At last count in the year 2004, it was estimated that there were over

Question

At last count in the year 2004, it was estimated that there were over 800 million mobile phone users worldwide, almost one eighth of the global population. Underscoring this dramatic number is a growing suspicion that the radiation emitted by these mobile phones may be dangerous to humans. There is no doubt that the body absorbs varying levels of radiation emitted by cell phones, but the question is, do these levels pose a health risk?

Mobile phones employ radio waves, more specifically, radiofrequency (RF) energy, to wirelessly transmit voice data and other information between handsets and base stations. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), share the responsibility of making sure every cell phone sold in the United States complies with certain safety guidelines that limit a person's exposure to RF energy. The amount of RF energy absorbed by a human body when in contact with a cell phone is measured by a unit known as the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR). A phone deemed " safe " by the FCC must not have a SAR level higher than 1.6 watts per kilogram (1.6 W/kg). Deeming a phone "safe," however, is misleading. The FDA states that though there is "no hard evidence of adverse health effects   on the general public," they urge further research into the subject. This statement is vague at best, and rather than answering our question, it brings up a number of others.

This vague stance by the FDA and FCC derives from the fact that most of the research findings on the possible negative affects of cell phone radiation have been controversial. An example of this was a study conducted on rats in 1995 at the University of Washington in Seattle by a research team headed by Henry Lai. Lais team concluded that the exposure of rats to RF energy within the FCC cell phone SAR limits resulted in DNA breaks in the rats' brain cells. Such breaks could be linked to cancer and brain tumors. With good reason, these findings garnered much media attention; but they could never be clinically replicated, which cast serious doubt upon them. It is worth nothing, however, that  one of the studies that tried to confirm Lai's findings was conducted by a group funded by the cell phone manufacturer Motorola.

The use of cell phones has only recently become widespread. Regardless of what research may indicate, time will offer the true answer as to whether cell phones are indeed dangerous. Let's hope, unlike the smoking of cigarettes 50 years ago, the outcome does not reach us too late.    1 
 1. The author's primary purpose in the passage is to

A. dispel rumors about the negative side effects of cell phone use
B. illustrate how the risks associated with using a cell phone outweigh the phone's positive uses
C. describe how cell phones transmit voice data and other information
D. discuss her personal views on the subject of cell phone radiation
E. address the question of whether or not cell phone use is unhealthy

2 
 2. It can be inferred from the passage that a phone deemed "safe" ( Highlighted ) by the FCC would actually be better described as

A. probably safe
B. possibly safe
C. completely safe
D. somewhat dangerous
E. extremely dangerous

3 
 3. According to the passage, which of the following is true?

A. Cell phone batteries utilize the power of RF energy.
B. The FCC would consider a cell phone with a SAR level of 1.5 W/kg as unsafe.
C. Henry Lai concluded that the exposure of rats to RF energy could be linked to cancer and brain tumors in rats.
D. The FDA and FCC believe that further cell phone research is unnecessary
E. Smaller cell phones have higher SAR ratings.

4 
 4. According to information from the passage, it can be inferred that which of the following devices also emit RF energy?

A. a standard wall phone
B. a television broadcast tower
C. a DVD player
D. a radio speaker
E. an internet router

5 
 5. The author most probably notes ( Highlighted ) that "one of the studies that tried to confirm Lai's findings was conducted by a group funded by the cell phone manufacturer Motorola" to suggest

A. a possible bias on the part of the confirmation group
B. that Lai was a disgruntled ex-employee of Motorola
C. Cell phone manufacturers are actively trying to sabotage radiation research
D. that Motorola is looking for alternatives to RF energy
E. Lai's research team lied about their findings

6 
 6. The author draws a comparison between cigarettes and cell phones in the final sentence of the passage in order to

A. illustrate a historical precedent
B. demonstrate how quickly a person becomes hooked on their phone
C. display her dislike for both
D. make a point about social etiquette
E. exaggerate the issue to help her illustrate a point

kris19 · Answer

1. The author's primary purpose in the passage is to
Summary: A question is asked - are radiation levels pose health risk ? (Para1), stands taken by FDA & FCC on RF energy levels (Para2), how research on radiation was controversial (Para3), an analogy between tobacco & cellphone effects (Para4)

