A Jurassic fossil offers clues about when mammals learned to chew

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

B1. 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

Use the surrounding sentence to identify the meaning and word form needed. Check which words naturally go together.

1. Question 1 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “preserved” mean in the article?

   1. Kept in good condition for people to study
   2. Changed into a different animal
   3. Hidden from all researchers
   4. Broken into many pieces
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Kept in good condition for people to study

   Preserved means kept in good condition for people to study.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What is a “specimen”?

   1. A scientific tool for making images
   2. A plant, animal, or object studied as an example
   3. A layer of hard rock
   4. A place where fossils are found
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   A plant, animal, or object studied as an example

   A specimen is an object or living thing studied as an example.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “delicate” mean?

   1. Very heavy and strong
   2. Easily damaged because it is thin or fragile
   3. Extremely old and valuable
   4. Difficult to see because it is dark
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Easily damaged because it is thin or fragile

   Delicate describes something thin or fragile that can be damaged easily.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “reconstruct” mean?

   1. to build or understand something again from available information
   2. To remove something from a museum
   3. To make something disappear quickly
   4. To compare two animals’ sizes
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   to build or understand something again from available information

   Reconstruct means to build or understand something again from information.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “machinery” mean here?

   1. a system of parts that works together for a purpose
   2. A thick layer of stone
   3. A group of modern mammals
   4. A set of bones in the throat
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   a system of parts that works together for a purpose

   Machinery is a system of parts working together for a purpose.

What to review next

Keep a short list of unfamiliar words with their meanings and example sentences. Practise recalling them later, then use them in a sentence of your own.

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

Read the whole sentence before choosing a word. Check both its meaning and the words it naturally combines with.

Please make an appointment before visiting the clinic.

Make an appointment is a natural word combination. Knowing a dictionary meaning alone may not tell you which verb fits.

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.