Science roundup links shared meals, exceptionally loud birds, and asteroid Bennu to bigger 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 “regulation” as used in the article?

   1. The process of controlling or maintaining something within desired limits
   2. The public enforcement of formal legal rules
   3. The measurement of a substance’s chemical composition
   4. The transfer of energy between separate organisms
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The process of controlling or maintaining something within desired limits

   Here, regulation denotes controlling blood-glucose levels.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

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

   1. Hormones that transport sugar into cells
   2. Sugars, starches, and related substances that provide the body with energy
   3. Proteins responsible for regulating digestion
   4. Minerals required for neural communication
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Sugars, starches, and related substances that provide the body with energy

   The term refers to energy-providing sugars, starches, and related substances.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

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

   1. A preliminary scientific hypothesis
   2. An established level used as a point of comparison
   3. A rapid increase following consumption
   4. A measurement taken only from social groups
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   An established level used as a point of comparison

   Baseline is the comparison level to which glucose later returns.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

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

   1. Achieving a desired result with minimal waste of time, effort, or resources
   2. Occurring unpredictably under laboratory conditions
   3. Requiring unusually large quantities of energy
   4. Producing a result without any biological mechanism
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Achieving a desired result with minimal waste of time, effort, or resources

   The social group achieved glucose clearance with greater effectiveness.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

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

   1. Relating to the normal physical processes of a living organism
   2. Concerned exclusively with social customs and conventions
   3. Derived from observations of astronomical bodies
   4. Caused by deliberate changes in experimental design
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Relating to the normal physical processes of a living organism

   The adjective concerns physical processes within living organisms.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

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

   1. Closely connected or interdependent, making separation difficult
   2. Precisely measured through repeated laboratory trials
   3. Separated according to competing explanatory models
   4. Temporarily suspended during a scientific investigation
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Closely connected or interdependent, making separation difficult

   Behavior and physiology are portrayed as closely connected.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

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

   1. The degree of strength, force, or concentration of something
   2. The geographic distance between communicating animals
   3. The duration of a sound after its source disappears
   4. The biological purpose assigned to a particular species
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The degree of strength, force, or concentration of something

   Vocal intensity concerns the strength or force of a sound.

8. Question 8 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

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

   1. Information or material that supports a conclusion or reveals something about a subject
   2. A speculative explanation unsupported by observation
   3. A body’s distance from the nearest planetary system
   4. A process through which organisms regulate energy
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Information or material that supports a conclusion or reveals something about a subject

   Bennu’s material could support conclusions about Earth’s beginnings.

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.