Researchers are tracking Monarch butterflies to learn more about their journey

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.

   What happens first in the project described?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Researchers analyze completed migration records
   2. Researchers attach devices as migration begins
   3. Butterflies reach Mexico before being observed
   4. Scientists identify every stopping point
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Researchers attach devices as migration begins

   Researchers attach the devices as migration begins.

   Researchers across North America are attaching tiny transmitters to Monarch butterflies as the insects begin their migration to Mexico.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does a transmitter provide that individual observation may not?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Information about movement that individual observation may miss
   2. A guarantee that every butterfly reaches Mexico
   3. A direct measurement of weather at every stop
   4. Proof that migration occurs without interruption
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Information about movement that individual observation may miss

   It can provide movement information otherwise difficult to obtain.

   Attached to a butterfly, it may offer information that is difficult to obtain by observing the insects individually.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What destination is specified for the Monarchs?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. South America
   2. Mexico
   3. Western Europe
   4. Several unspecified regions
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   Answer

   Mexico

   The recording identifies Mexico as the project’s destination.

   For Monarch butterflies, the destination identified in this project is Mexico, while the researchers are working across North America to learn more about the passage between those points.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does the project seek to connect with the butterflies’ movement?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. The movement with practical difficulties along the route
   2. The destination with unrelated weather records
   3. The devices with the insects’ reproductive cycle
   4. The stopping points with human population growth
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The movement with practical difficulties along the route

   Researchers want to relate movement to practical travel difficulties.

   Tracking could therefore help connect the butterflies’ movement with the practical difficulties of traveling such a long route.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What broader research principle does the technology illustrate?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Biological research requires increasingly large equipment
   2. Small technologies can contribute meaningfully to biology
   3. Technology should replace all direct observation
   4. Migration research is mainly a technological field
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Small technologies can contribute meaningfully to biology

   Small-scale tools can support investigation of biological processes.

   The effort also illustrates how small-scale technology can support biological research.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What change in perspective might the collected information produce?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. From a continuous journey to unrelated events
   2. From separate observations to a continuous journey
   3. From scientific research to public entertainment
   4. From migration studies to device manufacturing
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   From separate observations to a continuous journey

   It may transform separate sightings into a continuous account.

   The resulting information could make the migration easier to understand as a continuous journey rather than a series of disconnected observations.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What do the transmitters aim to make visible?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Parts of the journey that researchers cannot currently see
   2. The complete genetic history of every Monarch
   3. The economic consequences of migration
   4. Every environmental condition across North America
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Parts of the journey that researchers cannot currently see

   They are intended to reveal currently unseen parts of migration.

   As the Monarchs travel toward Mexico, the transmitters are intended to make parts of that journey visible to the people studying them.

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.