Writing: Short Response Synthesis Flashcards
7 cards from real CAEL practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
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On the CAEL exam, how much time is typically recommended for planning a short response synthesis before writing?
Answer: A brief 2–3 minutes to identify key points from both sources before writing
A short planning phase helps test-takers identify the most relevant points to synthesize, leading to a more focused and coherent response.
A student writes a synthesis response that is mostly a copy of sentences from the sources. How will this likely affect their CAEL score?
Answer: It will score poorly because it demonstrates copying rather than synthesis
CAEL assessors penalize responses that copy source language rather than synthesize ideas in the student's own words.
Which cohesive device is most effective for showing that a second source adds new evidence to a point already made?
Answer: Furthermore
'Furthermore' signals additive information, indicating that the second source builds on or reinforces the established point.
When paraphrasing information from a source in a CAEL response, which approach is most appropriate?
Answer: Restate the idea in your own words and sentence structure while preserving the meaning
True paraphrase changes both word choice and sentence structure while accurately conveying the original meaning.
A student's synthesis response includes: 'The reading says X, the lecture says Y, and I think Z.' What is the key problem with this structure?
Answer: The response includes a personal opinion, which may be off-topic in a synthesis task
In a CAEL synthesis task, adding personal opinions shifts focus away from integrating the sources, which is the primary evaluation criterion.
Which of the following best describes the difference between a summary and a synthesis in a CAEL short response?
Answer: A synthesis connects ideas across sources and shows relationships; a summary reports each source separately
The essential distinction is that synthesis establishes relationships between source ideas, while summary simply reports what each source says.
If both sources present the same solution to a problem but for different reasons, how should this be expressed in a synthesis?
Answer: Note that both sources advocate the same solution, then explain that each source supports it on different grounds
Agreement on a conclusion but with different supporting reasons is a nuanced synthesis point that should be explicitly articulated.