Origin Genomics Seeks to Show That Embryo Gene Editing’s Potential Benefits Outweigh Its Risks

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 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 organization is identified as reporting the objective?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Origin Genomics
   2. NPR
   3. A clinical review board
   4. An unnamed research institute
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   NPR

   The narration explicitly attributes the coverage to NPR.

   NPR identified that objective in coverage published September 29, 2026, presenting the company’s ambition as an effort to address disease-causing genes before a baby is born.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   According to the narration, when would the company address disease-causing genes?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. After a baby reaches adulthood
   2. Before a baby is born
   3. Only after clinical treatment fails
   4. During a later public-health campaign
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Before a baby is born

   The stated ambition concerns intervention before birth.

   NPR identified that objective in coverage published September 29, 2026, presenting the company’s ambition as an effort to address disease-causing genes before a baby is born.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What is the company explicitly not described as having demonstrated?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Its corporate identity
   2. Its technology’s safety
   3. Its interest in disease prevention
   4. Its ambition to conduct research
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Its technology’s safety

   The narration directly denies that the source establishes technological safety.

   Origin Genomics is not described in the source package as having demonstrated that its technology is safe, nor is the package presented as evidence that the benefits already exceed the risks.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which category of information is specifically absent from the package?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. The company’s stated objective
   2. Clinical results
   3. The publication date
   4. The disease-related focus
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Clinical results

   Clinical results are expressly listed among the omitted information.

   The package does not provide additional technical details, clinical results, numerical estimates, or a timeline for proving the claim.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does the source support, according to the narration?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. A precise account of the company’s aim
   2. A definitive safety assessment
   3. A numerical risk calculation
   4. A confirmed effectiveness claim
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   A precise account of the company’s aim

   It supports a narrow account of the aim, not broad claims about performance.

   It therefore supports a precise account of the company’s aim, but not a broader conclusion about the technology’s effectiveness or safety.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does Origin Genomics seek to show about editing embryos?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. That editing eliminates every medical danger
   2. That benefits could justify the associated risks
   3. That embryos cannot be genetically altered
   4. That risks are already precisely quantified
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   That benefits could justify the associated risks

   The narration states that the company argues benefits could justify associated risks.

   Origin Genomics seeks to show that editing disease-causing genes in embryos could produce sufficient benefits to justify the associated risks.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What verified facts does the narration identify about the company?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Its location and clinical success
   2. Its identity and risk-benefit argument
   3. Its financial backing and laboratory results
   4. Its timeline and regulatory approval
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Its identity and risk-benefit argument

   It identifies the startup, its focus, and its argument about comparative outcomes.

   A startup called Origin Genomics is pursuing an argument about the balance between potential benefits and risks in embryo gene editing.

8. Question 8 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What conclusion does the narration draw about the status of the balance?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. It has been conclusively established
   2. It remains unestablished in the supplied account
   3. It is irrelevant to the company’s objective
   4. It has been disproved by clinical evidence
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It remains unestablished in the supplied account

   The final sentence states that the balance has not yet been established.

   The issue is consequently best understood as a claim under examination: Origin Genomics wants to demonstrate that its technology could contribute to making healthy babies, while acknowledging—through the very need for proof—that the balance of benefits and risks has not been established in the supplied account.

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.