ESOL Academic English 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which citation style is most commonly required in social science academic papers in the United States?
- MLA
- APA (Correct answer)
- Chicago
- Turabian
Correct answer: APA
APA (American Psychological Association) style is the standard citation format for social sciences, education, and psychology in the US.
Question 2: What does it mean to 'paraphrase' a source in academic writing?
- Copy a sentence word-for-word and add quotation marks.
- Summarize the entire source in a few sentences.
- Restate a specific idea from a source in your own words. (Correct answer)
- Translate a source from another language.
Correct answer: Restate a specific idea from a source in your own words.
Paraphrasing means restating a specific passage or idea from a source using your own words and sentence structure while retaining the original meaning.
Question 3: Which of the following is an example of a hedging expression used in academic writing?
- The results absolutely prove that...
- It is certain that the findings indicate...
- The data may suggest that... (Correct answer)
- This evidence definitively shows that...
Correct answer: The data may suggest that...
Hedging language like 'may suggest' expresses appropriate caution and acknowledges uncertainty, which is valued in academic writing.
Question 4: A professor asks for an 'annotated bibliography.' What must each entry include?
- Only the citation in the correct format.
- The citation plus a brief evaluative summary of the source. (Correct answer)
- A direct quote from each source.
- The full text of each article cited.
Correct answer: The citation plus a brief evaluative summary of the source.
An annotated bibliography includes the standard citation followed by a short paragraph that summarizes and evaluates the source's content and relevance.
Question 5: Which sentence demonstrates correct use of the passive voice in academic writing?
- Scientists discovered the compound in 1990.
- The compound was discovered in 1990. (Correct answer)
- They had discovered the compound in 1990.
- Someone discovered the compound in 1990.
Correct answer: The compound was discovered in 1990.
The passive voice ('was discovered') is preferred in academic writing when the action is more important than who performed it.
Question 6: What is 'academic register' in writing?
- The page number format required by a style guide.
- The formal tone, vocabulary, and sentence structure appropriate for scholarly contexts. (Correct answer)
- A database for finding academic articles.
- The process of registering sources in a bibliography.
Correct answer: The formal tone, vocabulary, and sentence structure appropriate for scholarly contexts.
Academic register refers to the formal language choices — including vocabulary, syntax, and tone — that are appropriate for scholarly communication.
Question 7: In the phrase 'a plethora of options,' what does 'plethora' mean?
- A shortage
- A specific type
- An excessive or large number (Correct answer)
- A clear example
Correct answer: An excessive or large number
'Plethora' means an overabundance or very large quantity of something, making it appropriate for describing many options.
ESOL Academic English 3
Which citation style is most commonly required in social science academic papers in the United States?