What People Aged 50 and Older Need to Know About Flu Shots

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 primary purpose?

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   1. To compare production methods and their potential practical consequences
   2. To evaluate the safety of every available flu formulation
   3. To argue that traditional vaccines should be abandoned immediately
   4. To document the historical development of RNA technology
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To compare production methods and their potential practical consequences

   It explains contrasting production methods and their possible implications for seasonal vaccine supply.

   The conversation focuses on how the newer vaccine is made.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why does the article emphasize advance planning?

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   1. Traditional production requires early predictions about circulating strains
   2. RNA vaccines cannot be produced until winter begins
   3. Older adults need months to decide whether vaccination is worthwhile
   4. The interview was recorded before any flu activity occurred
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   Answer

   Traditional production requires early predictions about circulating strains

   Traditional production depends on predictions made months before the season develops.

   That timetable means manufacturers must make predictions well before the flu season fully develops.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “these methods” refer to in the third paragraph?

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   1. Growing viral components in eggs or cell containers
   2. Providing instructions for producing a protein
   3. Selecting an antigen for immune targeting
   4. Monitoring flu activity through public-health reports
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   Answer

   Growing viral components in eggs or cell containers

   The phrase points back to growing viral components in eggs or cell containers.

   Manufacturers generally grow viral components in chicken eggs or in large containers of cells.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What can be inferred about strain mismatch?

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   1. It can expose the limits of inflexible production schedules
   2. It proves that vaccination becomes impossible after winter begins
   3. It shows that RNA vaccines always provide stronger immunity
   4. It eliminates the need to identify a targeted protein
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   Answer

   It can expose the limits of inflexible production schedules

   A mismatch creates difficulty because traditional manufacturing began from earlier assumptions.

   If the strains that circulate later differ from those expected, adjusting production can be difficult.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   How is the discussion organized?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. By contrasting technologies before drawing a measured practical conclusion
   2. By presenting competing interviews and ranking their credibility
   3. By listing symptoms before explaining treatment recommendations
   4. By recounting a vaccine trial chronologically from discovery to approval
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   By contrasting technologies before drawing a measured practical conclusion

   It moves from RNA mechanisms to traditional production, timing, flexibility, and practical interpretation.

   For older adults considering vaccination, its central message is that several formulations exist, while the science behind them can vary considerably.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why does the article mention COVID-19 vaccines?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. To connect the newer method with a technology readers may recognize
   2. To claim that influenza and COVID-19 vaccines are identical
   3. To suggest that COVID-19 vaccines replace seasonal flu shots
   4. To establish that both diseases circulate during precisely the same months
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   Answer

   To connect the newer method with a technology readers may recognize

   The comparison gives readers a familiar technological reference point for RNA vaccines.

   Falsey explains that it uses RNA technology, the same broad approach associated with COVID-19 vaccines.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What qualification tempers the article's presentation of RNA technology?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Its potential advantages do not automatically invalidate traditional options
   2. Its production process is already slower than conventional methods
   3. Its use is limited exclusively to people under fifty
   4. Its targeted protein cannot produce an immune response
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Its potential advantages do not automatically invalidate traditional options

   The article describes potential production benefits without dismissing established alternatives.

   The interview presents the technology as a difference in vaccine production, not as a reason to ignore established options.

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.