A. dispel rumors about the negative side effects of cell phone use
 not correct: passage says nothing about the rumours

B. illustrate how the risks associated with using a cell phone outweigh the phone's positive uses
 not correct: no comparison between negatives and positives is mentioned in the passage

C. describe how cell phones transmit voice data and other information
 not correct: this info is mentioned in Para2 to explain RF

D. discuss her personal views on the subject of cell phone radiation
 correct: The author of the passage asks a question - are radiation levels pose health risk, and talks about the research, which is not conclusive, and finally brings an analogy to give her opinion about the effects of radiation. So, the passage is mainly about the radiation coming from cell phones, and the author views. 
E. address the question of whether or not cell phone use is unhealthy
 not correct: passage is not about cell phone usage, but about the effects of radiation

2. It can be inferred from the passage that a phone deemed "safe" (Highlighted) by the FCC would actually be better described as

A. probably safe
not correct: Since the passage says 'Regardless of what research may indicate, time will offer the true answer as to whether cell phones are indeed dangerous', 'probably safe' is not the right word to define 'safe'

B. possibly safe
 correct: possibly safe means some uncertainty is there about the safety of the cell phone usage, as the passage says further research is needed

C. completely safe
 not correct: passage says 'Deeming a phone "safe," however, is misleading. The FDA states that though there is "no hard evidence of adverse health effects   on the general public," they urge further research into the subject', so 'completely safe' cannot be inferred from 'safe'

D. somewhat dangerous
 not correct 
E. extremely dangerous
 not correct

3. According to the passage, which of the following is true?

A. Cell phone batteries utilize the power of RF energy.
 not correct: no discussion of cell phone batteries

B. The FCC would consider a cell phone with a SAR level of 1.5 W/kg as unsafe.
 not correct: as per the passage SAR levels of 1.5 W/kg is safe

C. Henry Lai concluded that the exposure of rats to RF energy could be linked to cancer and brain tumors in rats.
 correct: exposure of rats to RF energy within the FCC cell phone SAR limits resulted in DNA breaks in the rats' brain cells. Such breaks could be linked to cancer and brain tumors

D. The FDA and FCC believe that further cell phone research is unnecessary
 not correct: passage says 'they urge further research into the subject'

E. Smaller cell phones have higher SAR ratings.
 not correct: no info about smaller cell phones

4. According to information from the passage, it can be inferred that which of the following devices also emit RF energy?
passage says 'radiofrequency (RF) energy, to wirelessly transmit voice data and other information between handsets and base stations'

A. a standard wall phone
 not correct

B. a television broadcast tower
 correct: transmit data wirelessly between tv tower and tv

C. a DVD player
 not correct

D. a radio speaker
 not correct

E. an internet router
 not correct

5. The author most probably notes (Highlighted) that "one of the studies that tried to confirm Lai's findings was conducted by a group funded by the cell phone manufacturer Motorola" to suggest

A. a possible bias on the part of the confirmation group
 correct: Lai's results couldn't be replicated by studies conducted by few other teams, one of them was funded by Motorola. So, this team could be favourable to its funding agency (Motorola)

B. that Lai was a disgruntled ex-employee of Motorola
 not correct: no info about his past employment is given

C. Cell phone manufacturers are actively trying to sabotage radiation research
 not correct: we can't infer to say sabotage 'radiation research'

D. that Motorola is looking for alternatives to RF energy
 not correct: no mention of alternatives to RF

E. Lai's research team lied about their findings
 not correct: can't infer that Lai's team lied about its findings

6. The author draws a comparison between cigarettes and cell phones in the final sentence of the passage in order to

A. illustrate a historical precedent
 correct: illustrate a point that no conclusive evidence about cell phones radiation effects, and similar situation might have been with tobacco usage 50 years back

B. demonstrate how quickly a person becomes hooked on their phone
not correct:

C. display her dislike for both
 not correct: no info about her dislike is given

D. make a point about social etiquette
 not correct: no info

E. exaggerate the issue to help her illustrate a point
 not correct: not sure about the author's intention to 'exaggerate' the issue

GDT · Answer

1. The author's primary purpose in the passage is to

The primary purpose of the passage is to discuss/ascertain whether cell phone radiations pose health risk in the levels in which they are absorbed
This can be seen in the last line of 1st para

In the following paragraphs, the author does express her opinion in a few instances (such as by calling a statement made by FCC vague), but the primary purpose is to address whether cell phone use is unhealthy not just express her view on radiations.

