Sample Test 4

READING SUB-TEST – QUESTION PAPER: PART A

Wine and Health: Texts

Text A

There are positive and negative health impacts from alcohol consumption. When consumed at low levels, there is
evidence, albeit debated, that alcohol can provide some health benefits for certain age and gender groups. The
physical benefits include reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease from middle age onwards. The social benefits
include assisting in relaxation, enhancing social interactions, and contributing to traditions and cultural festivities.
When used to excess alcohol can produce profoundly negative health and social outcomes. The adverse health
outcomes from alcohol consumption range from short-term problems, such as injuries from road accidents and
violence, to long-term health problems, such as liver disease, cancers and alcohol dependence. One in ten
Australians consume alcohol at levels that are risky or a high risk to health in the long term. Those aged in their
twenties are the most at risk – 14.4 percent of males and 15.1 percent of females in the 20-29 year age group
consume alcohol at levels that are risky or a high risk for harm in the long term.

Text B

Resveratrol, a phytoestrogen found in red wine

Certain populations, e.g. the French and the Greek, suffer little heart disease despite a diet which is relatively high
in fat. It has been proposed that regular consumption of red wine in moderate amounts may explain this
phenomenon, which has been dubbed the 'French paradox'. Resveratrol, a compound found in grapes and wine
in significant amounts, was implicated in this beneficial action of red wine because of its ability to act as an
antioxidant and an inhibitor of platelet aggregation. It is produced by the action of the enzyme, resveratrol
synthase. In addition, resveratrol has been reported to have anti-carcinogenic effects in mouse mammary
cultures. The soil bacterium, Bacillus cereus can be used to transform resveratrol into piceid (resveratrol 3-O-
beta-D-glucoside)

Text C

ABSTRACT: A study of drinking in young Danish adults

Background: Findings from a recent series of Danish studies suggest that moderate wine drinkers are healthier
than those who drink other alcoholic beverages or those who abstain.

Objective: To identify possible explanatory factors associated with the health benefits of wine consumption
through the examination of a wide spectrum of social, cognitive, and personality characteristics related to both
beverage choice and health in young Danish adults.

Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study of characteristics associated with beverage choice in a sample of 363
men and 330 women between the ages of 29 and 34 years, selected from the Copenhagen Perinatal Cohort on
the basis of perinatal records.
Measures: Socioeconomic status, education, IQ, personality , psychiatric symptoms, and health related behaviors,
including alcohol consumption, were analyzed. The outcome variables were subjected to linear and logistic
regression analyses with 2 factors (beer and wine), each with 2 levels (drinking or not drinking a certain beverage
type).

Results: Wine drinking was significantly associated with higher IQ, higher parental educational level, and higher
socioeconomic status. Beer drinking was significantly associated with lower scores on the same variables. On
scales concerning personality, psychiatric symptoms, and health-related behaviors, wine drinking was associated
with optimal functioning and beer drinking with suboptimal functioning.

Conclusions: Our data demonstrate that wine drinking is a general indicator of optimal social, cognitive, and
personality development in Denmark. Similar social, cognitive, and personality factors have also been associated
with better health in many populations. Consequently, the association between drinking habits and social and
psychological characteristics, in large part, may explain the apparent health benefits of wine.

Text D

Red wine and blood vessel cells

Researchers from the Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, found that red wine enhanced the health of the
endothelial cells in blood vessels. The research team studied 15 healthy adults with a mean age of 29 years who
agreed to consume 250 ml of red wine every day for three consecutive weeks. The participants provided blood
samples at the beginning and end of the three-week study period so that researchers could evaluate blood vessel
function. The researchers wrote that "daily red wine consumption for 21 consecutive days significantly enhanced
vascular endothelial function," which means it improved the health of the cells lining the blood vessels, which
then improves blood flow and heart health. Drinking red wine every day also helped reduce cell death or what is
known as apoptosis."The prevalence of cardiovascular disease is low in populations that consume large amounts
of red wine," they wrote. "Moderate consumption of red wine provides cardiovascular protection, but the
mechanisms that underlie this protection are unclear."

