Question

What does the word epidemic mean in paragraph 9 of the passage?


a dislike for popular trends


a situation that is usually created by a government


a sudden increase in something that is unpleasant


a dependency on unhealthy foods

Reading Passage
open the passage in a new window
Sweet Enough for You?

by Carolina Sanchez

1 We don't need sugar to live, and we don't need it as a society. Dr. Mehmet Oz (surgeon, author, television personality)

2 Whether we need it or not, most humans love the taste of sweetness. We like it on our breakfast cereals, in our juice drinks, in our breads, and certainly in our desserts. Until the nineteenth century, sweetness meant either natural sugar from plants such as sugar cane, sugar beets, and stevia; or honey, maple syrup, and agave nectar, all of which are naturally derived. When we eat natural sugars, receptor cells on our tongues send a message to our brains: “Sweet!” However, sugar is high in calories and if we're not burning those calories as quickly as we consume them, we can easily gain unwanted and unhealthy weight. So, what's a human with a sweet tooth to do?

Answer 1

"a sudden increase in something that is unpleasant"

Explanation: "Epidemic" refers to a widespread, rapid rise in the occurrence of a harmful condition (e.g., obesity), not a government action, a dislike of trends, or specifically a dependency on unhealthy foods.