Sub-testGeneral information Time allocation 60 minutes. Reading Test format and procedure In this sub-test candidates must read two texts and answer 20-24 questions. The texts are on general topics related to the medical and health professions. The texts are not specific to a profession. The questions are designed to assess understanding of the texts. The questions are in multiple choice format. For each question candidates have to choose which alternative answer is the best answer. Some questions are in the form of unfinished statements and candidates must select the best way to finish the statement. Only one alternative can be given. Answers are to be written on the computer readable answer sheet provided (see example next page) by filling in the appropriate circle with a pencil. If a mistake is made, candidates should rub out the first mark with an eraser and fill in another circle. If two answers are marked, the question will be marked wrong. Marks or smudges on the answer sheet may be mistaken for answers and may be marked wrong. Assessment procedure This sub-test is computer marked. The sample materials The sample materials consist of: • • • • a computer readable answer sheet two texts a series of questions related to the texts a reading test answer key (see page 12). Using the materials • • • • • Allow enough time to do all the sample reading sub-test in the one sitting. This will give an indication of the requirements of the actual test. Set a timer or alarm clock for 60 minutes or ask someone to act as a timer. Make sure a pencil and an eraser are available. Check answers against the answer key. A total score of around 65% on these tests (Parts A and B combined) should give you a good chance of getting a satisfactory result. OET – CANDIDATE INFORMATION & SAMPLE MATERIALS 1 Computer answer sheet OET – CANDIDATE INFORMATION & SAMPLE MATERIALS 2 . You must complete your answer sheet within the 60 minutes allowed for this sub-test. For each question. indicate on your answer sheet the letter A. B. C or D against the number of the question. each with four suggested answers or ways of finishing.READING SUB-TEST OET – SAMPLE Reading Sub-test Time allowed : 60 minutes There are two reading passages in this test. Marks will not be deducted for incorrect answers.e. After each passage you will find a number of questions or unfinished statements about the passage. OET – CANDIDATE INFORMATION & SAMPLE MATERIALS 3 .. the best answer. Answer all questions. You must choose the one which you think fits best. i. 1-20. Paragraph 8 30 ‘The (Latin American) epidemic is much more of a disaster to the economy than to public health. Paragraph 4 This is the first widespread outbreak of cholera in the Americas for a century. sugar and salt. It kills only because it dehydrates the body rapidly. and Chile to the edge of Brazil. with growing numbers of cases in Benin and Zambia as well as those in Latin America. Colombia. the death rate has so far been relatively low. He says that while 2. Many countries have banned imports of food from Peru. Ecuador. co-ordinator for the cholera taskforce at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in Washington DC. despite the WHO’s advice that no large cholera outbreak has ever been traced to commercial imports. OET – CANDIDATE INFORMATION & SAMPLE MATERIALS 4 . head of the diarrhoeal diseases program at the WHO. Last week the World Health Organization (WHO) set up a task force to combat the spread of the disease which. The WHO estimates that the epidemic will cost Peru $1 billion this year in losses to exports. But Tulloch emphasises that the epidemic must be seen in the context of other deaths caused by diarrhoeal disease. Paragraph 3 10 Despite the large numbers infected.929 cases of the disease there were 1. So far. Paragraph 6 20 The cholera bacterium produces a toxin which paralyses the gut. the five cases reported in Brazil are thought to be Peruvians who have crossed the border at an island in the Amazon called Tabatinga. tourism and other earnings. says Peru has for years been training its doctors to treat diarrhoeal disease and that this has helped to reduce the death toll. Nine out of ten patients will recover simply by drinking oral rehydration fluids – a balance of water. The WHO says communities unprepared for cholera usually suffer a much higher death rate – up to half of those who develop the disease. it predicts. The cholera bacterium is excreted in the faeces of infected people and thrives in situations where sewage can mix with supplies of fresh water. stopping it from absorbing liquid. More than 163.’ says David Bennett. Paragraph 7 No one is belittling the impact of the disease. ‘Peru has done remarkably well. could affect as many as 120 million people – a quarter of Latin America’s population. Paragraph 9 Officials say Peru’s poor water supply and overcrowding of the shanty towns that surround the coastal cities have helped to spread the disease. Jim Tulloch.130 deaths – fewer than 1 percent of those affected.READING SUB-TEST – PART A PASSAGE OET – SAMPLE Latin America struggles as cholera spreads Paragraph 1 Health officials from ten Latin American countries met in Washington DC this week to search for measures to control the growing cholera epidemic in their countries. in the same period 800. Antibiotics help to reduce the time that people suffer from diarrhoea for and also make the diarrhoea itself less infectious. Figures from Peru show that out of 158.000 cases have been reported to the WHO from Latin America. Paragraph 2 Cholera has now reached beyond the western coastal countries of Peru. The WHO says the epidemic is an ‘unfolding tragedy’ worldwide. Paragraph 5 Cholera is treatable when diagnosed promptly. Intravenous infusions of fluid are necessary for the one in ten who become severely dehydrated or are unable to keep liquids down.000 people have died of cholera worldwide since the end of January.000 children under five years of age have died from diarrhoea.’ says Sandy Cairncross at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. senior epidemiologist at the Lima office of the PAHO.’ Few houses have piped water. El Tor reached West Africa. it reached Bangladesh in 1963. Paragraph 19 The existing vaccine against cholera. says. or world epidemic. The WHO says Latin America’s current epidemic is part of the seventh pandemic. has two main forms or ‘biotypes’: the El Tor biotype is the cause of the current epidemic and the classical biotype was responsible for outbreaks earlier this century. Levels of chlorine disinfectant in the water supplies have not been checked regularly and the water pressure is not maintained for 24 hours a day. ‘We have much poverty here. ‘the precise origin of the epidemic is irrelevant because the level of contamination in the environment now is very high. Vibrio cholerae. India a year later and the Soviet Union in the mid-1960s. because large numbers are immobilised by acid in the stomach. ‘It takes 100 billion vibrios in the gut of a healthy person to cause the disease.’ says Cairncross. protects only half of those who receive it. However. OET – CANDIDATE INFORMATION & SAMPLE MATERIALS 5 . it takes only 1 million organisms. which is based on killed vibrios.’ Paragraph 18 70 The PAHO believes good surveillance and speedy reporting by countries is more cost effective than border controls for halting the spread of the disease. But in someone whose gut is less acidic because of a heavy parasite burden. Children are most affected. In contrast.’ Paragraph 13 50 But while epidemiologists blame poverty and the deteriorating infrastructure for the cholera outbreak. Paragraph 11 According to the PAHO. Tulloch in Geneva. ‘Farmers need to grow the kind of crops that have high cash yields and short growing seasons. Paragraph 16 Bennett says that El Tor spreads rapidly before it is detected. and these are often vegetables that are eaten raw. Where populations have grown rapidly. ‘One assumes that cholera must have been introduced periodically during the last 20 or 30 years. water supplies have become grossly overstretched. Paragraph 15 60 El Tor was endemic in Indonesia before it began to spread. Probably carried by travellers. The disease remains endemic in this area. The organisation has sent diagnostic equipment to laboratories in countries at risk and has sent some staff on training courses at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. no sanitation and basic conditions. Since then real incomes have declined sharply. no one can explain why it should have happened suddenly. where it is difficult to distinguish from other causes of diarrhoea. Paragraph 17 ‘Malnourished people and those who are carrying many intestinal parasites may be more susceptible than healthy people.’ Paragraph 14 The bacterium that causes cholera. In 1970. a region that had been virtually free of cholera until then. Cairncross says that even ten years ago people were spending a tenth of their income on water bought from street vendors. with partial success. and so do not seek medical help.READING SUB-TEST – PART A PASSAGE Paragraph 10 OET – SAMPLE 40 Horatio Lores. the water and sewerage systems in Lima and Peru’s other coastal cities have not been properly repaired for years. The conditions that have fuelled the disease have been worsening for years. This vaccine was tested in Bangladesh in the mid-1980s.’ says Cairncross. The WHO hopes to start a trial in Brazil of an oral vaccine that contains fragments of cholera toxin as well as killed vibrios. Paragraph 12 ‘A traditional practice in the dry coastal plains is to use sewage to fertilise fields when water is scarce. the classical biotype causes severe symptoms in half of those infected. and then only for a few months.’ he says. says. which began as long ago as 1961. because for every one person to suffer severe diarrhoea there are eight who have no symptoms or only mild disturbance. ‘People even smash open sewers or pump water contaminated with raw sewage direct from rivers. so wasted water can flow into any pipes that are cracked.’ admits Bennett. . about 50 percent of those affected. It has not been seen on such a large scale in that region for more than 100 years.000 and 160. 5 A B C D The practice of using sewage to fertilise fields …. is an old solution to an old problem. has a constant pressure. has caused the current outbreak of cholera. about 120 million. system is being overhauled. The gut of a person affected by it is unable to process liquids. 4 A B C D According to the article.. 3 A D C D According to the article. about 1 percent of the population. between 60.READING SUB-TEST – PART A QUESTIONS OET – SAMPLE Latin America struggles as cholera spreads 1 A B C D So far..000.000.. is traditionally carried out throughout the country.. has been recently introduced. is chlorinated.. surprisingly low. 2 A B C D The number of people who have died from the current epidemic in Peru is . less than 60. surprisingly high. Peru’s water supply …. the number of people affected by the current cholera epidemic in Latin America is ..000 and 120 million. 90 percent of those affected do not need to be treated intravenously.... is linked directly to the large number of houses... which one of the following statements about cholera is FALSE? It usually kills about 50 percent of the people affected by it. between 160.. OET – CANDIDATE INFORMATION & SAMPLE MATERIALS 6 .. 8 A B C D Which one of the following statements about El Tor is TRUE? It was the first cholera bacterium to be detected in West Africa. the outbreak of cholera in any country will affect its economy as much as its public health. It is not detected as easily as the old biotype. is part of a world-wide epidemic. It has also appeared in isolated cases in Geneva. is NOT the classical biotype of the cholera bacterium. was most likely spread by travellers...READING SUB-TEST – PART A QUESTIONS OET – SAMPLE 6 A B C D The current cholera epidemic in Latin America …. WHO is now close to finding an effective preventative vaccine for cholera. up to a quarter of Latin America’s population could die unless trials with a new oral vaccine succeed.. 9 A B C D Which one of the following is given as THE LEAST USEFUL MEASURE for keeping the disease in check? increased patrols along common borders monitoring areas in which cholera has been detected efficient sharing of information an improved diet 10 A B C D From the article. 7 A B C D El Tor ….. it can be inferred that …. is of unknown origin. is/was all of the above. began in Brazil. was identified in India after Bangladesh.. began in Colombia.. It causes severe diarrhoea in all sufferers. people are more likely to die from diarrhoeal disease than from cholera. END OF PART A TURN OVER FOR PART B OET – CANDIDATE INFORMATION & SAMPLE MATERIALS 7 . but things are not so simple. Paragraph 5 20 Last August two Dutch researchers. ‘Almost all naturally occurring monounsaturated fat is of the cis variety.’ says Margaret A Flynn. according to a growing group of nutritionists. published a study in the New England Journal of Medicine that showed eating a diet rich in trans fats increased low-density lipoprotein and decreased levels of high-density lipoprotein. When she performed the experiment with a group of 71 faculty members – switching in both directions – she found that ‘basically it made no difference whether they ate margarine or butter. on the other hand. ‘Mensink’s audience is the research community – the public needs useable simplifications. In an editorial accompanying the study.’ Cleeman points out that the subjects in Mensink and Katan’s study ate relatively large amounts of trans fats. published this month in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. right? Paragraph 2 10 ‘Wrong. which contain cholesterol-lowering polyunsaturated fat. is made from vegetable oils. including trans monounsaturates. a lipid researcher at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.’ Grundy called for changes in labelling regulations so that cholesterol-raising fatty acids. as anyone who has not been living in a cave for the past ten years has probably heard. ‘Trans fats are a wonderful example of an issue that’s not ready for prime time. Ten years ago a Canadian government task force noted the apparent cholesterol-raising effects of trans fats and requested margarine manufacturers to reduce the amounts – which can easily be done by altering the conditions of the hydrogenation reaction. Monounsaturated fat is generally perceived as good. contains a lot of saturated fat.’ Paragraph 4 Flynn’s study is not the first to raise questions about trans fatty acids. Margarine. co-ordinator of the National Cholesterol Education Program.’ he says. ‘Trans monounsaturates act in the body like saturated fats.’ The reason. found considerable variability among subjects in their blood lipid profiles. which is more like polyunsaturated fat. which increases the levels of cholesterol in the blood. a food chemist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Recent studies suggest that such fats might actually alter cholesterol levels in the blood in all the wrong ways. So switching to a diet with only vegetable fats should lower cholesterol levels. disagrees.’ says Fred A Kummerow. lowering the ‘good’ high-density lipoprotein and increasing the ‘bad’ low-density lipoprotein. Paragraph 3 Partially hydrogenated fats are made by reacting polyunsaturated oils with hydrogen. a nutritionist at the University of Missouri. The addition of hydrogen turns the oils solid.’ Cleeman says. ‘The only way to study the question properly is in a metabolic ward. He believes more typical consumption levels should be investigated before any change in recommendations is warranted. are grouped together. Paragraph 7 Furthermore. Ronald P Mensink and Martijn B Katan. Flynn’s study.READING SUB-TEST – PART B PASSAGE OET – SAMPLE Trans fat – Does margarine really lower cholesterol? Paragraph 1 Butter. Cleeman notes that studies like Flynn’s are hard to interpret because subjects were allowed to eat as they pleased. ‘To raise a red flag is premature. and some of their polyunsaturated fat is turned into trans monounsaturated fats. could be partially hydrogenated fats. wrote that the ability of trans fatty acids to increase low-density lipoprotein ‘in itself justifies their reduction in the diet. Scott M Grundy.’ OET – CANDIDATE INFORMATION & SAMPLE MATERIALS 8 . Paragraph 6 30 James I Cleeman. ‘How can one defend having cholesterol and saturated and unsaturated fats listed on food labels but not allow public access to trans information when such fats behave like saturates?’ asks Bruce J Holub.’ he concludes. a biochemist at the University of Guelph in Ontario. one has to ask whether cholesterol-free claims should be allowed on high-trans products. According to his calculations.READING SUB-TEST – PART B PASSAGE OET – SAMPLE Paragraph 8 40 Edward A Emken. it could be important. that suggests trans fats are not a major threat for most people. ‘If you’re hypercholesterolaemic. ‘At the very least.’ – Tim Beardsley OET – CANDIDATE INFORMATION & SAMPLE MATERIALS 9 . trans fats seem destined for more limelight. To Emken. but if you’re not. Paragraph 10 50 Nevertheless. has estimated American adults consume 19 grams of trans fat per day. Although Mary G Enig. a nutritional researcher at the University of Maryland. together with Lisa C Hudgins and Jules Hirsch. then it is not going to affect risk at all. Paragraph 9 Emken. Illinois. also downplays the concern but for different reasons. eliminating trans fatty acids from the diet will for most people make only a tiny change in lipoprotein levels. Emken thinks that figure is too high. has performed a study to be published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that finds no association between levels of trans fats in fat tissue in humans and their cholesterol profiles. a specialist on trans fats at the Agricultural Research Service in Peoria. neither A nor B. has been going on for at least ten years.. . partially hydrogenated fats decrease high-density lipoprotein. .. 