How I was Floored By a Tick Reading Answers

Jan 16, 2023

How I was Floored By a Tick Reading Answers is an academic reading topic which discusses about a particular disease called Lyme disease. The given IELTS topic has originated from the book named “Practice Tests for Ielts 2 Volume 2”. The topic named How I was Floored By a Tick Reading Answers comes with 13 wide range of questions in total. There are two different sorts of questions included in this topic, like, True/False/Not Given, and no more than two words. The candidates should thoroughly read the IELTS reading passage to recognize the synonyms and identify the keywords and answer the questions below. IELTS reading practice papers can be taken into consideration by the candidates in order to score a good score in the reading section in which similar topics like How I was Floored By a Tick Reading Answers has been included.

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Section 1

Read the passage to answer the following questions

How I was Floored By a Tick Reading Answers

How I was floored by a tick

When Allan Little began to feel ill, he knew almost immediately what it was - Lyme Disease. But getting a medical diagnosis, and treatment, took a lot longer. I'd been going for years to the same little town in New England and Lyme Disease is everywhere there. You can't walk more than a few hundred metres in the countryside without coming across a public health notice warning you not to get bitten by a deer tick.

So the intense headache, the aching limbs, the burning joints, the ferocious fever and night sweats that hit me in a matter of hours, a few days after I'd got back to London, were all consistent with what I'd read about the condition. I went to a London GP, who wasn't convinced. She took a blood sample and advised me to go home, rest, and take paracetamol. The next day, the blood test came back.

It was negative for Lyme. My condition grew worse. I could hardly stand up. I called another doctor, who came to my house. He was also sceptical. He took another blood test. This too came back negative. But he gave me a prescription for powerful painkillers which made me feel well enough to get on a train to Edinburgh, my home town.

Within three hours of arriving at Waverley Station I was an in-patient in the Infectious Diseases Department of the city's Western General Hospital: diagnosis, Acute Lyme Disease. By now I had found the tick bite and the distinctive livid red rash, about six inches in diameter. (To be fair to those London GPS, I hadn't noticed it when I'd consulted them.)

"It's attacked your liver," the Edinburgh Consultant said. "You have three distinct kinds of liver inflammation". I made a lame sick-bed joke: "You're sure that's not like Lager-and- Lime Disease then?" She laughed politely and reassured me that that would look quite different. Why then had both blood tests come back negative? Dr Roger Evans of Raigmore Hospital in Inverness is one of the UK's leading Lyme Disease researchers. "In early Lyme Disease," he told me, "the test is not reliable because no antibodies have been produced. In the first few weeks of infection, you could test negative, but still have Lyme Disease."

This is a problem for GPS, especially in urban centres where Lyme Disease is unfamiliar. Lyme is not a viral infection. It's bacterial. GPs will not prescribe antibiotics if they think you're showing symptoms of a viral infection - and it does look and feel like a bad case of flu, or chronic fatigue syndrome, neither of which can, or should, be treated with antibiotics. "In the early weeks of infection, when the blood test is not reliable," says Evans, "the GP needs to assess the patient clinically, looking for other symptoms that identify Lyme Disease." In other words, symptoms that distinguish it from flu.

If you have been bitten: Remove the tick as soon as possible - the safest way is to use a pair of fine-tipped tweezers, or a tick removal tool. Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible, pull upwards slowly and firmly, as mouthparts left in the skin can cause a local infection. Once removed, apply antiseptic to the bite area, or wash with soap and water and keep an eye on it for several weeks for any changes contact your GP if you begin to feel unwell and remember to tell them you were bitten by a tick or have recently spent time outdoors.

Catching it early is vital. Angela Howard fell ill with Lyme Disease in the 1990s. She had never heard of it. Her doctor, she says, told her to go home and see whether her symptoms persisted. It was only when a visiting American friend saw the distinctive rash- concentric red rings around the place where the tick bite had occurred that she realised she might have Lyme Disease. She says her doctor was still reluctant to diagnose Lyme. "Doctors say you can only get this abroad that it comes from overseas. But I hadn't been abroad. I'd been picnicking in Wiltshire." She was not treated early and her symptoms have persisted for years.

