Read the following article from a website.
A House of Commons committee is reviewing whether life insurance companies should ever be allowed to see the results of genetic tests that predict disease. A federal law already stops insurers from requiring a test, but it does not cover every kind of policy, and the committee must report by June. Doctors say the uncertainty is keeping some patients away from tests that could protect their health. The committee’s members heard from patients, lawyers and insurers in Ottawa last week.
Liesel Underwood, a teacher in Moncton, is one of them. Her father was found to have a heart condition at fifty-two, and her doctor has suggested a test to see whether she carries the same risk. “My husband and I are buying a house, and the bank wants life insurance on the mortgage,” Underwood said. “I keep picturing a positive result following me into every application. So I have not booked the test, even though I know I should.”
Cuthbert Wexford, a lawyer whose practice serves rare-disease clinics, argues for a firm ban. “Patients are skipping tests their doctors recommend because they fear an insurer will treat their DNA as a warning sign,” he told the committee. “A large pool of customers can easily absorb a few high-risk people.” Ottilie Yoon, an actuary at a mutual insurance company, sees it differently. “When one buyer hides a known risk, everyone else in the pool pays a little more,” Yoon said. “Insurers already ask about family history. A test result is simply a clearer answer to the same question.”
Rasmus Vaz, a genetic counsellor in Halifax, describes a quieter problem. “Some of my patients now pay for tests out of their own pockets so the results never reach their medical chart,” he explained. “That means their own doctors may not know about a serious risk.” Vaz wants the rules printed in plain words on every consent form. “People should understand what is at stake before they give a single drop of blood,” Vaz said.
Using the drop-down menu (▾), choose the best option according to the information given on the website.
Paragraph four mainly describes 2..
At present, Liesel Underwood is 3..
The reporter presents the issue as 4..
Ottilie Yoon’s position would most likely be supported by 5..
The following is a comment by a visitor to the website page. Complete the comment by choosing the best option to fill in each blank.
AI explanationShows the answer. Tap to open.
Correct Answer: whether insurance companies may see genetic test results
Why this is correct: A committee is reviewing whether life insurance companies should see the results of genetic tests. Every speaker reacts to that question.
Passage Reference: A House of Commons committee is reviewing whether life insurance companies should ever be allowed to see the results of genetic tests that predict disease.
Tips: Check each option against what Underwood, Wexford, Yoon and Vaz say. Keep the one that every one of them is talking about.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a new test for heart disease in children: Underwood’s test is for herself, and it is not new.
- a mortgage rule for first-time home buyers: Underwood mentions a mortgage, but no mortgage rule is discussed.
- a shortage of genetic counsellors in Halifax: Vaz is a counsellor in Halifax, but nobody says there are too few.
Correct Answer: a counsellor’s concern about results kept from doctors
Passage Reference: Some of my patients now pay for tests out of their own pockets so the results never reach their medical chart ... That means their own doctors may not know about a serious risk.
Why this is correct: Paragraph four belongs to Vaz, a genetic counsellor. He says some patients pay privately so their own doctors never see the results.
Tips: Go over “Paragraph four” by itself. Ask what it does for the article, then match your idea to a choice.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a lawyer’s case for a firm legal ban: Wexford argues for a ban in paragraph three, not paragraph four.
- an actuary’s view of how a pool of buyers works: Yoon explains the pool in paragraph three.
- a teacher’s story about her father’s illness: Underwood and her father appear in paragraph two.
Correct Answer: putting off a test that her doctor has suggested
Passage Reference: her doctor has suggested a test to see whether she carries the same risk ... So I have not booked the test, even though I know I should.
Why this is correct: Underwood’s doctor has suggested a test. She says she has not booked it, even though she knows she should.
Tips: Go back to Underwood’s quoted sentences. Check each option against her words, and drop any that she never says.
Why the other options are wrong:
- waiting for the results of her own heart test: She has not booked the test yet, so there are no results.
- looking after her father during his treatment: The article gives his age at diagnosis but never says she looks after him.
- trying to sell the family home in Moncton: She and her husband are buying a house, not selling one.
Correct Answer: an unsettled question with real effects on patients
Passage Reference: it does not cover every kind of policy ... Doctors say the uncertainty is keeping some patients away from tests that could protect their health.
Why this is correct: In the reporter’s own words, the current law does not cover every policy. The uncertainty is keeping some patients away from useful tests.
Tips: Set aside every quoted sentence and reread what the reporter writes. Keep the option those plain reporting lines can back up.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a fight between federal departments: The reporter describes no fight between departments. A committee is hearing views.
- a scandal caused by careless insurance companies: The reporter never blames any company. Only speakers give opinions.
- a light-hearted story about paperwork: The reporter treats the issue seriously and makes no jokes.
Correct Answer: figures showing insurance prices climb when risks are kept secret
Passage Reference: When one buyer hides a known risk, everyone else in the pool pays a little more
Why this is correct: Yoon says that when one buyer hides a known risk, everyone else pays a little more. Figures on rising insurance prices would back that up.
Tips: Go through Yoon’s quotes. Ask of each option: would it help her argument, hurt it, or belong to another speaker?
Why the other options are wrong:
- a study of patients who skip the tests their doctors advise: Skipped tests are Wexford’s reason for a ban, so this would help his side.
- a survey of couples buying their first home together: Home buying is part of Underwood’s story. It says nothing about Yoon’s argument.
- a list of the tests that family doctors suggest most often: A list of common tests does not touch Yoon’s point about cost.
Correct Answer: June
Passage Reference: the committee must report by June
Why this is correct: The article says the committee must report by June.
Tips: This blank asks for a month, so find where the article gives the committee’s deadline.
Why the other options are wrong:
- May: This month is not in the article.
- July: This month is not in the article.
- September: This month is not in the article.
Correct Answer: fifty-two
Passage Reference: Her father was found to have a heart condition at fifty-two
Why this is correct: Underwood’s father was found to have a heart condition at fifty-two.
Tips: The commenter means the teacher in Moncton, so find what the article says about her father.
Why the other options are wrong:
- forty-eight: This age is not in the article.
- fifty-six: This age is not in the article.
- sixty-two: This age is not in the article.
Correct Answer: a warning sign
Passage Reference: they fear an insurer will treat their DNA as a warning sign
Why this is correct: Wexford says patients fear an insurer will treat their DNA as a warning sign.
Tips: The commenter is repeating the lawyer’s words about what patients fear. Find how he says an insurer might see their DNA.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a family secret: Wexford does not use these words.
- a price tag: Wexford does not use these words.
- a lucky charm: Nobody in the article talks about luck.
Correct Answer: insurers
Passage Reference: heard from patients, lawyers and insurers in Ottawa last week
Why this is correct: The committee heard from patients, lawyers and insurers in Ottawa last week.
Tips: The commenter names the groups who spoke to the committee. Find that sentence in the article and take the group missing here.
Why the other options are wrong:
- doctors: Doctors are quoted in the article, but the list of who spoke to the committee names patients, lawyers and insurers.
- nurses: Nurses are not mentioned in the article.
- employers: Employers are not mentioned in the article.
Correct Answer: consent form
Passage Reference: Vaz wants the rules printed in plain words on every consent form.
Why this is correct: Vaz wants the rules printed in plain words on every consent form.
Tips: The commenter is repeating the counsellor’s request. Find where he wants the plain rules to appear.
Why the other options are wrong:
- clinic wall: Vaz does not mention signs on a wall.
- test kit: Vaz does not mention test kits.
- insurance application: Underwood talks about applications, but Vaz wants the rules on consent forms.
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