BMATQuestions
- In many places, it is becoming increasingly popular to keep a hive of honey bees at home. This growth in hobby beekeeping is due in large part to public awareness of the environmental threats facing honey bees. The equally serious threats facing other species of bees and other insect pollinators are less widely…BMAT 2022 · Question 5 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- Everyone knows that the UK National Health Service (NHS) is severely overstretched. The problem is made worse by inappropriate use of Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments. Data from a new study shows young adults are bypassing their family doctor and heading straight to busy A&E departments, not because their…BMAT 2022 · Question 16 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- Luxury cruises on very large ships have become an increasingly fashionable leisure activity, especially among retired people. However, people should not put themselves in danger unnecessarily. Some of the most popular cruises go through parts of the oceans where modern pirates are active. Passengers face a serious…BMAT 2021 · Question 1 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- Health experts have long since urged people to do cardiovascular exercise to keep the heart functioning well. The general recommendation is to exercise at an elevated heart rate for at least 150 minutes a week in periods of at least 10 minutes. Recently, experts have also started emphasising the role of non-exercise…BMAT 2021 · Question 10 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- The arrival of the digital age and the communication platforms and software advances underpinning it are significant for a much older pursuit: the study of human behaviour. Revolutionary ‘big data’ now exists in the form of the internet traffic created by users of various websites and social networking services and…BMAT 2020 · Question 11 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- Recent research suggests that antiretroviral drugs designed to prevent HIV-positive individuals developing AIDS also have an effect on multiple sclerosis (MS). A study of 21 000 HIV-positive individuals treated at English hospitals between 1999 and 2011 found that they were 62% less likely to develop MS compared to…BMAT 2020 · Question 17 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- A belief is a thought about how things are – about what really is or is not the case. For instance, someone who believes in God believes that a being such as God actually exists. Assuming that people would prefer to have true beliefs rather than false ones, then they need to find a way to determine which is which.…BMAT 2020 · Question 22 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- How much value does a particular new product or service bring to our lives? This is hard to quantify, and yet traditional economics has provided us with a neat means for doing so: look at how much it costs. In a free market economy, how much something costs tells us how much people are prepared to pay for it. And how…BMAT 2019 · Question 6 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- The gender pay gap is calculated as the difference between the average hourly earnings of men and the average hourly earnings of women, expressed as a proportion of the average hourly earnings of men. In 2017, average weekly earnings for full-time employees in the UK were £550, up 2.2% from £539 in 2016. Men were paid…BMAT 2019 · Question 8 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- People seem to love words that give a sense of size, terms like ‘umpteen’ and ‘zillion’. These terms are referred to as ‘indefinite hyperbolic numbers’ – ‘indefinite’ because they do not represent actual numbers, and ‘hyperbolic’ because they are used to imply a larger size than the reality. What’s interesting is that…BMAT 2019 · Question 15 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- National daily newspapers The sales of national daily papers in the UK reached a peak in the mid-1950s. Since then there has been a gradual decline in sales. The availability of multimedia news platforms has accelerated this decline in the 21st century, and by the close of 2014, no UK newspaper had daily sales…BMAT 2019 · Question 22 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- People often comment on the fact that the sport of swimming has had a relatively high number of new world records set over the past few decades. Many other developments have occurred in the sport during that time, including the manufacture of swimsuits that create less resistance as swimmers move through the water,…BMAT 2019 · Question 26 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- A survey at a leisure centre has found that 70% of members use the swimming pool regularly and only 40% use the climbing wall. The following statements have been made: 1 At least 10% of members swim and climb. 