Doctoring Sales Reading Answers

Dec 17, 2022

Doctoring Sales Reading Answers Doctoring is an IELTS reading passage topic that has been referenced from IELTS Academic Reading Cambridge 6 Test 4. Doctoring Sales Reading Answers discusses the unethical interaction between medical representatives and physicians. Moreover, this IELTS reading passage also highlights how medical representatives bribe institutions and physicians by providing free dinners and vacations in exchange for their business. This IELTS reading topic highlights a total of 13 questions and is divided into question types such as; matching the paragraphs, and yes/no/not given. To practice relevant topics like this, candidates can consider IELTS reading practice tests that consists of varied question types and several IELTS reading passages.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Doctoring Sales Reading Answers

A few months ago Kim Schaefer, sales representative of a minor global pharmaceutical company, walked into a medical center in New York to bring information and free samples of her company's latest products. That day she was lucky- a doctor was available to see her. 'The last rep offered me a trip to Florida. What do you have?' the physician asked. He was only half-joking.
What was on offer that day was a pair of tickets for a New York musical. But on any given day what Schaefer can offer is typical for today's drugs rep -a car trunk full of promotional gifts and gadgets, a budget that could buy lunches and dinners for a small county, hundreds of free drug samples, and the freedom to give a physician $200 to prescribe her new product to the next six patients who fit the drug's profile. And she also has a few $ 1,000 honoraria to offer in exchange for doctors' attendance at her company's next educational lecture.
Selling Pharmaceuticals is a daily exercise in ethical judgment. Salespeople like Schaefer walk the line between the common practice of buying a prospect's time with a free meal and bribing doctors to prescribe their drugs. They work in an industry highly criticized for its sales and marketing practices, but find themselves in the middle of the age-old chicken-or-egg question - businesses won't use strategies that don't work, so are doctors to blame for the escalating extravagance of pharmaceutical marketing? Or is it the industry's responsibility to decide the boundaries?
The explosion in the sheer number of salespeople in the Reid- and the amount of funding used to promote their causes- forces close examination of the pressures, influences, and relationships between drug reps and doctors. Salespeople provide much-needed information and education to physicians. In many cases, the glossy brochures, article reprints and prescriptions they deliver are primary sources of drug education for healthcare givers. With the huge investment the industry has placed in face-to-face selling, salespeople have essentially become specialists in one drug or group of drugs - a tremendous advantage in getting the attention of busy doctors in need of quick information
But the sales push rarely stops in the office. The flashy brochures and pamphlets left by the sales reps are often followed up with meals at expensive restaurants, meetings in warm and sunny places, and an inundation of promotional gadgets. Rarely do patients watch a doctor write with a pen that isn't emblazoned with a drug's name, or see a nurse use a tablet not bearing a pharmaceutical company's logo. Millions of dollars are spent by pharmaceutical companies on promotional products like coffee mugs, shirts, umbrellas, and golf balls. Money well spent? It's hard to tell. I've been the recipient of golf balls from one company and I use them, but it doesn't make me prescribe their medicine,' says one doctor.' I tend to think I'm not influenced by what they give me.'
Free samples of new and expensive drugs might be the single most effective way of getting doctors and patients to become loyal to a product. Salespeople hand out hundreds of dollars' worth of samples each week-$7.2 billion worth of them in one year. Though few comprehensive studies have been conducted, one by the University of Washington investigated how drug sample availability affected what physicians prescribe. A total of 131 doctors self-reported their prescribing patterns-the conclusion was that the availability of samples led them to dispense and prescribe drugs that differed from their preferred drug choice.
The bottom line is that pharmaceutical companies as a whole invest more in marketing than they do in research and development. And patients are the ones who pay-in the form of sky-rocketing prescription prices for every pen that's handed out, every free theatre ticket, and every steak dinner eaten. In the end, the fact remains that pharmaceutical companies have every right to make a profit and will continue to find new ways to increase sales. But as the medical world continues to grapple with what's acceptable and what's not, it is clear that companies must continue to be heavily scrutinized for their sales and marketing strategies.

