CONFIDENTIAL

LG/JUN 2015/ELC501

TOTAL: 40 MARKS
Read the following article and answer ALL the questions that follow.
Pain is Not the Ultimate Enemy
I

Americans are probably the most pain-conscious people on the face of the
earth. For years they have had it drummed into them through electronic and
print media that any hint of pain is to be banished as though it were the
ultimate evil. As a result, they are becoming a nation of pill-grabbers and
hypochondriacs, escalating the slightest ache into a searing ordeal. 5
Approximately 80 per cent of the worlds pain pills are consumed in the United
States, according to a 2011 congressional testimony from the American Society
of Interventional Pain Physicians.

II

Since 1999, sales of prescription painkillers in the United States have

quadrupled. According to a recent study by the US Centers for Disease Control 10
and Prevention (CDC), in little over one decade (1999-2010), deaths from
prescription painkiller overdose, whether accidental or intentional, leapt up to
400 per cent among women and 265 per cent among men. So have the number
of fatal poisonings from prescription painkillers. CNN chief medical
correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta wrote in an editorial, It is easier for a doctor 15
to write a prescription than to explore other effective options to combat pain.
Also, it is easier for patients to take prescription pills than to search for
alternatives themselves. Both practices must absolutely change.

III

We know very little about pain and what we do not know makes it hurt all the
more. Indeed, no form of illiteracy in the United States is as widespread or 20
costly as ignorance about pain. Almost everyone can rattle off the names of at
least a dozen drugs that can deaden pain from every conceivable cause, all the
way from headaches to hemorrhoids. There is far less knowledge about the fact
that about 90 per cent of pain is self-limiting, that it is not always an indication of
poor health, and that, most frequently, it is the result of tension, idleness, 25
suppressed rage, unhealthy lifestyle, or any of the other abuses encountered in
modern society.

IV

Most doctors are profoundly troubled over the extent to which the medical
profession today is taking on the trappings of a painkilling industry. Their offices
are overloaded with people who are morbidly but mistakenly convinced that 30
something dreadful is about to happen to them. It is all too evident that the
campaign to get people to run to a doctor at the first sign of pain has
boomeranged. Physicians find it difficult to give adequate attention to patients
genuinely in need of expert diagnosis and treatment because their time is

Hak Cipta UniversitiTeknologi MARA

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

LG/JUN 2015/ELC501

soaked up by people who have nothing wrong with them except a temporary
indisposition or psychogenic ache.
V

If ignorance about the nature of pain is widespread, ignorance about the way
painkilling drugs work is even more so. What is not generally understood is that
many of the much hyped painkilling drugs inhibit the mechanism in the body
that alerts the brain to the fact that something may be wrong. The body can pay
a high price for suppression of pain without regard to its basic cause. The most
ignored fact of all about pain is that the best way to eliminate it is to eliminate
the abuse of painkillers. Instead, many people reach almost instinctively for
painkillers: aspirins, tranquillisers, sleeping pills, and dozens of other analgesics
or desensitising drugs.

35

40

45

VI

A study in 1991 found prescription painkillers the most commonly misused drug
among professional athletes. Another study in 1991 showed that 75 per cent of
college athletes used them for sports-related injuries. Professional athletes are
sometimes severely disadvantaged by trainers whose job is to keep them in
action. The more famous the athlete, the greater the risk that he may be 50
subjected to extreme medical measures when injury strikes. Many star athletes
are cut down in their prime as they themselves become victims of overzealous
treatment of their injuries.

VII

The king of all painkillers, of course, is aspirin. The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) permits aspirin to be sold without prescription, but the
drug, contrary to popular belief, can be dangerous and, in sustained doses,
potentially lethal. Aspirin is self-administered by more people than any drug in
the world. Some people are aspirin-poppers, taking ten or more a day. What
they do not know is that the smallest dose can cause internal breeding. Even
more serious is the fact that aspirin is an antagonist to collagen, which has a
key role in the formation of connective tissues. Since many forms of arthritis
involve the disintegration of the connective tissues, the steady use of aspirin
can intensify the underlying arthritic condition.

