Answers are in
bold.
1. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage ?
a) “ADD: A Lack of Willpower”
b) “ADD Research and The Six Clusters of Executive Function”
c) “ADD Medications to Address Neurotransmitter Disruptions”
d) “ADD: A Childhood Behavior Disorder of Hyperactivity”
e) “Moving Towards Understand the ADD Mind”Explanation of question 1A - Well no, because at the end the author is saying no it CANNOT be lack of willpower. Passage states -
"it is difficult to give credence to the notion that ADD impairments are simply due to a lack of willpower." It might have been close if there was a question-mark at the end. “ADD: Is it a Lack of Willpower?” Then maybe, but not in its present state.
B - executive function is just one part addressed in the passage.
C - medications used are just one part addressed in the passage.
D - not really, as the author then proves why it is not (dopamine imbalance, neural pathways wired wrong...)
E - Perfect choice. In fact if you read it para by para you will see that the author is unravelling more and more information about ADD. Then final paragraph the author says
"much remains to be learned", this also means the central idea is moving towards knowing, but we are not there yet.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. With which of the following is the author most likely to agree ?
a) Children with ADD are likely to do well in school once they are put on stimulant medications.
b) People with ADD are often better able to inhibit impulses while on stimulant medication.c) ADD is a childhood disorder that does not affect adults.
d) It would be premature to conclude that ADD is the result of a neurotransmitter pathway disruption.
e) Children with ADD are more impulsive when taking Ritalin.
Explanation of question 2A - Nothing about how well they would do in schools while on medication is mentioned in the passage.
B - Yes the author says that medication such as Ritalin helps inhibit impulses. It is also mentioned here
"Persons with ADD who use stimulant medications often experience improvements in executive brain functions and impulse inhibition."C - No the author say 30-50% of those who are diagnosed with ADD as children persists when they are adults. So it DOES affects adults.
D - No the author safely concludes that impairment of executive functions are the result of the disruption of neurotransmitter pathways in the brain.
E - Infact the opposite, Ratalin helps INHIBIT the impluses.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. It can be inferred from the passage that people with ADD
a) are likely to achieve normal attention and executive functioning by adulthood
b) have brain pathways that, when compared to those in people without ADD, are more likely to lead to impulse inhibition
c) are prescribed Ritalin more than any other stimulant to positively affect their neurotransmitters
d) tend to have very low levels of dopamine in their brainse) may have difficulty with peer and sibling relationships as well as with the completion of tasks at work and school
Explanation of question 3A - Maybe, but from 50-70% of the time. It persists in adults 30-50% of the time remember. So no its not likely to achieve normalcy ALL the time, as this option claims. Out.
B - Opposite answer, ADD brain pathways are MORE likely to lead to perform the impulse, not inhibit it.
C - Everything was going great, until we come across - "more than any other stimulant". Ratalin is just one such stimulant, do not know if it is popular or not. Out.
D - Well we definitely know that dopamine levels are indicators of ADD in a a person, but what we do not know is if high level of dopamine means ADD or vice versa. Well this choice tells us it is low levels, so we have to take it as this is an inference question.
E - This is not mentioned in the passage and takes the inference too far for my liking. Out.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. All of the following support the author's contention that ADD is related to the neurotransmitter pathway in the brain EXCEPT
a) Straterra, a medication that affects the neurotransmitter pathway for norepinephrine but not for dopamine, can be effective for some ADD patients.
b) Hundreds of studies have demonstrated that stimulant medications work effectively to alleviate ADD symptoms for 70 to 80 percent of patients.
c) New high-resolution, three-dimensional maps of the brains of children with ADD indicate significant and specific differences of regional brain size within areas of the brain thought to control attentional and inhibitory control systems, compared with brain scans of children without ADDd) The dopamine theory of ADD is supported by neuroimaging studies, which confirm an inhibitory dopaminergic effect at prefrontal level.
e) Two genes, DAT1 – a dopamine transporter gene and DRD4 - a dopamine receptor gene, have been reported to be associated with ADD by a number of scientists.
Explanation of question 4A - Medication affecting the neuro pathway is in line with author's views. Out.
B - Yes this is also in line with author, as he says that medication helps.
C - Ok so this is a tricky one. Size of brain is related to ADD. Cool, so does this support the author's contention? I don't think it does. Is there a relationship between neuro pathways and size - maybe, I mean I am no doctor but it feels like there is. BUT is it mentioned in the passage? No. Therefore I feel this is not really supporting author's contention.
D - Author does say executive functions depend on dopamine levels.
E - We just concluded in the previous option that dopamine levels are indicators of person having ADD or not. Therefore this choice is also true. Out.