New blood test offers clues about Alzheimer’s-related brain changes, but raises difficult questions

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 argument about Alzheimer’s-related blood tests?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. They reliably predict dementia and determine treatment.
   2. They offer useful information while leaving consequential uncertainty.
   3. They are too invasive for widespread clinical use.
   4. They mainly benefit researchers rather than patients.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   They offer useful information while leaving consequential uncertainty.

   The article balances practical advantages against emotional and interpretive limitations.

   Her decision illustrates the central tension surrounding these tests.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why does the article mention that blood testing is less invasive?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. To explain why patients may find testing attractive
   2. To prove blood tests provide definitive diagnoses
   3. To contrast testing with genetic counselling
   4. To show procedures are medically obsolete
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To explain why patients may find testing attractive

   This comparison identifies a practical advantage that may encourage patient interest.

   A blood test is less invasive than procedures that examine the brain directly, and it may provide information that patients find important.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “it” refer to in “it does not, by itself, settle every question”?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. The medical intervention
   2. The family history
   3. The biological change
   4. The person’s future health
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The biological change

   The pronoun refers to the biological change identified by testing.

   The test can indicate a biological change; it does not, by itself, settle every question about a person’s future health.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What can be inferred about Dancer’s motivation for testing?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. She expected treatment immediately.
   2. She wanted to resolve every medical uncertainty.
   3. She sought greater control over future planning.
   4. She followed her daughter’s recommendation.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   She sought greater control over future planning.

   Her choice reflects a desire for agency despite incomplete predictive certainty.

   Dancer nevertheless decided that information could help her plan the rest of her life and death on her own terms.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   How does the article develop its discussion after introducing the test?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. From technical explanation to personal case study and societal implications
   2. From historical background to laboratory methodology
   3. From treatment success to regulatory controversy
   4. From family testimony to definitive medical advice
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   From technical explanation to personal case study and societal implications

   It moves from general benefits and limitations to one person’s experience and broader implications.

   Her decision illustrates the central tension surrounding these tests.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What significance does the numerical result of 0.10 have in the article?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. It exceeded the trial’s safety limit.
   2. It fell below the described hoped-for number.
   3. It guaranteed freedom from dementia.
   4. It triggered immediate clinical intervention.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It fell below the described hoped-for number.

   The figure falls below the hoped-for threshold, providing qualified reassurance.

   The accompanying literature described a hoped-for number below 0.18; Dancer’s result was 0.10.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What limitation does the article attach to Dancer’s reassuring result?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. It was delivered too late for planning.
   2. It did not establish that future difficulties were impossible.
   3. It contradicted her family history.
   4. It required a more invasive follow-up.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It did not establish that future difficulties were impossible.

   The result reduced concern without guaranteeing a symptom-free future.

   She found that reassuring, while acknowledging that it did not guarantee she would avoid dementia or experience no problems later in life.

8. Question 8 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why does the article end by referring to patients and doctors together?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Testing decisions involve interpretation as well as detection.
   2. Doctors alone should determine who receives testing.
   3. Patients are unable to understand biological results.
   4. Expanded access will eliminate disagreement about testing.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Testing decisions involve interpretation as well as detection.

   The conclusion frames interpretation and use as shared responsibilities.

   As access expands, patients and doctors will have to consider not only what a test can detect, but also how its results can be understood and used.

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.