Understanding pneumonic plague after Russian lab worker’s death

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 happened to the laboratory worker before officials began monitoring the potential case?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. The worker was publicly identified and treated
   2. The worker became ill and died
   3. The worker confirmed wider transmission
   4. The worker closed several medical facilities
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The worker became ill and died

   The worker became ill and died before the reported monitoring began.

   U.S. officials are closely monitoring a potential case of pneumonic plague in Russia after a laboratory worker who studied the disease became ill and died.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which two actions did Russian officials take at medical facilities?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. They conducted trials and released patients
   2. They imposed quarantines and introduced other measures
   3. They ended monitoring and confirmed an outbreak
   4. They relocated laboratories and disclosed symptoms
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   They imposed quarantines and introduced other measures

   The account identifies quarantines and additional measures as the principal interventions.

   At the same time, officials have imposed quarantines and introduced other measures at several medical facilities in the region.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does the recording say pneumonic plague affects?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. The lungs
   2. The bloodstream exclusively
   3. The lymphatic system exclusively
   4. The nervous system
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The lungs

   The definition explicitly identifies the lungs as the affected organ system.

   Pneumonic plague is a form of plague that affects the lungs.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What conclusion does the recording reject as unsupported by general risk alone?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. That the lungs are involved
   2. That the disease has distinct forms
   3. That wider transmission has occurred
   4. That laboratories require precautions
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   That wider transmission has occurred

   The text cautions that general risk does not establish wider transmission in this incident.

   That general risk does not, by itself, establish that wider transmission has occurred in this incident.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which details about the worker remain unavailable?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Nationality and workplace location
   2. Identity, symptoms, diagnosis, and death circumstances
   3. Occupation and research subject
   4. Date of the article and source program
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Identity, symptoms, diagnosis, and death circumstances

   The account withholds identity, symptoms, diagnosis, and precise death circumstances.

   The deceased worker had studied pneumonic plague, but the available account does not provide further details about the person’s identity, symptoms, diagnosis, or the precise circumstances of the death.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What purpose do containment measures serve according to the recording?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. They confirm the suspected diagnosis
   2. They limit contact during assessment
   3. They establish the outbreak’s geographic extent
   4. They identify the deceased worker publicly
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   They limit contact during assessment

   They can restrict contact while officials determine whether an infectious threat exists.

   Such measures can limit contact while officials determine whether an infectious threat exists, although the source account does not describe their duration or scope.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Who discussed the episode?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Russian authorities and U.S. officials
   2. Geoff Bennett and Annie Jacobsen
   3. The deceased worker and medical officials
   4. Siberian researchers and public-health investigators
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Geoff Bennett and Annie Jacobsen

   The closing paragraph names Geoff Bennett and Annie Jacobsen as the discussion participants.

   The episode was discussed by Geoff Bennett with Annie Jacobsen, author of “Biological War: A Scenario.”

8. Question 8 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What broader condition does the conclusion say has not been confirmed?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. A broader public-health emergency
   2. The worker’s laboratory employment
   3. Precautionary action in Siberia
   4. A reported death
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   A broader public-health emergency

   The conclusion explicitly withholds confirmation of a broader public-health emergency.

   For now, the verified facts point to a reported death, a potential case under observation, and precautionary action in Siberia—without confirmation of a broader public-health emergency.

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.