Contamination is the Unintended Presence of Harmful Substances GMAT Reading Comprehension

Reading Passage Question

Contamination is the unintended presence of harmful substances or organisms in food. While it is true that recent scientific advances have resulted in safer foods, better methods of preservation, and improved storage practices, it is still necessary to guard against the practices that can increase the likelihood of food contamination. Because food-borne illness poses a potentially serious threat to public health, preventing contamination of safe food needs to be a prime objective of every food service manager. Furthermore, a food service manager must possess accurate information on the different hazards associated with the contamination of food in the event that a food-borne illness crisis does arise. A full understanding of the biological, chemical, and physical hazards allows the food service manager to implement the control measures necessary to minimize the health risks associated with food and, thus, to decrease the possibility of contamination. The most serious risk associated with food is the biological hazard. Biological hazards are dangers to food from pathogenic (disease-causing) microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi, and from toxins that occur in certain plants and fish. When biological hazards result in food-borne illnesses, these illnesses are generally classified as either infections or intoxications. A food-borne infection is a disease that results from eating food containing living harmful microorganisms. One of the most frequently reported diseases of this type is salmonellosis, which results from the consumption of food contaminated with live pathogenic Salmonella. The other major form of biologically induced food-borne illness is intoxication, which results when toxins, or poisons, from bacterial or mold growth are present in ingested food and cause illness in the host (the human body). These toxins are generally odorless and tasteless and are capable of causing disease even after the microorganisms have been killed. Staphylococcus food intoxication is one of the most common types of foodborne illness reported in the United States.

Contamination is the unintended presence of harmful substances is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.

This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 3 comprehension questions. The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are designed for the purpose of testing candidates’ abilities in understanding, analysing, and applying information or concepts. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.

Questions and Solutions

1. Which of the following best expresses the main idea of the passage?

A) Despite recent scientific advances, food-borne illness continues to present a serious risk to public health.
B) Although chemical and physical hazards can cause a food-borne illness, biological hazards pose the most serious risk of food contamination.
C) Knowledge of contamination sources is essential for a food service manager to safely operate a food establishment.
D) Biological, chemical, and physical hazards represent the main sources of food contamination.
E) The illnesses caused by the contamination of food by biological hazards take the form of either a food-borne infection or a food-borne intoxication.

2. The author of the passage would most likely agree that a food service manager’s comprehension of the nature of potential food hazards is

A) crucial to the safety of a food service operation.
B) necessarily limited due to the complexity of contamination sources.
C) the primary factor in an employer’s decision to hire that manager.
D) utilized exclusively for the prevention of food-borne illness.
E) vitally important but nearly impossible to attain.

3. According to the passage, pathogenic microorganisms

A) are the most common form of biological hazard.
B) can only trigger a food-borne illness when alive.
C) are toxins that occur in certain plants and fish.
D) include life forms such as bacteria and parasites.
E) are difficult to detect because they are odorless and tasteless.

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