Recent research into antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains suggests t

Question

Recent research into antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains suggests the need for a reexamination of the frequency with which doctors prescribe antibacterial therapy. One study demonstrated, for example, that most minor bacterial infections will resolve without treatment within 5 to 14 days of onset of symptoms; a course of antibiotics might reduce that time frame by only 1 to 2 days. A second study indicated that the incidence of “superbugs,” which have resistance to a wide variety of antibacterial agents, is increasing significantly and that these bugs are more likely to spread among those who have been treated with antibiotics within the past 5 years. In particular, researchers have become alarmed by NDM-1 (New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase), which is not a single bacterial species, but a multiple-antibiotic-resistant enzyme capable of infecting other strains of bacteria.

It is true that the proliferation of superbugs likely owes a great deal to the mistaken prescription of antibacterial treatment for viral infections, against which such treatment is ineffective, and to the routine addition of antibiotics to livestock feed in order to increase meat yields. Additionally, it is possible that ongoing research into the means by which resistance spreads among bacterial communities may lead to a new generation of antibiotics to which bacteria are unable to develop resistance. Yet these factors do not change the need for individual physicians to be more circumspect about drug therapy when treating cases of true bacterial infection.   1 
 1. The passage is primarily concerned with

(A) discussing research into the symptoms of bacterial infections
(B) explaining a change in the frequency with which antibacterial therapy is prescribed
(C) contrasting the views of doctors and medical researchers with respect to prescribing drugs
(D) questioning the routine prescription of antibiotics for bacterial infections
(E) contending that physicians need to be more careful about distinguishing between viral and bacterial infections
 2 
 2. The research cited in the first paragraph suggests which of the following about antibacterial therapy?

(A) It frequently leads to infection with NDM-1.
(B) It is not generally used to treat minor bacterial infections.
(C) It may help to reduce the incidence of “superbugs” that are especially hard to treat.
(D) Reducing the rate at which such therapy is used would cause fewer bacteria to develop resistance to antibiotics.
(E) Its short-term benefits, if they exist, may not outweigh the potential harm to the broader population.

Nikhil · Answer

+1 kudos to the posts containing answer explanations of all questions

honneeey · Answer

5:15 seconds! Both correct!

1. The passage is primarily concerned with

(A) discussing research into the symptoms of bacterial infections-Incorrect, "research into symptoms"is not the central idea.
(B) explaining a change in the frequency with which antibacterial therapy is prescribed-Incorrect, "change in frequency" is not described. Change in frequency is advised.
(C) contrasting the views of doctors and medical researchers with respect to prescribing drugs-Incorrect,"views" are not contrasted.
(D) questioning the routine prescription of antibiotics for bacterial infections- Correct , Author discussed with the disadvantages of prescribing anti-bacterial therapy frequently. He then substantiated his/her views with 2 studies. he then delved deeper into the main reasons behind the issue and in the end left the reader with a question of the usefulness of blindly prescribing antibiotics.
(E) contending that physicians need to be more careful about distinguishing between viral and bacterial infections-Incorrect, "viral and bacterial" is incorrect.

2. The research cited in the first paragraph suggests which of the following about antibacterial therapy?

(A) It frequently leads to infection with NDM-1.-Incorrect, not mentioned.
(B) It is not generally used to treat minor bacterial infections.--Incorrect, not mentioned.
(C) It may help to reduce the incidence of “superbugs” that are especially hard to treat.-Incorrect, "may help to reduce "superbugs"" cant be proved.
(D) Reducing the rate at which such therapy is used would cause fewer bacteria to develop resistance to antibiotics.-Incorrect, again cant be properly substantiated.
(E) Its short-term benefits, if they exist, may not outweigh the potential harm to the broader population- Correct, , look at the language of the option. Its benefits may not outweigh the potential harm. Author does says its helpful(reducing bacterial infections by 1-2 days) but those benefits may not be good enough to prescribe antibiotics.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. The passage is primarily concerned with

Difficulty Level:   700

Explanation

(A) discussing research into the symptoms of bacterial infections 
 Incorrect.  The passage mentions only that symptoms can resolve without treatment; the symptoms themselves are not discussed.

(B) explaining a change in the frequency with which antibacterial therapy is prescribed 
 Incorrect.  The author appears to be advocating a reduction in the use of antibacterial therapy, but nothing in the passage indicates that doctors are already prescribing this therapy more or less often than before.