There is an accumulation of anecdotal evidence that Lyme Disease often goes undiagnosed. One problem is that no-one knows how prevalent it now is. It is not a notifiable disease in the National Health Service - doctors are not required to inform a central database when they diagnose it. So there is no reliable evidence of how widespread it is, or where in the country you are most likely to get it. Roger Evans at Raigmore Hospital wants to remedy that.

"We're using Scotland as a pilot study," he said. "We're trying to create maps of areas where there's a risk of tick exposure. We're using satellite data from the European Space Agency to create an app that will give information, but which will also be interactive, so that users can put in information about where they've been bitten and whether the Lyme Disease rash has appeared."

Why has Lyme, which 30 years ago seemed largely limited to a small area of New England -Lyme is the town in Connecticut where it was first identified - now so prevalent across the continental USA and in Europe? One theory is climate change: that small gradations in climate can create new habitats for micro-organisms, or keep them alive and active for longer.

I was struck, at the time of my own treatment, that awareness was far greater in Scotland than in England and Wales. And awareness of the condition is vital to catching it early. For when you catch it early, treatment is easy and in most cases successful. It floors you though. It took me four or five months to get my strength and stamina back. It is a debilitating and dangerous illness and there is no doubt that it is getting more common.

You can get it in the Scottish Highlands, in Devon and Cornwall, in Richmond Park in London and probably in your own back garden - anywhere where there are small furry animals on whose skins a deer tick can live. If you get it, you can get treatment. But take it from me: it really helps if you know what it is you've got.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Questions 15-22

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?

In boxes 15-22 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

Question 15. Alan had no doubt about his illness from the beginning.

Answer: True
Supporting sentence: When Allan Little began to feel ill, he knew almost immediately what it was - Lyme Disease.
Keyword : Allan Little, began to feel ill, knew almost immediately, Lyme Disease
Keyword location: paragaph 1, line 1
Explanation: The first line of paragraph 1 suggests that Allan Little recognised the illness as Lyme Disease very soon after he started to feel unwell. However, it took a lot longer to receive a medical diagnosis and therapy. He had been visiting the same small New England village for years, and Lyme disease was rampant there. In the countryside, it takes just a few hundred metres to come across a public health sign cautioning someone not to get bitten by a deer tick. Thus, the above statement can be fully regarded as a TRUE one.

Question 16. Both blood tests were negative for Lyme Disease.

Answer: True
Supporting sentence: It was negative for Lyme.
Keyword : blood tests, negative, Lyme
Keyword location: paragraph 3, line 1
Explanation: The first part of paragraph 3 suggests the health condition of Allan Little. A few days after returning to London, the sudden onset of an excruciating headache happened. This was followd by aching limbs, burning joints, a fierce fever, and night sweats was in line with what I had read about the disease. He appointed a doctor in London, but he wasn't persuaded. He should return home, get some rest, and take paracetamol is what the doctor said after taking a blood sample. The blood test result was received the next day. For Lyme, it was reported as a negative one. Therefore, the statement can be taken as a True one.

Question 17. Alan didn't become a Waverley Station patient for more than 3 hours.

Answer: False
Supporting sentence: Within three hours of arriving at Waverley Station I was an in-patient in the Infectious Diseases Department of the city's Western General Hospital: diagnosis, Acute Lyme Disease.
Keyword : three hours, Waverley Station, in-patient in the Infectious Diseases Department
Keyword location: paragraph 4, line 1
Explanation: Line 1 of paragraph 4 portrays that Allan Little’s health deteriorated. He struggled to stand up. Another doctor was contacted, and they came to his residence. He was doubtful as well. He had a second blood test done. This too yielded unfavourable results. However, he provided him with a prescription for strong painkillers. It allowed him to feel well enough to board a train and travel to him hometown of Edinburgh. He was diagnosed with acute Lyme disease. He was admitted to the city's Western General Hospital's infectious diseases department three hours after arriving at Waverley Station. By this time, he had located the tick bite and the unique, six-inch-diameter rash of vivid red skin. Hence, the statement can be regarded as a FALSE one.

Question 18. Blood tests were inaccurate because they were taken unprofessionaly.

