Questions 27-38

The first two decades of this century were dominated by the microbe hunters. These hunters had
tracked down one after another of the microbes responsible for the most dreaded scourges of many
centuries: tuberculosis, cholera, diphtheria. But there, remained some terrible diseases for which no
microbe could be incriminated: scurvy, pellagra, rickets, beriberi. Then it was discovered that these
diseases were caused by the lack of vitamins, a trace substance in the diet. The diseases could be
prevented or cured by consuming foods that contained the vitamins. And so in the decades of the 1920’s
and 1930’s, nutrition became a science and the vitamin hunters replaced the microbe hunters.

In the 1940’s and 1950’s, biochemists strived to learn why each of the vitamins was essential for health.
They discovered that key enzymes in metabolism depend on one or another of the vitamins as
coenzymes to perform the chemistry that provides cells with energy for growth and function. Now, these
enzyme hunters occupied center stage.

You are aware that the enzyme hunters have been replaced by a new breed of hunters who are tracking
genes-the blueprints for each of the enzymes-and are discovering the defective genes that cause
inherited diseases-diabetes, cystic fibrosis. These gene hunters, or genetic engineers, use recombinant
DNA technology to identify and clone genes and introduce them into bacterial cells and plants to create
factories for the massive production of hormones and vaccines for medicine and for better crops for
agriculture. Biotechnology has become a multibillion-dollar industry.

In view of the inexorable progress in science, we can expect that the gene hunters will be replaced in the
spotlight. When and by whom? Which kind of hunter will dominate the scene in the last decade of our
waning century and in the early decades of the next? I wonder whether the hunters who will occupy the
spotlight will be neurobiologists who apply the techniques of the enzyme and gene hunters to the
functions of the brain: What to call them? The head hunters. I will return to them later.

27. What is the main topic of the passage?

(A) The microbe hunters

(B) The potential of genetic engineering

(C) The progress of modem medical research

(D) The discovery of enzymes

28. The word “which” in line 4 refers to

(A) diseases

(B) microbe
(C) cholera

(D) diphtheria

29. The word “incriminated” in line 4 is closest in meaning to

(A) investigated

(B) blamed

(C) eliminated

(D) produced

30. Which of the following can be cured by a change in diet?

(A) Tuberculosis

(B) Cholera

(C) Cystic fibrosis

(D) Pellagra

31. The word “strived” in line 9 is closest in meaning to

(A) failed

(B) tried

(C) experimented

(D) studied

32. How do vitamins influence health?

(A) They are necessary for some enzymes to function.

(B) They protect the body from microbes.

(C) They keep food from spoiling.

33. In the third paragraph, the author compares cells that have been genetically altered by
biotechnicians to

(A) gardens

(B) factories

(C) hunters

(D) spotlights

34. The word “them” in line 16 refers to

(A) cells and plants

(B) hormones

(C) genes

(D) gene hunters or genetic engineers

35. The phrase “occupy the spotlight” in line 22 is closest in meaning to

(A) receive the most attention

(B) go the furthest

(C) conquer territory

(D) lighten the load

36. The author implies that the most important medical research topic of the future will be

(A) the functions of the brain

(B) inherited diseases

(C) the operation of vitamins

(D) the structure of genes

(A) Critical

(B) Speculative

(C) Appreciative

(D) Emotional

38. With which of the following statements would the author be most likely to agree?

(A) The focus of medical research will change in the next two decades.

(B) Medical breakthroughs often depend on luck.

(C) Medical research throughout the twentieth century has been dominated by microbe hunters.

(D) Most diseases are caused by defective genes.

Kunci jawaban
Questions 27-38

The first two decades of this century were dominated by the microbe hunters. These hunters had
tracked down one after another of the microbes responsible for the most dreaded scourges of many
centuries: tuberculosis, cholera, diphtheria. But there, remained some terrible diseases for which no
microbe could be incriminated: scurvy, pellagra, rickets, beriberi. Then it was discovered that these
diseases were caused by the lack of vitamins, a trace substance in the diet. The diseases could be
prevented or cured by consuming foods that contained the vitamins. And so in the decades of the 1920’s
and 1930’s, nutrition became a science and the vitamin hunters replaced the microbe hunters.

