Watchdog says ChatGPT for Teens safeguards fail in tests involving young people’s mental health

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 “scrutiny” as used in the article?

   1. Close, critical examination intended to uncover weaknesses or irregularities
   2. A public campaign designed to promote a new service
   3. A routine exchange between a user and a chatbot
   4. A formal restriction imposed by a parental account
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Close, critical examination intended to uncover weaknesses or irregularities

   Scrutiny denotes close, critical examination intended to uncover weaknesses.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

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

   1. Measures designed to prevent harm, misuse, or undesirable outcomes
   2. Claims made by organizations about future technological benefits
   3. Fictional profiles representing different adolescent personalities
   4. Instructions that encourage users to explore sensitive topics
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Measures designed to prevent harm, misuse, or undesirable outcomes

   Safeguards are preventive measures intended to reduce harm or misuse.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

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

   1. In a way relating to a person’s psychological or cognitive growth
   2. In a way that requires immediate medical intervention
   3. In a way that prioritizes commercial expansion
   4. In a way that imitates a machine’s internal processes
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   In a way relating to a person’s psychological or cognitive growth

   The adverb concerns psychological or cognitive growth and maturity.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

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

   1. Capable of experiencing sensations or possessing conscious awareness
   2. Able to restrict access through parental controls
   3. Designed to provide concise crisis resources
   4. Likely to produce developmentally inappropriate content
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Capable of experiencing sensations or possessing conscious awareness

   Sentient describes an entity capable of conscious awareness or sensation.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

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

   1. Having meaningful content, importance, or practical significance
   2. Being emotionally intimate or suggestive in tone
   3. Being technically complex but impossible to verify
   4. Being shorter because the subject is insignificant
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Having meaningful content, importance, or practical significance

   Substantive responses contain meaningful content rather than superficial reassurance.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

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

   1. Relating to a young person undergoing the transition from childhood to adulthood
   2. Relating to an adult responsible for supervising an account
   3. Relating to a system designed for commercial customers
   4. Relating to a fictional scenario involving artificial intelligence
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Relating to a young person undergoing the transition from childhood to adulthood

   Adolescent refers to the developmental period between childhood and adulthood.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

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

   1. Severe, intense, and often requiring immediate attention
   2. Gradual, predictable, and unlikely to cause disruption
   3. Narrowly defined and demonstrably successful
   4. Primarily concerned with educational development
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Severe, intense, and often requiring immediate attention

   Acute describes a severe concern requiring heightened attention.

8. Question 8 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

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

   1. Consistently reliable and worthy of trust
   2. Occasionally effective under carefully controlled conditions
   3. Capable of imitating a teenager’s conversational style
   4. Useful only when paired with explicit instructions
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Consistently reliable and worthy of trust

   Dependable means consistently reliable and worthy of trust.

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.