Answer: False
Supporting sentence: Why then had both blood tests come back negative?
Keyword : both blood tests, negative, Dr Roger Evans, UK's leading Lyme Disease researchers
Keyword location: paragraph 5, line 3
Explanation: Line 3 of paragraph 5 portrays that "It's attacked your liver," the Edinburgh Consultant reamrked. He also said to Allan that he have three different types of liver infections. He made a lame sick-bed joke: "You're sure that's not like Lager-and- Lime Disease then?". The consultant laughed gently. She reassured me that that would look quite different. He questioned that then why had both blood tests come back negative. Dr Roger Evans of Raigmore Hospital in Inverness is one of the UK’s well-known Lyme Disease researchers. "In early Lyme Disease," the doctor told him, "the test is not reliable because no antibodies have been produced. In the first few weeks of infection, Alllan could test negative, but still have Lyme Disease. Therefore, the above assertion can be regarded as a FALSE one.

Question 19. Lyme Disease is very unfamiliar in the UK.

Answer: Not Given
Supporting sentence: Dr Roger Evans of Raigmore Hospital in Inverness is one of the UK's leading Lyme Disease researchers.
Keyword : Dr Roger Evans, UK's leading, Lyme Disease researchers
Keyword location: paragraph 5, lines 4-5
Explanation: Lines 4-5 of paragraph 5 portrays that one of the top experts on Lyme disease in the UK is Dr. Roger Evans. He works at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness. The test is unreliable in early Lyme disease since no antibodies have been made. It is something which he informed Allan Little. He said that Allan might test negative during the first several weeks of infection yet still have Lyme disease. Thus, no relevant information that Lyme disease is much unfamiliar in the UK, has been given in the passage. So, we can clearly point that the above statement is is an invalid one.

Question 20. When bitten, you should remove the tick, preferably with a tool.

Answer: True
Supporting sentence: If you have been bitten: Remove the tick as soon as possible - the safest way is to use a pair of fine-tipped tweezers, or a tick removal tool.
Keyword : been bitten, Remove the tick, fine-tipped tweezers, tick removal tool
Keyword location: paragraph 7, lines 1-2
Explanation: Lines 1-2 of paragraph 7 suggests some precautions. It states to immediately remove the tick after being bitten. It is the safest method is to use a pair of fine-tipped tweezers or a tick removal tool. To prevent a local infection, grasping the tick as closely to the skin as you can and pull gently and firmly upward has been said. After removal, cleansing the bite area with soap and water or antiseptic is necessary. After that monitoring it for several weeks to look for any changes should be done. If one start to feel poorly, should consult a doctor, and should mention that they were recently outdoors or that they were bitten by a tick. Thus, the given statement can be regarded as a TRUE one.

Question 21. After you remove the tick and apply antiseptic, you should take paracetamol.

Answer: Not Given
Supporting sentence: Once removed, apply antiseptic to the bite area, or wash with soap and water and keep an eye on it for several weeks for any changes contact your GP if you begin to feel unwell and remember to tell them you were bitten by a tick or have recently spent time outdoors.
Keyword : Grasp the tick, upwards slowly, apply antiseptic, bite area
Keyword location: paragraph 7, lines 3-6
Explanation: The third to sixth lines of paragraph 7 portrays to take some necessary measures. It advises removing the tick as soon as possible after being bitten. Using a pair of fine-tipped tweezers or a tick removal instrument is the safest option. It has been advised to hold the tick as tightly to the skin as possible and pull softly but forecfully upward. It should be done to avoid a local infection. After removal, the bite area must be washed with antiseptic or soap and water. Following that, it should be observed for a few weeks to check for any changes. If one begins to feel uneasy, they should consult a doctor. There they should clearly mention that they have recently been outside or that a tick bit them. Thus, no valid information stating to take paracetamol after the removal of the tick has been given in the passage. Hence, the statement can be regarded as an invalid one.

Question 22. It is advise to contact a doctor, if you feel ill after removing the tick.