A. dispel rumors about the negative side effects of cell phone use  Incorrect. Not trying to dispel any rumors 
B. illustrate how the risks associated with using a cell phone outweigh the phone's positive uses  Incorrect. No mention of positive uses 
C. describe how cell phones transmit voice data and other information  Incorrect. This is just one line of para 2, whole passage is not concerned with how this is done 
D. discuss her personal views on the subject of cell phone radiation  Incorrect for the reason stated above 
E. address the question of whether or not cell phone use is unhealthy   Correct

2. It can be inferred from the passage that a phone deemed "safe" (Highlighted) by the FCC would actually be better described as

A. probably safe  Incorrect. probably expresses the likelihood or high chances of something happening, but in this case we express doubt 
B. possibly safe   Correct.  Possibly means maybe or perhaps and is thus, used when there is no surety 
C. completely safe  Incorrect. the passage continues by saying that the statement is misleading 
D. somewhat dangerous  Incorrect. No hard evidence of adverse effect has been found 
E. extremely dangerous  Incorrect. Extreme is out of scope

3. According to the passage, which of the following is true?

A. Cell phone batteries utilize the power of RF energy.  Incorrect. cell phones emit it 
B. The FCC would consider a cell phone with a SAR level of 1.5 W/kg as unsafe.  Incorrect. they deem it as safe 
C. Henry Lai concluded that the exposure of rats to RF energy could be linked to cancer and brain tumors in rats.   Correct  
D. The FDA and FCC believe that further cell phone research is unnecessary  Incorrect. On the contrary they ask for further research 
E. Smaller cell phones have higher SAR ratings. Incorrect. No mention of cell hone size

4. According to information from the passage, it can be inferred that which of the following devices also emit RF energy?

A. a standard wall phone  Incorrect. not wireless 
B. a television broadcast tower   Correct. It emits radiations  
C. a DVD player  Incorrect. not wireless 
D. a radio speaker  Incorrect. It receives radiation 
E. an internet router  Incorrect. It receives radiation

5. The author most probably notes (Highlighted) that "one of the studies that tried to confirm Lai's findings was conducted by a group funded by the cell phone manufacturer Motorola" to suggest

A. a possible bias on the part of the confirmation group   Correct   It expresses an idea as to why a cellphone co. would want to prove that phones emit radiations harmful to health. Wouldn't that negatively affect their business 
B. that Lai was a disgruntled ex-employee of Motorola  Incorrect 
C. Cell phone manufacturers are actively trying to sabotage radiation research  Incorret. Only 1 of the studies is mentioned. We don't know about others 
D. that Motorola is looking for alternatives to RF energy  Incorrect. Can't be inferred 
E. Lai's research team lied about their findings  Incorrect. Can't be inferred

6. The author draws a comparison between cigarettes and cell phones in the final sentence of the passage in order to

A. illustrate a historical precedent   Correct.  We got confirmation of the evidence that smoking is unhealthy rather late 
B. demonstrate how quickly a person becomes hooked on their phone  Incorrect. Addiction is not the concern 
C. display her dislike for both  Incorrect. Nothing of this sort has been expressed 
D. make a point about social etiquette  Incorrect. Nothing about social etiquette 
E. exaggerate the issue to help her illustrate a point  Incorrect. Author is just stating a fact, not exaggerating

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

2. It can be inferred from the passage that a phone deemed "safe" (Highlighted) by the FCC would actually be better described as

Explanation

In lines:

Deeming a phone "safe," however, is misleading. The FDA states that though there is "no hard evidence of adverse health effects   on the general public," they urge further research into the subject. This statement is vague at best, and rather than answering our question, it brings up a number of others.

