Colleges reshape degree programs around influencing, artificial intelligence, and health careers

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

C1. 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 central argument about newly introduced degree programs?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. They primarily eliminate broad academic subjects from universities.
   2. They reflect efforts to align recruitment, careers, and educational value.
   3. They guarantee graduates immediate employment in regional industries.
   4. They show that medical programs are replacing liberal-arts degrees.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   They reflect efforts to align recruitment, careers, and educational value.

   The article links program design to recruitment, employment, and educational purpose.

   Together, these developments suggest that colleges are reconsidering how degrees are designed and promoted.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What can be inferred about the original biology degree?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. It lacked scientific credibility among faculty members.
   2. It was unavailable to students pursuing medical careers.
   3. It was academically strong but insufficiently tailored to students’ needs.
   4. It had already been discontinued before the new program began.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It was academically strong but insufficiently tailored to students’ needs.

   Hernandez’s comments imply strength without sufficient specialization for students.

   In his view, it did not fully reflect the university’s student population or provide the same degree of professional focus.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   In the fourth paragraph, what does “this sense” refer to?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. The idea that enrollment determines academic quality
   2. The connection between graduates and regional health-care needs
   3. The requirement that all graduates remain in Texas
   4. The distinction between doctors and physician assistants
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The connection between graduates and regional health-care needs

   The phrase points to the university’s connection with regional health-care needs.

   In this sense, a sustainable career pathway is not merely a recruitment tool; it is also a measure of whether a new degree can deliver lasting value.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why does the article mention the decline in humanities bachelor’s degrees?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. To demonstrate that liberal-arts instruction has become more expensive
   2. To provide evidence of pressure affecting less career-specific programs
   3. To prove that health sciences programs attract the most students
   4. To compare Texas universities with institutions overseas
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To provide evidence of pressure affecting less career-specific programs

   The statistic illustrates the wider pressure on programs with unclear employment links.

   The pressure is particularly significant in the liberal arts, where the number of humanities bachelor’s degrees awarded in the United States has fallen 30% since 2012, according to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   How is the article organized overall?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. It presents a historical timeline of medical education.
   2. It contrasts two universities before proposing enrollment reforms.
   3. It introduces examples, examines consequences, and broadens the issue.
   4. It lists unrelated majors and evaluates each by salary outcomes.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It introduces examples, examines consequences, and broadens the issue.

   It moves from examples to implications and concludes with a broader educational tension.

   The challenge is to respond to practical economic concerns while preserving the broader educational purposes of higher education.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What relationship does the article establish between enrollment and lasting value?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Enrollment is treated as the only reliable measure of success.
   2. Attracting students is valuable, but regional outcomes also matter.
   3. Enrollment declines whenever programs address local health needs.
   4. Regional employment makes student recruitment unnecessary.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Attracting students is valuable, but regional outcomes also matter.

   The program’s success is presented as extending beyond attracting students.

   The program’s ambitions extend beyond enrollment.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why does the article describe the health sciences program as more than a recruitment tool?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. It guarantees graduates admission to medical school.
   2. It enables the university to avoid discussing enrollment.
   3. It may connect graduates’ careers with regional public needs.
   4. It replaces existing requirements for physician assistants.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It may connect graduates’ careers with regional public needs.

   Its potential contribution includes meeting regional health-care needs.

   If graduates remain in Texas and pursue careers as doctors or physician assistants, the university would gain an additional benefit: a connection between its academic offerings and the health-care needs of the region.

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.