Read the passage and answer the following question:
As heart disease continues to be the number one killer in the United States, researchers have become increasingly interested in identifying the potential risk factors that trigger heart attacks. High-fat diets and "life in the fast lane" have long been known to contribute to the high incidence of heart failure. But according to new studies, the list of risk factors may be significantly longer and quite surprising.
Heart failure, for example, appears to have seasonal and temporal patterns. A higher percentage of heart attacks occur in cold weather and more people experience heart failure on Monday than on any other day of the week. In addition, people are more susceptible to heart attacks in the first few hours after waking. Cardiologists first observed this morning phenomenon in the mid- 1980 and have since discovered a number of possible causes. An early-morning rise in blood pressure, heart rate and concentration of heart stimulating hormones, plus a reduction of blood flow to the heart, may all contribute to the higher incidence of heart attacks between the hours of 8.00 A.M. and 10.00 A.M.
In other studies, both birthday and bachelorhood have been implicated as risk factors. Statistics reveal that heart attack rates increase significantly for both females and males in the few days immediately preceding and following their birthdays. And unmarried men are more at risk for heart attacks than their married counterparts. Though stress is thought to be linked in some way to all of the aforementioned risk factors, intense research continues in the hope of future comprehending why and how heart failure is triggered.
As used in the passage, which of the following could best replace the underlined word 'reveal' ?
- Observe
- Show
- Explain
- Mean
Explanation
Correct answer is (b). ‘Show’ is a synonym of ‘reveal’.
Question: 2Which of the following is cited as a possible risk factor?
- Getting married
- Rainy weather
- Eating fatty foods
- Driving fast
Explanation
Correct answer is (c). Refer to second sentence of the first paragraph, the passage talks about it so we will say that eating fatty acids can be a risk factor.
Question: 3 According to the passage which of the following is not a possible cause of many heart attacks?
- Decreased blood flow to the heart
- Increased blood pressure
- Lower heart rate
- Increase in hormones
Explanation
Correct answer is (c). The last sentence of the second paragraph gives several factors which may cause an heart attack and its high rate that can cause an attack and not a low heart rate.
Question: 4The underlined word 'potential' could best be replaced by which of the following '?
- Harmful
- Possible
- Unknown
- Primary
Explanation
Correct answer is (b). In the context of the passage ‘Potential’ can only be replaced by ‘possible’ of the given options. It does not mean ‘unknown’, so, (c) is eliminated. Potential may seem similar to primary but in the sentence potential does not mean most important but only factors that can possibly cause the risk of a heart attack.
Question: 5What does the passage mainly discuss?
- Cardiology
- Diet and stress as factors in heart attacks
- Seasonal and temporal patterns of heart attacks
- Risk factors in heart attacks
Explanation
The correct answer is (c). The passage talks primarily about heart attack and not broadly on cardiology, so, (a) is eliminated. The main theme is not risk factors in heat attack although the paragraph mentions the factor very early in the passage because almost 80% of the passage is devoted to discoursing seasonal and temporal patterns of heart attack, therefore, (c) is the answer and not (d).
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By: Kritika Kaushal