END OF PART A
THIS TEXT BOOKLET WILL BE COLLECTED

Part A

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES:

DO NOT open this Question Paper or the Text Booklet until you are told to do so.
Write your answers on the spaces provided on this Question Paper.
You must answer the questions within the 15-minute time limit.
One mark will be granted for each correct answer.
Answer ALL questions. Marks are NOT deducted for incorrect answers.
At the end of the 15 minutes, hand in this Question Paper and the Text Booklet.
DO NOT remove OET material from the test room.

TIME: 15 minutes
•Look at the four texts, A-D, in the separate Text Booklet.
•For each question, 1-20, look through the texts, A-D, to find the relevant information.
•Write your answers on the spaces provided in this Question Paper.
•Answer all the questions within the 15-minute time limit.
•Your answers should be correctly spelt.

Wine and Health: Questions

Questions 1-7

For each question, 1-7, decide which text (A, B, C or D) the information comes from. You may use any letter more
than once.

In which text can you find information about

1 . comparison between beer drinking and wine drinking?

________

2 . benefits of drinking red wine moderately at regular intervals?

________

3 . which is the antioxidant in red wine?

________

4 . how the study in Denmark was conducted?

________

5 . the relevance of alcohol consumption in cultures?

________

6 . what is responsible for cardiovascular protection?

________

7 . impacts that red wine had over blood vessels?

________

Questions 8-14

Answer each of the questions, 8-14, with a word or short phrase from one of the texts. Each answer may include
words, numbers or both.

8 . Which compound acts as an inhibitor for platelet aggregation?

________

9 . What is the medical term for cell death?

________

10 . How many subjects were there in the study conducted among young Danish adults?
________
11 . What is responsible for the production of piceid from resveratrol?
________

12 . Which kind of cells showed improved health conditions after drinking red wine?
________

13 . What did the researchers from Haifa intend to measure?

________

14 . What are the common short-term adverse effects of excess alcohol consumption?
________

Questions 15-20

Complete each of the sentences, 15-20, with a word or short phrase from one of the texts. Each answer may
include words, numbers or both.

15 . The ____________________________ is commonly exhibited by the French and the Greek.

16 . Regular consumption of red wine on a everyday basis, can enhance the blood flow and
____________________________.

17 . The interrelation of social and psychological characteristics with __________ can be considered as evident
health benefits of wine.

18 . ____________________________ reflected inferior outcomes for parental educational level and

socioeconomic status.

19 . Resveratrol has found to have ____________________________ effects in mouse mammary cultures.

20 . Starting from the ____________________________, alcohol consumption can minimize the prevalence of
heart diseases.

END OF PART A
THIS QUESTION PAPER WILL BE COLLECTED

READING SUB-TEST – QUESTION PAPER: PARTS B & C

TIME: 45 MINUTES

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES:

DO NOT open this Question Paper until you are told to do so.
One mark will be granted for each correct answer.
Answer ALL questions. Marks are NOT deducted for incorrect answers.
At the end of the test, hand in this Question Paper.
DO NOT remove OET material from the test room.

HOW TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS:

Mark your answers on this Question Paper by filling in the circle using a 2B pencil.

Part B

In this part of the test, there are six short extracts relating to the work of health professionals. For questions 1-6,
choose the answer (A, B or C) which you think fits best according to the text.

1. The guidelines inform us that hemolysis testing and thrombogenicity testing

A. are generally not needed for the indirect blood- contacting devices.

B. can be waived through comparison to a similar legally marketed device.

C. are always redundant for the direct blood- contacting devices.

Hemocompatibility

For devices having direct contact with circulating blood, it is recommended that you consider hemolysis,
complement activation, and thrombogenicity testing, if not otherwise addressed during the risk assessment
process. For devices having indirect contact with circulating blood (regardless of contact duration), we
recommend that you consider only hemolysis testing, as complement activation and in vivo thrombogenicity
testing are generally not needed for indirect blood- contacting devices. Where a risk assessment has determined
that hemocompatibility testing is not necessary, we recommend that you provide a summary of the assessment
that supports waiving these specific tests. For example, to support waiving thrombogenicity testing, the materials
used in formulation and processing, as well as the geometry of the device, should be compared to a legally
marketed device with similar blood contacting duration and an acceptable history of use.

