Soal dan Pembahasan TBI (Reading Comprehension) Bagian 16

  1. Soal
  2. Reading Comprehension

            Before the  mid  1800’s, a  person undergoing surgery was in  for  a  terrifying time. In  those pre- anaesthetic days, there was nothing to dull the pain but whiskey. In fact, it was quite common for the doctor to partake the heavy liqour himself – to help himself endure the screams of the patient. Marijuana, opium, hashish, and also acupuncture have been used in China and india for many centuries as a pain reliever. In the west,alcohol was the most common pain desensitizer. To reduce the pain, surgeons would work as fast as they could, but the pain of the operations were still excruclating. Consequently, many people preferred to put up with their illnesses rather than going under the surgeon’s knife.

            Experiments throughout the Middle Ages led to the discovery of two possible aids for the suffering patient in 1275 a volatile, flammable liquid known as sweet vitriol was seen to put chickens to sleep and dull their sensitivy to pain. This was to become known as ether. One day, an American physician by the name of Crawford W. Long noted that people under the influence of ether felt no pain. He immediately realised the potential to relieve the pain of surgery. The first operation using ether as an anaesthetic took place on March 30th, 1842.

            In 1772 English scientist Joseph Priestly discovered a gas called Nitous Oxide. For twenty years it was thought that his gas would be lethal to humans. In 1799, British Chemist Humphry David decide to test the effects of the gas on himself. Rather than killing him, the gas made him laugh. Forty five years later, a United States dentist named Horace Wells attended a demonstration of nitrus oxide. He noticed that a man who was under the influence of the gas had dashed his leg on the table but no pain. That prompted Wells to try out the gas as an anaesthetic in his dental practice.

            The use of nitrous oxide and ether as an anaesthetic became extremely popular acros America and Europe. Advancements were made that allowed a patient to remain awake while a specific part of their body was made anaesthetic. Today local anaesthetics are commonly used by dentists and physicians while engaging in minor surgery.



  1. What can be compared between Ether and Nitrous Oxide?

    1. They make it possible for the people to have painless operation
    2. They have the potential to change hashish into a pain desensitizer
    3. They were tested by the scientists who discovered them
    4. They were used immediately in surgery after being found
    Jawaban : a

    Lihat paragraph 2



  2. Which of the following is INCORRECT about nitrous oxide?

    1. It can be used whether in minor or major surgery
    2. It was proved to be usable to human in 1772
    3. It can cause numbness to human body
    4. It was tested by British chemist in 1799
    Jawaban : b

    The gas was thought to be deadly to human in that particular year. See the second sentence of the third paragraph.

  3. What is the main idea of the passage above?

    1. The experiments made in the pre- anaesthetic days
    2. The process to reduce the pain by using chemicals
    3. The history of anaesthetic discovery as pain reliever
    4. The introduction of Ether and Nitrous Oxide as anaesthetic
    Jawaban : d

    Option C is rather similar to option D, but option D gives clearer ideas/points of what is specifically discussed in the passage, nitrous oxide and ether.

  4. It can be inferred from the passage that the example of minor surgery is ....

    1. cataract removal
    2. mole removal
    3. organ tansplants
    4. brain surgery
    Jawaban : b

    Minor surgeries don’t usually involve vital organs and are performed on the outside parts of one’s body.

  5. The pronoun his in paragraph 3 refers to ....

    1. Dentist
    2. Wells
    3. Chemist
    4. A man
    Jawaban : d

    It was the man’s leg that had been dashed on the table.

  6. The phrase put up with in paragraph 1 has the closest meaning with ...

    1. restore
    2. treat
    3. keep
    4. endure
    Jawaban : d

    Endure = menahan, menanggung.

  7. According to the passage, what was the people outside Asia used to reduce the pain?

    1. Opium
    2. Alcohol
    3. Acupuncture
    4. Marijuana
    Jawaban : b

    soal salah. A, C, and D are all possible. See line 3. Jika ada pilihan yang dikecualikan dalam pertanyaan maka jawabannya B