VIII

IX

55

60

Besides aspirin, there are other painkilling drugs which are known to have
dangerous side effects. Dr. Daphne A. Roe of Cornell University, at a medical 65
meeting in New York City in 1974, presented startling evidence of a wide range
of hazards associated with sedatives and other pain suppressants. Some of
these drugs seriously interfere with the ability of the body to metabolise food
properly, producing malnutrition. One of these drugs is opioids which can
suppress ones appetite. In some instances, there is also the danger of bone- 70
marrow depression, interfering with the ability of the body to replenish its blood
supply.
Pharmacies received and ultimately dispensed the equivalent of 69 tonnes of
pure oxycodone and 42 tonnes of pure hydrocodone in 2010 being the last year

Hak Cipta UniversitiTeknologi MARA

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

LG/JUN 2015/ELC501

for which statistics are made available - enough to give 40 5-mg Percocets and 75
24 5-mg Vicodins to every person in the United States. The Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA) records data on shipments from distributors to
pharmacies, hospitals, practitioners and teaching institutions. The drugs are
prescribed and sold to patients, but the DEA does not keep track of what
quantity individual patients receive. Part of the reason for the increase is the 80
aging U.S. population with pain issues and a greater willingness by doctors to
treat pain.
X

The indiscriminate use of painkilling drugs is making psychological cripples

and chronic sufferers out of millions of people. The unremitting barrage of
advertising for painkilling drugs, especially on television, has set the stage for 85
mass anxiety neurosis. Almost from the moment children are old enough to sit
upright in front of a television screen, they are being indoctrinated into the
hypochondriacs clamorous and morbid world. Little wonder so many people
fear pain more than death itself. However, painkilling drugs are among the
greatest advances in the history of medicine. Properly used, they can be a boon 90
in alleviating suffering and in treating diseases. Prescription medications can
provide enormous health and quality-of-life benefits to patients.

XI

It might be a good idea if concerned physicians and educators could get

together to make knowledge about pain an important part of the school
curriculum. As for the population at large, perhaps some of the same
techniques used by public service agencies to make people cancer-conscious
can be used to counteract the growing terror of pain and illness in general.
People ought to know that nothing is more remarkable about the human body
than its recuperative drive, given a small degree of respect. If our broadcasting
stations cannot provide equal time for responses to the painkilling
advertisements, they could at least set aside a few minutes each day for public
service information on the subject of pain. As for the FDA, it might be interesting
to know why an agency that has energetically warned the American people
against taking vitamins without prescriptions is doing so little to control over-thecounter sales each year of billions of painkilling pills, some of which can do
more harm than the pain they are supposed to suppress.

Adapted from:
Cousins, N. (2003). Pain is not the ultimate enemy. In S.V. Buscemi & C. Smith
(pp. 276-279), 75 Reading plus (7th ed.). McGraw Hill.

QUESTION 1

Hak Cipta UniversitiTeknologi MARA

CONFIDENTIAL

95

100

105

CONFIDENTIAL

LG/JUN 2015/ELC501

Interpret the following words as they are used in the passage.

a) banished (line 3)

______________________________________________

b) profoundly (line 28)

______________________________________________

c) indiscriminate (line 83)

______________________________________________

d) counteract (line 97)

______________________________________________
(4 marks)

QUESTION 2
Identify the issue presented in the article.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
(2 marks)
QUESTION 3
Identify the authors position on the issue presented in this article.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(2 marks)
QUESTION 4
Explain what the author is implying when the author states The most ignored fact of all
about pain is that the best way to eliminate it is to eliminate the abuse of painkillers (lines
41-43)?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
(2 marks)
QUESTION 5

Hak Cipta UniversitiTeknologi MARA

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

LG/JUN 2015/ELC501

Identify the stated main idea of paragraph VIII and give ONE MAJOR supporting detail that
supports this main idea.
a) Stated main idea :
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
b) Major supporting detail :
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
(2 marks)
QUESTION 6
Write out the implied main idea of paragraph XI.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(2 marks)
QUESTION 7
Read each of the following statements. Decide whether each statement is a Fact or an
Opinion and explain why. Write your answer in the space provided.
a) Americans are probably the most pain-conscious people on the face of the earth.
(Paragraph I)
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

Hak Cipta UniversitiTeknologi MARA

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

LG/JUN 2015/ELC501

b) Another study in 1991 showed 75 per cent of college athletes used

them for sports-related injuries. (Paragraph VI)
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
c)

Since many forms of arthritis involve the disintegration of the connective tissues, the
steady use of aspirin can intensify the underlying arthritic condition. (Paragraph VII)

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
(6 marks)
QUESTION 8
Identify the type of support for each supporting detail with the following options. Use each
option only once.
Expert opinion

Statistics

Historical data

Examples

Expert testimony

Supporting Details
a
)

Approximately 80 per cent of the worlds pain pills are

consumed in the United States, according to a 2011
congressional testimony from the American Society of
Interventional Pain Physicians. (Paragraph I)

b
)

