War Debris Could Cause Cancer Reading Answers

Sep 30, 2022

War Debris could cause Cancer Reading Answers 13 questions that have to be answered in 20 minutes. Reading Answers comprises question types, namely-. Write the appropriate letter, True/False/Not given and complete the summary. Candidates are required to write the appropriate letter from options A-I, write True/False/Not Given on the basis of the given cue and information provided in the passage and complete the summary using no more than two words for each answer.

Candidates must read the IELTS reading passage, identify keywords, and recognize synonyms to answer the question.

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Reading Passage Question

Could the mystery over how depleted uranium might cause genetic damage to be closer to being solved? It may be if a controversial claim by two researchers is right. They say that minute quantities of the material lodged in the body may kick out energetic electrons that mimic the effect of beta radiation. This, they argue, could explain how residues of depleted uranium scattered across former war zones could be increasing the risk of cancers and other problems among soldiers and local people.

Depleted uranium is highly valued by the military, who use it in the tips of armour-piercing weapons. The material's high density and self-sharpening properties help it to penetrate the armour of enemy tanks and bunkers. Its use in conflicts has risen sharply in recent years. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that shells containing 1700 tonnes of the material were fired during the 2003 Iraq war. Some researchers and campaigners are convinced that depleted uranium lef. in the environment by spent munitions causes cancer, birth defects, and other ill effects in people exposed to it. Governments and the military disagree and point out that there is no conclusive epidemiological evidence for this. And while they acknowledge that the material is weakly radioactive, they say this effect is too small to explain the genetic damage at the levels seen in war veterans and civilians.

Organisations such as the UK's Royal Society, the US Department of Veterans Affairs, and UNEP have called for more comprehensive epidemiological studies to clarify the link between depleted uranium and any ill effects. Meanwhile, various test- tube and animal studies have suggested that depleted uranium may increase the risk of cancer, according to a review of the scientific literature published in May 2008 by the US National Research Council. The authors of the NRC report argue that more Iong-term and quantitative research is needed on the effects of uranium's chemical toxicity. They say the science seems to support the theory that genetic damage might be occurring because uranium's chemical toxicity and weak radioactivity could somehow reinforce each other, though no one knows what the mechanism for this might be.

Now two researchers, Chris Busby and Ewald Schnug have a new theory that they say explains how depleted uranium could cause genetic damage. Their theory invokes a well-known process called the photoelectric effect. This is the main mechanism by which gamma photons with energies of about 100-kilo electron volts (keV) or less are blocked by matter: the photon transfers its energy to an electron in the atom's electron cloud, which is ejected into the surroundings. An atom's ability to stop photons by this mechanism depends on the fourth power of its atomic number - the number of protons in its nucleus

- so heavy elements are far better at intercepting gamma radiation and X-rays than light elements. This means that uranium could be especially effective at capturing photons and kicking out damaging photoelectrons: with an atomic number of 92, uranium blocks low-energy gamma photons over 450 times as effective as the lighter element calcium, for instance.

Busby and Schnug say that previous risk models have ignored this well-established physical effect. They claim that depleted uranium could be kicking out photoelectrons in the body's most vulnerable spots. Various studies have shown that dissolved uranium - ingested in food or water, for example - is liable to attach to DNA strands within cells because uranium binds strongly to DNA phosphate. "Photoelectrons from uranium are therefore likely to be emitted precisely where they will cause the most damage to genetic material," says Busby.

Busby and Schnug base their claim on calculations of the photoelectrons that would be produced by the interaction between normal background levels of gamma radiation and uranium in the body. "Our detailed calculations indicate that the phantom photoelectrons are the predominant effect by far for uranium genome toxicity and that uranium could be 1500 times as powerful as an emitter of photoelectrons than as an alpha emitter." Their computer modelling results are described in a peer-reviewed paper to be published this month by the IONS in a book called Loads and Fate of Fertiliser Derived Uranium.

Hans-Georg Menzel, who chairs the International Commission on Radiological Protection's committee on radiation doses acknowledges that the theory should be considered, but he doubts that it will prove significant. He suspects that under normal background radiation the effect is too weak to inflict many of the "double hits" of energy that are known to be most damaging to cells.

"It is very unlikely that individual cells would be subject to two or more closely spaced photoelectron impacts under normal background gamma irradiation," he says. Despite his doubts, Menzel raised the issue last week with his committee in St Petersburg, Russia, and said that several colleagues ``intended to collect relevant data and perform calculations to check whether there was any possibility of a real effect in living tissues' '. Organisations in the UK, including the Ministry of Defence and the Health Protection Agency, say they have no plans to investigate Busby's hypothesis.

