HESI A2 Reading Comprehension 2024

Extract:

Omega-3 fatty acids include alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Your body needs omega-3s; they appear in the membranes that surround every cell in your body. Some people take omega-3 supplements such as cod liver oil, but with a little dietary care, you should be able to obtain adequate omega-3s from your daily nutrition. ALA is available in plant-based oils, especially flaxseed and canola oils. Some leafy greens, wheat germ, and walnuts also contain ALA. DHA and EPA occur naturally in fatty fish such as tuna, mackerel, sardines, bluefish, and salmon. Vegetarians may obtain some DHA and EPA from algal sources.
The positive effects on health of a diet rich in omega-3s are clear, although further research is needed to know exactly how omega-3s help. They seem to reduce inflammation, lower blood pressure, and reduce the buildup of plaque in the arteries, making them critical in maintaining heart health. Researchers have found that people with a high omega-3 intake seem to have fewer colon and breast cancers. Because of the fatty acids’ effect on inflammation, some doctors find omega-3 supplements useful for asthma and arthritis patients.
Less clear are the effects on mental health, although there are health professionals who believe strongly that high levels of omega-3s can reduce depression, improve memory, and moderate symptoms of attention deficit hyperactive disorder. Until more research takes place, it is unwise to rely on omega-3s to cure mental health issues. However, ensuring that your diet contains ample amounts of these critical fatty acids is still a good idea.

Question 1 of 5

What is the meaning of the word moderate as used in the last paragraph?

A. Diminish B. Facilitate C. Enhance D. Conclude

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: In this context, "moderate" means to diminish or reduce the severity of symptoms, such as those of attention deficit hyperactive disorder.

Extract:

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tickborne diseases doubled in the United States between the years 2004 and 2016. Lyme disease, in particular, is difficult to diagnose due to its disparate symptoms that mimic other diseases, making it greatly underreported. As a result, the prevalence of Lyme disease is thought to be even higher than the CDC suggests.
Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which is spread through a relationship involving three animals. This relationship starts with the white-footed mouse (or in California, the Western gray squirrel), which is prone to infection by the bacterium. Ticks in their larval form feed on the blood of these mice. If the mouse is infected, the tick becomes infected as well. After passing through a dormant phase, the tick nymph, usually the size of a poppy seed, seeks another blood meal. This meal might come from another mouse, a human, or a dog or cat.
The nymphs then molt into active adults, whose primary food source is the whitetail deer. They mate on the deer, drop off, and lay their eggs, thus starting the cycle over again. Humans can be bitten by either an infected nymph or a full-grown adult tick. For Lyme disease transmission, the tick needs to attach for about 36 hours. Unfortunately, tick bites are easy to overlook; they do not itch like mosquito bites or sting like deerfly bites. Many people go without treatment for months until a test clarifies their seemingly unrelated symptoms, which may include joint pain, a rash, fatigue, swollen glands, chills or fever, headache, or even paralysis.
If you know you have been bitten by a tick, time is of the essence. It is important to see a doctor, get tested, and receive treatment promptly.

Question 2 of 5

What is the meaning of the word disparate as used in the first paragraph?

A. Unusual B. Diverse C. Trivial D. Damaging

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: "Disparate" means diverse or different. The passage discusses how Lyme disease has various symptoms that mimic other diseases, making it difficult to diagnose.

Extract:

SOPHIA:
In a student union at the University of Michigan is a conference room named the Sophia B. Jones Room. The woman for whom it is named came from a family of impressive activists and revolutionaries and went on to have a remarkable career in medicine and education. Sophia was born in 1857 in Chatham, Ontario, Canada. Her father was one of the first Black graduates of Oberlin College in Ohio and was a strong abolitionist. Sophia had an older sister, Anna, and a younger sister, Fredericka. Both became teachers, and Anna was a suffragist who later helped create the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs.
Sophia took a different path; she started at the University of Toronto, but dissatisfied with the medical education afforded to women there, she moved to Michigan and graduated in 1885 as the university’s first Black female doctor of medicine. She was quickly hired by the historically Black women’s school of higher learning, Spelman College, to create a nursing program, thus becoming Spelman’s first Black faculty member.
Following her work at Spelman, Sophia moved on to Wilberforce University in Ohio, a school that was the first to be owned and run by African-Americans, and one at which W. E. B. Du Bois had been an esteemed professor. She continued to believe and teach that education was the path to public health. She worked in hospitals in Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Kansas City until her retirement, at which time she and her sister Anna moved to California. A society named for Sophia continues to provide medical students and alumni at Spelman with scholarships and financial support. In this way, Spelman maintains Sophia’s inspiring goals of educating health workers and improving public health.

