Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers

Read the passage and select ALL statements it supports.

The placebo effect is often dismissed as patients simply imagining improvement, but the reality is more interesting. In carefully controlled trials, people given an inert pill sometimes show genuine, measurable changes: lower reported pain, altered brain activity, even shifts in hormone levels. The effect depends heavily on context. A larger pill, a confident clinician, or a higher price tag can all strengthen the response. Strikingly, some studies report benefits even when patients are openly told the pill contains no active drug, challenging the idea that deception is essential. Researchers stress, however, that placebos do not shrink tumours or cure infections; their reach is largely limited to symptoms shaped by the brain, such as pain and nausea.