The author characterizes the deeming of a cell phone  "safe,"  as misleading because of the FDA's rather vague statement that there is  "no hard evidence of adverse health effects   on the general public."  The key here is the phrase  "no hard evidence."  This could be translated into  "so far there is no evidence to prove cell phones are unsafe."

That evidence may one day arrive, but it may never arrive. So it is possible that they are safe, but it has yet been proven.  (B)  is your answer. There is no evidence to support  (A), (D), and (E) , so all incorrect.

(C)  is directly contradicted by the author's statement that to deem a cell phone  "safe"  is misleading.

Answer: B

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

4. According to information from the passage, it can be inferred that which of the following devices also emit RF energy?

Explanation

Paragraph 2  states that  "Mobile phones employ radio waves, more specifically, radiofrequency (RF) energy, to wirelessly transmit voice data and other information between handsets and base stations."  The key phrase in this sentence is wirelessly transmit; you must look to the choices to find the one that also employs wireless transmission. Of the choices, your best answer is  (B).

(A)  is out because a standard wall phone utilizes telephone lines to transmit voice data.  (C)  is out of scope. With  (D) , a radio receives radio waves (RF energy) that contain sound data and converts it to sound waves; the radio's speakers just amplify the converted data.

(E)  could be correct if the router was wireless, however, that is never specified so this choice is wrong.

Answer: B

Sk1003 · Answer

Question 2 please. What is the difference between possibly and probably

MartyMurray · Answer

"Possibly safe" means "The probability that it's safe is greater than 0," in other words, that the phone may be safe.

"Probably safe" means "The probability that it is safe is greater than 0.5," in other words, that the likelihood that the phone is safe is greater than the likelihood that it not.

napolean92728 · Answer

1. The author's primary purpose in the passage is to:
Answer: E. address the question of whether or not cell phone use is unhealthy

Reasoning: The main goal of the passage is to explore the health implications of using cell phones, particularly regarding the radiation they emit. The author is questioning whether the levels of radiation from mobile phones pose a health risk and highlights that further research is needed. The passage does not attempt to completely dispel rumors, weigh positive uses against risks, or discuss personal views. It focuses primarily on the potential health effects of cell phone radiation.

Option A is incorrect because the author does not specifically aim to dispel rumors about cell phone radiation; instead, the focus is on exploring whether it is dangerous.
Option B is incorrect because the passage does not emphasize how risks outweigh the positive uses, but rather questions the safety of mobile phone use.
Option C is incorrect because the passage does not focus on describing how cell phones transmit data, but on health concerns regarding their radiation.
Option D is incorrect because the passage does not delve into the author’s personal opinions; it is more about addressing the question of health risks.

2. It can be inferred from the passage that a phone deemed "safe" by the FCC would actually be better described as:
Answer: B. possibly safe

Reasoning: The passage highlights that while the FCC designates phones with a SAR of 1.6 W/kg or lower as "safe," the FDA still encourages further research on the potential health risks of mobile phones. The term "safe" is described as somewhat misleading because there is no conclusive evidence to confirm that these phones are entirely free from risk. This implies that a "safe" phone is not definitively safe, but rather it is "possibly safe."

Option B is correct because "possibly safe" aligns with the passage’s suggestion that phones with SAR levels within limits are likely safe but not conclusively proven to be so.
Option A ("probably safe") might sound plausible, but "probably" implies a higher degree of confidence than what is conveyed in the passage. The FDA and FCC encourage more research, indicating uncertainty.
Option C ("completely safe") is incorrect because the author does not claim the phones are completely safe. The passage emphasizes the need for more research, so this option does not fit.
Option D ("somewhat dangerous") is incorrect because the passage does not suggest phones are dangerous within the FCC's limits, only that there is uncertainty about their safety.
Option E ("extremely dangerous") is incorrect because the passage doesn't describe these phones as extremely dangerous. Instead, it raises concerns about the possibility of harm without claiming extreme danger.
So, B. possibly safe is the correct answer based on the passage's tone of uncertainty.

3. According to the passage, which of the following is true?
Answer: C. Henry Lai concluded that the exposure of rats to RF energy could be linked to cancer and brain tumors in rats.

Reasoning: The passage describes a study led by Henry Lai that found DNA breaks in rats' brain cells after exposure to RF energy from cell phones, which could be linked to cancer and brain tumors.

