Question 16
EasyOriginal questionIt is to think of sleep as time when nothing happens, time that could be better spent studying or scrolling through a phone. The body sees it differently. While you sleep, it is busy supporting the brain and repairing and the rest of you. In children and teenagers, sleep also supports growth.
Even the heart gets a rest. As you fall into deep sleep, your blood pressure and heart rate fall, and the heart does not have to work as hard as it does during the day. As you wake, they rise again to their usual level.
How you feel and how well you do during the day depends partly on what happens at night. Too little sleep, night after night, affects how well you think, learn, and get along with other people. Over time, it can also raise the risk of long-term health problems, such as high blood pressure and heart disease.
So how much is enough? Experts recommend that adults sleep between seven and nine hours a night, and children and teenagers need more, depending on their age. That makes the student who stays up past midnight before every test an interesting case: they may be exactly the sleep that helps them think clearly for a few more hours of tired revision.
What is the main idea of the passage?
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
The passage begins by rejecting the idea that nothing happens during sleep, then shows what the body does at night and what too little sleep costs.
Its main idea is that sleep does real, necessary work.
Worth noting
The passage says teenagers need more sleep than adults, not less. An option that reverses a comparison is a common trap.
- Concept
- Finding the central idea of a factual passage
- Typical timeTypical
- 40 s
- Your timeYours
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Ten questions from Factual passages, at your own pace.