The Growing Global Threat Of Antibiotic Resistance Ielts Reading Answers Verified Site
B. False. While there were 25 countries in 2016, the 2023 report included 104 countries.
Claim : Antibiotics are sometimes used only to prevent infections. .
Based on the reading passage above, the following questions and answers will help IELTS candidates practice their reading comprehension skills:
: Found in Paragraph B: "At its core, antibiotic resistance is a natural evolutionary mechanism." 8. genetic mutations
Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria mutate or acquire genes that render antibiotics ineffective. Instead of killing the bacteria, the medicine allows them to survive and multiply, leading to infections that are difficult or impossible to treat. Claim : Antibiotics are sometimes used only to
While bacterial mutation is an inevitable biological process, human activity has exponentially accelerated the timeline. The primary driver of this acceleration is the profound over-prescription of antibiotics in human medicine. Epidemiological studies indicate that a significant percentage of antibiotics prescribed worldwide are medically unnecessary, often administered for viral infections like influenza or the common cold, against which they are entirely ineffective.
To reverse this trend, international bodies have created action plans. For IELTS Summary Completion questions, the following nouns are frequently used:
Solutions require a ‘One Health’ approach, integrating human, animal, and environmental health. Key measures include:
: Found in Paragraph B: "More alarming still is the bacterial capacity for horizontal gene transfer." 10. plasmids In many developing nations
This passage mirrors the style and difficulty level of an authentic IELTS Academic Reading text. Test-takers would typically have 20 minutes to read the passage and answer 13 questions.
9. plasmids 10. MRSA 11. disease prevention (note: “disease prevention” – two words; Para D) 12. post-antibiotic era (Para E – requires hyphen but counts as two words) 13. One Health (capitalised in passage – Para F)
Addressing this escalating peril requires an aggressive, multi-pronged global strategy. First, pharmaceutical innovation must be revitalized; the pipeline for truly novel antibiotics has been virtually stagnant for decades because these acute-care drugs offer low profit margins for manufacturers compared to chronic disease medications. Governments must incentivize research through grants and market guarantees. Concurrently, strict international regulations must govern agricultural usage, and public awareness campaigns must educate communities on the limits of antimicrobial efficacy. Only a unified, global response can safeguard these miraculous treatments for future generations. IELTS Reading Questions Questions 1–6
Answer: MB (Michael Blum)
While evolution is natural, human activity has shifted it into overdrive. Several key factors are fueling this global threat:
The reading passage has six paragraphs, labeled . Which paragraph contains the following information? Write the correct letter, A–F , in boxes 1–6 on your answer sheet. NB: You may use any letter more than once.
The primary catalyst behind the acceleration of AMR is the pervasive misuse and over-prescribing of antibiotic medications. Globally, millions of patients demand antibacterial drugs for viral illnesses like influenza or the common cold, conditions against which these medications have absolutely zero therapeutic effect. In many developing nations, the problem is compounded by lax regulatory frameworks, allowing powerful broad-spectrum antibiotics to be purchased over the counter without a qualified medical prescription. This unregulated access ensures that bacterial populations are constantly exposed to sub-lethal doses of drugs, creating the perfect evolutionary pressure cooker for generating "superbugs"—bacterial strains resistant to multiple classes of antibiotics. Paragraph D
→ Paragraph A