EAP Academic Writing Conventions 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the function of a thesis statement in an academic essay?
- To list all the evidence that will be discussed
- To present the writer's main argument or central claim (Correct answer)
- To summarize the conclusion of the paper
- To define key terms used throughout the essay
Correct answer: To present the writer's main argument or central claim
A thesis statement presents the central argument or claim of the essay that the writer will support throughout the paper.
Question 2: Which of the following demonstrates appropriate use of the passive voice in academic writing?
- We didn't understand what caused the error.
- The error was caused by a miscalculation in the data set. (Correct answer)
- Someone made an error in the data set.
- The data set had an error that messed things up.
Correct answer: The error was caused by a miscalculation in the data set.
The passive voice is appropriate in academic writing when the action is more important than the agent, as is common in lab reports and scientific writing.
Question 3: What is the purpose of an abstract in an academic paper?
- To provide a detailed methodology section
- To acknowledge sources and references
- To give a brief summary of the paper's content, purpose, and findings (Correct answer)
- To introduce the topic with background information
Correct answer: To give a brief summary of the paper's content, purpose, and findings
An abstract is a concise summary at the beginning of a paper that outlines its purpose, methods, results, and conclusions.
Question 4: Which sentence demonstrates appropriate use of hedging language?
- Climate change will definitely destroy all coastal cities by 2050.
- Climate change appears to pose significant risks to coastal cities in coming decades. (Correct answer)
- Climate change is not a real concern for coastal cities.
- Climate change obviously affects coastal cities everywhere.
Correct answer: Climate change appears to pose significant risks to coastal cities in coming decades.
Hedging language like 'appears to' and 'significant risks' indicates that the claim is based on evidence while acknowledging uncertainty.
Question 5: In academic writing, what does 'signposting' refer to?
- Using bullet points and numbered lists
- Using bold text to highlight important terms
- Using language that guides the reader through the structure of the text (Correct answer)
- Using headings and subheadings in a paper
Correct answer: Using language that guides the reader through the structure of the text
Signposting refers to using phrases like 'This essay will argue...' or 'In the following section...' to help readers navigate the text.
Question 6: Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of formal academic writing?
- Use of technical vocabulary
- Objective, impersonal tone
- Contractions and colloquial expressions (Correct answer)
- Precise, specific language
Correct answer: Contractions and colloquial expressions
Formal academic writing avoids contractions (e.g., 'don't,' 'it's') and colloquial expressions in favor of precise, formal language.
EAP Academic Writing Conventions 2
What is the function of a thesis statement in an academic essay?