2. According to the extract, prior disclosing information for TPO purposes, local health departments must

A. use a form which exclusively contains acknowledgment of receipt of the Notice.

B. continue using their forms and may discontinue using acknowledgment logs.

C. use a DPH Form 3096 or a similar locally developed two-part form.

Information for TPO Purposes

Some local health departments have been using DPH Form 3096 or a similar locally developed two-part form. The
bottom part of Form 3096 obtains permission to disclose the patient’s information for treatment, payment, or
health care operations (TPO) purposes—this is the signature that is no longer needed. The top part of Form 3096
obtains acknowledgment of receipt of the Notice of Privacy Practices—this is the signature that local health
departments still must make a good faith effort to obtain. We recommend that departments that have been using
DPH Form 3096 replace it with a form that contains only the acknowledgment of receipt of the Notice. The
Institute of Government has developed a sample form that can be used for that purpose. Other local health
departments have been obtaining the signature acknowledging receipt of the Notice of Privacy Practices on a log
rather than a form, and have been obtaining consent to disclose information for TPO purposes on a separate
form. Those departments can continue to use their acknowledgment logs and may discontinue using forms that
obtain consent to disclose information for TPO purposes.

3. What is being described in this section of the guidelines?

A. changes in procedures.

B. best practice procedures.

C. exceptions to the procedures.

Maintenance and Inspection

Management of maintenance and inspection of medical equipment should be implemented by the user. In case
the user does not implement such management, it is permitted that such management is outsourced to a
qualified entity such as a medical equipment repair company. For safe use of this product, it is necessary that
inspection should be conducted within the specified intervals for the specific parts described in the instruction
manual. Some parts and components of the products are degraded or deteriorated depending on the frequency
of use. Annual check-up and maintenance, as well as replacement of consumable parts, are required. It may be
different from the following list depending on the option of the unit. For check-up and repair, call a technician of
our authorized dealer. Execute the maintenance in accordance with the instruction manual and operating manual
attached to each individual equipment. Failure to maintain this product may lead to physical injury or property
damage.

4. What is being described in this section of the memo?

A. how to organize the health care system

B. how the ministry is being reorganized

C. structural changes introduced in patient care

Revised Structural Changes

We are all committed to a patient-centered health care system that is effective and efficient and delivers high
quality care for patients. Many of you are rethinking your care pathways and processes to put the patient at the
centre of your organization. I believe there is great value in the ministry also organizing itself in a way that better
reflects how the health system is organized, making it easier for you and patients to interact with us. I want you
to be aware of some structural changes announced today that will clarify and simplify lines of accountability and
allow our organization to be more nimble and outcome focused by:

• Aligning acute and emergency services

• Bringing together community and mental health and addictions services

• Ensuring end-to-end planning and implementation for long-term care homes

• Integrating capital, workforce and system capacity planning

• Combining public drug programs and assistive devices.

5. The factor of a medical device which does not affect complement activation is

A. chemical combustion.

B. total surface area.

C. surface architecture.

Complement Activation

Medical device-mediated complement activation is a complex process and is a function of physical and chemical
properties of the device. Many factors such as device surface area, surface architecture, and chemical
composition may affect complement activation. If complement activation testing is performed for devices having
direct contact with blood, we recommend that you perform this testing with the device instead of with an extract
of the device. For in vitro complement activation testing, we recommend assessment of SC5b-9 fragment
activation using an established ELISA test method. Functionally intact serum is preferred for in vitro “static”
complement activation testing. If whole blood or plasma is used, the type of anticoagulant should be carefully
selected to ensure that it does not inhibit or potentiate complement activation caused by the test device itself. If
whole blood or plasma is used, test validation information should be provided to confirm that the testing is
capable of detecting differences between negative and positive reference controls.

6. The guidelines tell us that additional information is necessary

A. for determining the appropriateness of the selected test article.

B. for describing how the differences could impact the study findings.

C. if a test article is used for testing instead of final finished medical device.

Using Medical Devices

When biocompatibility testing is necessary, it is recommended to test medical devices in the condition that they
will be used, whenever possible. This could include final, packaged devices, or as sterilized by an end user, if
appropriate. If the medical device in its final finished form cannot be used for biocompatibility testing, a test
article may be considered. The representative test article should undergo the same manufacturing and
sterilization processes, have the same chemical, physical, and surface properties, and have the same ratio of
component materials as the medical device in its final finished form. In situations where differences exist
between the medical device in its final finished form and the test article, additional information describing how
these differences could impact study findings should be provided. For example, when testing an individual device
component, a low-level tissue response could be observed, but when all of the components are tested within a
medical device in its final finished form, a more robust tissue response could occur. If there are differences
between the medical device in its final finished form and the representative test article, additional information
may aid in determining the appropriateness of the selected test article.