Answer: True
Supporting sentence: for any changes contact your GP if you begin to feel unwell and remember to tell them you were bitten by a tick or have recently spent time outdoors.
Keyword :
Keyword location: paragraph 7, last line
Explanation: Paragraph 7 suggests to apply antiseptic to the bite area once it has been removed. It also mentions to wash it with soap and water, and keep an eye on it for a few weeks to check for any changes. If the person start to feel poorly, should call a doctor, and should mention that they were recently outdoors or that they were bitten by a tick. It's crucial to catch it quickly. In the 1990s, Angela Howard developed Lyme disease. She was unaware of it. She claims that her doctor instructed her to go home and monitor her symptoms. She didn't realise she might have Lyme Disease until a visiting American friend noticed something. Her friend spotted the recognisable rash concentric red rings around the site of the tick bite. She claims that her doctor was still unwilling to diagnose the Lyme disease. Therefore, the above statement can be regarded as a TRUE one.

Questions 23-27

Complete the sentences below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 23-27 on your answer sheet.

Question 23. Angela's friend recognized the Lyme Disease as soon as she saw the_________rash.

Answer: Distinctive
Supporting sentence: It was only when a visiting American friend saw the distinctive rash- concentric red rings around the place where the tick bite had occurred that she realised she might have Lyme Disease.
Keyword : distinctive, concentric red rings, Lyme Disease
Keyword location: paragraph 8, line 3
Explanation: The third line of paragraph 8 portrays that in the 1990s, Lyme disease struck Angela Howard. She was unaware of it. She claims that her doctor instructed her to go home and monitor her symptoms. She didn't realise she might have Lyme Disease until a visiting American friend. She noticed the recognisable rash, concentric red rings around the site of the tick bite. She claims that her doctor was still hesitant to identify Lyme disease.

Question 24. One problem is, it's unknown how________Lyme Disease is nowadays.

Answer: Prevalent
Supporting sentence: One problem is that no-one knows how prevalent it now is.
Keyword : problem, no-one knows, how prevalent it now is
Keyword location: paragraph 9, line 2
Explanation: The second line of paragraph 9 suggests that there is a growing body of anecdotal evidence indicating that Lyme disease frequently goes undetected. One issue is that no one is aware of its current level of prevalence. Doctors are not required to report a diagnosis of it to a centralised database. This is because it is not an illness that needs to be reported to the National Health Service. Therefore, it is impossible to determine its prevalence or the areas of the nation where it is most likely to strike. At Raigmore Hospital, Roger Evans wants to change that.

Question 25. Roger Evans says that they try to create maps of Scotland where there's a risk of__________.

Answer: Tick exposure
Supporting sentence: "We're trying to create maps of areas where there's a risk of tick exposure.
Keyword : Roger Evans, maps of areas, risk, tick exposure
Keyword location: paragraph 10, lines 1-2
Explanation: The first two lines of paragraph 10 portrays that to change that, Raigmore Hospital's Roger Evans is working. He explained, "We're using Scotland as a trial study. His team is attempting to map the locations where exposure to ticks is likely to occur. They created an app. It would provide information but also be interactive so users can enter information about where they've been bitten. Also, whether the Lyme Disease rash has emerged using satellite data from the European Space Agency.

Question 26. The one possible reason for Lyme Diseaes to move all over the world is_________.

Answer: Climate change
Supporting sentence: One theory is climate change: that small gradations in climate can create new habitats for micro-organisms, or keep them alive and active for longer.
Keyword : climate change, new habitats, alive and active for longer
Keyword location: paragraph 11, last line
Explanation: The concluding part of paragraph 11 states that why is Lyme, which 30 years ago appeared to be mostly contained to a small area of New England. Lyme is the town in Connecticut where it was initially found. It is now so common across the continental United States and in Europe. One notion is that modest variations in climate might provide microorganisms new habitats or prolong their periods of viability.

Question 27. You can catch the disease even in your own back__________.

Answer: Garden
Supporting sentence: You can get it in the Scottish Highlands, in Devon and Cornwall, in Richmond Park in London and probably in your own back garden - anywhere where there are small furry animals on whose skins a
deer tick can live.
Keyword : Scottish Highlands, back garden, small furry animals, deer tick
Keyword location: paragraph 13, lines 1-3
Explanation: The first three lines of paragraph 13 portrays that anywhere that has little furry animals whose skins a deer tick may dwell. It includes the Scottish Highlands, Devon, Cornwall, Richmond Park in London, and perhaps a person’s own backyard. This is a place where they can get it. The person can obtain therapy if you contract it.