Japan Sends Spacecraft Toward Phobos to Collect the First Samples From a Martian Moon

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.

   What does “ambitious” mean in the article?

   1. Requiring great effort, skill, or determination to achieve
   2. Designed to finish without scientific equipment
   3. Limited to a short and simple journey
   4. Based entirely on previously completed work
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Requiring great effort, skill, or determination to achieve

   The mission requires substantial effort, skill, and determination.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “effort” mean in the article?

   1. An organized attempt to achieve a particular goal
   2. A sudden change in a spacecraft’s direction
   3. A measurement of distance between planets
   4. A device used to collect surface material
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   An organized attempt to achieve a particular goal

   It refers to an organized attempt involving multiple space agencies.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “gravity” mean in the article?

   1. The force that attracts objects toward a planet or other body
   2. The heat produced by a spacecraft’s engines
   3. The distance between two astronomical objects
   4. The pressure inside a rover’s instruments
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The force that attracts objects toward a planet or other body

   Gravity is the force affecting movement on Phobos’s surface.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “unexplored” mean in the article?

   1. Not yet examined, studied, or visited in detail
   2. Recently photographed from several viewpoints
   3. Already mapped by many successful missions
   4. Unable to support any scientific equipment
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Not yet examined, studied, or visited in detail

   Phobos has not yet been examined or visited extensively.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “evidence” mean in the article?

   1. Facts or physical information that show whether something is true
   2. A schedule for launching several spacecraft
   3. A theory that has not been examined
   4. A device that controls a rover’s movement
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Facts or physical information that show whether something is true

   Samples may provide facts supporting ideas about the moons’ history.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “origin” mean in the article?

   1. The beginning or source of something
   2. The outer surface of a rocky moon
   3. The final destination of a spacecraft
   4. The speed of an object in space
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The beginning or source of something

   Scientists want to investigate how and where the moons began.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “useful” mean in the article?

   1. Helpful for a particular purpose or situation
   2. Too complicated to apply in practice
   3. Unrelated to the task being discussed
   4. Available only after the mission ends
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Helpful for a particular purpose or situation

   Japan’s previous experience can help with the difficult mission.

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.