C2 Writing Skills 3 â Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which transition best signals a contrast between two ideas?
- Furthermore
- In addition
- Nevertheless (Correct answer)
- Similarly
Correct answer: Nevertheless
'Nevertheless' introduces an idea that contrasts with or qualifies the preceding statement.
Question 2: Which sentence contains a misplaced modifier?
- The chef carefully prepared the meal for the guests.
- Covered in mud, the children played happily.
- She almost drove her children to school every day. (Correct answer)
- Exhausted from the hike, he sat down immediately.
Correct answer: She almost drove her children to school every day.
'Almost drove every day' means she nearly drove but didn't, when the intended meaning is 'drove almost every day.'
Question 3: What does 'hedging language' do in academic writing?
- It overstates findings to sound more authoritative.
- It qualifies claims to acknowledge uncertainty or limit scope. (Correct answer)
- It avoids making any argument whatsoever.
- It removes subjective bias entirely from the text.
Correct answer: It qualifies claims to acknowledge uncertainty or limit scope.
Hedging phrases like 'may suggest' or 'appears to indicate' appropriately limit the certainty of claims.
Question 4: Which revision best eliminates wordiness from 'Due to the fact that she was tired, she went to bed'?
- She went to bed on account of her tiredness.
- Because she was tired, she went to bed. (Correct answer)
- She went to bed, being tired in nature.
- In view of the fact that she was tired, she went to sleep.
Correct answer: Because she was tired, she went to bed.
'Because' directly replaces the wordy phrase 'due to the fact that' without losing meaning.
Question 5: Which best describes the 'passive voice' and when it is appropriate to use it?
- Passive voice uses a linking verb; it is never appropriate.
- Passive voice omits the subject; it is used when the actor is unknown or irrelevant. (Correct answer)
- Passive voice places the action in the future; it is used in predictions.
- Passive voice shortens sentences; it is used to save space.
Correct answer: Passive voice omits the subject; it is used when the actor is unknown or irrelevant.
Passive voice is suitable when the doer of the action is unknown, unimportant, or deliberately omitted for style.
Question 6: Which sentence uses an em dash correctly?
- The prizeâa gold medal was awarded to her.
- She had one goalâto win the championship. (Correct answer)
- She had one goalâto winâthe championship was secondary.
- The championshipâwas her only goal.
Correct answer: She had one goalâto win the championship.
An em dash can introduce an explanatory phrase or appositive, as in 'one goalâto win the championship.'
Question 7: What is 'syntactic complexity' and why does it matter in C2-level writing?
- Using long words to impress readers; it increases word count.
- Varying sentence structure using clauses, phrases, and inversions to convey precise relationships. (Correct answer)
- Repeating the same sentence pattern to create rhythm.
- Avoiding conjunctions to produce short, punchy sentences.
Correct answer: Varying sentence structure using clauses, phrases, and inversions to convey precise relationships.
C2 writers demonstrate mastery by flexibly combining clauses and phrases to express complex, nuanced ideas precisely.
C2 Writing Skills 3
Which transition best signals a contrast between two ideas?