Colleges reshape degree programs around influencing, artificial intelligence, and health careers

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

C1. 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 questions, then listen before opening the transcript. Notice names, numbers and any corrections the speaker makes.

1. Question 1 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   When did conversations about the health sciences major begin?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. During the current academic year
   2. Several years ago
   3. Immediately after the humanities decline
   4. After the first cohort graduated
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Several years ago

   The recording places the initial discussions several years before the report.

   At the University of Texas at San Antonio, conversations about a new health sciences major began several years ago.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Approximately how many undergraduates are in the current cohort?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Around 50
   2. Around 150
   3. Around 500
   4. Around 5,000
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Around 500

   Hernandez gives an approximate figure for the program’s current students.

   Hernandez said the current cohort includes around 500 undergraduates.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What prompted Case Brown’s decision to enroll?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. A scholarship tied to remaining in Texas
   2. An explanation of its support for a medical career
   3. A requirement to study human anatomy
   4. A decline in the number of biology degrees
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   An explanation of its support for a medical career

   Hernandez explained the major’s relevance to Brown’s intended medical career.

   Case Brown, one of the students approached about the major, decided to enroll after Hernandez explained how it could support a future medical career.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What must graduates do for the university to gain the stated additional benefit?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Remain in Texas and pursue specified health careers
   2. Complete a second degree in the liberal arts
   3. Enroll in the program’s first available cohort
   4. Work exclusively for the university after graduation
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Remain in Texas and pursue specified health careers

   The benefit depends on both remaining locally and entering specified careers.

   If graduates remain in Texas and pursue careers as doctors or physician assistants, the university would gain an additional benefit: a connection between its academic offerings and the health-care needs of the region.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   According to the recording, what has happened to humanities bachelor’s degrees since 2012?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. They have risen by 30%.
   2. They have remained unchanged.
   3. They have fallen by 30%.
   4. They have fallen by 12%.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   They have fallen by 30%.

   The cited statistic reports a thirty-percent decrease over that period.

   The pressure is particularly significant in the liberal arts, where the number of humanities bachelor’s degrees awarded in the United States has fallen 30% since 2012, according to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does the recording say a sustainable career pathway can measure?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Whether a degree can deliver lasting value
   2. Whether students prefer broad biology degrees
   3. Whether medical schools reduce prerequisites
   4. Whether universities can eliminate economic concerns
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Whether a degree can deliver lasting value

   It can indicate whether a degree creates durable value beyond initial recruitment.

   In this sense, a sustainable career pathway is not merely a recruitment tool; it is also a measure of whether a new degree can deliver lasting value.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What tension does the conclusion emphasize?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Regional employment versus national medical standards
   2. Student recruitment versus university enrollment data
   3. Economic practicality versus broader educational purposes
   4. Professional focus versus scientific credibility
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Economic practicality versus broader educational purposes

   The closing sentence balances economic responsiveness with broader educational aims.

   The challenge is to respond to practical economic concerns while preserving the broader educational purposes of higher education.

What to review next

Listen again to difficult sections, then open the transcript to check what you heard. Repeat a useful phrase aloud and try the recording once more without the text.

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.

Before you practise: a worked example

Listen for the final information, especially when a speaker corrects or changes an earlier statement.

Example transcript: “Let’s meet at five — actually, half past five would be better.” What is the final suggested time?

The final suggested time is 5:30. Actually signals a correction; the first time is replaced by the later suggestion.

This teaching example is separate from the scored questions. After your test, compare any mistakes with the explanation and revisit the topic before trying again.