Part C

In this part of the test, there are two texts about different aspects of healthcare. For questions 7-22, choose the
answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.

Text 1: Relation Between Alcohol and Cancer

Mounting evidence shows that drinking any of amount of alcohol will increase your risk of developing cancer. What
does this really mean for those of us who like a drink? Stress, air pollution, just sitting at your desk – it seems that
every time we look at the news, researchers have found yet another aspect of our lives that could be killing us. This
month, the Cancer Council Australia stirred the debate when it highlighted the risks of one item many of us
regularly consume – alcohol. Based on an international review of the latest evidence, the Cancer Council says it is
now irrefutable that alcohol use causes cancer. Estimates suggest that roughly 5% of all cancers in Australia are
linked to long-term, chronic use of alcohol use – that is more than 5000 cases each year. Over the last few years,
global bodies including the International Agency for Research in Cancer have sat down and looked carefully at the
role of alcohol in cancer, based on scientific and clinical studies done over many years. So while this isn't the first
time that researchers have issued warnings about alcohol and cancer, as the research piles up, so does the
strength of the link and the types of cancers involved.

Professor Ian Oliver, Cancer Council CEO, says the evidence shows that alcohol has a strong association with
various cancers. The Cancer Council cites cancers of the mouth, larynx (voice box), pharynx (a section of the
throat), oesophagus, bowel (in men) and breast. And the relationship is "definitely causative", Oliver says. "Just as
certain as for tobacco or asbestos.". "In particular, the strength of evidence linking alcohol consumption with 22%
of all breast cancers diagnosed each year in Australia really makes it a modifiable risk factor that needs to be taken
into account," Oliver says. In addition, it's now probable that alcohol causes bowel cancer in women and liver
cancer in both sexes. For health researchers to be confident that drinking alcohol causes cancer, they have to
identify 'causative mechanisms', Oliver explains, which simply means ways that alcohol can trigger cancer. With
alcohol there are several easy ones to identify. As our body breaks down a chemical called ethanol in alcoholic
beverages, the process creates a substance called acetylaldehyde. This is a known cancer-causing agent that can
negatively affect the health of our cells. The ethanol itself may also damage our tissues directly.

Alcohol increases levels of sex hormones which have been linked to the occurrence of some cancers. For instance,
oestrogen is strongly linked to breast cancer. There are a lot of calories in alcohol so its consumption can
contribute to obesity, which is a known risk factor for several types of cancer including breast and bowel. At
present, it's hard for researchers to say exactly how much a glass of wine a night would increase your individual
risk of developing cancer. What they do know is that the more we drink, the greater our risk of cancer. And it
doesn't matter whether you drink spirits, wine or beer – all alcohol is equal when it comes to cancer risk. The
quality or cost of the beverage is also irrelevant as it's the alcohol content that is the key. So drinking only
expensive wine won't reduce the negative health effects.

But what about the heart health benefits of alcohol? Well the evidence is inconclusive, and potentially flawed at
present, the Cancer Council says, adding that the National Heart Foundation advises against drinking red wine or
any type of alcohol to prevent or treat heart disease. The message to consumers is that there is no evidence to
suggest there is a safe level of drinking when it comes to cancer. However, given that the risk increases with
amount, the Cancer Council suggests that anyone who wants to drink should stick to the National Health and
Medical Research Council guidelines – no more than two standard drinks a day for healthy men and women. A
standard drink is usually described as the equivalent of 100 ml of wine or 285 ml of beer, but it can vary depending
on the alcohol content of the beverage.

