Core Academic Skills Assessment Core Academic Skills MCQ 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student reads a passage arguing that social media harms teen mental health. The author cites one study from 2015. What is the strongest critique of this argument?
- The study is too recent to be reliable
- A single study is insufficient to establish a broad causal claim (Correct answer)
- Social media did not exist in 2015
- The argument uses too many statistics
Correct answer: A single study is insufficient to establish a broad causal claim
Relying on one study makes the argument weak because a single source cannot reliably support a broad generalization.
Question 2: Which sentence contains a dangling modifier?
- Running through the park, Maya spotted a deer.
- After finishing the report, it was submitted by the team. (Correct answer)
- The teacher explained the concept clearly.
- The students revised their essays carefully.
Correct answer: After finishing the report, it was submitted by the team.
In 'After finishing the report, it was submitted by the team,' the modifier 'After finishing the report' has no logical subject to modify.
Question 3: Solve for x: 3(2x − 4) = 18
- x = 3
- x = 5 (Correct answer)
- x = 4
- x = 6
Correct answer: x = 5
Distributing gives 6x − 12 = 18, so 6x = 30 and x = 5.
Question 4: In a bar graph showing monthly sales, January has a bar reaching 40 and February reaching 60. By what percent did sales increase from January to February?
- 20%
- 33%
- 50% (Correct answer)
- 25%
Correct answer: 50%
Percent increase = (60 − 40) / 40 × 100 = 50%.
Question 5: Which of the following best defines the word 'ambiguous' as used in academic writing?
- Clearly stated and easy to understand
- Open to more than one interpretation (Correct answer)
- Highly technical and specialized
- Overly long and repetitive
Correct answer: Open to more than one interpretation
Ambiguous means capable of being understood in more than one way, creating uncertainty.
Question 6: A rectangle has a length of 12 cm and a width of 7 cm. What is its perimeter?
- 84 cm
- 38 cm (Correct answer)
- 19 cm
- 26 cm
Correct answer: 38 cm
Perimeter = 2(12 + 7) = 2(19) = 38 cm.
Question 7: Which transition word best signals a contrast between two ideas?
- Furthermore
- Therefore
- However (Correct answer)
- Similarly
Correct answer: However
'However' introduces a contrasting or opposing idea, making it the correct contrast signal.
Core Academic Skills Assessment Core Academic Skills MCQ 2
A student reads a passage arguing that social media harms teen mental health.
The author cites one study from 2015.
What is the strongest critique of this argument?