501 Critical Reading Questions

c. Choice d is true, but too specific to be the author’s primary pur-
pose. Choice e can be eliminated because it is too negative and
choices a and b are too positive.
501
Critical Reading Questions
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214.
a. The author contrasts the public’s dismissal of the arcane practice
of wearing garlic with its increasing acceptance of herbal reme-
dies.
215.
b. In this context, conventional refers to the established system of
Western medicine or biomedicine.
216.
d. Choice a is overly general and choice b is too negative to be
inferred from the survey’s findings. Choice c is incorrect—the
author does not mention the “baby boom” age group, but that
does not imply that the survey does not include it. The survey
does not support the prediction in choice e.
217.
a. The statistic illustrates the popularity of alternative therapies
without giving any specific information as to why.
218.
e. The author states that Americans are not replacing conventional
healthcare but are adding to or supplementing it with alternative
care.
219.
d. The shortcomings of conventional healthcare mentioned in lines
30–35 are the time constraints of managed care (line 31), focus on tech-
nology (line 32), and inability to relieve symptoms associated with
chronic disease (line 34).
220.
a. The author states that once scientific investigation has confirmed their
safety and efficacy (lines 37–38), alternative therapies may be
accepted by the medical establishment.
221.
b. The author gives evidence of observational studies to show that
garlic may be beneficial. Choice d is incorrect, however, because
the author emphasizes that these findings have not been confirmed in
clinical studies (lines 51–52).
222.
d. The passage does not offer a criticism or argument about alterna-
tive healthcare, but rather reports on the phenomenon with some
playfulness.
223.