In the 1940’s and 1950’s, biochemists strived to learn why each of the vitamins was essential for health.
They discovered that key enzymes in metabolism depend on one or another of the vitamins as
coenzymes to perform the chemistry that provides cells with energy for growth and function. Now, these
enzyme hunters occupied center stage.

You are aware that the enzyme hunters have been replaced by a new breed of hunters who are tracking
genes-the blueprints for each of the enzymes-and are discovering the defective genes that cause
inherited diseases-diabetes, cystic fibrosis. These gene hunters, or genetic engineers, use recombinant
DNA technology to identify and clone genes and introduce them into bacterial cells and plants to create
factories for the massive production of hormones and vaccines for medicine and for better crops for
agriculture. Biotechnology has become a multibillion-dollar industry.

In view of the inexorable progress in science, we can expect that the gene hunters will be replaced in the
spotlight. When and by whom? Which kind of hunter will dominate the scene in the last decade of our
waning century and in the early decades of the next? I wonder whether the hunters who will occupy the
spotlight will be neurobiologists who apply the techniques of the enzyme and gene hunters to the
functions of the brain: What to call them? The head hunters. I will return to them later.

Terjemahan

Dua dekade pertama di abad ini didominasi oleh pemburu mikroba. Pemburu ini telah melacak satu
demi satu mikroba yang bertanggung jawab untuk penyakit paling ditakuti selama berabad-abad:
tuberkulosis, kolera, difteri. Tapi masih ada beberapa penyakit mengerikan yang mikroba tidak bisa
menyerang: penyakit kudis, pellagra, rickets, beri-beri. Kemudian ditemukan bahwa penyakit ini
disebabkan oleh kekurangan vitamin, bahan makanan untuk diet. Penyakit ini dapat dicegah atau
disembuhkan dengan mengkonsumsi makanan yang mengandung vitamin. Jadi pada dekade tahun 1920-
an dan tahun 1930-an, gizi menjadi sebuah ilmu dan pemburu vitamin digantikan pemburu mikroba.

Di tahun 1940-an dan 1950-an, ilmuwan berusaha untuk mempelajari mengapa setiap vitamin sangat
penting untuk kesehatan. Mereka menemukan bahwa kunci enzim dalam metabolisme tergantung pada
satu sama lain dari vitamin sebagai koenzim untuk menghasilkan kimia yang menyediakan sel dengan
energi untuk pertumbuhan dan fungsinya. Sekarang, pemburu enzim ini menduduki peringkat atas.
Kalian menyadari bahwa pemburu enzim digantikan oleh generasi baru para pemburu yang melacak gen-
biru untuk masing-masing enzim- dan menemukan kecacatan gen penyebab penyakit-diabetes, cystic
fibrosis. Pemburu gen ini, atau genetik insinyur, menggunakan teknologi kombinasi DNA untuk
mengidentifikasi dan mengkloning gen dalam sel bakteri dan tanaman untuk membuat pabrik-pabrik
untuk produksi besar-besaran hormon dan vaksin untuk obat dan untuk tanaman yang lebih baik untuk
pertanian. Bioteknologi telah menjadi multibillion-dolar industri.

Dari pandangan yang tak terelakkan tentang kemajuan di bidang ilmu pengetahuan ini, kita berharap gen
pemburu akan diganti secepatnya. Kapan dan oleh siapa? Jenis hunter yang mana yang akan
mendominasi dalam dekade terakhir abad ini dan pada awal dekade berikutnya? Aku bertanya-tanya
apakah para pemburu yang akan menempati sorotan akan neurobiologists yang menerapkan teknik
enzim dan gen pemburu fungsi otak: Disebut apa mereka itu? Kepala pemburu. Aku akan kembali
kepada mereka nanti.