2 All members either swim or climb or do both. 3 At least half of those who climb never swim.BMAT 2019 · Question 29 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- A recent study found an association between the number of self-help books new mothers read about caring for their baby and the well-being of those mothers – and it goes in the wrong direction. The more books women had read claiming to show how to put babies into feeding and sleeping schedules, the worse they reported…BMAT 2019 · Question 30 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- In the UK in the 1990s, there was an outbreak of the brain disease vCJD, which was caused by eating beef from cattle infected with the disease BSE. The type of meat thought to be infected was taken out of the food chain in 1989, and cases of vCJD have been declining since 2000. Susceptibility to vCJD is associated…BMAT 2018 · Question 2 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- Total unpaid work in the UK in 2015 had a value of £1000 billion, equivalent to approximately 55% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and women carried out an overall average of 60% more unpaid work than men. The only area where men put in more unpaid work hours than women was in the category of ‘non-leisure travel’.…BMAT 2018 · Question 9 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- The BBC’s codes and guidelines have maintained its reputation for broadcasting news that is representative of different political opinions. These include the political Right’s promotion of the freedom and prosperity of business, in contrast to the Left’s view that businesses should be regulated to serve everybody’s…BMAT 2018 · Question 15 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- A study of routine health screening programmes found no consistent evidence that they improved health or reduced death rates and concluded that ‘while we cannot be certain that general health checks lead to benefit, we know that all medical interventions can lead to harm’. Possible harms include overtreatment due to…BMAT 2018 · Question 28 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- Biofuels are an energy source derived mainly from plants and widely thought to offer a better alternative to petroleum and other fossil fuels. In particular, when biofuels are burned to generate electricity or power a car, they produce lower emissions of carbon dioxide, the gas largely responsible for human-caused…BMAT 2018 · Question 30 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- There were 61 million prescriptions for antidepressant drugs in the UK in 2015. This was double the number of prescriptions in 2005. In 2014, there were 1.1 million mental health disability claimants. This was double the number in 1995.BMAT 2017 · Question 2 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- In the history of the Earth there have been three extinctions of marine animals, which as yet we cannot explain. Earlier this year, researchers discovered that periods when the oceans had high levels of trace elements, such as zinc, copper, manganese and selenium, seemed to overlap with periods when most groups of…BMAT 2017 · Question 13 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- Research about a ‘health check’ programme operated by the National Health Service (NHS) is receiving a lot of attention amongst UK health policymakers. The study found that the ‘health checks’, dedicated screening appointments offered to everyone in middle age, have uncovered thousands of cases of high blood pressure…BMAT 2017 · Question 26 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- Forest fires in Indonesia this year have emitted 1.6 gigatonnes of CO2. To put that in perspective, it has been estimated that the entire world must emit less than 1000 gigatonnes of CO2 every year from now on if we are to avoid dangerous global warming. When forest vegetation burns, the amount of CO2 released into…BMAT 2016 · Question 2 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- A group of UK scientists have a rare opportunity to study human brains thanks to the promise of donations of brains after death by some members of a study group. The dissection of these brains and the counting of the numbers of synapses in them may add evidence to the idea of ‘cognitive reserve’: when a person gets…BMAT 2016 · Question 15 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- Fracking in the US 2005–2012 The oil and gas industry has increasingly turned to hydraulic fracturing – known as ‘fracking’ – in a highly polluting effort to unlock oil and gas in underground shale beds across the United States. Fracking is already underway in 17 states, with more than 100,000 wells drilled since…BMAT 2016 · Question 21 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- The number of people in the UK with tuberculosis (TB) has nearly doubled over the past 25 years, but for most of us the chances of catching the infection are still relatively small. Three quarters of all infections recorded last year were in people from deprived areas; half were not in employment, and one in ten had…BMAT 2015 · Question 2 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- According to figures published recently, 44% of criminals leaving prison will reoffend within one year of being released. So if the aim of prison (custodial) sentences is to stop people committing crimes, it really is not working. Short sentences are even worse, with 55% of offenders on short sentences reoffending…BMAT 2015 · Question 8 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- Despite advances in computer modelling and research on humans, we still understand very little about the human brain and we are unable to treat many neurological conditions and injuries effectively because of this. Human brains work in very similar ways to most primates and it is possible to create lesions in primate…BMAT 2015 · Question 15 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- There is a tendency to think that carnivores, given their precarious place at the top of the food chain, are the most at risk from extinction. Yet over the course of history it is likely that the opposite has been the case. Herbivores