What Pope Leo’s lung cancer diagnosis reveals about adenocarcinoma and treatment

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 announce Pope Leo’s definitive recovery
   2. To explain why the diagnosis requires nuanced interpretation
   3. To compare competing cancer hospitals
   4. To evaluate tobacco-control legislation
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   Answer

   To explain why the diagnosis requires nuanced interpretation

   It supplies context that complicates a simplistic interpretation of the diagnosis.

   Instead, it offered medical context: a lung-cancer diagnosis alone does not determine the outcome.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does the article imply about adenocarcinoma among nonsmokers?

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   1. It occurs exclusively among nonsmokers
   2. It is uncommon among nonsmokers
   3. It represents a prominent nonsmoker-associated type
   4. It is unrelated to lung cancer
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It represents a prominent nonsmoker-associated type

   The article presents it as particularly common within that group.

   It is one of the principal types of lung cancer and is the most common type among nonsmokers.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why are the lymph nodes especially consequential in the discussion?

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   1. They establish whether smoking caused the illness
   2. They help determine the need for further treatment
   3. They reveal whether surgery was technically possible
   4. They determine the patient’s exact age
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   They help determine the need for further treatment

   Their condition helps determine whether additional treatment may be required.

   Pathological findings, especially the condition of the lymph nodes, remain important in judging whether further treatment will be necessary.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   In the final paragraph, what does “Instead” contrast with?

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   1. A final prognosis
   2. A pathological examination
   3. A surgical procedure
   4. A historical comparison
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   Answer

   A final prognosis

   It contrasts contextual explanation with a definitive personal prediction.

   The discussion did not present a final prognosis for Pope Leo.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   How does the article develop its argument?

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   1. By presenting an alarming claim without qualification
   2. By moving from general context to qualified clinical interpretation
   3. By recounting the history of lung surgery chronologically
   4. By contrasting two unrelated medical specialties
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   Answer

   By moving from general context to qualified clinical interpretation

   It moves from disease classification through treatment implications to uncertainty.

   The removal of part of a lung can sound alarming, yet Brawley characterized it as a positive sign in this context.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What relationship does the article establish between surgery and disease extent?

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   1. Surgery necessarily proves widespread disease
   2. Limited surgery may indicate more contained disease
   3. Surgery eliminates the need for pathological findings
   4. Surgery is presented as unrelated to disease extent
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   Answer

   Limited surgery may indicate more contained disease

   Limited surgery may indicate a localized rather than extensively advanced condition.

   Such surgery indicates that the patient is healthy enough to tolerate the procedure, while the limited nature of the operation may suggest that doctors are addressing a localized problem rather than treating disease that has already advanced extensively.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why does the article mention the approximately 20 percent figure?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. To quantify the success of chemotherapy
   2. To indicate nonsmokers’ significant representation
   3. To estimate Pope Leo’s survival probability
   4. To measure the size of typical lesions
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To indicate nonsmokers’ significant representation

   It reinforces the claim that nonsmokers form a substantial affected group.

   Although lung cancer is widely associated with tobacco use, Brawley noted that nonsmokers account for a substantial share of people who develop it; the discussion cited approximately 20 percent in connection with adenocarcinoma.

8. Question 8 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What stance toward the diagnosis does the article ultimately adopt?

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   1. Unreservedly optimistic
   2. Dismissively skeptical
   3. Cautiously contextualizing
   4. Definitively pessimistic
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Cautiously contextualizing

   It is cautiously informative, acknowledging favorable possibilities without claiming certainty.

   The discussion did not present a final prognosis for Pope Leo.

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.