If you would like to cut down the amount that you drink, the Australian Drug Foundation has the following advice:
• Have a non-alcoholic drink to quench your thirst before you start drinking alcohol.
• Eat before or while you are drinking.
• Don't let people top up your drinks.
• Try having a "spacer", a non-alcoholic drink every second or third drink.
• Try a low-alcohol alternative or a non-alcoholic cocktail
• Write down how much you drink each day. This can make you more aware of exactly how much you drink.
• Don't be pressured into drinking more than you want or intend to.

It's likely not everyone will welcome the new advice from the Cancer Council. But Oliver strongly believes that the
links between alcohol and cancer should be raised publicly so people can make informed decisions. "The important
thing is informing the public about what is a clear risk factor. People then have to factor this information into the
whole context of their lifestyle and risk factors," he says. "So people who have other risk factors for cancer, such as
a strong family history, would be able to look at this data and say 'well I can't do much about my genes, but I can
limit my drink intake'. So for different people this information will have different impacts." So rather than
bemoaning the latest news about alcohol, we could see it as a chance to empower ourselves, adding alcohol to sun
exposure, obesity and smoking – all cancer risk factors we can do something about. After all it's thought a third of
cancer deaths could be prevented by lifestyle changes alone. A sobering thought, indeed.

Text 1: Questions 7-14

7. Stress, air pollution and sitting at your desk as examples of _____

A. aspects of our lives that increase our risk of cancer.

B. aspects of our lives that researchers believe could be killing us.

C. ways to decrease your risk of developing cancer.

D. things that people often do when they are consuming alcohol.

8. The Cancer Council Australia now believes that _____

A. it is undeniable that alcohol use causes cancer.

B. it is very possible that alcohol use causes cancer.

C. consumption of any amount of alcohol have a 5% chance of developing cancer.

D. 5000 people die of alcohol related cancers each year in Australia.

9. Which one of the following statement is not true?

A. It is not the first time that researchers have issued warnings about alcohol and cancer.

B. Alcohol consumption can cause cancer of the mouth, larynx, pharynx, oesophagus, bowel and breast.

C. There is evidence that alcohol consumption causes 22% of breast cancers in Australia.

D. Tobacco and asbestos are less likely to cause cancer than alcohol consumption.

10. What are causative mechanisms?

A. Substances which cause cancer.

B. Ways that alcohol can trigger cancer.

C. Ethanol, which is substance.

D. Acetylaladehyde, a cancer-causing agent.

11. Which of the following have not been linked with cancer?
A. Alcohol increases levels of sex hormones.

B. Calories in alcohol contributing to obesity.

C. Oestrogen levels in the body.

D. Beer consumption.

12. Which statement best describes the belief of the researchers?

A. A glass of wine a night increases your individual risk of developing cancer.

B. The type of alcohol you drink may affect your risk of cancer.

C. The more you drink, the greater the risk of cancer.

D. The quality and cost of the beverage is also relevant.

13. The Cancer Council advises that _____

A. there are many health benefits of alcohol.

B. the benefits of drinking red wine to prevent or treat heart disease is conclusive.

C. the evidence that alcohol can prevent or treat heart disease is inconclusive.

D. there is a safe level of drinking one or two standard drinks a day, when it comes to cancer.

14. The national Health and Medical Research Council guidelines suggests ______

A. drinking more than two standard drinks a day.

B. drinking 100 ml of wine or 285 ml of beer a day.

C. drinking at least two standard drinks a day.

D. drinking two standard drinks a day or less.

Text 2: New AIDS Vaccine Hope

For decades, scientists have vigorously searched for a cure for the AIDS virus. Recent research just may have
uncovered a significant key to developing that long-awaited vaccine. Scientists have discovered two key antibodies
that seem to prevent the AIDS virus from mutating and spreading throughout the body. The AIDS virus has claimed
millions of lives around the world. According to the World Health Organization, 33 million people currently are
infected with HIV. While search efforts for an AIDS cure are abundant, several previous stabs at developing a
vaccine proved to be non-effective. The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, a non-profit organization, is funding
the efforts to develop a vaccine and kicked off their effort in 2006, called Protocol G.

