U.S. employers added just 29,000 jobs in September as hiring slowed

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 “momentum” mean in the article?

   1. the strength or progress that keeps a process developing
   2. a fixed payment made to government workers
   3. a sudden increase in consumer prices
   4. a formal decision about interest rates
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   the strength or progress that keeps a process developing

   Momentum refers to the labor market’s continuing strength or progress.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “revised” mean in the article?

   1. changed after new information or a closer examination
   2. published before any data were collected
   3. reduced by employers through mass dismissals
   4. measured according to a fixed economic standard
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   changed after new information or a closer examination

   The figures were changed after additional information became available.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “widespread” mean in the article?

   1. existing or happening in many places or among many people
   2. limited to one small company or neighborhood
   3. connected only with financial markets
   4. expected to continue for exactly one month
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   existing or happening in many places or among many people

   Widespread layoffs would affect many places, industries, or workers.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What are “workforces” in the article?

   1. groups of people employed by organizations or industries
   2. government rules controlling employment levels
   3. financial plans for increasing workers’ salaries
   4. statistics showing changes in consumer prices
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   groups of people employed by organizations or industries

   Workforces are the groups of people employed by organizations or industries.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “dismissed” mean in the article?

   1. removed from a job, usually by an employer
   2. promoted to a position with greater responsibility
   3. asked to work additional hours without pay
   4. transferred temporarily to another industry
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   removed from a job, usually by an employer

   Dismissed workers have been removed from their jobs by employers.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “purchasing” describe in “purchasing power”?

   1. related to the ability to buy goods and services
   2. related to the process of hiring new employees
   3. related to measuring unemployment statistics
   4. related to controlling government spending
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   related to the ability to buy goods and services

   Purchasing power concerns the ability to buy goods and services.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “benchmark” mean in the article?

   1. used as a standard for comparison or measurement
   2. paid directly to unemployed workers each month
   3. calculated from restaurant employment figures
   4. designed to predict individual wage increases
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   used as a standard for comparison or measurement

   The benchmark rate serves as an important standard for interest-rate decisions.

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.