Radiation biophysicist Mark Hill of the University of Oxford would like to see a fuller investigation, though he suggests this might show that the photoelectric effect is not as powerful as Busby claims. "We need more detailed calculations and dose estimates for realistic situations with and without uranium present," he says. Hil's doubts centre on an effect called Compton scattering, which he believes needs to be factored into any calculations. With Compton scattering, uranium is only 4.5 times as effective as calcium at stopping gamma photons, so Hill says that taking it into account would reduce the relative importance of uranium as an emitter of secondary electrons. If he is right, this would dilute the mechanism proposed by Busby and Schnug.

The arguments over depleted uranium are likely to continue, whatever the outcome of these experiments. Whether Busby's theory holds up or not remains to be seen, but investigating it can only help to clear up some of the doubts about this mysterious substance.

Solution with Explanation
Questions 14-18:
The reading Passage has nine paragraphs A-I.
Which paragraph contains the following information?

Write the correct letter A-I, in boxes 14-18 on your answer sheet. NB you may use any letter more than once

A famous process is given relating to the new theory.

Answer: D
Supporting Sentence: Chris Busby and Ewald Schnug have a new theory that they say explains how depleted uranium could cause genetic damage. Their theory invokes a well-known process called the photoelectric effect.
Keywords: uranium, genetic, damage, photo electric, effect, theory
Keywords Location: Paragraph D, 1st line
Explanation: The first lines of paragraph D show a well-known mechanism related to the new idea, "Chris Busby and Ewald Schnug have a novel theory that they think explains how depleted uranium could induce genetic damage." Their theory makes use of the well-known photoelectric effect. These lines demonstrate the photoelectric effect, a well-known (famous) mechanism. It invokes Busby and Schnug's theory explaining how depleted uranium can cause genetic harm.

A person who acknowledges but suspects the theory.

Answer: G
Supporting Sentence: Hans-Georg Menzel, who chairs the International Commission on Radiological Protection's committee on radiation doses acknowledges that the theory should be considered, but he doubts that it will prove significant.
Keywords: radiation, doses, doubts, acknowledges
Keywords Location: Paragraph G, 1st line
Explanation: The opening lines of paragraph G state that Hans-Georg Menzel, chair of the committee on radiation doses for the International Commission on Radiological Protection, acknowledges that the idea should be taken into consideration but is sceptical that it would be important. These words imply that Hans-Georg Menzel, a member of the radiological protection committee, is aware of the theory under consideration but is sceptical about its potential importance.

The explanation of damage to DNA.

Answer: E
Supporting Sentence: Photoelectrons from uranium are therefore likely to be emitted precisely where they will cause the most damage to genetic material” says Busby.
Keywords: photoelectrons, uranium, damage, genetic material
Keywords Location: Paragraph E, last line
Explanation: As stated in the final sentence of paragraph E, "Photoelectrons from uranium are therefore likely to be emitted precisely where they will cause the most harm to genetic material," Busby's explanation of how DNA damage occurs. According to these lines, Busby asserts that the photoelectrons from uranium are predicted. They are to be released in a manner that causes the greatest harm to the genetic material (DNA).

A debatable and short explanation of the way of creating the problems of soldiers.

Answer: A
Supporting Sentence: how the residues of depleted uranium scattered across former war zones could be increasing the risk of cancers and other problems among soldiers and local people.
Keywords: residues, uranium, scattered, war zones, risk, cancer, problem
Keywords Location: Paragraph A, last line
Explanation: It is discussed in the final sentence of paragraph A how the depleted uranium remnants strewn around historic battlegrounds may put soldiers and locals at an increased risk for cancer and other illnesses. These lines give a brief, controversial explanation of how depleted uranium, which is dispersed around former battlegrounds, may increase the risk of cancer and other health problems for both soldiers and locals living there.

Busby’s hypothesis is not in the investigation plans of organisations.

Answer: G
Supporting Sentence: organisations in the UK, including the Ministry of Defence and the Health Protection Agency, say they have no plans to investigate Busby’s hypothesis.
Keywords: hypothesis, health protection agency, investigate
Keywords Location: Paragraph H, last line
Explanation: According to the last line of paragraph H, no plans exist for UK entities, such as the Ministry of Defence and the Health Protection Agency, to look into Busby's theory. These paragraphs make it clear that organisations do not have intentions to investigate Busby's theory.

Questions 19-22:
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage?
In boxes 19-22 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE if the statement is true
FALSE if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN if the information is not given in the passage

All people believe that depleted uranium is harmful to people’s health.

Answer: False
Supporting Sentence: how the residues of depleted uranium scattered across former war zones could be increasing the risk of cancers and other problems among soldiers and local people.
Keywords: depleted, uranium, war zone, cancer, problem
Keywords Location: Paragraph A, last line
Explanation: The claims made by two researchers in paragraph A are that the depleted uranium remnants strewn around previous battlegrounds may be raising the risk of cancer and other illnesses in both soldiers and locals. These lines offer a brief, controversial explanation of how the depleted uranium left behind in former battlegrounds may be contributing to troops' troubles by raising their risk of developing cancer and other health problems. As a result, just two researchers asserted that depleted uranium is bad for human health.