Option C is correct because it directly refers to the findings of Henry Lai’s study as described in the passage.
Option A is incorrect because the passage does not mention anything about cell phone batteries utilizing RF energy. RF energy is used for wireless communication, not for battery power.
Option B is incorrect because the FCC considers phones with a SAR level below 1.6 W/kg as safe, meaning the phone with 1.5 W/kg would be considered safe, not unsafe.
Option D is incorrect because the FDA and FCC urge further research into cell phone safety, indicating that they do not believe research is unnecessary.
Option E is incorrect because the passage does not mention anything about smaller cell phones having higher SAR ratings.

4. According to information from the passage, it can be inferred that which of the following devices also emit RF energy?
Answer: B. a television broadcast tower

Reasoning: The passage discusses how mobile phones use radiofrequency (RF) energy to transmit information wirelessly. RF energy is also used by other devices for communication, and a television broadcast tower would be one of these devices. Television broadcast towers emit RF energy to transmit television signals over long distances, just as mobile phones use RF energy to communicate with base stations.

Option B is correct because television broadcast towers do emit RF energy, which is similar to the RF energy used by mobile phones.
Option A (a standard wall phone) is incorrect because landline phones do not emit RF energy; they rely on wired connections.
Option C (a DVD player) is incorrect because DVD players do not use RF energy; they are not wireless communication devices.
Option D (a radio speaker) is incorrect because radio speakers do not emit RF energy; they receive RF energy from radio signals but do not emit it.
Option E (an internet router) would have been a reasonable answer as well since routers transmit data wirelessly using RF energy. However, the focus of the passage is more on RF energy related to communication towers (like television broadcast towers), so B is the most directly relevant answer based on the passage.

5. The author most probably notes that "one of the studies that tried to confirm Lai's findings was conducted by a group funded by the cell phone manufacturer Motorola" to suggest:
Answer: A. a possible bias on the part of the confirmation group

Reasoning: The author brings up the fact that a study trying to confirm Henry Lai's findings was funded by Motorola, which could imply that there may be a potential conflict of interest or bias in the results. The author is hinting that the study might not be entirely objective due to its funding source.

Option A is correct because it suggests a possible bias in the study due to the funding source.
Option B (that Lai was a disgruntled ex-employee of Motorola) is incorrect because there’s no evidence or suggestion in the passage that Lai had any prior connection with Motorola.
Option C (Cell phone manufacturers are actively trying to sabotage radiation research) is incorrect because the passage does not make such a sweeping claim about cell phone manufacturers.
Option D (that Motorola is looking for alternatives to RF energy) is incorrect because there’s no mention in the passage of Motorola actively looking for alternatives.
Option E (Lai's research team lied about their findings) is incorrect because the passage does not accuse Lai’s team of lying; it mentions that their findings were not clinically replicated, which casts doubt on the results but doesn’t accuse them of dishonesty.

6. The author draws a comparison between cigarettes and cell phones in the final sentence of the passage in order to:
Answer: A. illustrate a historical precedent

Reasoning: In the final sentence, the author compares the situation with mobile phones to the situation with cigarettes 50 years ago, suggesting that, just like cigarette smoking was once thought to be harmless until evidence proved otherwise, the health risks of mobile phones might not be clear yet. The comparison serves to highlight how time may reveal the true effects, similar to how the dangers of smoking became known after many years of research.

Option A is correct because the author is using the comparison to show that health risks might only become clear much later, just like with cigarettes.
Option B (demonstrate how quickly a person becomes hooked on their phone) is incorrect because the passage doesn’t focus on addiction to phones; it focuses on potential health risks.
Option C (display her dislike for both) is incorrect because the author does not express personal dislike for cigarettes or cell phones; the comparison is more about potential future risks.
Option D (make a point about social etiquette) is incorrect because the passage does not focus on social norms or behavior related to cell phone use.
Option E (exaggerate the issue to help her illustrate a point) is incorrect because the author is not exaggerating; she is drawing a legitimate comparison based on the uncertainty surrounding both issues.

At last count in the year 2004, it was estimated that there were over

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