A Personalized mRNA Vaccine Offers Hope Against Pancreatic Cancer—But Researchers Still Seek Answers

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

C2. 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 “improbable” as used in the article?

   1. Unlikely to occur or be true, especially because circumstances make it seem surprising.
   2. Precisely measured in advance
   3. Already confirmed by researchers
   4. Widely accepted by patients
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Unlikely to occur or be true, especially because circumstances make it seem surprising.

   The adjective describes an outcome that initially seemed unlikely.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

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

   1. Clearly characteristic of a particular person, group, condition, or category.
   2. Distributed equally among unrelated groups
   3. Produced through a standardized procedure
   4. Temporarily absent from healthy tissue
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Clearly characteristic of a particular person, group, condition, or category.

   Here, it identifies proteins characteristic of her cancer cells.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

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

   1. Carefully adapted to the specific requirements or characteristics of an individual case.
   2. Applied identically to every patient
   3. Delayed until symptoms become severe
   4. Designed without reference to evidence
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Carefully adapted to the specific requirements or characteristics of an individual case.

   The vaccine was adapted to one patient’s tumor biology.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

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

   1. Highly noticeable or impressive because of its unusual magnitude, clarity, or effect.
   2. Difficult to distinguish from ordinary results
   3. Unrelated to the treatment under examination
   4. Dependent on a patient’s geographical location
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Highly noticeable or impressive because of its unusual magnitude, clarity, or effect.

   The outcomes were especially noticeable or impressive.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

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

   1. Not yet settled, explained, or conclusively answered.
   2. Officially rejected by all investigators
   3. Successfully replicated in every trial
   4. Deliberately removed from the research record
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Not yet settled, explained, or conclusively answered.

   The scientific explanation has not yet been conclusively established.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

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

   1. The return of a disease, problem, or event after it has apparently subsided.
   2. The first appearance of an unrelated symptom
   3. The permanent elimination of malignant cells
   4. The comparison of two treatment protocols
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The return of a disease, problem, or event after it has apparently subsided.

   It refers to cancer returning after apparent remission or control.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

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

   1. A strong, purposeful aim to achieve something significant or difficult.
   2. A temporary laboratory measurement
   3. An unexplained medical complication
   4. A restriction imposed on trial participation
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   A strong, purposeful aim to achieve something significant or difficult.

   It denotes the broader goal guiding the research programme.

8. Question 8 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

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

   1. Unusually rare, outstanding, or outside what is ordinarily expected.
   2. Typical of nearly all comparable patients
   3. Unsupported by any observed evidence
   4. Limited to a single vaccine dose
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Unusually rare, outstanding, or outside what is ordinarily expected.

   Her result is unusually rare within the wider research field.

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.