Understanding a University’s Outreach Findings
About this practice test
A university outreach evaluation examines how relevant activities, adult support, repeated contact and practical communication influence teenagers’ interest in higher education, while noting limits in the evidence.
What you’ll practice
Finding detail
Locate specific information and evidence.
Interpreting ideas
Connect main points and inferences.
Evaluating arguments
Assess claims, evidence, and limitations.
What to expect:
12 questions with explanations to review after submission.
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
- Fill in the blank (dropdown)
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.
Understanding a University’s Outreach Findings
Riverside University’s outreach office spent a spring term tracking efforts meant to widen participation in higher education. Rather than counting only attendance, the team wanted to know which contacts made teenagers more likely to imagine themselves at university. They worked with local schools, a youth centre and two community libraries, and they asked teachers, students and parents to respond after each event. The activities were varied on purpose: some were brief subject taster sessions, others were longer workshops, and a few were online talks for families who could not travel. In total, 312 students took part in at least one activity. The most popular event was a forty-minute career demonstration in which researchers explained how their studies connected to jobs in health, design and environmental planning. These sessions filled quickly, but the team noticed that popularity did not always mean influence. Students often enjoyed the demonstrations because they were lively and easy to follow, yet many left without changing their views about university. By contrast, smaller workshops that were tied to school projects produced fewer immediate sign-ups but more questions later in the term. One clear pattern was the value of relevance. When a science session matched a topic the class was already studying, students were more willing to stay after the bell and ask for materials. Similar results appeared in the humanities, where a history workshop built around local migration stories led several pupils to compare the university session with their own family experiences. The outreach team had expected subject choice to matter most, but the feedback showed that connection to everyday life mattered just as much. Students were less interested in abstract talk about campus buildings than in hearing how university work could help them explain things they already cared about. The role of adults also mattered. Teachers who received a short guide before the visit were better able to prepare classes, and parents who were sent a plain-language summary were more likely to encourage their children to attend follow-up events. However, the team learned that too much information was a problem. When the guide was long and full of dates, some families did not read it at all. A simpler note, sent by text as well as email, produced a better response. This suggested that outreach is not only about speaking to students; it also depends on whether the people around them can act on the message. The findings were useful, but the team was careful not to overstate them. The sample was not random: the schools had already agreed to work with the university, so the students were probably more open to the idea of higher education than average. The project also ran during one wet spring term, when transport was unreliable and several online sessions were interrupted by weak internet connections. Because of that, the researchers could not say whether the same pattern would appear in a different season or in schools with better resources. They described the report as a guide for planning, not as proof that one outreach model suits every context. Even so, the report pointed to a practical conclusion. Outreach worked best when it was repeated, local and specific. A single dramatic event could attract attention, but it was sustained contact, short follow-up messages and activities linked to existing interests that seemed to change expectations. The university decided to keep the popular demonstrations, but only as an opening step. Its next round would place more emphasis on mentoring, on teacher partnerships and on events held in places families already trusted. In the team’s view, widening participation required patience, because interest was easier to create than confidence.
-
Question 1 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
The outreach team wanted to know which contacts made teenagers more likely to ___ university as part of their future lives.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- compare
- postpone
- imagine
- interrupt
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- imagine
The correct word is "imagine". The passage says the team wanted to know which contacts made teenagers more likely to imagine themselves at university, so the idea is about picturing a future there. The other options do not express that mental process.
wanted to know which contacts made teenagers more likely to imagine themselves at university
compare: This means to weigh things against each other, which is not the idea in the passage.
postpone: This means delay, which does not fit the passage.
interrupt: This means break into something, not picture a future at university.
-
Question 2 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
The university also ran online talks for families who could not attend the event in ___.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- person
- public
- advance
- silence
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- person
The correct answer is "person". The passage says there were online talks for families who could not travel, so the statement means they could not attend in person. The other options are grammatical after "in," but they do not match the passage meaning.
a few were online talks for families who could not travel
-
Question 3 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
Although the career demonstrations filled quickly, the team found that being popular did not always create real ___.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- damage
- shortage
- influence
- attendance
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- influence
The correct answer is "influence". The passage contrasts lively, popular demonstrations with the fact that many students did not change their views. The other choices do not capture that effect on opinion.
popularity did not always mean influence
yet many left without changing their views about university
damage: The passage does not suggest harm; it focuses on impact on views.
shortage: This does not fit the meaning of the sentence.
attendance: Attendance was high, but the sentence is about effect, not numbers.