Protocol G utilizes blood gathered from HIV patients in developing countries, to help pinpoint antibodies that could
neutralize strains of the AIDS virus. Through this initiative, the Scripps Research Institute discovered two critical
antibodies which naturally fight against the spread of the AIDS virus. During the study, released recently in the
journal Science, researchers not only discovered two vital antibodies, but also discovered a new part of the virus
the antibodies attack. This discovery may lead to a new technique for the creation of a vaccine. For the study,
researchers gathered blood from 1,800 HIV patients who had suffered from the virus, without exhibiting symptoms
for at least three years. The participants were mainly from Africa, but also involved HIV patients from Thailand,
Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom.

The team pinpointed those who had not exhibited HIV signs, though suffering from the virus for at least three
years, because these patients produce large amounts of natural antibodies in their blood, which fight against
almost all strains of HIV around the world. Dennis Button, a scientist at the Scripps Research Institute, the key
player in the new research said, “We said if we want broadly neutralizing antibodies, we should look for people,
infected individuals, who are making them,” He added, “The key thing about the antibodies we’ve found is that
they’re more potent than previous ones and that’s great for a vaccine.”

Once the blood was gathered from the HIV patients, the samples were shipped back to a team with the Monogram
Bioscience laboratories in San Francisco, where researchers studied the samples to determine which antibodies
lead to more resistance to the virus. The team had developed a process that caused the enzyme embedded in the
virus to glow when it entered a cell. If the researchers did not see a glow when performing the process, it was a
signal the patient’s natural antibodies had fought off the virus.

Once the samples containing antibodies that fought off the HIV virus were identified, they were shipped to
Theraclone Sciences, in order to isolate the antibodies. Burton said “If you want to make a vaccine that works, it
has to protect against not just one, but most of the strains that are out there.” The team at Theraclone Sciences
isolated two antibodies, which were able to block against three-quarters of the different strains of HIV tested
against the antibodies. The two antibodies were recognized in the blood of an African HIV patient. While the new
findings do not create an overnight cure for AIDS, they do help scientists with new options for treatment and a
potential vaccine. The hope is for a vaccine that will encourage a person’s immune system to fight the virus more
vigorously by producing its own antibodies.

Text 2: Questions 15-22

15. In the first paragraph, how do scientists hope their new discovery can help fight AIDS?

A. By stopping the virus from proliferating inside the patient’s system.

B. By preventing the virus from transmitting from patient to patient.

C. By preventing the patient from suffering secondary illnesses.

D. By keeping patients away for longer.

16. How many people have HIV?

A. 30 million Africans.

B. 3 million homosexual men.

C. 33 million people globally.

D. 3,000,000 people.

17. Which of the following statements is not false?

A. Previous viral strains, while abundant, have not been effective when stabbing patients.

B. Although patients are abundant, most have been unaffected by the virus.

C. Not many scientists have attempted to create an AIDS vaccine so far.

D. Masses of research has been done into curing AIDS but none has been successful.

18. Which is the most accurate description of Protocol G?

A. It is a viral antibody transmitted into blood of AIDS patients in poor countries via pin prick.

B. It is a procedure for searching for AIDS-combating antibodies in the blood of AIDS victims.

C. It is a new part of the virus attacked by antibodies discovered in the study.

D. It is a group made up of International AIDS Vaccine Initiative and Scripps Research Institute.

19. What could be a possible result of the scientists’ findings?

A. A new technique to create vacillation.

B. A new viral antibody discovery.

C. A new method to build a vaccine.

D. A new part of the virus the antibodies attack.

20. Which is the most accurate description of the participants in the study?

A. From person to person.

B. Scientists involved in the Protocol D Project.

C. Asymptomatic HIV patients, mostly from the third world.

D. HIV positive people with no symptoms from all over the world.

21. Why did the scientists decide to examine blood from these people?

A. Because the majority of AIDS cases are in these countries.

B. Because these people are making AIDS neutralizing antibodies.

C. Because they have large amounts of virus after at least three years of infection.

D. Because their bodies contain enzymes that glow when the virus enters a cell.

22. Which statement is the most appropriate summary of the article?

A. Scientists have found a vaccine, they hope to encourage a person’s immunity to fight virus.

B. Scientists have found two antibodies which can fight most strains of HIV and may lead to a vaccine.

C. Researchers have studied blood samples to determine which antibodies lead to more resistance to the virus.

D. Scientists have found a new strain of HIV they hope will lead to a new vaccine.