PrepTest 141, Section 3, Question 5
An organism is considered to have an infection(446 more words not shown)
It can be inferred from(17 more words not shown)
- AThe presence of(13 more words not shown)
- BSome patients currently(8 more words not shown)
- CPrions do not(6 more words not shown)
- DThe body has(5 more words not shown)
- EScientists have only(10 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
We're looking for what the author would be least likely to agree with, so a direct conflict is ideal. The end of the third paragraph gives us one: without an effective therapy, CJD is inevitably fatal. Longer incubation or slower progression doesn't mean recovery.
Working the answers
- A
The third paragraph connects certain abnormal prions in the brain with the process that destroys nerve cells. That supports their presence as a sign of neurological disease.
- BCorrect
Recovery conflicts with the description of CJD as “inevitably fatal.” The author allows differences in how quickly patients develop symptoms and deteriorate, but not recovery under the circumstances described.
- C
That's the discovery challenging the old assumption. Prions can reproduce without the nucleic acid the previously known pathogens use.
- D
The account says the body doesn't produce an immune response because these proteins occur naturally in its tissues. That is the stated basis for lacking a natural defense against this disease.
- E
The final sentence expressly says the exact mechanisms of reproduction and cellular destruction haven't been completely understood. Partial understanding fits that qualification; it doesn't contradict it.
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