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LG/NOV 2011/BEL462/460

Read the following article about animal testing by Ranjan Shandilya and answer ALL the questions that follow. You may refer to your textbook and English-English dictionary. (20 marks) Should Animal Testing Be Banned? I It has been a very common practice to test household compounds, cosmetics and pharmaceutical products on animals for a very long time. As a matter of fact, it has been estimated that nearly 20 million animals are used for testing and are killed annually. Out of these, 15 million are tested for medication and 5 million are tested for other products. Reports also indicate that about 10% of these animals are not administered with adequate pain killers. Across the world, new products ranging from cancer drugs to soaps and shampoos are tested on animals. There are many questions regarding the ethics of using animals for testing. Hence, several regulations have been put in place that evaluate and control the animals that are being used for testing purposes. It is believed that these regulations will ensure that research is carried out in as humane and as ethical a manner as possible. However, these regulations are also under a lot of argument. A survey conducted in the American Medical Association indicates that 99% of all active physicians in the United States believe that animal research has given rise to medical advancements. In fact, about 97% of the physicians also supported the continuous use of animals for clinical and basic research. The main reason behind this is the fact that scientists have found that there is very little difference between lab animals and humans. A British organisation by the name of Research Defense Society (RDS) that was instituted to defend animal testing indicates that most of the complaints made against animal testing are not correct and also that animal testing generates invaluable information about how new drugs would react inside a living body. The tests have to be continued in order to detect any major health problems that could be caused by the drugs like liver damage, enhanced blood pressure, nerve damage and damages to the fetus. When every member in our family is hale and hearty, it is very difficult to understand why innocent animals are used for testing purposes that usually end up killing them. But it usually starts to make more sense when someone in the family or you yourself start suffering from a life threatening disease. It is a very symbiotic relationship that is also a very integral part of medical research. Testing on animals has helped develop vaccines for many life threatening diseases like Herpes Simplex, Hepatitis B, Polio, rabies, malaria, mumps and viruses related to organ transplant rejection. In addition to this, animal testing has also helped in the refinement of procedures related to measuring blood pressure, pacemaker technology and the treatment of heart and lung diseases. You may be surprised to read that anesthesia which is used to numb the body during surgery and acute pain is available today after it was successfully tested on animals first. Human beings are not the only living creatures that have benefited from animal testing. Heart worm medication was devised from research on animals and has today
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helped in saving the lives of many dogs. Animal research has also provided better understanding of cat nutrition and the reasons behind why cats live longer and remain healthier. VIII Finding a cure and a vaccine for AIDS has become one of the most important goals of the medical research industry. The animal models for AIDS are a very important part of the research as they help in understanding the biology of immune-deficiency viruses. The fact of the matter is that to make advances in the field of medicine, animal testing is a must. Restraining or banning the testing by animal activists will not help in any way. It is up to us and all individuals belonging to animal organisations and medical research to ensure that the same is carried out in a safe and ethical manner causing as little pain and discomfort as possible to the animal. If animal testing were to be outlawed then there would be very little scope of obtaining information that would be necessary to eliminate suffering and premature deaths in both humans and animals.
(Retrieved and adapted from : http://www.buzzle.com/articles/animal-testing-pros.html)

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1) What is the overall argument made by the author in the article? A. Animal testing should be banned because there are other more humane ways to test medicines and products. B. Animal testing should be banned because it is cruel to animals. C. Animal testing should not be banned because it contributes to medical advances. D. Animal testing should not be banned because there are regulations to ensure humane treatment of animals. (1 mark) 2) Label the statements according to the type of support: Expert Opinion, Column A Research Finding, Statistics, Column B A survey conducted in the American Medical Association indicates that 99% of all active physicians in the United States believe that animal research has given rise to medical advancements. A British organisation by the name of Research Defense Society (RDS) that was instituted to defend animal testing indicates that most of the complaints made against animal testing are not correct and also that animal testing generates invaluable information about how new drugs would react inside a living body.
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Personal Opinion

a) ____________________

b) ____________________

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c) ____________________

As a matter of fact, it has been estimated that nearly 20 million animals are used for testing and are killed annually. When every member in our family is hale and hearty, it is very difficult to understand why innocent animals are used for testing purposes that usually end up killing them. (4 marks)

d) ____________________

3) Complete the table below based on Paragraph III Type of reasoning Major Premise b) ____________________ c) ____________________ Statement a) _________________________________________ Animal testing has led to medical advancement. Therefore, animal testing should be continued. (3 marks) 4) What can be inferred from the following statement? Animal testing is a very integral part of medical research. (Paragraph V). A. Animal testing plays a major role in medical research. B. The medical field is totally dependent on animal testing to test medicines. C. Animal testing plays only a minor role in medical research. D. The medical field can progress without animal testing. (1 mark) 5) In Paragraph II, the author states that However, these regulations are also under a lot of argument. What are the two possible arguments based on the statement above? A. Most animal testers are humane and ethical. B. The regulations may not be implemented by all animal testers. C. The regulations can ensure humane and ethical animal testing. D. It is difficult to monitor all tests conducted on animals. (2 marks)

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6) Do you think animal testing should be banned? Give reasons to support your answer. Animal testing should not be banned because medical advancement depends on the use _________________________________________________________________________ of lab animals. Adverse effects of drugs can be determined by applying the drugs on lab _________________________________________________________________________ animals before the drugs can be use to humans. Adverse effects of drugs such as liver _________________________________________________________________________ damage, increase in blood pressure, nerve damage and fetus damage can be avoided if _________________________________________________________________________ the drug are applied to lab animals first. Even though the animal testing has cause the _________________________________________________________________________ death of millions animals per year, no alternative method to replace the use of animals. _________________________________________________________________________ (3 marks) 7) Is the authors argument valid? Give evidence from the article. In the article, the author gives relevant and verifiable supports. The author gives statistic _________________________________________________________________________ such as a survey conducted by American Medical Association which can be verified from _________________________________________________________________________ the association. The author also uses support from Research Defense Society (RDS) _________________________________________________________________________ which also can be verified. The given supports strengthen authors argument to defend the _________________________________________________________________________ use of lab animals for medical advancement. _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ (3 marks) 8) Is the authors argument complete? Give evidence from the article. The author gives evidences to support the authors argument. However, the author in the _________________________________________________________________________ article does not give opposing points which support the banning of animal testing. Hence, _________________________________________________________________________ the author does not refute points that could weaken the authors argument. _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ (3 marks) END OF QUESTION PAPER
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