Question

Multiple Choice Question
Which of the following best summarizes the main idea of the passage below?

NASA has been breeding super-mice to launch into space. Researchers have been worried about the dangers of space travel since we first started launching people and animals into the void in the 1950s. The United States was in a "space race" with the USSR throughout the 1950s and 1960s when competing nations developed competing technologies in an attempt to show their technological superiority to the world. Some of the dangers that astronauts face include loss of muscle mass and bone density due to the lack of gravity in space.

To avoid issues like this, scientists have genetically altered mice to have stronger bones and greater muscle mass in hopes that they will not be as affected by the lack of gravity as normal mice. Researchers believe that the genetic re-sequencing of these mice could lead to other breakthroughs, like the ability for people to heal much faster after complex surgeries like hip replacement. These super-mice just might hold the key to long-term space travel as well as paving the way for a stronger breed of human beings.

A.
NASA has been breeding super-mice to test the effects of space travel, which could help humans in the future.
B.
The United States and USSR competed in the space race to show which country was stronger.
C.
Astronauts lose muscle and bone mass in space, which is a minor concern for researchers.
D.
Mice are easier to study than humans because they don’t need food or oxygen.

Answer 1

A. NASA has been breeding super-mice to test the effects of space travel, which could help humans in the future.

Explanation: The passage focuses on genetically altered mice used to study and mitigate space-related bone and muscle loss and potential human medical benefits.