Reading Passage Question

Colorectal cancer occurs in the colon or rectum. It is more common among men than women and the majority of cases occur in the over-50s. Triggers are thought to be little or no exercise and excessive weight. A propensity for the disease is also known to be inherited, and therefore when it occurs, a family history of the disease may be found. Diet is believed to play an important role in both the risk of developing the disease and in its prevention. It used to be thought that a diet high in fiber greatly reduced the risk of colorectal cancer, however, it is now thought that eating too much red meat and milk products has a much stronger, unfortunately negative, association and increases the risk of the disease significantly. It so happens that people with high fiber diets eat less red meat and milk products than people with low fiber diets. People who eat lots of fiber also tend to enjoy a lifestyle with many other factors that may confer a lower risk of contracting colorectal cancer. If there is any accepted truism regarding diet, lifestyle and the risk of contacting colorectal cancer then it is no longer the view that eating lots of fiber has an inverse association. Today, dieticians are likely to stress the factors that give rise to greater risk, and at the top of the list of factors will be the consumption of too much alcohol.

“Colorectal cancer occurs in the colon or rectum.”- is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.

This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 3 comprehension questions. The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are designed for the purpose of testing candidates’ abilities in understanding, analyzing, and applying information or concepts. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.

Solution and Explanation

Q1. The author would agree that:

1. Eating lots of fiber may protect against colon cancer.
2. There is a linear inverse association between fiber intake and colorectal cancer.
3. There is no longer an accepted truism about lifestyle and the risk of contracting colorectal cancer.
4. There is no adverse association between colorectal cancer and a diet rich in fibre.
5. A diet of cereals, vegetables and fruit does protect against diseases such as heart disease.

Q2. It can be inferred from the passage that:

1. There may appear a link between fiber intake and the risk of colorectal cancer, but when other dietary factors are taken into account any link between fiber and cancer becomes insignificant.
2. It is largely coincidental that people who eat a diet rich in fiber such as whole grains, fruit and vegetables are less likely to get colorectal cancer than people with a diet poor in fiber.
3. It is impossible to be certain that there is no causal link between a high dietary fiber intake and the risk of colorectal cancer.
4. People who enjoy a diet high in fiber also have a lot of other traits that account for the benefits they gain in terms of a reduced risk of colorectal cancer.
5. A comprehensive study challenges the once accepted truism that a high fiber intake reduces the risk of cancer of the colon.

Q3. Which of the following facts about colorectal cancer can be disproved by the passage?

1. It is the fourth most common cancer among men and the third most common among women.
2. Risk factors are a family history of the disease, smoking heavily, a diet low in vegetables and drinking too much alcohol.
3. Each year 5,000 men and 4,000 women contract the disease and 4,000 of these patients are aged over 50.
4. Each year 3,000 men and 4,000 women are treated for the disease.
5. Colorectal cancer is sometimes called bowel cancer and eating fruit and cereal does little to reduce the risk of contracting this life-threatening disease.

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