ESOL Academic English 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is academic vocabulary?
- Formal words commonly used in educational and professional texts across disciplines (Correct answer)
- Slang used in universities
- Any difficult word
- Words only used in science
Correct answer: Formal words commonly used in educational and professional texts across disciplines
Academic vocabulary includes formal, cross-disciplinary words like analyze, significant, and contribute that appear frequently in educational texts.
Question 2: What is the difference between summarizing and paraphrasing?
- Summarizing condenses main ideas; paraphrasing restates specific content in your own words (Correct answer)
- They are identical
- Summarizing is longer than paraphrasing
- Paraphrasing copies the original exactly
Correct answer: Summarizing condenses main ideas; paraphrasing restates specific content in your own words
Summarizing captures the essence in fewer words; paraphrasing restates a specific passage in different words at similar length.
Question 3: What is a citation in academic writing?
- A reference to the source of information used in your work (Correct answer)
- A quotation mark
- A type of punctuation
- A heading in an essay
Correct answer: A reference to the source of information used in your work
Citations credit the original sources of ideas, data, or quotes used in academic writing, preventing plagiarism.
Question 4: What is the purpose of an abstract in an academic paper?
- A brief summary of the entire paper including purpose, methods, and conclusions (Correct answer)
- The introduction paragraph
- A list of keywords
- The bibliography
Correct answer: A brief summary of the entire paper including purpose, methods, and conclusions
An abstract provides a concise overview of the paper, allowing readers to quickly determine its relevance.
Question 5: What register of English is appropriate for academic writing?
- Formal register with precise vocabulary, complex sentences, and objective tone (Correct answer)
- Casual register with slang
- Conversational register with contractions
- Poetic register with figurative language
Correct answer: Formal register with precise vocabulary, complex sentences, and objective tone
Academic writing uses formal register characterized by precise word choice, complex sentence structures, and an objective, impersonal tone.
Question 6: What is critical thinking in academic reading?
- Evaluating arguments, identifying assumptions, and assessing evidence quality (Correct answer)
- Criticizing everything you read
- Reading as fast as possible
- Memorizing all facts
Correct answer: Evaluating arguments, identifying assumptions, and assessing evidence quality
Critical thinking involves analyzing arguments, questioning assumptions, evaluating evidence, and forming independent judgments about what you read.
ESOL Academic English 1
What is academic vocabulary?