are often more specialist – evolved to suit a particular environment, to eat a…BMAT 2014 · Question 2 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- Since the late 1990s wolves have been seen in the Haute-France region of the Alps. This places them once again in conflict with the shepherds who farm this region. Due to the protected status of the European wolf, French farmers are awarded a compensation payment for the loss of any of their sheep to a wolf. This…BMAT 2014 · Question 4 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- Recorded crime figures – the figures which police authorities produce – have always been a poor way to identify crime trends. They are really a measure of police activity and priorities. A big operation to tackle knife crime, for instance, may uncover and record many more offences involving knives: it does not mean…BMAT 2014 · Question 13 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- Memory loss and growing mental incapacity used to be seen as inevitable consequences of ageing. Now we talk of dementia as an illness that could possibly be cured or prevented. The incidence of new cases of dementia is falling. A survey in the UK in 1994 revealed roughly 650 000 cases of dementia. With a subsequent…BMAT 2014 · Question 23 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- Drivers of motor vehicles are not the only threat to the safety of pedestrians. Official road casualty statistics for 2012 show that, per billion kilometres travelled, cyclists seriously injured 21 pedestrians, compared with 24 pedestrians seriously injured by vehicle drivers. Cyclists who ride on the pavement are…BMAT 2014 · Question 27 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- Electric engines are more efficient than petrol engines in converting fuel into mechanical power, thus they are more economical in fuel use. But their electricity has to come from somewhere. The UK electricity grid is powered by a mix of sources: coal, gas and nuclear with a few renewables thrown in. If you make extra…BMAT 2012 · Question 4 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- The codes for the different types of hospital are L (large), S (small), DC (diagnosis centre) and TC (treatment centre). The number of patient days is calculated from the number of days that patients were in hospital. For example, a day case (a patient who was not in hospital overnight) would count as 1 patient day…BMAT 2012 · Question 11 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- The unusual weather the UK has experienced over the past few years - very dry warm springs and very cold winters - is what one would expect if the melting of Arctic ice were influencing our weather. And indeed, over the same period the Arctic has undergone its most dramatic shrinkage of sea ice. This means that the…BMAT 2012 · Question 13 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- Patients admitted to hospital as an emergency at the weekend have a higher chance of dying than those who are brought in during the week, according to a study which showed that the death rate among emergency admissions increased by 7% at the weekend. Staffing levels are often lower at weekends, with fewer senior…BMAT 2012 · Question 17 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- The seas around the UK have become so noisy that whales are having to sing louder to make themselves heard above the din created by ships, wind farms and oil exploration. With whale numbers severely depleted, the ability to communicate over long distances could be key to their finding a mate. According to a study by…BMAT 2011 · Question 2 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- The difference between men's and women's pay is still at unacceptable levels, according to recent TUC research. It found that from the age of 18 - and throughout the rest of their working lives - women earn less than men. In their 20s, the pay gap for full-timers is a modest 3.3%, but in their 30s women take home…BMAT 2011 · Question 8 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- The difference between men's and women's pay is still at unacceptable levels, according to recent TUC research. It found that from the age of 18 - and throughout the rest of their working lives - women earn less than men. In their 20s, the pay gap for full-timers is a modest 3.3%, but in their 30s women take home…BMAT 2011 · Question 10 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- Tree diagrams are used in decision making by predicting the various possible outcomes and their likelihood. The diagram below represents the choices facing an oil company - call it 'X-Oil' - who have discovered a possible oil deposit and are deciding whether or not to drill at the site. They will make the decision on…BMAT 2011 · Question 19 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- Tree diagrams are used in decision making by predicting the various possible outcomes and their likelihood. The diagram below represents the choices facing an oil company - call it 'X-Oil' - who have discovered a possible oil deposit and are deciding whether or not to drill at the site. They will make the decision on…BMAT 2011 · Question 21 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- A neutrino is an elementary particle that is able to pass through ordinary matter, but is difficult to detect. Physicists have hypothesised that there is a particular type of neutrino – a sterile neutrino – that cannot be detected at all by their instruments. Relevant evidence comes from supernovae, i.e. exploding…BMAT 2011 · Question 30 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- 62 trillion spam emails are sent every year, amounting to emissions of more than 17 million tons of carbon dioxide, one of the main contributors to global warming. More effective spam filtering could reduce the amount by 75%, which would be the equivalent of taking 2.3 million cars off the road. This would not deal…BMAT 2010 · Question 4 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- Although child road deaths and serious injuries have fallen by 52% in the past ten years, we should not assume that lessons in road safety are no longer vital for school pupils. A Government study reports that in 2006 almost 1,300 boy pedestrians and 700 girl pedestrians were killed or seriously injured in road…BMAT 2010 · Question 15 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- In 2005, the total number of passengers at UK airports rose to 228 million, compared to 5 million in 1955. The numbers of passengers fell in the recession year of 1974, and in 1991, the year of the Gulf War, before continuing upward. There was also a marked flattening of the upward trend in 2001, the result of the…BMAT 2010 · Question 22 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- The behaviour of the general public has contributed to the reluctance of doctors to do out-of- hours work. When doctors only ever had to deal with genuine medical emergencies out-of- hours then the workload was manageable. Unfortunately, the Government has helped stoke public expectations so that now people think they…BMAT 2010 · Question 26 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- Vitelo Pareto observed that in Italy in 1906 that 80% of the wealth was owned by 20% of the people. The 'Pareto Principle' has since been applied to a wide range of other areas. For example in the USA it has been found that 20% of the population use 80% of the health care resources. Although most developed countries…BMAT 2010 · Question 35 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- Although it has been known for some time that ants are able to make alarm calls using sound, advances in technology have enabled scientists to discover that ants routinely ìtalkî to each other in their nests. Using miniaturised microphones and speakers that can be inserted unobtrusively into nests, researchers…BMAT 2009 · Question 26 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- It is human nature to try to explain what we observe occurring around us, a process that people engaged in long before physical, biological or social sciences were established as disciplines. The difference between ëcommon senseí explanations and scientific ones lies in the way the two originate. Everyday observations…BMAT 2009 · Question 30 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- Commentary on 1998 figures Largely as a result of the strength of the pound at the time, lower prices were experienced due to farmers having to drop their prices for commodities being exported from the UK. Although prices dropped for some inputs, such as fertiliser and animal feed (again as a consequence of the…BMAT 2009 · Question 34 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- Simplistic interpretations of traditional evolutionary theory suggest that animals are never altruistic (selfless). In other words their only compelling drive is for personal survival. There are, however, examples in the animal kingdom of "reciprocal altruism", when an altruistic act is carried out, which may be…BMAT 2008 · Question 2 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- It is often claimed that the use of animals in medical research is justified by the fact that such use has been involved in the major discoveries of drugs to treat serious and fatal illnesses. But the law requires that new drugs are tested on animals for effectiveness and safety, so, of course, every new wonder-drug…BMAT 2008 · Question 4 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- Radiation from mobile phones is not strong enough to heat biological tissue or break chemical bonds in cells. However, it may affect cell behaviour. Researchers exposed ten female volunteers to radiation at 900 MHz from mobile phones to simulate an hour long phone call. They screened 580 different proteins in their…BMAT 2008 · Question 15 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- Even moderate exercise boosts longevity, study says Sorry, couch potatoes - the verdict is in: people who exercise regularly really do live longer. In fact, people who get a good workout almost daily can add nearly four years to their lives, according to the first study to quantify the impact of physical activity this…BMAT 2008 · Question 21 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- "Young British competitors today are too friendly, and this is affecting their chances of winning major championships. They are all too close, all the current generation are having lunch together and then going off to play for a million dollars. In the past competitors had to win over and over again to become well…BMAT 2008 · Question 24 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
- Section 1: Cycling level - facts According to the 2005 National Travel Survey (NTS) cycling is a relatively rare means of travel in the UK, and is declining. • Cycling accounts for 1% of all trips, and 2% of trips of less than 2 miles, including those that are made on foot. • The average person makes 14 cycle trips…BMAT 2008 · Question 34 · Drawing Conclusions · Save
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