Main Ideas "How Safe Is Our Food"
Question: This paragraph introduces statistics showing that eating food carries real health risks, noting that virulent bacteria cause hundreds of thousands of global deaths annually.
Para A
According to the map graphic, which South American country produces four different kinds of GE crops: corn, soybean, cotton, and squash?
Brazil
Cause: An animal containing dangerous bacteria is cut open carelessly during meat processing.
What is the Effect?
the bacteria inside can contaminate the meat
Pro: According to Paragraph G, what environmental benefit do crops that produce their own natural insect defense have over ordinary plants?
far fewer chemical pesticides need to be applied to the plants ... reducing pollution in water and harm to animals
"The everyday activity of eating involves more risk than you might think."
What does the word risk mean?
danger or the possibility of something bad happening
Question: This paragraph discusses how changing farming methods, such as crowding animals tightly together on massive "factory" farms, makes it easier for virulent bacteria to spread.
Para D
According to a 2016 report from the National Academy of Sciences mentioned in the text, how do GE foods compare to non-GE foods regarding human health risks?
"no differences have been found that indicate a higher risk"?
(They are just as safe, or potentially safer due to lower toxin levels).
Cause: Bacteria manage to hide and multiply on kitchen dish towels, knives, and cutting boards.
What is the Effect?
they are easily transferred to food or human hands (Cross-contamination)
Con: According to Paragraph E, what unexpected health problem occurred in the mid-1990s when soybeans were genetically altered using genes taken from a nut?
the modified soybeans contained a protein that caused reactions in people who were allergic to nuts
"Cattle, for example, are crowded together under such conditions..."
What does the word crowded mean?
packed tightly together with very little space
Question: This paragraph explains how global food trade lets us eat out-of-season fruit year-round, meaning we rely heavily on the sanitary conditions and agricultural rules of other countries.
Para H
According to Paragraph C, what specific genes have scientists inserted into apple trees, AND for what purpose?
moth genes to add disease resistance
In January 2000, 79 patients across 13 US states were infected with the exact same strain of Salmonella bacteria.
What was the Cause?
They all ate mangoes that had been washed in contaminated water on a single large farm in Brazil
Pro: According to Paragraph H, what major humanitarian crisis can GE crops address by increasing overall crop quantities and hardiness?
food shortages and global hunger
"Then it's the job of the investigators to determine what went wrong in the food's journey to the table."
What does the word journey mean?
process of traveling/moving from one place to another
Question: This paragraph describes a powerful national lab network tool called PulseNet that tracks foodborne illness outbreaks by matching the DNA of different bacteria samples.
Para F
According to the "Type and Location of GE Crops" map, which European country grows genetically engineered corn?
Spain, Portugal, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Romania are correct answers based on the map icons
Swedish chicken farmers thoroughly cleaned their animal pens and heated their chicken feed to kill off dangerous pathogens.
What was the Effect?
the chickens that Swedes buy are now salmonella-free
Con: What is the concern from plant ecologist Allison Snow regarding the speed at which GE crops are entering the market?
they are being developed too quickly and released before they have been adequately tested
In the text sentence: "Moth genes have been inserted into apple trees to add disease resistance."
What does the word resistance mean in this context
protection or immunity
Question: This paragraph details how a specific nation made clean fruit production a nationwide priority by enforcing worker handwashing and sanitary farm toilets to prevent illnesses.
Para I (Costa Rica case study)
According to the World Health Organization statistic cited in Paragraph I, how many children globally go blind every single year as a result of a vitamin A deficiency?
Between 250,000 and 500,000 children
A single bacterium is left on a kitchen counter overnight under the right temperature and moisture conditions.
What is the Effect?
It divides rapidly enough to produce billions of bacteria over the course of a day
Con: According to Professor Marion Nestle in Paragraph J, why might engineering "golden rice" fail to solve the vitamin deficiency illness it was meant to treat?
the beta-carotene inside it isn't converted to Vitamin A when people are malnourished
In the text sentence: "Whether biotech foods will deliver on their promise... remains to be seen."
What is promise referring to?
The potential advantages of biotech foods