Questions 1-7

Reading Passage I has seven paragraphs, A-G.

Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.

Write the correct number, i-x, in boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet.

List of Headings

Not all doctors are persuaded
Choosing the best offers
Who is responsible for the increase in promotions?
Fighting the drug companies
An example of what doctors expect from drug companies
Gifts include financial incentives
Research shows that promotion works
The high costs of research
The positive side of drug promotion
Who really pays for doctors' free gifts?

Paragraph A
Paragraph B
Paragraph C
Paragraph D
Paragraph E
Paragraph F
Paragraph G

Question 1:

Answer 1: v
Supporting Sentence: That day she was lucky- a doctor was available to see her. 'The last rep offered me a trip to Florida. What do you have?' the physician asked. He was only half-joking.
Keyword: doctor, last rep, Florida, physician
Keyword Location: Paragraph A; Line 3
Explanation: This phrase sums up perfectly what physicians anticipate receiving from pharmaceutical companies—trips and even nicer presents.

Question 2:

Answer 2: vi
Supporting Sentence: a budget that could buy lunches and dinners for a small county, hundreds of free drug samples, and the freedom to give a physician $200 to prescribe her new product to the next six patients who fit the drug's profile.
Keyword: budget, lunches, dinners, free drug samples, $200.
Keyword Location: Paragraph B; Line 2
Explanation: The supporting sentence sums up the cue as mentioned in this question. Thus, the correct option for this question is paragraph B.

Question 3:

Answer 3: iii
Supporting Sentence: They work in an industry highly criticized for its sales and marketing practices, but find themselves in the middle of the age-old chicken-or-egg question - businesses won't use strategies that don't work, so are doctors to blame for the escalating extravagance of pharmaceutical marketing?
Keyword: work, industry, marketing practices, escalating extravagance, pharmaceutical marketing
Keyword Location: Paragraph C; Line 2
Explanation: The term shows how excessive advertising is required by pharmaceutical marketing and that doctors are partly to fault for it.

Question 4:

Answer 4: ix
Supporting Sentence: Salespeople provide much-needed information and education to physicians, primary sources of drug education for healthcare givers, huge investment the industry has placed in face-to-face selling, salespeople have essentially become specialists In one drug or group of drugs – a tremendous advantage In getting the attention of busy doctors in need of quick information.
Keyword: Salespeople, physicians, face-to-face selling, tremendous advantage
Keyword Location: Paragraph D; Line 2 – 4
Explanation: Salespeople are the major sources of drug education for healthcare providers, providing physicians with much-needed knowledge and instruction. As a result of the industry's significant investment in face-to-face marketing, salespeople have effectively evolved into specialists. An enormous benefit in gaining the attention of busy doctors who require immediate information is found in one medicine or set of pharmaceuticals. Thus, this justifies the mentioned heading as answer.

Question 5:

Answer 5: i
Supporting Sentence: ‘I’ve been the recipient of golf balls from one company and I use them, but it doesn’t make me prescribe their medicine,’ says one doctor. ‘I tend to think I’m not influenced by what they give me.’
Keyword: golf balls, prescribe, influenced
Keyword Location: Paragraph E; Line 6
Explanation: The given supporting sentence justifies the mentioned heading and matches the paragraph. Thus, the answer to the question is Paragraph E.

Question 6:

Answer 6: vii
Supporting Sentence: Though few comprehensive studies have been conducted, one by the University of Washington investigated how drug sample availability affected what physicians prescribe.
Keyword: comprehensive studies, University of Washington, physicians prescribe
Keyword Location: Paragraph F; Line 3
Explanation: This crucial phrase clarifies that doctors do prescribe medications for which they have received free samples. Their medications have also changed as a result of this.

