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

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.

   Where had the team first noticed the fossil approximately ten years earlier?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. At the University of Chicago
   2. At the Paleontological Museum of Liaoning
   3. At Shandong University of Science and Technology
   4. At the University of Bonn
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   Answer

   At the Paleontological Museum of Liaoning

   The narration locates the initial observation at a specific regional museum.

   Researchers first noticed the specimen about a decade ago at the Paleontological Museum of Liaoning, where many fossils from the region are kept.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which researchers are identified as regularly visiting the museum?

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   1. Luo and Martin
   2. Martin and Zhou
   3. Zhou and Luo
   4. Luo, Martin, and Zhou
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   Answer

   Luo and Martin

   The recording names Luo and Martin as recurring museum visitors.

   Zhe-Xi Luo, a paleontologist at the University of Chicago, and Thomas Martin of the University of Bonn regularly visit the museum to examine new discoveries.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What did the resulting image do to the skeleton’s appearance?

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   1. It rendered the skeleton transparent.
   2. It made the skeleton appear bright yellow.
   3. It obscured the skeleton completely.
   4. It changed the skeleton into a modern mammal.
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   Answer

   It made the skeleton appear bright yellow.

   The narrated result is a marked visual change that improved anatomical visibility.

   The resulting image made the skeleton appear bright yellow and brought its unusual anatomy into sharper view.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does the recording say about the fossil’s location of discovery?

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   1. It was excavated near the University of Bonn.
   2. It was discovered in Inner Mongolia, China.
   3. It was found inside the Paleontological Museum of Liaoning.
   4. It was recovered from a modern platypus habitat.
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   Answer

   It was discovered in Inner Mongolia, China.

   The opening identifies Inner Mongolia in China as the discovery region.

   The animal, named Megacauda sungei, was preserved in a thick slab of shale discovered in the Inner Mongolia region of China, an area renowned for producing exceptional fossils.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why could researchers make claims about Megacauda’s behavior?

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   1. The animal was observed by museum staff.
   2. Its preservation supported behavioral inferences.
   3. Its teeth exactly match those of modern predators.
   4. Its habitat was reconstructed from eyewitness accounts.
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   Answer

   Its preservation supported behavioral inferences.

   Exceptional preservation supplied evidence extending beyond skeletal structure.

   Early fossil mammals are exceedingly rare, and this degree of preservation allowed researchers to infer aspects of the animal’s behavior as well as its structure.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What was the immediate visual obstacle in examining the fossil?

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   1. The slab was too small to handle safely.
   2. The specimen had lost all impressions of soft tissue.
   3. Its visual contrast was insufficient for easy study.
   4. The museum prohibited photographic examination.
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   Answer

   Its visual contrast was insufficient for easy study.

   The narration stresses that bones and matrix shared similarly dark coloration.

   The fossil’s appearance initially made it difficult to study.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What publication venue is mentioned for the team’s description?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Science
   2. Nature
   3. Paleontology Today
   4. The Journal of Mammalian Biology
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   Answer

   Nature

   The recording explicitly names Nature as the journal containing the description.

   The team has described the fossil in the journal Nature.

8. Question 8 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What broader conclusion follows from combining the fossil with modern analysis?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Modern mammals evolved before the Jurassic.
   2. Important mammalian features predated familiar modern forms.
   3. Imaging methods created the fossil’s anatomical traits.
   4. Ancient relatives lacked any biologically significant features.
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   Answer

   Important mammalian features predated familiar modern forms.

   The closing sentence extends the finding to the timing of mammalian biology.

   Together, the fossil and the analysis suggest that important features of mammalian biology were already present among ancient relatives long before mammals became familiar in their modern forms.

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.