UNIT 1

PLACEBOS
I/ Choose the word or phrase that best completes each sentence. Then mark a
cross (x) over the letter of the answer you have chosen on your answer sheet.

1. A placebo is made to look like a real drug but _____ any active drug.
A. contain B. do not contain C. contains D. does not contain

2. A placebo is made of an _____ substance such as starch or sugar.

A. active B. inactive C. organic D. inorganic

3. Placebos _____ in research studies.

A. use B. uses C. is used D. are used

4. Placebos can result _____ many changes.

A. in B. from C. of D. for

5. This phenomenon, _____ "the placebo effect", appears to have two components.
A. call B. calls C. called D. which called

6. Some people improve _____, without treatment.

A. spontaneity B. spontaneous C. spontaneously D. All is correct

7. _____ change occurs after a placebo is taken.

A. Spontaneity B. Spontaneous C. Spontaneously D. All is correct

8. Some people seem _____ susceptible to the placebo effect than others.
A. more B. most C. as D. least

9. People who have a positive opinion of drugs _____ to respond favourably to

placebos than people who have a negative opinion.
A. are more likely B. is more likely C. is most likely D. are most likely

10. They tend _____ the dose and they develop withdrawal symptoms when they are
deprived of the placebo.
A. to increase B. to decrease C. increasing D. decreasing

II/ Choose the best answer to each question. Then mark a cross (x) over the letter
of the answer you have chosen on your answer sheet

1. Which information is not correct?

a. Placebos look exactly the same as drugs.

b. Placebos include active ingredients & excipients.
 c. Starch or sugar is classified as inactive substances.
d. Placebos are used in clinical studies.

2. Find incorrect information about “placebo effect”:

a. Any placebo effect can be desirable or undesirable.

b. Two factors such as anticipation result & spontaneous change are typical for
placebo effect.
c. Without treatment, spontaneous improvement can hardly be achieved.
d. Any spontaneous change is positive or negative.

3. Which statement below is not given in the text?

a. Patients’ psychological opinions decide the success of placebo use.

b. Dose increase takes place in developing compulsiveness in drug using.
c. Susceptibility to the placebos is higher than that to medications.
d. In case of being deprived of the placebo, withdrawal symptoms occur.

III/ Read the text and answer the questions below in complete sentences.
What Is the Placebo Effect?
A placebo is anything that seems to be a "real" medical treatment -- but isn't. It could be a
pill, a shot, or some other type of "fake" treatment. What all placebos have in common is
that they do not contain an active substance meant to affect health.
How Are Placebos Used?
Researchers use placebos during studies to help them understand what effect a new drug
or some other treatment might have on a particular condition.
For instance, some people in a study might be given a new drug to lower cholesterol.
Others would get a placebo. None of the people in the study will know if they got the real
treatment or the placebo.
Researchers then compare the effects of the drug and the placebo on the people in the
study. That way, they can determine the effectiveness of the new drug and check for side
effects.
What Is the Placebo Effect?
Sometimes a person can have a response to a placebo. The response can be positive or
negative. For instance, the person's symptoms may improve. Or the person may have
what appears to be side effects from the treatment. These responses are known as the
"placebo effect."
There are some conditions in which a placebo can produce results even when people
know they are taking a placebo. Studies show that placebos can have an effect on
conditions such as:
 Depression
 Pain
 Sleep disorders
 Irritable bowel syndrome
 Menopause
In one study involving asthma, people using a placebo inhaler did no better on breathing
tests than sitting and doing nothing. But when researchers asked for people's perception
of how they felt, the placebo inhaler was reported as being as effective as medicine in
providing relief.
QUESTIONS
1. What is the text mainly about?
2. How are placebos used?
3. What is the placebo effect?
4. What are diseases or conditions on which placebos can have an effect?
5. Who does the pronoun "them" in line 5 refer to?
KEY
1. the Placebo Effect
2. They are used to help researchers understand what effect a new drug or some
other treatment might have on a particular condition during studies.
3. a response to a placebo
4. Depression, pain, sleep disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, menopause
5. researchers