Rare Barn Owl Family Draws Crowds on Manhattan’s Upper West Side

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.

   Which meaning best matches “attraction” in the article?

   1. a place or thing that makes people interested or want to visit
   2. a building used to store city water
   3. an animal that sleeps during the day
   4. a written record of a scientific study
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   a place or thing that makes people interested or want to visit

   An attraction is something that makes people interested or want to visit.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which meaning best matches “nocturnal” in the article?

   1. active mainly at night
   2. likely to hide from people
   3. found only in city parks
   4. seen mainly during winter
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   active mainly at night

   Nocturnal animals are active mainly at night.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which meaning best matches “secretive” in the article?

   1. likely to hide or avoid attention
   2. active mainly at night
   3. recorded in official information
   4. fewer than before
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   likely to hide or avoid attention

   Secretive describes something likely to hide or avoid attention.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which meaning best matches “documented” in the article?

   1. recorded or shown clearly in written or official information
   2. likely to hide or avoid attention
   3. a place that attracts visitors
   4. made active after dark
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   recorded or shown clearly in written or official information

   Documented means recorded or shown clearly in official information.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which meaning best matches “declined” in the article?

   1. became smaller or fewer over time
   2. became active after dark
   3. moved closer to a city park
   4. attracted photographers and residents
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   became smaller or fewer over time

   Declined means became smaller or fewer over time.

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.