APTIS Reading for Text Cohesion 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Read the incomplete text: 'Tourism brings significant revenue to coastal towns. ___ Local businesses, hotels, and restaurants all benefit during peak season.' What is the role of the missing sentence?
- To introduce a contrasting argument about tourism's drawbacks
- To provide a specific example that supports the opening claim (Correct answer)
- To summarize the effects described in the following sentence
- To transition from tourism to environmental impact
Correct answer: To provide a specific example that supports the opening claim
The missing sentence would give a specific example or elaboration that supports the general claim before the detailed list arrives.
Question 2: Which referencing strategy is used in: 'The government announced new tax reforms. These measures aim to reduce inequality.'
- Cataphoric reference
- Anaphoric reference using a demonstrative (Correct answer)
- Ellipsis
- Lexical substitution
Correct answer: Anaphoric reference using a demonstrative
'These measures' refers back (anaphorically) to 'new tax reforms' using the demonstrative determiner 'these.'
Question 3: Arrange the following sentences into a cohesive paragraph: 1. Consequently, the lake's ecosystem has been severely disrupted. 2. Industrial runoff from nearby factories has polluted Lake Mira for decades. 3. Wildlife populations have plummeted, and fishing has been banned. 4. Environmental agencies are now demanding stricter regulations. 5. The pollution contains heavy metals that are toxic to aquatic life.
- 2, 5, 1, 3, 4 (Correct answer)
- 1, 3, 5, 2, 4
- 4, 2, 1, 5, 3
- 5, 1, 2, 3, 4
Correct answer: 2, 5, 1, 3, 4
Sentence 2 states the cause, 5 explains the mechanism, 1 gives the broad consequence, 3 provides specific effects, and 4 presents the response.
Question 4: The phrase 'the former' in 'Between automation and outsourcing, the former has eliminated more jobs' is an example of which cohesion device?
- Substitution using a general noun
- Anaphoric reference using an ordinal reference phrase (Correct answer)
- Cataphoric reference
- Lexical cohesion through repetition
Correct answer: Anaphoric reference using an ordinal reference phrase
'The former' refers back to the first item in a previously mentioned pair (automation), making it an anaphoric ordinal reference.
Question 5: Which sentence best maintains cohesion after: 'Volunteers cleaned the park every Saturday. They collected bags of litter, trimmed overgrown bushes, and painted faded benches.'?
- Parks are important community spaces for recreation and relaxation.
- Their efforts transformed the once-neglected park into a welcoming community space. (Correct answer)
- Many cities struggle to maintain their public green areas.
- Volunteering has many personal and social benefits for participants.
Correct answer: Their efforts transformed the once-neglected park into a welcoming community space.
'Their efforts' continues the pronoun chain and 'transformed' logically follows the detailed actions described in the previous sentence.
Question 6: In an APTIS text cohesion exercise, why is a 'topic sentence' placed at the start of a paragraph?
- To provide evidence that supports the previous paragraph's argument
- To introduce the main idea that all subsequent sentences in the paragraph will support (Correct answer)
- To use a transition phrase linking back to the introduction
- To present a counterargument before the main claim
Correct answer: To introduce the main idea that all subsequent sentences in the paragraph will support
A topic sentence frames the paragraph's central idea, allowing every following sentence to develop, support, or illustrate it.
Question 7: Which sentence contains a cohesion error? Choose the odd one out in this sequence: 'The company launched a new product. It was praised by reviewers. The product received wide media coverage. She became very popular among consumers.'
- It was praised by reviewers.
- The product received wide media coverage.
- She became very popular among consumers. (Correct answer)
- The company launched a new product.
Correct answer: She became very popular among consumers.
'She' incorrectly introduces a feminine singular pronoun with no clear antecedent, breaking the referential chain about 'the product.'
APTIS Reading for Text Cohesion 4
Read the incomplete text: 'Tourism brings significant revenue to coastal towns. ___ Local businesses, hotels, and restaurants all benefit during peak season.' What is the role of the missing sentence?