HESI A2
Reading Comprehension Practice Test HESI A2 Questions
Extract:
Evolution of the CDC:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) started in 1946 as the Communicable Disease Center (CDC). Its original goal was to stop malaria in the United States. From a small office in Atlanta, health workers spread out over the South, spraying mosquitoes and using shovels to eliminate low spots of standing water. At that time, most of the CDC’s workers were not doctors; the need was for entomologists and engineers. The founder of the CDC, Dr. Joseph Mountin, enlarged the organization’s mission to fight communicable diseases of all kinds, and over the next 20 years, the CDC would focus on smallpox, measles, and polio.
In 1970, the name was changed to the Center for Disease Control, but the mission continued to expand. By 1980, the CDC was working not only on the eradication of existing diseases but also on disease prevention. By this point, it had hundreds of doctors and researchers looking into health problems such as depression and addiction. The name changed again, to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Today, the CDC has thousands of employees and coordinates research activities with public health agencies worldwide. It is especially known for its work to protect people from epidemics and unexpected health threats, but its everyday work in the areas of environmental health, injury prevention, birth defects, healthy schools and workplaces, and health education is just as important and beneficial to all Americans.
Question 1 of 5
A reader might infer from this passage that the organization ___________.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The passage never says whether or not the CDC succeeded in its
original mission (choice
A) or whether it continued to be led by doctors
(choice
B). Inferring either of those things would be a leap unsupported
by the text.
Choice C is countered by information in the final
Extract:
SLEEP:
Developing muscle growth is an effective way to stay healthy as we get older, but many people find it difficult to develop this muscle growth, even after modifying their exercise routine and food intake. What many people may not realize is that getting the proper amount of uninterrupted sleep plays a major role in the development of muscle. The hard work of developing muscle is done in the gym, on a track, or on the court, but the actual growth takes place during the rest periods that follow a workout. Your body immediately begins rebuilding the muscle fibers that were broken down during the course of your workout. Much of this process is carried out while you are sleeping, so without a full night of sleep, muscle fibers will not have the opportunity to rebuild.
Human growth hormone (HGH) is an amino acid that is central to regulating metabolism, building muscle, facilitating calcium retention, and stimulating the immune system. The amount of HGH in your body spikes significantly during deep sleep, which makes getting at least 7 to 10 hours of sleep every night imperative to anyone hoping to develop additional muscle growth. Recent studies have linked inadequate amounts of sleep to lowered levels of leptin, a hormone in the brain that controls appetite. Test subjects who received less sleep, or frequently interrupted sleep, would crave carbohydrates even after their caloric needs reached satiety. This can contribute to obesity and negatively affect any good habits people may have developed with regard to food intake.
Question 2 of 5
What is the main idea of the passage about The Sleep Workout?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The main idea of the passage is that getting the proper amount of uninterrupted sleep plays a major role in the development of muscle. The passage emphasizes how muscle growth occurs during rest periods following a workout, with sleep being a critical time for muscle fiber rebuilding. The connection between sleep, human growth hormone (HGH) release, and muscle development is highlighted.
Choice A is incorrect because while the passage mentions the link between inadequate sleep and obesity due to altered appetite hormones, the main focus is on muscle development.
Choice B is incorrect because although the passage discusses HGH release during deep sleep, the primary emphasis is on the role of uninterrupted sleep in muscle development.
Choice D is incorrect because while the passage acknowledges that developing muscle growth is essential for health as we age, the key point is the significance of uninterrupted sleep in the muscle development process.
Question 3 of 5
What conclusion can the reader draw after reading the passage about The Sleep Workout?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The correct answer is B because the passage highlights that insufficient sleep could lead to an increased risk of obesity. The passage emphasizes the importance of uninterrupted sleep in muscle development and mentions that inadequate sleep is linked to lowered levels of leptin, a hormone that controls appetite. This imbalance in leptin due to lack of sleep can lead to increased cravings for carbohydrates, contributing to obesity.
Choice A is incorrect as the passage stresses the significance of both uninterrupted sleep and getting enough sleep for muscle growth.
Choice C is incorrect because the passage clearly states that human growth hormone (HGH) is essential for muscle development.
Choice D is incorrect as leptin is not essential for building muscle but is mentioned in the passage as a hormone related to controlling appetite and its link to inadequate sleep and obesity.
Extract:
SUPER FOODS:
Super foods are whole, unprocessed foods such as blueberries, walnuts, beans, oats, and broccoli. Spinach, yogurt, and pomegranates are also considered super foods. They are classified as such because they contain high levels of essential nutrients, are low in calories, and can often help prevent—and even reverse—some of the common effects of aging including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and certain types of cancer. Super foods help lower cholesterol levels in the blood and, some researchers believe, even improve a person’s mood.
High on the list of super foods are blueberries, fresh or frozen, which are loaded with vitamin C, antioxidants, and potassium. Blueberries are also an anti-inflammatory, which many researchers and nutritionists believe is beneficial. Lentils are a super food that helps prevent a spike in insulin levels that can increase body fat. Lentils are high in both fiber and protein, each of which contributes to stabilizing blood sugar levels and reducing excess fat, especially in the stomach area. Walnuts are a plant-based source of essential unsaturated omega-3 fatty acids, which can improve cholesterol and lower the risk of heart disease by as much as 50 percent.
All oats are healthful. Oats, even instant oatmeal, are digested slowly while providing up to five grams of fiber per serving. As physicians and nutritionists continue to study super foods and their effects, consumers continue to educate themselves about the variety of benefits. In an era when consumers question the origin and nutritional value of much of the food on store shelves, super foods are some of the most healthful and natural whole foods available.
Question 4 of 5
Which of the following statements is an opinion related to Super Foods?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: This is an opinion because it is a subjective statement about taste.
Extract:
The Long-Term Impact of Toxic Exposure:
Lie out in the sun too much today—and get skin cancer 20 years from now. Smoke too many cigarettes now—and get lung cancer decades down the road. Now there is potentially a third danger to add to this list: be exposed to too much lead, pesticides, or mercury now and have your aging brain become seriously confused during your senior years.
“We’re trying to offer a caution that a portion of what has been called normal aging might in fact be due to ubiquitous environmental exposures like lead,” says Dr. Brian Schwartz of Johns Hopkins University. “The fact that it’s happening with lead is the first proof of the principle that it’s possible.” A new area of medical research is one that studies how exposure to toxic elements in younger years can result in serious health problems in senior years.
It is difficult to research these problems because the only way to do so is to observe people over many years. Physicians test for lead amounts by seeing how much has accumulated in a person’s shinbone. Testing the blood also often reveals amounts of lead, but that is a sign of recent, not lifelong, exposure. The higher the lifetime lead dose, according to the study, the worse the performance of mental functions, including verbal and visual memory and language ability.
Question 5 of 5
What is the main idea of the passage about Toxins and Your Health?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The passage discusses the long-term effects of environmental toxins, which aligns with this main idea.