California High-Speed Rail Authority Chief Executive Steps Down After Spending Questions

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

C1. 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 option best defines “scrutiny” as used in the article?

   1. Careful and critical examination, especially by officials or the public.
   2. Routine executive promotion
   3. Temporary construction financing
   4. Informal organizational cooperation
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Careful and critical examination, especially by officials or the public.

   Scrutiny means careful and critical examination by officials or the public.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which option best defines “oversight” as used in the article?

   1. Official supervision intended to ensure that activities are lawful, responsible, and properly managed.
   2. Unplanned suspension of construction
   3. Private negotiation between executives
   4. Public speculation about motives
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Official supervision intended to ensure that activities are lawful, responsible, and properly managed.

   Oversight is official supervision intended to ensure responsible management.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which option best defines “accountability” as used in the article?

   1. The obligation to explain decisions and accept responsibility for their consequences.
   2. The authority to avoid investigative review
   3. The process of appointing temporary contractors
   4. The continuation of a construction schedule
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The obligation to explain decisions and accept responsibility for their consequences.

   Accountability requires decision-makers to explain actions and accept responsibility.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which option best defines “expenditure” as used in the article?

   1. The act of spending money, or the money spent for a particular purpose.
   2. Evidence presented during a hearing
   3. Leadership maintained without interruption
   4. Public confidence in an institution
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The act of spending money, or the money spent for a particular purpose.

   Expenditure refers to money spent or the act of spending it.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which option best defines “continuity” as used in the article?

   1. The preservation of an ongoing process, condition, or leadership arrangement without interruption.
   2. Critical examination of financial records
   3. Formal confirmation of a resignation
   4. Allocation of funds to infrastructure
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The preservation of an ongoing process, condition, or leadership arrangement without interruption.

   Continuity means preserving an ongoing process or arrangement without interruption.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which option best defines “confirmed” as used in the article?

   1. Established as true or accurate through reliable evidence or official information.
   2. Suggested without supporting information
   3. Delayed because of administrative changes
   4. Questioned by an investigative authority
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Established as true or accurate through reliable evidence or official information.

   Confirmed information has been established through reliable evidence or official sources.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which option best defines “significant” as used in the article?

   1. Important enough to have a noticeable effect or deserve serious attention.
   2. Too minor to affect public affairs
   3. Entirely unrelated to institutional change
   4. Supported only by private speculation
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Important enough to have a noticeable effect or deserve serious attention.

   Significant describes something important enough to deserve serious attention.

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.