According to a recent study by the US Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention (CDC), in little over one decade
(1999-2010), deaths from prescription painkiller overdose,
whether accidental or intentional, leapt up to 400 per cent
among women and 265 per cent among men. (Paragraph II)

c)

CNN chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta wrote in

an editorial, It is easier for a doctor to write a prescription
than to explore other effective options to combat pain. Also it
is easier for patients to take prescription pills than to search
for alternatives themselves. Both practices must absolutely
change. (Paragraph II)

d
)

Instead, many people reach almost instinctively for

painkillers: aspirins, tranquillisers, sleeping pills, and dozens
of other analgesics or desensitising drugs. (Paragraph V)

Type of Support

(4 marks)

Hak Cipta UniversitiTeknologi MARA

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

LG/JUN 2015/ELC501

Please circle the relevant option for Questions 9 to 11.

QUESTION 9
Identify two (2) inferences that can be made about paragraph VI.
I.
II.
III.
IV.

Painkillers are the only treatment available for professional athletes injuries.
Painkiller abuse is prevalent in professional sports.
Team doctors and coaches are ignorant of the dangers of painkillers.
Professional athletes are at risk of over-reliance on painkillers due to the
increased pressure for higher performance.

Indicate your answers by circling the appropriate responses.

a)
b)
c)
d)

I and II only
II and III only
I and IV only
II and IV only
(2 marks)

QUESTION 10
Identify two (2) specific categories of people who are the writers intended audience.
a) ___________________________
b) ___________________________
(1 mark)
QUESTION 11
The tone of the author can best be described as
a)
b)
c)
d)

neutral
caring
sympathetic
concerned
(1 mark)

QUESTION 12
State the authors purpose for writing such an article.
_________________________________________________________________________

Hak Cipta UniversitiTeknologi MARA

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

LG/JUN 2015/ELC501

_________________________________________________________________________
(1 mark)
QUESTION 13
Evaluate the type of bias demonstrated by the author in the following lines and provide at
least four (4) instances from the language used in the text to support your evaluation:
The indiscriminate use of painkilling drugs is making psychological cripples and
chronic sufferers out of millions of people. The unremitting barrage of advertising
for painkilling drugs, especially on television, has set the stage for mass anxiety
neurosis. Almost from the moment children are old enough to sit upright in front of
a television screen, they are being indoctrinated into the hypochondriacs
clamorous and morbid world. Little wonder so many people fear pain more than
death itself.
.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
(3 marks)

QUESTION 14
Draw a possible conclusion based on the reasoning used in the given text:
Americans are probably the most pain-conscious people on the face of the earth. For years
they have had it drummed into them through electronic and print media that any hint of pain

Hak Cipta UniversitiTeknologi MARA

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

10

LG/JUN 2015/ELC501

is to be banished as though it were the ultimate evil. As a result, they are becoming a nation
of pill-grabbers and hypochondriacs, escalating the slightest ache into a searing ordeal.
Approximately 80 per cent of the worlds pain pills are consumed in the United States,
according to a 2011 congressional testimony from the American Society of Interventional
Pain Physicians
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
(1 mark)
QUESTION 15
Draw a possible conclusion based on the reasoning used in the given text.
Pharmacies received and ultimately dispensed the equivalent of 69 tonnes of pure
oxycodone and 42 tonnes of pure hydrocodone in 2010 being the last year for which
statistics are made available - enough to give 40 5-mg Percocets and 24 5-mg Vicodins to
every person in the United States. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) records
data on shipments from distributors to pharmacies, hospitals, practitioners and teaching
institutions. The drugs are prescribed and sold to patients, but the DEA does not keep track
of what quantity individual patients receive. Part of the reason for the increase is the aging
U.S. population with pain issues and a greater willingness by doctors to treat pain.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
(1 mark)
QUESTION 16
Evaluate the validity and credibility of the authors argument in the article. Explain your
answer with evidence or points from the article.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

Hak Cipta UniversitiTeknologi MARA

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

11

LG/JUN 2015/ELC501

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
(3 marks)
QUESTION 17
Evaluate the authors argument for completeness. Provide evidence that contributes to the
completeness or incompleteness of the argument in this article.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

Hak Cipta UniversitiTeknologi MARA

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

12

LG/JUN 2015/ELC501

(3 marks)

END OF QUESTION PAPER

Hak Cipta UniversitiTeknologi MARA

CONFIDENTIAL