ENGLISH COMPREHENSION QUESTION WITH ANSWERS MODEL27082023001

QUESTION

COMPREHENSION (20MKS)

Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.

THE DETOX DEBATE.

Detox kits and supplements are recent health fads. But can they really help you lose weight fast? Online weight loss coach Adrew Cate investigates.

We’ve heard a lot about the need to detox lately. It is the term used to describe a strict program of elimination and supplementation that’s meant to rid your body of impurities, cleaning your liver and kidneys, and flushing your bowel. It’s suggested that toxins build up from consuming too much fat, sugar, alcohol, caffeine, preservatives, and pollution.

There’s no shortage of detox books, kits, and programs claiming to help you shed weight, improve your well being, cause your skin to radiate, and make you feel younger. The kits usually contain a dietary program, which is supplemented with a variety of vitamins, minerals, tonics, digestive aids, and laxatives. They are particularly popular in January as people feel the urge to begin the New Year afresh after overindulging during the festive season.

People will make drastic changes when they go on a detox diet and often feel better for starting a structured regime. However, detox kits made up of herbal laxatives and diuretics are unnecessary and have generally to have no proven benefit. Detox regimes do not improve kidney and liver function. These organs are well designed to filter your blood of fats, alcohol, and other nasties – all without the help of a fancy box from your local pharmacy. There is no scientific evidence to support specific detox diets, programs, or supplement kits. However, there’s no debate about the fact that eating less junk food, cutting out cigarettes and your alcohol intake, etc will benefit your health. For example, drinking more water and cutting out caffeine will improve your hydration levels, while reducing your portion sizes and increasing your vegetable intake will improve bowel function. These changes will enhance your well-being, but there’s nothing magical about the detox diet itself. Rather, it’s the associated lifestyle changes that benefit your health. Detox kits that contain laxatives and diuretics to encourage you to fast could, potentially, do more harm than good. Laxatives speed up your bowel motions, but also prevent the absorption of nutrients, while diuretics can result to partial dehydration.

The fasting component of a detox should only be minimal, and not extend beyond a day or two. By eating next to nothing, you are not getting enough nutrients for the essential functions of your body. Supplements are no substitute for real food, and relying solely on them can result in vitamin deficiencies. Fasting is also known to slow down your metabolic rate, which encourages your body to store fat, making it harder to lose body fat in the future.

If you’ve spent weeks, months or years overindulging drinking and smoking you can’t hope to fix yourself in a few days. Detox diets aren’t an instant cure to health and wellness. Short-term changes to your diet and lifestyle only results into short term changes to your health and wellness. If you cant stick to the lifestyle changes you make over the long term, there’s no point starting them, as they wont have any serious impact upon your health.

(a) What is detoxing? (2mks)

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

(b) From the information given in the passage, what builds up toxins in the body? (2mks)

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

(d) When do detox kits sell most? (1mk)

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

(e) In about 80 words, summarize the writer’s argument on whether we need to detox or not. (5mks)

Rough copy

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Fair copy

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

(f) Outline the dangers of detox diets. (3mks)

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

(g) Add a question tag to the following statement.

Detox diets aren’t an instant cure to health and wellness, ………………………………. (1mk)

(h) We’ve heard a lot about the need to detox lately. (Rewrite the sentence as a question without changing the meaning). (1mk)

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

(i) Explain the meaning of the following words as used in the passage. (3mks)

Laxatives………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Overindulging…………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Deficiencies……………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

ANSWERS

a) Engaging in a strict programme of elimination and supplementation that’s meant to rid your body of

impurities, cleansing your liver and kidney’s and flushing your bowels. (2mks)

b) Toxins build up from consuming too much fat, sugar, alcohol, caffeine, preservatives and

pollution. (2mks)

c) A detox kit usually contains a dietary program which is supplemented with a variety of vitamins,

minerals, tonics, digestive aids and laxatives. (2mks)

d) Detox kits sell most/are particularly popular in January. (1mk)

e) The writer’s argument: (5mks)

People make drastic changes and feel better when they detox.

Eating less junk food, cutting out cigarettes and your alcohol intake etc will benefit your health.

Drinking more water and cutting out caffeine will improve your hydration levels.

Reducing your portion sizes and increasing your vegetable intake will improve bowel function.

However, detox kits made up of herbal laxatives and diuretics are unnecessary/have no proven

benefits/have no scientific back-up/have nothing magical about them. Other than the associated

lifestyle changes that benefit your health.

(Must be in continous prose)

f) Dangers of detox diets; (3mks)

Laxatives speed up bowel motions.
Laxatives prevent the absorption of nutrients.
Diuretics can result in partial dehydration.
Fasting means lack of enough nutrients for the essential functions of your body.
Supplements are no substitutes for real food/relying solely on them can result in vitamin deficiencies.
Fasting slows down your metabolic rate, hence encouraging your body to store fat, making it harder to lose body fat in the future. (Must be in point form, any 3 points)

g) Are they? (1mk)

h) Have we heard a lot about the need to detox lately? (1mk)

i) Laxatives – give free reign/in excess (e.g. take allow oneself to do something pleasurable or

gratifying) (1mk)

Deficiencies – lack of

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