Organic Foods
Keywords: food, consumers, health, vitamins, eggs
Are organically grown foods the best food choices? The advantages claimed for such foods over conventionally grown and marketed food products are now being debated. Advocates of organic foods – a term whose meaning varies greatly – frequently proclaim that such products are safer and more nutritious than others.
The growing interest of consumers in the safety and more nutritional quality of the typical North American diet is a welcome development. However, much of this interest has been sparked by sweeping claims that the food supply is unsafe or inadequate in meeting nutritional needs. Although most of these claims are not supported by scientific evidence, the preponderance of written material advancing such claims makes it difficult for the general public to separate fact from fiction. As a result, claims that eating a diet consisting entirely of organically grown foods prevents or cures disease or provides other benefits to health have become widely publicized and form the basis for folklore.
Almost daily the public is besieged by claims for "no-aging" diets, new vitamins, and other wonder foods. There are numerous unsubstantiated reports that natural vitamins are superior to synthetic ones, that fertilized eggs are nutritionally superior to unfertilized eggs, that untreated grains are better than fumigated grains and the like.
One thing that most organically grown food products seem to have in common is that they cost more than conventionally grown foods. But in many cases consumers are misled if they believe organic foods can maintain health and provide better nutritional quality than conventionally grown foods. So there is real cause for concern if consumers, particularly those with limited incomes, distrust the regular food and buy only expensive organic foods instead.
22. The world "Advocates" in line 2 is closest in meaning to which of the following?
(A) Proponents
(B) Merchants
(C) Inspectors
(D) Consumers
23. In line 4, the word "others" refers to
(A) advantages
(B) advocates
(C) organic foods
(D) products
24. The "welcome development" mentioned in line 6 is an increase in
(A) interest in food safety and nutritional quality of the typical North American diet
(B) the nutritional quality of the typical North American diet
(C) the amount of healthy food grown in North America
(D) the number of consumers in North America
25. According to the first paragraph, which of the following is true about the term "organic foods"?
(A) It is accepted by most nutritionists.
(B) It has been used only in recent years.
(C) It has no fixed meaning.
(D) It is seldom used by consumers.
26. The word "unsubstantiated" in line 13 is closest in meaning to
(A) unbelievable
(B) uncontested
(C) unpopular
(D) unverified
27. The word "maintain" in line 18 is closest in meaning to
(A) improve
(B) monitor
(C) preserve
(D) restore
28. The author implies that there is cause for concern if consumers with limited incomes buy organic foods instead of conventionally grown foods because
(A) organic foods can be more expensive but are often no better than conventionally grown foods
(B) many organic foods are actually less nutritious than similar conventionally grown foods
(C) conventionally grown foods are more readily available than organic foods
(D) too many farmers will stop using conventional methods to grow food crops.
29. According to the last paragraph, consumers who believe that organic foods are better than conventionally grown foods are often
(A) careless
(B) mistaken
(C) thrifty
(D) wealthy
30. What is the author's attitude toward the claims made by advocates of health foods?
(A) Very enthusiastic
(B) Somewhat favorable
(C) Neutral
(D) Skeptical
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