Question 3 of 5

The term afforded to, as used in the third paragraph, can best be defined as ___________.

A. Traversed by B. Presented to C. Removed from D. Paid for by

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: "Afforded to" in this context means "presented to," as it refers to the education options available to women at the time.

Extract:

States offer a variety of home and community-based services aimed at enabling seniors to remain in their homes rather than transitioning to assisted-living or nursing homes. Caregiver and respite services are available in most states. Senior Companion or Friendly Visitor Programs are designed to provide social interaction for seniors. Volunteers, usually older retirees, visit the senior for conversation or simple recreational activities. In addition to preventing the isolation that often poses a mental and physical health risk to seniors, companions may alert families and doctors to new and potentially troubling health conditions.
Local offices for aging typically provide short- or long-term assistance with household chores. They offer transportation services to medical appointments, pharmacies, or grocery stores. For low-income seniors or seniors on fixed incomes, home repair assistance and heating or cooling assistance are available. Seniors who require wheelchairs may request modifications such as ramps and grab bars to make their homes more accessible.
By the year 2030, one in five Americans will be retirement age, and seniors will outnumber children for the first time in history. The state resources provided for our older relatives will become increasingly important as the population ages.

Question 4 of 5

What is the meaning of the word respite as used in the first paragraph?

A. Relief B. Treatment C. Guardian D. Specialist

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: In this context, 'respite' refers to relief, providing caregivers with temporary rest or a break from their caregiving duties. The word 'respite' is associated with giving caregivers a brief period of relief, not with treatment, guardianship, or specialization. The extract mentions 'respite services' along with caregiver services, indicating that respite is a form of support or relief for caregivers.

Extract:

Microsurgery as we know it today was developed in Sweden in the 1920s for use on animals. The first microsurgery used a monocular microscope, but soon a Swedish doctor developed a surgical binocular microscope, which became widely used in delicate ear operations. It was not until the 1960s that microscopy was first used to augment neurovascular surgery. Surgeons found that with the help of the microscope, they could repair the tiniest of blood vessels and even reconstruct vessels in partially amputated limbs.
In that same decade, a German surgeon developed the diploscope, which consisted of two independent binocular microscopes. This innovation allowed a surgeon to use high magnification while a surgical assistant followed along at a lower magnification, thereby observing a larger area of operation and addressing potential issues more effectively. This improvement in microscopy led to advances in plastic surgery, an area of medicine that regularly requires work on the tiniest of blood vessels and nerves.
Technological advances have continued to expand the possibilities of microsurgery. Surgeons can now perform procedures on cerebral aneurysms, reverse vasectomies, and improve breast reconstruction after cancer surgery. New tools such as telerobotic arms connected to microsurgical forceps and video microscopy, where the operative field is displayed in high definition on a TV monitor, have made even the most complex surgeries routine.

Question 5 of 5

The passage mentions all of these uses for microscopy EXCEPT ___________.

A. Ear surgery B. Amputations C. Vasectomies D. Reconstructions

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The correct answer is C. The passage discusses various uses of microscopy in surgery, including ear surgery, amputations, and reconstructions. However, vasectomies are not mentioned as an application of microscopy in the text.
Therefore, vasectomies are the exception among the listed uses.

Choices A, B, and D are supported by details in the extract, making them incorrect answers. The passage highlights the uses of microscopy in delicate ear operations, repairing blood vessels in partially amputated limbs, and improving breast reconstructions. While vasectomies are mentioned briefly in the extract, they are not connected to the application of microscopy in the context of surgeries.

Nurselytic

HESI A2

HESI A2