Tennessee Lethal Injection Protocol Draws Scrutiny After Christa Pike’s Failed Execution

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 describe the history of capital punishment in Tennessee
   2. To explain scrutiny surrounding changing execution procedures
   3. To compare several failed executions across the United States
   4. To argue that all government procedures should be abolished
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To explain scrutiny surrounding changing execution procedures

   It explains why Pike’s failed execution has drawn attention to changing procedures.

   The failed execution of Christa Pike has brought scrutiny to Tennessee’s lethal injection protocol.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What can readers infer about the current and previous protocols?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. They are exactly identical
   2. The previous protocol was never written down
   3. They may reveal how Tennessee’s approach changed
   4. The current protocol applies only to Pike
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   They may reveal how Tennessee’s approach changed

   The article indicates that comparing them may reveal changes in state policy.

   A protocol can be revised over time, so comparing an older version with a current one may show how the state’s approach has changed.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   In paragraph three, what does “Those differences” refer to?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Differences between government authorities
   2. Differences between technical and public issues
   3. Differences between written rules and officials
   4. Differences between the current and previous procedures
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Differences between the current and previous procedures

   The phrase points back to differences between current and previous procedures.

   Those differences have become a central focus in Pike’s case because the execution did not proceed as intended.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why does the article mention the relationship between written procedure and practice?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. To explain why written rules are irrelevant
   2. To connect formal instructions with actual events
   3. To identify who wrote Tennessee’s protocol
   4. To prove that every execution follows identical steps
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To connect formal instructions with actual events

   It highlights how official rules may operate differently in real situations.

   The event has therefore raised interest in the relationship between the written procedure and what happens when that procedure is put into practice.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   How is the article organized?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. It presents unrelated historical examples
   2. It explains a failure, examines protocols, and discusses significance
   3. It lists legal arguments before describing the event
   4. It gives instructions for carrying out an execution
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It explains a failure, examines protocols, and discusses significance

   It moves from the failed execution to procedures and then broader implications.

   For that reason, Tennessee’s lethal injection protocol remains under scrutiny following Pike’s failed execution.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What wider significance does the article assign to procedure changes?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. They may influence public understanding of state action
   2. They guarantee that future executions will succeed
   3. They remove the need for government oversight
   4. They determine the exact date of every execution
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   They may influence public understanding of state action

   Changes may affect how serious state actions are organized and understood.

   They may influence how a highly serious state action is organized and understood.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What contrast provides the main framework for examining Pike’s failed execution?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Technical and medical explanations
   2. Public and private responses
   3. The current and previous protocols
   4. Tennessee and other states
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The current and previous protocols

   The article centers its examination on current and previous protocols.

   That comparison provides the main framework for examining Pike’s failed execution.

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.