16. Reading Skills Comprehension: Experiments

EXPERIMENTS

Experiments with the Sulphona-mides have made clear a fact about germs which is gaining increasing importance in fighting them. Germs, it seems, have the same ability as all the other living things gradually to change themselves to suit new conditions. But, as the generation of germs lasts only twenty, twenty-five or thirty minutes, before all the germs divide to form new ones, changes that would take many years in animals can be achieved by germs in a few hours. Perhaps, then, you give the attacking germ a dose of Sulphonamides which upsets them somewhat but is not strong enough to prevent them from multiplying; if so, they very rapidly develop new powers which enable them to resist the effects of the drug. After this has happened, even the strongest dose will fail to disturb them.

 1. Experiments with Sulphonamides have led to the important discovery that

(a) germs are living things and can change themselves to suit new conditions.

(b) one generation of germs lasts only twenty, twenty-five or thirty minutes.

 (c) germs can adjust themselves to live and multiply in new conditions.

 (d) germs are not disturbed even by the dos strongest possible of Sulphonamides.

2. Like all other living things, germs can change itself to suit new conditions. This adjustment is possible because the germs have

 (a) the power of fluctuation             

(b) the power of compliance

(c) the power of adaptability             

(d) the power of adaptability

3. Since germs can change themselves to suit new conditions, the task of fighting them has become

(a) absolutely impossible                   

(b) much easier

(c) much more difficult                      

(d) increasingly important

4. Germs which are not disturbed even by the strongest possible dose of the Sulphonamides are said to have become

(a) immortal               (b)immune

(c) improvised             (d) immobile

5. One generation of germs expires, bringing into existence the next generation

(a) in twenty minutes

(b) in twenty-five minutes

(c) is not more than half an hour

(d) in a few hours

ANSWERS

1. (a)

2. (d)

3. (c)

4. (b)

5. (c)

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