‘Fire amoeba’ sets a new thermal limit for complex life

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

C2. 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 distinction?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. The species’ name differs from its scientific classification.
   2. Movement and reproduction have distinct thermal limits.
   3. Complex organisms cannot survive briefly in extreme heat.
   4. The discovery’s location determines its scientific significance.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Movement and reproduction have distinct thermal limits.

   The article separates the temperatures supporting reproduction and movement.

   The two temperatures describe different biological capabilities.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why does the article mention the two-degree gap?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. To show that both abilities cease simultaneously
   2. To suggest the measurements may be inaccurate
   3. To emphasize the distinction between the thresholds
   4. To compare the species with simpler organisms
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To emphasize the distinction between the thresholds

   The gap clarifies that the two measurements represent different biological limits.

   The gap between the two measurements is only two degrees, but it separates the reported limit for producing new individuals from the reported limit for continuing to move.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “that category” refer to?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Organisms with complex eukaryotic structures
   2. Organisms capable of brief survival
   3. Species discovered in unspecified locations
   4. Species that reproduce above 147°F
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Organisms with complex eukaryotic structures

   The phrase refers to the broad category introduced immediately before it.

   In the verified account, the fire amoeba is notable because its reported thermal limits apply to an organism in that category.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What can be inferred from the article’s qualification about survival?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. The amoeba’s survival has not been observed.
   2. The report values functional activity over bare survival.
   3. Brief survival is biologically more significant.
   4. The species cannot move while reproducing.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The report values functional activity over bare survival.

   The finding concerns sustained biological functions, not merely temporary endurance.

   The result consequently extends the record associated with complex eukaryotic life, rather than describing only a general capacity to survive briefly in hot conditions.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   How is the article primarily organized?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Chronologically, from discovery to publication
   2. By contrasting competing scientific explanations
   3. From headline claim toward distinctions and qualifications
   4. By listing habitats before describing measurements
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   From headline claim toward distinctions and qualifications

   It introduces the finding, differentiates measurements, then explains significance and limitations.

   The finding therefore involves more than a single extreme-temperature observation.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What role does the species’ name play in the article?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. It identifies the species’ geographic origin.
   2. It explains why the organism is eukaryotic.
   3. It reflects the measurements’ dramatic character.
   4. It proves the species can survive indefinitely.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It reflects the measurements’ dramatic character.

   The name conveys the measurements’ striking quality but does not establish their significance.

   The species’ name reflects the striking nature of the measurements, while the temperatures provide the basis for the scientific significance.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why does the article repeatedly use qualified language?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. The evidence includes limited contextual information.
   2. The measurements were obtained indirectly.
   3. The species has not been formally named.
   4. The report disputes the temperature readings.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The evidence includes limited contextual information.

   The qualifications prevent broader claims beyond the verified evidence.

   The verified story package does not specify where the species was found or studied, and it provides no additional details about its biology.

8. Question 8 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What broader claim does the final paragraph support?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Complex life has no meaningful thermal constraints.
   2. The discovery may revise beliefs about complex life’s capacities.
   3. Movement is always more demanding than reproduction.
   4. Scientific records should exclude eukaryotic organisms.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The discovery may revise beliefs about complex life’s capacities.

   The conclusion presents the discovery as a challenge to assumed biological limits.

   The discovery consequently challenges assumptions about the upper limits of what such life can do.

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.