(C) contrasting the views of doctors and medical researchers with respect to prescribing drugs 
 Incorrect.  The first paragraph does present information that might seem to imply a difference of opinion between doctors and researchers, but the passage says nothing about the actual views of doctors or medical researchers. Further, the passage limits itself to one particular class of drugs; it does not address the prescription of any/all drugs.

(D) questioning the routine prescription of antibiotics for bacterial infections 
  CORRECT.   Both the first and last sentences of the passage make it clear that the author wants doctors to be more careful about prescribing antibiotics. This fits the simple story: the first paragraph presents research to support this opinion, and the second acknowledges other causes of the “superbug” problem before reiterating that antibiotic use for infections is still an issue.

(E) contending that physicians need to be more careful about distinguishing between viral and bacterial infections 
 Incorrect.  This is tempting. The passage does mention both viral and bacterial infections. Doesn’t this mean that the author thinks doctors need to be careful here, too? Possibly, but the passage never says so explicitly. In any case, you don’t need to get into that much detail to eliminate an answer like this on primary purpose questions. This answer choice doesn’t address antibiotic therapy, which is central to the simple story.

The only answer that fits with the simple story is  answer (D).  Take a moment to look back: how might you have eliminated each incorrect answer quickly and definitively?

(A) Symptoms? Not discussed.
(B) What change?
(C) This passage is not about all drugs.
(E) Viral vs. bacterial? Not the overall point.

2. The studies cited in the first paragraph suggest which of the following about antibacterial therapy?

Difficulty Level:   750

Explanation

The second question asks about the studies in the first paragraph. Some of the answers are very detailed, but it’s certainly okay to make a quick pass to look for an answer that matches the simple story. If nothing turns up, then go back and analyze the details.

(A) It frequently leads to infection with NDM-1. 
Yikes—I don’t know! I skimmed the info about NDM-1. Come back later.

(B) It is not generally used to treat minor bacterial infections. 
They said it is used to treat minor infections—it only reduces treatment time by a couple of days.  This one’s wrong.

(C) It may help to reduce the incidence of “superbugs” that are especially hard to treat. 
I don’t know. Come back later.

(D) Reducing the rate at which such therapy is used would cause fewer bacteria to develop resistance to antibiotics.  
I don’t know. Come back later.

(E) Its short-term benefits, if they exist, may not outweigh the potential harm to the broader population. 
  CORRECT.   The paragraph does mention that such therapy might reduce the illness by one to two days. This could be a short-term benefit, but the author minimizes this benefit and goes on to discuss a much worse drawback (the superbug). That all fits with the simple story and the first paragraph.

It’s sometimes possible to find the right answer even if you don’t yet know why some of the wrong ones are wrong. On the real test, pick (E) and move on. When you’re studying, go back afterwards to learn why answers (A), (C), and (D) are wrong.

(A) It frequently leads to infection with NDM-1. 
  Incorrect.   The passage does say that patients who have used antibiotics within the past 5 years are more likely to pick up these “superbugs,” but it doesn’t indicate how often this happens, especially in the case of NDM-1 in particular. Perhaps this bug is still very rare.

(C) It may help to reduce the incidence of “superbugs” that are especially hard to treat.  
  Incorrect.   This paragraph mentions nothing about what causes the incidence of superbugs to decrease. In fact, the story hinges on the idea that these superbugs are increasing, so this answer contradicts the story.

(D) Reducing the rate at which such therapy is used would cause fewer bacteria to develop resistance to antibiotics. 
  Incorrect.   This is tempting! The question points you specifically to the first paragraph, though, and the first paragraph does not discuss what causes bacteria to become antibiotic resistant. (The second paragraph does touch on this a bit, but it does not discuss how antibacterial therapy might contribute to this phenomenon—read the question carefully!)

Hope it Helps

Rickooreo · Answer

Sajjad1994   Nikhil

1. The passage is primarily concerned with
(A) discussing research into the symptoms of bacterial infections

I went through the solution posted by you, however, have 1 doubt. Option A says research into the symptoms of bacterial infections i.e research into antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains. This is what passages discussed, can you please help me understand mistake I am making

Sajjad1994 · Answer

No! this is not what the passage has discussed. Reading the answer choices in the following way might help assess what is correct and what is incorrect.

(A) discussing research bla bla bla
(B) explaining a change in the frequency bla bla bla
(C) contrasting the views of doctors bla bla bla
(D) questioning the routine prescription bla bla bla
(E) contending that physicians need to be more careful bla bla bla

Only the last two options seem related to the passage overall.

Read the first sentence carefully, the rest of the passage is a justification against the first sentence.

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.

Recent research into antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains suggests t

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

Recent research into antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains suggests t

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