27. What is the main topic of the passage?

Jawab : C → The progress of modem medical research

Pembahasan : Ide pokok bacaan di atas adalah perkembangan penelitian medis modern, mulai dari
microbe hunters, enzyme hunters hingga gene hunters yang masing-masing selanjutnya dijelaskan
dengan lebih detil.

28. The word “which” in line 3 refers to

Jawab : A → diseases

Pembahasan : Which pada kalimat tersebut merujuk pada penyakit-penyakit serius (terrible diseases)
yang tidak bisa dilawan oleh mikroba.

29. The word “incriminated” in line 4 is closest in meaning to

Jawab : B → blamed

Pembahasan : Incriminate memiliki arti “menyalahkan” sehingga yang paling tepat di antara pilihan
tersebut adalah blamed yang memiliki makna yang sama.

30. Which of the following can be cured by a change in diet?

Jawab : D → Pellagra
Pembahasan : Berdasarkan paragraf pertama baris 4, beberapa penyakit yang dapat disembuhkan
melalui perubahan pola makan yang lebih sehat, yaitu makanan yang banyak mengandung vitamin
seperti scurvy, pellagra, rickets dan beriberi.

31. The word “strived” in line 8 is closest in meaning to

Jawab : B → tried

Pembahasan : Strived memiliki kesamaan arti dengan attempt, try, dan make effort yang semuanya
berarti berusaha atau berjuang.

32. How do vitamins influence health?

Jawab : A → They are necessary for some enzymes to function.

Pembahasan : Fungsi vitamin terhadap kesehatan tubuh adalah untuk membantu enzim (sebagai
coenzyme) untuk menghasilkan kimia yang meyediakan sel dengan energi untuk pertumbuhan dan
fungsinya. Penjelasan ini dapat dilihat pada baris ke 9-11.

33. In the third paragraph, the author compares cells that have been genetically altered by
biotechnicians to

Jawab : B → factories

Pembahasan : Jawaban bisa ditemukan pada baris 14-17 yang membandingkan sel-sel yang dihasilkan
oleh ahli biologi melalui recombinant DNA dengan sel-sel bakteri dan tanaman yang menciptakan pabrik-
pabrik untuk memproduksi hormon dan vaksin.

34. The word “them” in line 15 refers to

Jawab : C → genes

Pembahasan : Them pada kalimat tersebut mengacu pada gen yang diidentifikasi dan dikloning melalui
rekombinan DNA.

35. The phrase “occupy the spotlight” in line 21 is closest in meaning to

Jawab : A → receive the most attention

36. The author implies that the most important medical research topic of the future will be

Jawab : A → the functions of the brain

Pembahasan : Jawaban dapat ditemukan pada paragraf terkahir yang menyatakan bahwa penulis
berasumsi pada masa yang akan datang, yang menjadi sorotan utama adalah mereka yang menerapkan
teknik pemburu-pemburu sebelumnya dengan fungsi otak sehingga fungsi otak diramalkan mejadi isu
utama nantinya.

37. Which of the following best describes the author’stone in the last paragraph of the passage?

Jawab : B → Speculative

Pembahasan : Nada yang tersirat dari pernyataan-pernyataannya adalah spekulatif. Ini jelas terlihat dari
pernyataannya pada paragraf terakhir di empat baris terakhir bahwa ia pun ingin tahu mana nantinya
yang akan menguasai isu penelitian medis. Di sini ia memprediksi bahwa mereka yang mampu
menggabungkan temuan yang sudah ada dan mengaitkannya dengan otak manusia. Namun ia belum
bisa mengambil kesimpulan dengan pasti karena belum terjadi.

38.With which of the following statements would the author be most likely to agree?

Jawab : A → The focus of medical research will change in the next two decades.

Pembahasan : Pernyataan penulis pada kalimat Which kind of hunter will dominate the scene in the last
decade of our waning century and in the early decades of the next? menyiratkan bahwa ia berpendapat
bahwa akan terjadi perubahan fokus penelitian medis pada dua dekade mendatang yang akan
mendominasi ranah penelitian