This surprising mammal fossil is giving scientists something to chew on

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 “exceedingly”?

   1. To an exceptionally high degree; extremely.
   2. In a vaguely approximate manner
   3. With deliberate technical precision
   4. At a historically early point
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To an exceptionally high degree; extremely.

   The word intensifies rarity, indicating an exceptionally high degree.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which option best defines “infer”?

   1. To record information without interpretation
   2. To reach a reasoned conclusion from available evidence rather than direct observation.
   3. To preserve an object in its original condition
   4. To compare two organisms by physical size
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To reach a reasoned conclusion from available evidence rather than direct observation.

   To infer is to reach a reasoned conclusion from evidence.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which option best defines “innovations”?

   1. New methods, ideas, or features that represent significant advances.
   2. Inherited traits that have ceased to function
   3. Errors introduced during photographic processing
   4. Collections of fossils from a single region
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   New methods, ideas, or features that represent significant advances.

   The term denotes advances involving new methods, ideas, or features.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which option best defines “intriguing”?

   1. Stimulating curiosity because it is unusual, complex, or not fully explained.
   2. Clearly identical to a familiar modern species
   3. Technically impossible to examine
   4. Entirely unrelated to the surrounding evidence
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Stimulating curiosity because it is unusual, complex, or not fully explained.

   The adjective describes something unusual enough to stimulate curiosity.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which option best defines “spectroscopy”?

   1. The excavation of fossils from sedimentary rock
   2. The analysis of materials by examining how they interact with electromagnetic radiation.
   3. The classification of organisms by geographic origin
   4. The measurement of an animal’s reproductive behavior
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The analysis of materials by examining how they interact with electromagnetic radiation.

   Spectroscopy analyzes materials through electromagnetic interactions.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which option best defines “distinguish”?

   1. To merge separate materials into a single substance
   2. To recognize or demonstrate the difference between entities that might otherwise be confused.
   3. To estimate an organism’s age from its dimensions
   4. To reproduce an image using ordinary photography
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To recognize or demonstrate the difference between entities that might otherwise be confused.

   The verb concerns recognizing differences between potentially confused entities.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which option best defines “anatomy”?

   1. The physical structure of an organism or the study of that structure.
   2. The chemical age of a geological layer
   3. The behavioral history of a museum collection
   4. The visual brightness of a photographic image
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The physical structure of an organism or the study of that structure.

   Anatomy concerns an organism’s physical structure or its study.

8. Question 8 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which option best defines “preservation”?

   1. The process or condition of being kept intact, especially over an extended period.
   2. The deliberate alteration of evidence for clarity
   3. The chronological ordering of scientific publications
   4. The movement of fossils between museums
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The process or condition of being kept intact, especially over an extended period.

   Preservation describes the condition or process of remaining intact over time.

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.