Question 7:

Answer 7: x
Supporting Sentence: And patients are the ones who pay-in the form of sky-rocketing prescription prices for every pen that's handed out, every free theatre ticket, and every steak dinner eaten.
Keyword: patients, sky-rocketing, theatre ticket,
Keyword Location: Paragraph G; Line 2
Explanation: The patients are the ones paying the bills, and pharmaceutical corporations will continue to operate in a lucrative manner, thus this is the logical argument.

Questions 8-13:

Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading Passage 151?
In boxes 8-13 on your answer sheet, write

YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the views of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks

Sales representatives like Kim Schaefer work to a very limited budget.
Kim Schaefer's marketing technique may be open to criticism on moral grounds.
The information provided by drug companies is of little use to doctors.
Evidence of drug promotion is clearly visible in the healthcare environment.
The drug companies may give free drug samples to patients without doctors' prescriptions
It is legitimate for drug companies to make money.

Question 8:

Answer 8: NO
Supporting Sentence: But on any given day what Schaefer can offer is typical for today's drugs rep -a car trunk full of promotional gifts and gadgets, a budget that could buy lunches and dinners for a small county, hundreds of free drug samples, and the freedom to give a physician $200 to prescribe her new product to the next six patients who fit the drug's profile.
Keyword: Schaefer, drugs rep, drugs rep, $200
Keyword Location: Paragraph B; Line 2 – 3
Explanation: However, what Schaefer can provide on any given day is typical for a drug rep today: a car trunk full of promotional items and gadgets, a budget big enough to cover meals for an entire small county, hundreds of free drug samples, and the option to give a doctor $200 to prescribe her new product to the subsequent six patients who fit the drug's criteria. The justification makes it clear that Schaefer doesn't operate on tight budgets since they have been given much too many resources to hammer out a deal with the physicians.

Question 9:

Answer 9: YES
Supporting Sentence: Selling Pharmaceuticals is a daily exercise in ethical judgment. Salespeople like Schaefer walk the line between the common practice of buying a prospect's time with a free meal and bribing doctors to prescribe their drugs.
Keyword: pharmaceuticals, ethical judgment, prospect’s time.
Keyword Location: Paragraph C; Lines 1 – 2
Explanation: A daily test of ethical judgment is selling pharmaceuticals. Salespeople like Schaefer tread a fine line between the usual practise of purchasing a prospect's time with a complimentary dinner and paying doctors to prescribe their products. The mentioned passages are ideal for the explanation since they show how the task was done in part unethically and in a corrupt manner.

Question 10:

Answer 10: NO
Supporting Sentence: Salespeople provide much-needed information and education to physicians. In many cases, the glossy brochures, article reprints and prescriptions they deliver are primary sources of drug education for healthcare givers
Keyword: Salespeople, physicians, glossy brochures, reprints
Keyword Location: Paragraph D; Line 2
Explanation: The information received from salespeople provides valuable knowledge to the physicians as has been stated in the keyword.

Question 11:

Answer 11: YES
Supporting Sentence: Rarely do patients watch a doctor write with a pen that Isn’t emblazoned with a drug’s name, or see a nurse use a tablet not bearing a pharmaceutical company’s logo.
Keyword: patients, emblazoned
Keyword Location: Paragraph E; Line 3
Explanation: Patients infrequently witness doctors using pens without medicine names imprinted on them or nurses using tablets without the branding of a pharmaceutical manufacturer. Drug advertising is widely recognised, and the example provided ably supports the query.

Question 12:

Answer 12: NOT GIVEN
Explanation: There has been no provision of relevant information associated with the question in this reading passage.

Question 13:

Answer 13: YES
Supporting Sentence: In the end the fact remains that pharmaceutical companies have every right to make a profit and will continue to find new ways to increase sales.
Keyword: pharmaceutical companies, profit, increase sales.
Keyword Location: Paragraph G; Line 3
Explanation: The truth is that pharmaceutical corporations will continue to seek for innovative strategies to boost sales and have every right to earn a profit. Pharma businesses will continue to operate and earn a profit, and that is OK. The appropriate data is presented to back up the claim.

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