5 mins, including time to read the passage, 5/6 correct
1.
Quote:
Q1. The author questions the results of Protocol 076 for which of the following reasons?
A. The number of T-cells was not considered in choosing subjects for the study.
B. The trial was discontinued, and the control group of women on placebo was shifted to AZT.
C. Seventy-five percent of babies born to women in the placebo group were free of infection with HIV.
D. Different transmission rates could have been influenced by different amounts of HIV in the women’s bodies.
E. The exact mechanism and timing of HIV transmission are unknown.
Refer to the following lines in the passage :
Quote:
Further, the trial design did not account for important variables: in particular, whether the subjects’ viral load—the amount of HIV in their bodies—might have contributed to the difference in transmission rates. Since the exact mechanism and timing of vertical transmission of the HIV virus are unknown, it cannot be ruled out that viral load influences rates of vertical transmission.
Based on this,
option D makes the most sense and is the right answer.
2.
Quote:
Q2. The author of this passage would be LEAST likely to challenge the benefits of intrauterine AZT for which of the following HIV-positive women and/or their future children?
A. A woman who has used the regimen successfully in a previous pregnancy
B. A woman whose T-cell count is dangerously low and who plans to continue taking AZT after her baby is born
C. A woman who is matched with the study’s subjects in terms of ethnicity and socioeconomic status
D. A woman who has lost a previous infant to HIV and who wants to be sure that her next child is healthy
E. A woman whose T-cell count is not low and who has not taken AZT before
I got this one wrong, I was confused between options B and E and incorrectly chose B. But on re-reading the passage I noticed the following lines
Quote:
Since the majority of the babies born to HIV-positive women are HIV-negative, and since HIV may mutate into drug-resistant strains following a break in medication, the value of a short term “zap” with AZT becomes suspect.
So, from this we can understand why
E is better. For women who have not taken AZT, the medication will not be resistant and hence will work. I am not sure if my reasoning is correct,
workout please clarify.
3.
Quote:
Q3. The passage implies that the “viral loads” of the subjects in the study are significant because
A. all the subjects had relatively high viral loads, so the study’s results may not apply to other groups of women.
B. the viral loads of babies whose mothers had received the placebo were just as high as those of babies whose mothers had received AZT.
C. viral load must be measured if researchers are to understand the exact mechanism and timing of transmission of HIV.
D. the viral loads of women in the placebo group may have been different from those of women in the AZT group.
E. viral load may be a critical factor in determining transmission, but the researchers wrongly assumed that it was the only factor.
Again referring to the following lines from the passage:
Quote:
Further, the trial design did not account for important variables: in particular, whether the subjects’ viral load—the amount of HIV in their bodies—might have contributed to the difference in transmission rates. Since the exact mechanism and timing of vertical transmission of the HIV virus are unknown, it cannot be ruled out that viral load influences rates of vertical transmission.
The passage mentions that the viral loads were significant because they cast a doubt on the validity of the study's results. This further can imply that the viral load of the group of women in the two groups may be different and hence they are significant.
Answer
option D is correct.
4.
Quote:
Q4. The primary purpose of the passage is to
A. document recent problems with HIV and AIDS treatment.
B. expose medical errors caused by the careless methodology in an important clinical trial.
C. raise doubts about a course of treatment based on a groundbreaking study.
D. describe the process of vertical transmission of HIV and suggest preventive therapy.
E. evaluate treatment possibilities for pregnant women with HIV.
The primary purpose of the passage is to raise doubts on the validity of a particular treatment. This is best captured in answer option
C.
5.
Quote:
Q5. The author of the passage would be most likely to agree with which of the following statements?
A. Medications harmful to one group of patients are probably not harmful to another.
B. Recommendations based on a conditional experiment must be qualified.
C. The study should not have been prematurely ended.
D. Clinical trials that may harm patients are unethical.
E. No HIV-positive woman should take AZT during pregnancy.
We can solve this by POE.
A. This is too generic and this has not been mentioned in the passage. We can eliminate A.
B. Yes, this makes sense. We can infer from the passage that results from an experiment need to be qualified. Correct.
C. The passage states that the study was prematurely ended but nowhere is the judgement made whether the study should not have ended prematurely or not. Eliminate C.
D. Not mentioned in the passage, out of scope. Eliminate.
E. Too extreme, not mentioned that no HIV-positive woman should take AZT during pregnancy.
B is the correct answer.
6.
Quote:
Q6. The primary function of the second paragraph is to
A. refute issues.
B. evaluate solutions.
C. describe results.
D. support action.
E. identify problems.
The second paragraph gives us the reasons why the result of the study is debatable. Refer to lines :
Quote:
The validity of the study’s results, however, is debatable.
Considering this, answer
option E is correct as we do identify the problems.
If someone could clarify my reasoning for Q2, it would be great!
Thanks,