Holdout Juror Says Lindsay Clancy Was “Methodical” in the Killing of Her Three Children

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

B2. 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 “holdout”?

   1. A person who maintains a different position from the rest of a group
   2. A person who records a public interview
   3. A person who supervises courtroom security
   4. A person who announces a legal decision
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   A person who maintains a different position from the rest of a group

   A holdout maintains a different position from the rest of a group.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which meaning best matches “methodical”?

   1. Careful, organized, and deliberate in the way something is done
   2. Fast, emotional, and difficult to understand
   3. Publicly announced by a legal authority
   4. Unrelated to a person’s previous decisions
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Careful, organized, and deliberate in the way something is done

   Methodical actions are careful, organized, and deliberate.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which meaning best matches “convicted”?

   1. Officially found guilty of a crime by a court
   2. Asked to participate in a jury interview
   3. Allowed to avoid all legal proceedings
   4. Described as uncertain by a reporter
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Officially found guilty of a crime by a court

   Convicted means officially found guilty by a court.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which meaning best matches “focused”?

   1. Directed attention toward a particular subject or issue
   2. Removed completely from a legal discussion
   3. Changed from a personal view into a verdict
   4. Separated from all available evidence
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Directed attention toward a particular subject or issue

   Focused means directing attention toward a particular subject.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which meaning best matches “deliberate”?

   1. Planned and intentional rather than accidental or spontaneous
   2. Unclear because no one witnessed it
   3. Required by every member of a jury
   4. Connected only with the location of an event
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Planned and intentional rather than accidental or spontaneous

   Deliberate actions are planned and intentional, not accidental.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which meaning best matches “planned”?

   1. Thought about and arranged something before it happened
   2. Forgotten because it had no importance
   3. Observed only after it was finished
   4. Changed without anyone making a decision
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Thought about and arranged something before it happened

   Planned means arranged after thinking about it beforehand.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which meaning best matches “evidence”?

   1. Facts or information that show whether something is true
   2. A person who disagrees with a jury
   3. The final decision in a court case
   4. A private conversation after an interview
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Facts or information that show whether something is true

   Evidence consists of facts or information showing whether something is true.

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.