EAP Sentence Meaning 4

Question 1

What is the primary meaning of: 'The empirical evidence fails to substantiate the theoretical predictions'?

Accepted Answer

Observable data does not confirm what the theory predicted.

Answer

'Fails to substantiate' means the evidence does not support or confirm the theoretical claims.

Question 2

In academic prose, what does 'the scope of this study is delimited to' mean?

Accepted Answer

The study's boundaries are intentionally defined and restricted.

Answer

'Delimited to' means the researcher has consciously set boundaries to restrict what the study covers.

Question 3

Which sentence contains an implicit comparison between two groups?

Accepted Answer

Participants with prior training outperformed those without it.

Answer

'Outperformed those without it' implicitly compares those with prior training against those without.

Question 4

What is meant by 'The argument proceeds from a normative rather than a descriptive standpoint'?

Accepted Answer

The argument is based on values or judgments about what should be.

Answer

A normative standpoint involves value judgments about what ought to be, as opposed to a descriptive account of what is.

Question 5

The phrase 'the findings are robust across multiple methodologies' in a research article means:

Accepted Answer

The results were consistent regardless of the research approach.

Answer

'Robust across multiple methodologies' indicates the findings hold up consistently regardless of which method is applied.

EAP - English For Academic Purposes Practice Test