New blood test offers clues about Alzheimer’s-related brain changes, but raises difficult 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

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 meaning best matches “hallmark” as used in the article?

   1. A distinctive feature regarded as a reliable sign of a particular condition or quality.
   2. A temporary treatment measure
   3. A disputed statistical estimate
   4. A personal recollection
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   A distinctive feature regarded as a reliable sign of a particular condition or quality.

   A hallmark is a distinctive feature signaling a condition or quality.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which meaning best matches “invasive” as used in the article?

   1. Involving the insertion of instruments into the body or otherwise causing physical intrusion.
   2. Emotionally reassuring
   3. Statistically inconclusive
   4. Administratively voluntary
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Involving the insertion of instruments into the body or otherwise causing physical intrusion.

   Here, invasive describes procedures involving physical intrusion into the body.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which meaning best matches “intervention” as used in the article?

   1. An action taken deliberately to alter a situation, especially through medical treatment or support.
   2. An inherited biological tendency
   3. A measurement threshold
   4. An informal conversation
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   An action taken deliberately to alter a situation, especially through medical treatment or support.

   An intervention is deliberate action intended to alter a situation, especially medically.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which meaning best matches “uncertainty” as used in the article?

   1. The state of lacking reliable knowledge about what will happen or what is true.
   2. Confidence in a diagnosis
   3. Evidence of immediate recovery
   4. Resistance to medical procedures
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The state of lacking reliable knowledge about what will happen or what is true.

   Uncertainty denotes insufficient knowledge about future outcomes or present significance.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which meaning best matches “prospect” as used in the article?

   1. The possibility or anticipated likelihood of a future event or situation.
   2. A confirmed past event
   3. A laboratory instrument
   4. A hereditary symptom
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The possibility or anticipated likelihood of a future event or situation.

   Prospect refers to a possible future event or situation under consideration.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which meaning best matches “endured” as used in the article?

   1. Experienced something difficult or painful over a period of time without giving up.
   2. Predicted with precision
   3. Prevented entirely
   4. Investigated scientifically
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Experienced something difficult or painful over a period of time without giving up.

   Endured means experienced something difficult over time without yielding.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which meaning best matches “reassuring” as used in the article?

   1. Offering comfort or reducing anxiety by suggesting that circumstances are safe or favorable.
   2. Creating confusion through technical detail
   3. Demanding immediate medical action
   4. Confirming an inevitable diagnosis
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Offering comfort or reducing anxiety by suggesting that circumstances are safe or favorable.

   Reassuring information reduces anxiety by suggesting a relatively favorable situation.

8. Question 8 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which meaning best matches “tension” as used in the article?

   1. A conflict or strain arising from opposing demands, attitudes, or interpretations.
   2. Agreement among medical specialists
   3. A measurable protein concentration
   4. A routine testing procedure
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   A conflict or strain arising from opposing demands, attitudes, or interpretations.

   Tension describes strain produced by competing values or interpretations.

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.