The Stress of Space Flight Weakens Astronauts' Immunity and Increases their Risk GMAT Reading Comprehension

Reading Passage Question

The stress of space flight weakens astronauts' immunity and increases their risk of passing infections to one another. The findings diminish prospects for crewed missions to planets such as Mars, unless ways can be found to boost the astronauts' immune systems.

Satish Mehta and his colleagues at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston measured levels of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in saliva samples taken from 10 astronauts before, during and after a series of space shuttle missions. Many of us carry EBV, but it normally stays dormant in our white blood cells, and is only activated when people are stressed.

Mehta found EBV in 13 per cent of the samples, but the number of copies of the virus increased dramatically while the astronauts were in space. Samples from astronauts testing positive for EBV contained more than 40 times as many viruses during a shuttle flight than before or afterwards.

Although EBV is normally harmless, it can cause glandular fever and has been associated with Burkitt's lymphoma, a type of cancer common in Africa. Mehta fears that other, more dangerous viruses could also be transmitted more easily by stressed astronauts. In preliminary analyses, he has already found elevated levels of cytomegalovirus in saliva samples taken on the shuttle. This virus can cause blindness in immuno-suppressed people.

When these astronauts go up, they are under huge stress, the greatest being the fear they won`t come back, says Mehta. It`s crowded, cramped and tiring, and if crew members breathe out virus, it hangs around in micro-gravity and can easily be breathed in. The solution might be for the astronauts to take antiviral drugs before and during missions, or to give saliva samples during the flight so that stressed crew members can be identified and told to take a break.

“The Stress of Space Flight Weakens Astronauts' Immunity and Increases their Risk” is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.

This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 4 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

1. According to the passage, the Epstein-Barr virus is

(A) the greatest threat to astronauts working in outer Space
(B) a virus that has led to cancer among many astronauts
(C) completely harmless
(D) under normal conditions (not life-threatening)
(E) a virus that leads to elevated levels of cytomegalovirus

2. The passage assumes that

(A) it would be easier to boost the immune systems of the astronauts than to make space flight less stressful
(B) antiviral drugs are prohibitively expensive to produce
(C) astronauts who go into outer space will become infected with some type of virus
(D) cytomegalovirus is somehow linked to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)
(E) antiviral drugs will not be effective if they are taken before the space mission

3. The primary purpose of the passage is to

(A) object to current medical testing being carried out on astronauts
(B) evaluate the state of virology as it is being carried out in space
(C) discuss a possible obstacle to space missions of a long duration
(D) counter the criticisms of those who believe a mission to Mars is not possible
(E) raise an objection to the use of manned missions to other planets in our Solar System

4. The passage suggests that the cause of the increase in the number of the copies of the viruses found in the astronauts' systems

(A) might have to do with the initial levels of EBV found in the astronauts' saliva before the mission
(B) is most likely the Epstein-Barr virus
(C) cannot be a factor other than stress
(D) has nothing to do with the fear and anxiety of the astronauts
(E) could be the close quarters the astronauts live in when they are in space

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