Archaeologists race to save artifacts in Alaska after storm damage

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 mainly about?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. An archaeological team’s urgent response to storm damage
   2. A detailed history of typhoons affecting Alaska
   3. A plan to rebuild damaged homes and roads
   4. A debate about the value of archaeological research
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   An archaeological team’s urgent response to storm damage

   The article explains an urgent effort to protect artifacts before another storm.

   The archaeologists are now trying to remove as many objects as possible before another storm arrives.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “Their work” refer to in the second paragraph?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. The storm’s effects on local infrastructure
   2. The archaeologists’ recovery and preservation efforts
   3. The study of Alaska’s weather patterns
   4. The construction of a new research site
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The archaeologists’ recovery and preservation efforts

   The phrase refers to the archaeologists’ efforts to remove and protect objects.

   Their work is focused on recovery and preservation: objects that remain at the damaged site may face additional risk if severe weather returns.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why must the site be treated as an urgent priority?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. The site contains newly built infrastructure
   2. Another storm may arrive before recovery is complete
   3. The research team has finished examining every object
   4. The storm damaged only the archaeological site
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Another storm may arrive before recovery is complete

   Researchers face competing needs after the storm affected several areas simultaneously.

   For the researchers, this means that the site must be treated as an urgent priority while attention is also needed elsewhere.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What can be inferred about the recovery effort?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. The team has unlimited time and resources
   2. Every object has already been safely removed
   3. The team must prioritize objects under changing conditions
   4. Researchers are abandoning the site permanently
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The team must prioritize objects under changing conditions

   The researchers cannot save everything, so they must make careful choices.

   They must decide how to recover as many objects as possible while conditions allow.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What contrast does the fifth paragraph establish?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Past damage versus possible future protection
   2. Public infrastructure versus private housing
   3. Alaska versus other archaeological regions
   4. Weather research versus historical research
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Past damage versus possible future protection

   The effort cannot undo earlier harm, but it can reduce future losses.

   The current effort does not erase the damage already caused by last year’s storm.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   How is the article organized overall?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. It presents a problem, explains the response, and broadens its significance
   2. It compares two unrelated excavation methods
   3. It lists several storms in chronological order
   4. It describes a discovery before explaining its location
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It presents a problem, explains the response, and broadens its significance

   It moves from the damage and response to broader significance and future risks.

   The work highlights how extreme weather can threaten not only homes and public infrastructure but also archaeological research.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What is the author’s main purpose in mentioning homes and infrastructure?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. To show the storm’s effects extended beyond archaeology
   2. To argue that archaeological sites are unimportant
   3. To explain why homes are easier to preserve
   4. To identify the exact location of the excavation
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To show the storm’s effects extended beyond archaeology

   These examples show that the storm created a wider regional emergency.

   Homes were damaged, infrastructure was harmed, and the archaeological site also suffered.

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.