Heavier elements can perform better at preventing X-rays and gamma radiation.

Answer: True
Supporting Sentence: An atom’s ability to stop photons by this mechanism depends on the fourth power of its atomic number — the number of protons in its nucleus — so heavy elements are far better at intercepting gamma radiation and X-rays than light elements. This means that uranium could be especially effective at capturing photons and kicking out damaging photoelectrons.
Keywords: x-rays, protons, atomic number, elements, photoelectrons, uranium
Keywords Location: Paragraph D, line 4
Explanation: According to the fourth sentence of paragraph D, "Heavy elements are significantly better at intercepting gamma radiation and X-rays than light elements," an atom's ability to block photons by this method depends on the fourth power of its atomic number, or the number of protons in its nucleus. As a result, uranium may be particularly adept at absorbing photons and expelling harmful photoelectrons. These lines show that an atom's ability to deflect photons depends on its atomic number and the amount of protons in its nucleus, with the heavy elements being far more effective at doing so than the light ones at doing so.

By particular calculations, it is known that the main effect of uranium genome toxicity is phantom photoelectrons.

Answer: True
Supporting Sentence: Busby and Schnug base their claim on calculations of the photoelectrons that would be produced by the interaction between normal background levels of gamma radiation and uranium in the body.
Keywords: photoelectrons, calculations, gamma radiation, uranium
Keywords Location: Paragraph F, 1st line
Explanation: The first few sentences of paragraph F's introduction show that Busby and Schnug claim is based on calculations of the photoelectrons that would be produced by the interaction of the body's naturally occurring background levels of gamma radiation with its uranium content. We can infer from these lines that Busby and Schnug are asserting that the interaction of background gamma radiation with uranium results in the calculation of photoelectrons. They discovered that detailed calculations have established that phantom photoelectrons are the primary cause of uranium genome toxicity.

Most scientists support Mark Hill’s opinion.

Answer: Not Given
Explanation: No such relevant information has been found in the reading passage.

Questions 23-26

Complete the following summary of the paragraphs of Reading Passage› using no more than two words from the Reading Passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 23-26 on your answer sheet.

23________________ attaches importance to depleted uranium due to its 24______________ and 25 ____________ features, which are helpful in the war. However, it has ill effects on people, and then causes organisations’ appeal to do more relative studies. According to some scientists, we should do research about the impact of uranium’s 26______________ which may be enhanced with weak radioactivity.

Questions 23:

Answer: the military
Supporting Sentence: Depleted uranium is highly valued by the military, who use it in the tips of armour-piercing weapons.
Keywords: armour piercing, weapons, depleted, uranium
Keywords Location: Paragraph B, 1st line
Explanation: Because it is used in the tips of armour-piercing weapons, paragraph B shows how highly prized depleted uranium is by the military. These sentences show how highly the military appreciates and regards depleted uranium. On the tips of their armour-piercing weapons, they employ it.

Questions 24:

Answer: high density
Supporting Sentence: The material's high density and self-sharpening properties help it to penetrate the armour of enemy tanks and bunkers.
Keywords: armour, tanks, bunkers, self-sharpening, high density
Keywords Location: Paragraph B, 2nd line
Explanation: According to paragraph B, depleted uranium is highly prized by the military, who employ it in the tips of armour-piercing weapons. High density and self-sharpening characteristics of the material allow it to pierce enemy tank and bunker armour. According to these lines, armour-piercing weapons are highly valued by the military because of their high density and self-sharpening qualities, which enable them to breach the armour of enemy tanks.

Questions 25:

Answer: self-sharpening
Supporting Sentence: The material's high density and self-sharpening properties help it to penetrate the armour of enemy tanks and bunkers.
Keywords: armour, tanks, bunkers, self-sharpening, high density
Keywords Location: Paragraph B, 2nd line
Explanation: Depleted uranium is highly prized by the military, who employ it in the tips of armour-piercing weapons, according to the introduction of paragraph B. Due to its high density and self-sharpening qualities, the material is able to pierce the armour of opposing tanks and bunkers. We can infer from these lines that depleted uranium, which has the properties of self-sharpening and high density, is employed in the military's armour-piercing weapons.

Questions 26:

Answer: chemical toxicity
Supporting Sentence: The authors of the NRC report argue that more Long-term and quantitative research is needed on the effects of uranium's chemical toxicity.
Keywords: NRC, long term, quantitative, effects, uranium
Keywords Location: Paragraph C, 2nd last line
Explanation: The authors of the NRC study contend that more extensive, quantitative research on the consequences of uranium's chemical toxicity is required, as stated in the last line of paragraph C. These words show that some experts believe additional study on the chemical toxicity of uranium is necessary and could aid in boosting the weak radioactivity.