Utah Investigators Link Teenager’s 1974 Death to Ted Bundy

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?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. To reconstruct Bundy’s entire criminal history
   2. To explain a new finding and the investigative principle behind it
   3. To argue that all cold cases should be reopened immediately
   4. To describe the technical operation of forensic laboratories
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To explain a new finding and the investigative principle behind it

   It explains both the finding and the broader significance of renewed investigation.

   That broader principle helps explain the significance of the Utah finding.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “those developments” refer to in the second paragraph?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Smith’s age and the year of her death
   2. The case’s unresolved status and public attention
   3. Progress in a similar case and advances in forensic science
   4. Bundy’s reputation and Utah’s legal history
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Progress in a similar case and advances in forensic science

   The phrase points back to the two factors officials identified.

   Together, those developments enabled investigators to associate Smith’s death with Bundy.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why does the article define a cold case?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. To distinguish delayed resolution from complete investigative inactivity
   2. To establish that Smith’s death occurred during winter
   3. To criticize officials for overlooking the case
   4. To introduce a technical classification used exclusively in Utah
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To distinguish delayed resolution from complete investigative inactivity

   The definition clarifies that unresolved does not mean permanently neglected.

   A cold case is generally an investigation that remains unresolved for a substantial period.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What inference follows from the article’s discussion of preserved evidence?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Evidence becomes irrelevant once a case grows old
   2. Future techniques may make retained evidence more informative
   3. Scientific advances eliminate the need for investigative judgment
   4. Preservation guarantees that every cold case will be solved
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Future techniques may make retained evidence more informative

   Preservation permits later methods to extract information unavailable earlier.

   It also underscores the continuing value of preserving evidence and reviewing unresolved cases when new scientific capabilities emerge.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   How is the article organized after announcing the finding?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Chronologically, from 1974 through Bundy’s later life
   2. By contrasting Utah with several unrelated jurisdictions
   3. From contributing factors to broader implications and clarification
   4. By presenting competing theories before withholding judgment
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   From contributing factors to broader implications and clarification

   It moves from causes to definitions, implications, and a final conceptual distinction.

   The underlying event belongs to the past; the investigative understanding of it has changed.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What relationship does the article establish between related investigations?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. They must always be conducted by identical investigators
   2. One can generate relevant information for reassessing another
   3. They become legally identical once evidence overlaps
   4. One investigation necessarily invalidates the other
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   One can generate relevant information for reassessing another

   Information from one inquiry can prompt reconsideration of another.

   Developments in one investigation can also prompt authorities to reconsider another, especially where the circumstances appear relevant to both.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What limitation does the article place on the significance of reassessment?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. It cannot change the past event, only its evidentiary interpretation
   2. It cannot identify individuals connected with the event
   3. It cannot use scientific methods developed after the event
   4. It cannot contribute to public understanding of the case
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It cannot change the past event, only its evidentiary interpretation

   Reassessment changes what can be established, not the historical event itself.

   Such reassessments do not alter what happened decades earlier, but they can refine what investigators are able to establish about it.

8. Question 8 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why does the article say the case is notable “not simply” because of Bundy?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. To minimize the relevance of Bundy’s identity entirely
   2. To shift attention from sensational identity toward investigative change
   3. To suggest the finding has no practical significance
   4. To compare Bundy’s case with every historical investigation
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To shift attention from sensational identity toward investigative change

   Its importance also lies in demonstrating how investigative understanding evolves.

   The case is notable not simply because of the person named in the finding, but because it illustrates how older investigations can change when scientific methods and related inquiries develop.

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.