Dengue Transmission in the United States Is Increasingly Local

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.

   Which statement best captures the article’s central claim?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Dengue is chiefly a travel-related infection in the United States.
   2. Local mosquitoes now play the larger role in current transmission.
   3. The article identifies a specific American city with dengue cases.
   4. The article quantifies how sharply dengue transmission has changed.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Local mosquitoes now play the larger role in current transmission.

   The article centers on a shift in transmission patterns.

   Dengue’s changing transmission pattern underscores the importance of distinguishing imported infections from local spread.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does the contrast between travel exposure and local spread imply?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Community-level exposure becomes more relevant.
   2. Travelers no longer acquire dengue abroad.
   3. Symptoms reliably reveal where infection occurred.
   4. The disease can no longer be linked to travel.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Community-level exposure becomes more relevant.

   A shift in route changes where risk is most directly located.

   When most transmission is local, the risk is tied more directly to mosquitoes in the communities where people live.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “this route” refer to in the fourth paragraph?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Infection acquired during international travel
   2. Infection acquired through local mosquito transmission
   3. The return of a traveler with an infection
   4. The onset of symptoms after a mosquito bite
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Infection acquired through local mosquito transmission

   The reference points to the locally transmitted pathway just described.

   A locally transmitted infection occurs after a person is bitten by a mosquito carrying the virus in the place where transmission is occurring.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why does the article explain the meaning of “locally transmitted”?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. To define the route that distinguishes local spread from imported infection
   2. To specify which states have experienced the most infections
   3. To explain how symptoms differ after a local mosquito bite
   4. To demonstrate that travel no longer contributes to infection
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To define the route that distinguishes local spread from imported infection

   The definition clarifies the distinction underlying the reported shift.

   A locally transmitted infection occurs after a person is bitten by a mosquito carrying the virus in the place where transmission is occurring.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   How is the article’s account organized?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. It compares a past pattern with a present one, then considers implications.
   2. It lists locations first, then ranks their infection rates.
   3. It describes symptoms before evaluating competing treatments.
   4. It presents an intervention, then reports its measured effects.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It compares a past pattern with a present one, then considers implications.

   It moves from the earlier pattern to its current significance and limits.

   The earlier travel-linked pattern and the present dominance of local mosquitoes describe a meaningful shift in the disease’s relationship with the United States.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What can be concluded about the geographic scope of the supplied facts?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. They identify a city but withhold its infection count.
   2. They describe the United States without naming a specific location.
   3. They establish that every state has local transmission.
   4. They focus on one region but omit its name.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   They describe the United States without naming a specific location.

   The article states the broad setting but gives no more specific location.

   The supplied facts establish that this route now accounts for most current transmission, although they do not specify a particular location or quantify the change.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What relationship does the article draw between local spread and persistence?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Continued local transmission could make dengue a more persistent domestic concern.
   2. Travel-linked infections guarantee that local spread will stop.
   3. A persistent challenge would mean travel no longer causes infection.
   4. The article establishes that local transmission will continue indefinitely.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Continued local transmission could make dengue a more persistent domestic concern.

   Ongoing local spread may make dengue a lasting domestic concern.

   If local transmission continues, dengue may be less an occasional consequence of travel and more a persistent domestic health challenge.

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.