The Fever: Malaria and Humankind

Which phrase best describes the primary purpose of paragraph 2?

• To show that malaria also affects animals

• To explain how malaria is similar to a plague

• To question why malaria has evolved differently than other pathogens

• To warn people in Africa about the dangers of mosquito-borne malaria

Read this information about the origin of the word parasite.

parasite n  Greek, from para- “alongside” + sitos “food”

What is the meaning of parasite as it is used in paragraph 2?

• An organism that connects to and eats from another creature

• An illness that spreads when a host consumes contaminated food

• An organism that evolves to consume the same foods as another creature 

• An illness that spreads to and thrives among creatures with a shared diet

Which statement best summarizes the thesis of the article as it is articulated in paragraphs 1–3?

• Malaria is impossible to figure out because of the lack of scientific knowledge about pathogens.

• Scientists cannot understand how malaria has evolved to become increasingly deadly the longer humans live around it. 

• Malaria is a deadly disease that perplexes scientists because it cannot be cured like most diseases.

• While most pathogens become less deadly over time, malaria remains as deadly today as it ever was.

Read this information about the origin of the word entomological.

entomological n Greek, from entomon “denoting an insect” + -logia, -logy “study”

What is the entomological sphere the author mentions in paragraph 8?

• The world of scientists who study insects

• The world of mosquitoes 

• The world of humans living in wild habitats

• The world of algae

Which phrase describes the author’s most likely purpose for writing this selection?

• To explore the evolution of malaria into an uncommonly virulent disease

• To contrast the effects of malaria with the effects of other diseases

• To compare malaria to other incurable diseases

• To report recent advances in malaria research

Which sentence from the selection best supports the answer to the previous question about the author's most likely purpose for writing this selection?

• It doesn’t make much sense for a pathogen to rapidly destroy its victim—a dead body just means it’s time to move on. (paragraph 1)

• One simple reason for malaria’s ferocity is that the protozoan creature that causes the disease is, by definition, a cheater at the game of life. (paragraph 4)

• The rest of us do our obscure little part in the drama of life . . . the bees pollinating the flowers, predators culling the herds of the weakest members. (paragraph 4)

• According to science writer Carl Zimmer, one third of all described species practice the parasitic lifestyle. (paragraph 6)

The author presents some information in a cause-and-effect format. What causes most pathogens to become less deadly over time?

• Scientists study diseases to gain more knowledge. 

• Populations build immunity to common pathogens.

• Pathogens need a living host to survive.

• People learn to avoid common sources of illness.

  People learn to avoid common sources of illness.

Select the two pieces of evidence from the selection that help explain what caused the malaria pathogen to evolve to its current state.

• Some pathogens evolved to keep their hosts alive.

• Plasmodium has strengthened its ability to photosynthesize.

• A parasite evolved to thrive in the blood of mammals.

• Barnacles called Sacculina carcini fed on larger creatures.

• Algae entered creatures via wounds from mosquito bites.

Who is the most likely intended audience for this text?

• A medical doctor

• An entomologist

• A child interested in science

• The average adult

Read the sentence about the selection.

The narrator accurately describe how several diseases evolve over time.

How can this sentence be rewritten to fix any errors in subject-verb agreement? (Note: There is no compound subject in this sentence.)

• The narrator accurately describes how several diseases evolve over time.

• The narrators accurately describe how several disease evolves over time.

• The narrator accurately describes how several disease evolve over time.

• The narrators accurately describe how several diseases evolves over time.

  The narrators accurately describe how several diseases evolves over time.