This surprising mammal fossil is giving scientists something to chew on

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

Fill in the blank (dropdown)

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 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)

   Choose the correct option for each blank.

   The specimen’s soft-tissue impressions, together with its bones, ___ researchers to reconstruct aspects of behavior.

   Choices for blank 1

   1. has allowed
   2. have allowed
   3. allowing
   4. to allow
   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   have allowed

   The compound subject’s head noun impressions requires a plural verb.

2. Question 2 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)

   Choose the correct option for each blank.

   Rare ___ early mammal fossils, this specimen preserves evidence of both structure and behavior.

   Choices for blank 1

   1. though
   2. as
   3. despite
   4. although
   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   though

   The concessive adjective phrase correctly modifies the specimen.

3. Question 3 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)

   Choose the correct option for each blank.

   The researchers treated the anatomical evidence as though it ___ definitive proof of modern mammalian identity.

   Choices for blank 1

   1. is
   2. was
   3. were
   4. be
   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   were

   The hypothetical comparison requires the irrealis past form were.

4. Question 4 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)

   Choose the correct option for each blank.

   Only after spectroscopy was applied ___ the skeleton become clearly distinguishable from the shale.

   Choices for blank 1

   1. did
   2. was
   3. had
   4. would
   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   did

   Negative-fronted inversion requires auxiliary subject inversion.

5. Question 5 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)

   Choose the correct option for each blank.

   The fossil is thought ___ several mammalian traits long before modern mammals emerged.

   Choices for blank 1

   1. to exhibit
   2. exhibiting
   3. to have exhibited
   4. having exhibit
   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   to have exhibited

   The passive reporting construction requires a perfect infinitive here.

6. Question 6 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)

   Choose the correct option for each blank.

   Had the bones not survived, researchers ___ unable to infer the animal’s behavior.

   Choices for blank 1

   1. would be
   2. would have been
   3. were
   4. had been
   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   would have been

   A third conditional requires would have plus the past participle.

7. Question 7 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)

   Choose the correct option for each blank.

   The technique, ___ by Chang-Fu Zhou, revealed chemical contrasts invisible in ordinary photographs.

   Choices for blank 1

   1. developing
   2. developed
   3. was developed
   4. to develop
   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   developed

   The reduced nonrestrictive relative clause requires a past participle.

8. Question 8 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)

   Choose the correct option for each blank.

   It was the combination of preservation and imaging ___ made the fossil especially valuable.

   Choices for blank 1

   1. what
   2. which
   3. that
   4. where
   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   that

   The cleft construction requires the relative marker that introducing the defining clause.

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.