14 A B C D Research into trans fats …. has led to popular support for relabelling of butter and margarine. butter contains just as much partially hydrogenated fat as margarine does. none of the above OET – CANDIDATE INFORMATION & SAMPLE MATERIALS 10 . a Canadian government task force recommended the reduction of trans fats in margarine. trans monounsaturated fat increases cholesterol level...... the benefits of using only vegetable fats in the human diet are arguable. butter lowers high-density lipoprotein while margarine increases low-density lipoprotein..READING SUB-TEST – PART B QUESTIONS OET – SAMPLE Trans fat – Does margarine really lower cholesterol? 11 A B C D M A Flynn’s finding is supported by the proposition that …. eating butter is not as dangerous for cholesterol levels as was previously thought. has been going on for less than ten years. both A and B. 15 A B C D As a result of Flynn’s study. trans monounsaturates behave similarly to most naturally occurring monounsaturates..... 12 A B C D Recent studies suggest …. a Canadian government task force recommended that the conditions for the hydrogenation reaction should be changed.. margarine manufacturers in Canada changed their practices. 13 A B C D According to the article. partially hydrogenated fats do not increase low-density lipoprotein... cholesterol levels in humans can be noticeably reduced by cutting out animal fats.. has reached an advanced stage. eating margarine is healthier than eating butter. Flynn’s study was not sufficiently rigorous. 20 A B C D According to the writer of the article. Edward Emken …. none of the above 17 A B C D James I Cleeman DOES NOT …... want to wait any longer before warning the public... rather than less. 19 A B C D It has been estimated that American adults consume 19 grams of trans fats per day.. Flynn’s subjects should have had more food of a more varied nature. 18 A B C D Which statement would Cleeman agree with? Flynn’s study is not very valuable because she is hard to understand. is not very concerned about trans fat intake levels for most people.. the issue of trans fat is likely to receive more. the levels of trans fats tissue in humans and their cholesterol profiles are not connected.READING SUB-TEST – PART B QUESTIONS OET – SAMPLE 16 A B C D Which one of the following statements is FALSE? We do not know what conclusions Flynn drew about lipoproteins. Emken. Trans fats should now be discussed and debated by interested members of the public.. believes that a reduction in this figure could be achieved quite easily. agree with Grundy’s recommendation for relabelling. dispute Mensink and Katan’s research into the effects of eating trans fats. does not think that they should consume so much in trans fats.. thinks that people should eliminate trans fats from their diets. food products should be labelled with their trans information in addition to the current information.. in a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Grundy’s recommendation was supported by Mensink and Katan’s findings. Mensink and Katan came to the same conclusion about lipoprotein as Flynn. attention in the future. want Mensink and Katan’s work discussed outside the research community. END OF READING TEST OET – CANDIDATE INFORMATION & SAMPLE MATERIALS 11 . has challenged other researchers’ claims. . ANSWERS – READING SUB-TEST OET – SAMPLE Answer Key Part A – Latin America struggles as cholera spreads 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 B C A C D C D B A B paragraphs 1-3 paragraph 3 paragraphs 3-6 paragraphs 9-11 paragraph 12 paragraphs 1-14 paragraphs 14-15 paragraphs 13-16 paragraph 18 paragraph 7-19 Part B – Trans fat 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 D A D A D B A C B C paragraphs 1-3 paragraph 2 paragraphs 1-4 paragraphs 1-5 paragraphs 4-5 paragraphs 2-5 paragraph 6 paragraphs 6-7 paragraph 8 paragraphs 9-10 OET – CANDIDATE INFORMATION & SAMPLE MATERIALS 12 .
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