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Practice Reading: Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks ID: #33058 PIE
Instructions ›
Below is a text with blanks. Click on each blank, a list of choices will appear. Select the appropriate choice for each blank.
* Select the correct answer into all dropdown fields. You need to answer all questions before clicking verify button.
No  matter  whether  you  speak  English  or  Urdu,  Waloon  or  Waziri,  Portuguese  or  Persian,  the  roots  of  your  language  are  the  same.  Proto-Indo-European  (PIE)  is  the  mother  tongue  _  shared  by  several  hundred  contemporary  languages,  as  well  as    now  extinct,  and  spoken  by  people  who  lived  from  about  6,000  to  3,500  BC  on  the  steppes  to  the  north  of  the  Caspian  Sea.  They  left  no  written  texts  and    historical  linguists  have,  since  the  19th  century,  painstakingly  reconstructed  the  language  from  daughter  languages,  the  question  of  how  it  actually  sounded  was  assumed  to  be  permanently  out  of  reach.  Now,  researchers  at  the  Universities  of  Cambridge  and  Oxford  have  developed  a  sound-based  method  to  move  back  through  the  family  tree  of  languages  that  stem  from  PIE.  They  can  simulate  how  certain  words    when  they  were  spoken  8,000  years  ago.  Remarkably,  at  the    of  the  technology  is  the  statistics  of  shape.  'Sounds  have  shape,'  explains  Professor  John  Aston,  from  Cambridge's  Statistical  Laboratory.  'As  a  word  is  uttered  it  vibrates  air,  and  the  shape  of  this  soundwave  can  be  measured  and  turned  into  a  series  of  numbers.  Once  we  have  these  stats,  and  the  stats  of  another  spoken  word,  we  can  start  asking  how  similar  they  are  and  what  it  would  take  to  shift  from  one  to  another.'

Result:

AI explanationShows the answer. Tap to open.
Correct answer: many

Explanation: The word 'many' is used to refer to a large number of countable items, which fits grammatically and contextually in this sentence as it describes the numerous languages that are now extinct. The plural form 'languages' requires a quantifier that matches in number, making 'many' the appropriate choice.

Meaning: 'Many' means a large number of something, particularly when referring to countable nouns, in this case, languages that are no longer spoken.

Wrong options:

  • much: 'Much' is used with uncountable nouns, which does not fit here since 'languages' is countable.
  • how: 'How' is an interrogative adverb and does not provide a quantifiable measure, making it irrelevant in this context.
  • hence: 'Hence' indicates a conclusion or result, which does not logically fit the context of describing the number of extinct languages.
Correct answer: although

Explanation: The word 'although' introduces a contrast between two clauses, which is essential in this context as it highlights the contradiction between the lack of written texts and the efforts of historical linguists. This fits grammatically as it connects the two ideas effectively.

Meaning: 'Although' means 'in spite of the fact that' and is used to introduce a subordinate clause that contrasts with the main clause, indicating that despite the absence of texts, linguists have made progress.

Wrong options:

  • therefore: 'Therefore' indicates a conclusion drawn from the previous statement, which does not fit the contrasting nature of the ideas presented.
  • until: 'Until' suggests a time limit or condition, which does not apply here as the sentence discusses contrasting facts rather than a temporal relationship.
  • where: 'Where' indicates a location or situation, which is not relevant to the contrast being made in this context.
Correct answer: would have sounded

Explanation: The phrase 'would have sounded' is a conditional perfect form that indicates a hypothetical situation in the past. This fits grammatically as it aligns with the context of simulating past sounds, suggesting that the researchers are speculating about how words would have been pronounced at that time.

Meaning: 'Would have sounded' refers to the hypothetical pronunciation of words as they might have been spoken in the past, indicating a conjectural scenario.

Wrong options:

  • sound: 'Sound' is a base form and does not convey the conditional aspect needed in this context.
  • have sound: 'Have sound' is grammatically incorrect as it does not fit the structure required for expressing a past hypothetical situation.
  • would sound: 'Would sound' suggests a future conditional rather than a past hypothetical, which does not match the intended meaning.
Correct answer: heart

Explanation: The word 'heart' metaphorically represents the core or essential part of the technology being discussed. This fits contextually as it emphasizes the fundamental aspect of the technology, aligning with the overall tone of the passage.

Meaning: 'Heart' in this context refers to the central or most important part of something, indicating that statistics are crucial to the technology being described.

Wrong options:

  • cost: 'Cost' refers to the price of something, which does not relate to the essence of the technology discussed.
  • end: 'End' implies a conclusion or termination, which does not fit the context of describing the core functionality of the technology.
  • moment: 'Moment' refers to a specific point in time, which is not relevant to the discussion of the fundamental aspects of the technology.

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