A is incorrect: This paragraph mentions the environments where microbes live, but it
does not say anything about how quickly they adapt to these environments.
B is incorrect: The
writer says, ‘we mess with them at our peril’, meaning that it would be dangerous for humans to
interfere with microbes. This implies that the risk which they could pose is very great, and not
at all exaggerated.
C is incorrect: The text gives examples of both animal and plant life where
microbes are found, but it does not compare them in terms of the numbers present.
15 The correct answer is C: The text says, ‘What is amazing is that while the number of human
cells in the average person is about 30 trillion, the number of microbial ones is higher – about
39 trillion.’ The phrase ‘What is amazing’ tells us that the writer is impressed by the fact which
follows: the writer finds it impressive that the average person has a higher number of microbial
cells than human cells.
A is incorrect: The writer says that each species has different microbes
but does not express any opinion about this fact: we do not know whether or not the writer
is impressed by this.
B is incorrect: The text says that microbes vary from one part of an
individual to another; it refers to varying types of microbes and does not say anything about
varying numbers of microbes.
D is incorrect: The text refers to scientists, but it does not say
that they have limited understanding of how microbial cells behave.
16 The correct answer is A: The text describes how Antony van Leeuwenhoek designed
microscopes and ‘examined a drop of water from a nearby lake and found it teeming with tiny
creatures’.
B is incorrect: The text refers to two scientists but does not compare their theories.
