to experiment whether it will be beneficial for humans or not)  he observed  metabolic changes  in the animals’ gut, liver, kidneys, and parts of the brain. Yet Nicholson discovered that the animals’ internal bacterial communities  barely changed   (barely change is not equal to no change) ,  suggesting  that probiotics work by  chemically signaling the microbes already living in the body, causing them to become more active.

E. Probiotic pills help a person with good health more than a person with no good health

This can not be validated with the help of the passage.

Answer: D

VerbalBot · Answer

Automated notice from GMAT Club VerbalBot: 

A member just gave Kudos to this thread, showing it’s still useful. I’ve bumped it to the top so more people can benefit. Feel free to add your own questions or solutions.

 This post was generated automatically.

The use of probiotic medicines is increasing day by day; around 9

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

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

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards

GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

The use of probiotic medicines is increasing day by day; around 9

Prep Toolkit

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

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards