Scientists Study Jonathan the Tortoise’s Genome for Clues to Longevity

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 meaning best matches “extraordinary” in the article?

   1. Very unusual or remarkable, especially because it exceeds ordinary expectations.
   2. Precisely measured according to a standard scale
   3. Commonly observed among related organisms
   4. Difficult to explain because evidence is missing
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Very unusual or remarkable, especially because it exceeds ordinary expectations.

   The word describes longevity that is remarkably beyond ordinary expectations.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which meaning best matches “uncovering” in the article?

   1. Concealing information from public examination
   2. Discovering information or facts that were previously unknown or concealed.
   3. Repeating an established explanation without modification
   4. Estimating an organism’s age from physical appearance
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Discovering information or facts that were previously unknown or concealed.

   Researchers hope to discover previously unknown information about longevity.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which meaning best matches “relevant” in the article?

   1. Directly connected with or useful for understanding a particular issue.
   2. Measurable only through historical documents
   3. Unrelated to the question under investigation
   4. Typical of every member of a species
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Directly connected with or useful for understanding a particular issue.

   The features may be directly connected with understanding Jonathan’s long life.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which meaning best matches “substantially” in the article?

   1. In a barely noticeable or trivial manner
   2. According to a strictly biological timetable
   3. To a considerable degree or by a significant amount.
   4. Only when genetic evidence is available
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To a considerable degree or by a significant amount.

   The aging process differs among species to a considerable degree.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which meaning best matches “distinctive” in the article?

   1. Clearly different from others in a way that makes something recognizable or notable.
   2. Shared equally by every individual organism
   3. Produced exclusively by environmental conditions
   4. Impossible to observe without laboratory equipment
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Clearly different from others in a way that makes something recognizable or notable.

   The feature is clearly different, but not necessarily causally important.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which meaning best matches “meaningful” in the article?

   1. Significant or genuinely informative in relation to a particular question or purpose.
   2. Emotionally satisfying to the researchers involved
   3. Easy to identify without comparative evidence
   4. Entirely determined by an organism’s chronological age
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Significant or genuinely informative in relation to a particular question or purpose.

   Researchers must identify details that are genuinely significant to their inquiry.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which meaning best matches “associated” in the article?

   1. Connected with something, especially through a possible relationship or correlation.
   2. Proven to be the exclusive cause of an outcome
   3. Separated from all other biological processes
   4. Observed only in animals younger than Jonathan
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Connected with something, especially through a possible relationship or correlation.

   The factors may be connected with slower-than-expected aging.

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.