August Was the Hottest Month Ever Recorded Globally, Scientists Say

Study the questions and tasks

Work through the material below, or start the interactive practice above to complete an attempt. Try the exercises before opening any answer or transcript sections, then use them to review your work.

Practice level

C2. Try this level if you can follow the instructions and understand most of the language; choose an earlier level if you need more support.

Question formats

Single choice

How to approach this practice

Read the complete sentence and notice the subject, verb form, time reference and word order before answering.

1. Question 1 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Choose the most appropriate completion: “Had the source supplied the margin, readers ___ the record’s scale more precisely.”

   1. would assess
   2. would have assessed
   3. will have assessed
   4. had assessed
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   would have assessed

   The third conditional describes an unreal past condition and result.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Choose the correct form: “The findings, ___ related, are not identical measurements.”

   1. though
   2. though being
   3. though related
   4. though they related
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   though related

   A reduced concessive clause uses the past participle “though related.”

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Choose the best completion: “The article insists that no further details ___ from the account.”

   1. are inferred
   2. be inferred
   3. were inferring
   4. have inferred
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   be inferred

   After “insists that,” formal mandative style permits “be inferred.”

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Choose the correct inversion: “Only after distinguishing the records ___ their relationship become clear.”

   1. their relationship did
   2. did their relationship
   3. their relationship would
   4. would their relationship did
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   did their relationship

   Fronted restrictive adverbials trigger subject–auxiliary inversion.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Choose the best completion: “The wording is cautious, lest readers ___ unsupported details.”

   1. infer
   2. inferred
   3. will infer
   4. have inferred
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   infer

   “Lest” takes a bare infinitive in formal English.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Choose the correct form: “The report provides no figures, ___ does it identify individual scientists.”

   1. or
   2. but
   3. nor
   4. although
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   nor

   Negative coordination uses “nor” followed by auxiliary inversion.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Choose the best completion: “What the account establishes ___ the exceptional heat, not its precise magnitude.”

   1. are
   2. were
   3. is
   4. have been
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   is

   The cleft construction requires singular agreement with “what.”

8. Question 8 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Choose the most formal version: “The records were related; ___, they measured different things.”

   1. consequently
   2. nevertheless
   3. similarly
   4. therefore
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   nevertheless

   “Nevertheless” marks a contrast despite the preceding relationship.

What to review next

After checking an answer, explain the rule in your own words and write a new sentence using the same pattern. Revisit any rules you could not explain.

A focused practice result shows how you did on these tasks. Use several activities across skills to decide what to study next; one practice score does not certify an overall CEFR level.