Understanding pneumonic plague after Russian lab worker’s death

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 purpose?

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   1. To confirm a widespread outbreak in Siberia
   2. To explain the incident without overstating what is known
   3. To identify the deceased laboratory worker publicly
   4. To compare Russian and American laboratory systems
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   Answer

   To explain the incident without overstating what is known

   It clarifies the incident while carefully separating established facts from unconfirmed implications.

   Those distinctions are important: monitoring a potential case is not the same as confirming an outbreak.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

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   What does “Those distinctions” refer to?

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   1. Differences between Russian and American officials
   2. Differences between the lungs and bloodstream
   3. Limits separating reported facts from confirmation
   4. Differences among Siberian medical facilities
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   Answer

   Limits separating reported facts from confirmation

   The phrase points to the article’s preceding contrasts between available information and unsupported conclusions.

   It also does not establish whether the worker’s illness was confirmed as pneumonic plague.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

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   Why does the article mention the lymphatic system and bloodstream?

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   1. To explain why quarantines were lifted
   2. To distinguish pneumonic plague from other forms
   3. To identify the worker’s precise diagnosis
   4. To demonstrate that transmission has occurred
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   Answer

   To distinguish pneumonic plague from other forms

   The comparison situates pneumonic plague among distinct forms of the disease.

   In general terms, it is distinct from forms of the disease that primarily involve the lymphatic system or the bloodstream.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

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   What relationship does the article establish between lung involvement and public-health concern?

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   1. Lung involvement eliminates uncertainty
   2. Laboratory work prevents infectious transmission
   3. Lung involvement contributes to heightened concern
   4. Public concern causes authorities to confirm cases
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   Answer

   Lung involvement contributes to heightened concern

   Lung involvement heightens concern, especially when a laboratory connection exists.

   Because the lungs are involved, the condition is treated as a serious public-health concern, particularly when a possible case is connected to a laboratory environment.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   How is the response organized in the fifth paragraph?

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   1. By presenting a diagnosis before introducing evidence
   2. By contrasting monitoring with practical restrictions
   3. By recounting the worker’s biography chronologically
   4. By listing symptoms from mildest to most severe
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   By contrasting monitoring with practical restrictions

   It contrasts observation by U.S. officials with containment measures used by Russian authorities.

   The response therefore combines observation with containment measures.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

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   What limitation does the article explicitly acknowledge?

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   1. The disease’s symptoms remain entirely unknown
   2. The worker’s identity has been confirmed publicly
   3. The measures’ duration and scope are unspecified
   4. The facilities have refused to cooperate
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   Answer

   The measures’ duration and scope are unspecified

   The source does not specify how long or broadly the measures apply.

   Although the source account does not describe their duration or scope.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What can reasonably be inferred from the article’s cautious wording?

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   1. Authorities have reached identical conclusions
   2. A broader emergency has already been confirmed
   3. Assessment continues amid unresolved uncertainty
   4. The quarantines have definitively ended transmission
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   Answer

   Assessment continues amid unresolved uncertainty

   Its language suggests that risk assessment remains provisional rather than conclusive.

   The combination of reassurance and precaution has left the situation under scrutiny while authorities assess the possibility of a case.

8. Question 8 · Single choice

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   Why does the conclusion qualify the reported death as a “verified fact”?

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   1. To imply that every related claim is verified
   2. To emphasize evidential restraint
   3. To challenge the existence of the death
   4. To accuse officials of concealing symptoms
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To emphasize evidential restraint

   The qualification distinguishes the death from claims about diagnosis or wider emergency.

   For now, the verified facts point to a reported death, a potential case under observation, and precautionary action in Siberia—without confirmation of a broader public-health emergency.

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.