-
Question 4 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
The school-linked workshops did not produce many instant sign-ups, but they led to more questions later in the school ___.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- lesson
- term
- week
- break
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- term
The correct word is "term". The passage says the workshops produced fewer immediate sign-ups but more questions later in the term. This shows that interest developed over time. The other options do not match the period named in the passage.
produced fewer immediate sign-ups but more questions later in the term
lesson: The passage is about a longer period than a single lesson.
week: A week is too short for the delayed effect described here.
break: This does not fit the idea of questions appearing later in the school term.
-
Question 5 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
A science session was especially effective when it matched a topic the class had already started ___.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- finishing
- planning
- studying
- avoiding
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- studying
The correct answer is "studying". The passage says that when a science session matched a topic the class was already studying, students were more willing to stay after the bell. The other choices do not match the idea of ongoing class work.
When a science session matched a topic the class was already studying
finishing: This suggests the topic was ending, which is not what the text says.
planning: The passage says the class was already doing the topic, not merely planning it.
avoiding: This contradicts the passage, which says the class was engaged with the topic.
-
Question 6 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
In the humanities, a history workshop built around local migration ___ helped pupils connect the visit with their own family experiences.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- stories
- rumours
- problems
- rules
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- stories
The correct word is "stories". The passage shows that local migration stories made the session feel closer to the pupils' own lives, which encouraged comparison with family experience. The other options do not fit the source meaning.
a history workshop built around local migration stories
led several pupils to compare the university session with their own family experiences
rumours: This does not suit the serious educational context of the passage.
problems: The workshop was built around stories, not problems.
rules: Rules were not the basis of the workshop.
-
Question 7 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
Students were less interested in vague talk about campus ___ than in explanations that linked university work to things they already cared about.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- meals
- timetables
- fees
- buildings
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- buildings
The correct answer is "buildings". The passage contrasts abstract talk about the campus with explanations that connected to everyday life. The other options are campus-related but do not match this contrast.
Students were less interested in abstract talk about campus buildings than in hearing how university work could help them explain things they already cared about
meals: Food is not the topic of the contrast in the passage.
timetables: This is a campus-related word, but it is not the one contrasted in the text.
fees: Money was not the point of the comparison in the passage.
-
Question 8 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
Teachers who received a short guide before the visit could ___ their classes better in advance.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- cancel
- prepare
- replace
- split
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- prepare
The correct answer is "prepare". The guide helped teachers get classes ready before the visit, which improved support for the outreach. The other choices do not describe that advance planning.
Teachers who received a short guide before the visit were better able to prepare classes
cancel: The passage says the guide helped, not that classes were cancelled.
replace: Replacing classes is not the action described in the passage.
split: This does not fit the idea of helping classes before the visit.
-
Question 9 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
A plain-language summary made parents more likely to encourage their children to join later ___.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- leaflets
- reports
- deadlines
- events
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- events
The correct answer is "events". The passage says that parents who received a plain-language summary were more likely to encourage their children to attend follow-up events, so the summary had a positive effect on later participation. The other options do not fit what families attend.
parents who were sent a plain-language summary were more likely to encourage their children to attend follow-up events
leaflets: Leaflets can be read, but they are not things to attend.
reports: Reports can be read, but they are not later activities for children to join.
deadlines: People do not attend deadlines, so this does not fit the sentence.
-
Question 10 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
When the guide was long and packed with dates, some families never ___ it.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- read
- use
- share
- translate
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- read
The correct word is "read". The passage explains that the problem with the long guide was that some families did not read it at all, which shows how too much detail reduced engagement. The other options do not match that meaning.
some families did not read it at all
use: The key problem was that some families did not read the guide, not merely that they did not use it.
share: The issue was not sharing the guide but reading it.
translate: The passage does not suggest a language problem like translation.
-
Question 11 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
The sample could not be treated as fully general because the schools already had an agreement to work with the ___.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- library
- council
- university
- students
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- university
The correct answer is "university". The passage says the sample was not random because the schools had already agreed to work with the university, so the results may not apply everywhere. The other options are plausible institutions, but they are not supported by the text.
The sample was not random: the schools had already agreed to work with the university
library: The libraries were involved earlier, but they are not the reason the sample was limited.
council: A council is not the partner named in the passage.
students: Students took part, but they are not the organisation the schools agreed to work with.
-
Question 12 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
The report argued that outreach was most effective when it was sustained, nearby and ___ to the audience's needs.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- specific
- private
- noisy
- random
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- specific
The correct word is "specific". The report concludes that outreach worked best when it was repeated, local and focused on particular audience needs. The other choices do not match that conclusion.
Outreach worked best when it was repeated, local and specific
private: The report does not say private events worked best.
noisy: Noise is not the quality the report highlights.
random: This is the opposite of the report's targeted conclusion.
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.