ELSA Discourse Markers & Text Cohesion 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which discourse marker best signals a contrast between two ideas?
- Furthermore
- However (Correct answer)
- Therefore
- Similarly
Correct answer: However
'However' is a contrastive discourse marker used to introduce an idea that opposes or qualifies the previous one.
Question 2: "The project was expensive. _______, the results were worth the cost." Which marker fits best?
- In addition
- For example
- Nevertheless (Correct answer)
- Consequently
Correct answer: Nevertheless
'Nevertheless' is a concessive marker that acknowledges a negative point (expense) before introducing a contrasting positive outcome.
Question 3: Which of the following is a cause-and-effect discourse marker?
- Meanwhile
- On the other hand
- As a result (Correct answer)
- In contrast
Correct answer: As a result
'As a result' introduces the consequence or outcome of a preceding action, making it a cause-and-effect marker.
Question 4: "She studied hard. _______, she passed the exam with distinction." Which marker shows a logical result?
- However
- Therefore (Correct answer)
- Although
- Whereas
Correct answer: Therefore
'Therefore' introduces a conclusion or result that follows logically from the preceding statement.
Question 5: What is the primary purpose of discourse markers in written text?
- To add length to the essay
- To connect ideas and show logical relationships (Correct answer)
- To replace nouns with pronouns
- To introduce topics unrelated to the main point
Correct answer: To connect ideas and show logical relationships
Discourse markers create cohesion by signaling how sentences and paragraphs relate to each other logically.
Question 6: Which sentence uses a discourse marker incorrectly?
- She was tired; therefore, she went to bed early.
- He was hungry. Furthermore, he ate dinner. (Correct answer)
- It was raining. However, we went for a walk.
- They finished the work. Nevertheless, they celebrated.
Correct answer: He was hungry. Furthermore, he ate dinner.
'Furthermore' adds parallel information of the same type, but eating is a result of being hungry—'so' or 'therefore' would be correct here.
Question 7: "_______ being tired, she completed the assignment on time." Which discourse marker fits this concessive structure?
- Although
- Despite (Correct answer)
- Because
- Therefore
Correct answer: Despite
'Despite' precedes a noun phrase to show that an outcome occurred even though a contrasting condition existed.
ELSA Discourse Markers & Text Cohesion 1
Which discourse marker best signals a contrast between two ideas?