A bad year for the crypto industry just got a lot worse

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

B2. 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 passage for its main idea, then return to the relevant sentence or paragraph for each question. Base answers on the passage.

1. Question 1 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What is the article’s main purpose?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. To explain detailed cryptocurrency regulations
   2. To describe a setback and its possible significance
   3. To compare two competing Senate bills
   4. To predict the industry’s exact future
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To describe a setback and its possible significance

   It explains the defeat’s significance while acknowledging limits in the reporting.

   The available reporting nevertheless establishes the immediate result clearly.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why does the article mention that the source lacks details about the bill?

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   1. To show that the Senate never considered it
   2. To explain why the event was unimportant
   3. To identify limits on assessing its consequences
   4. To prove that the industry opposed it
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To identify limits on assessing its consequences

   The missing details limit how confidently broader policy effects can be evaluated.

   Without knowing the bill’s specific proposals or the reasons for its defeat, it is not possible to assess the policy consequences in detail.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “That description” refer to in paragraph three?

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   1. The bill’s specific proposals
   2. The Senate’s voting procedure
   3. The sector’s future prospects
   4. The industry’s terrible year
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The industry’s terrible year

   The phrase points back to NPR’s description of the year as terrible.

   NPR describes it as the latest setback in what has been a terrible year for the cryptocurrency industry.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What relationship does the article establish between the defeat and future plans?

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   1. The defeat may change the sector’s future strategy
   2. The defeat guarantees immediate policy changes
   3. The defeat removes political concerns permanently
   4. The defeat proves future efforts will succeed
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The defeat may change the sector’s future strategy

   The defeat may require participants to reconsider plans and future Senate efforts.

   The setback may also influence how the sector approaches future efforts in the Senate.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which development is presented as the broader context for the defeat?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Rapid technological growth
   2. An already difficult period
   3. A successful legislative campaign
   4. A change in Senate leadership
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   An already difficult period

   The article places the event within an already difficult year.

   The defeat also comes during an already difficult period.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What broader conclusion does the final paragraph support?

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   1. The industry has solved its main problems
   2. The bill’s effects are already fully known
   3. The defeat adds concern without settling future outcomes
   4. The Senate will certainly approve another bill
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The defeat adds concern without settling future outcomes

   The defeat increases concern, although its wider effects remain uncertain.

   The broader effects will depend on what happens next, but the event gives the sector another reason for concern during an already challenging period.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why does the article compare the defeat with an isolated disappointment?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. To emphasize a continuing pattern of problems
   2. To suggest the defeat had no importance
   3. To explain the bill’s technical design
   4. To criticize the Senate’s location
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To emphasize a continuing pattern of problems

   The comparison emphasizes that the event reflects wider difficulties.

   Its failure therefore represents more than an isolated legislative disappointment.

What to review next

Find the words that support each answer. For a mistake, compare the question with the evidence and identify the detail or inference you missed.

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

Look for evidence in the text. Separate what the writer says from what you already know about the topic.

The library normally closes at six, but on Fridays it stays open until eight. When does it close on Friday?

The answer is eight. But introduces an exception to the normal closing time, so the first time mentioned is not the answer.

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.