IELTS Vocabulary: Academic Word List and Collocations 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The new legislation was designed to ______ corruption in public procurement, but critics argue it lacks enforcement mechanisms.
- combat (Correct answer)
- fight
- battle
- defeat
Correct answer: combat
'Combat corruption' is the established academic and policy collocation; 'fight' is less formal; 'battle' and 'defeat' are more informal or military in register.
Question 2: In academic writing, which word is the most appropriate synonym for 'use' in the sentence: 'Researchers ______ a range of qualitative methods'?
- employ (Correct answer)
- use
- apply
- utilise
Correct answer: employ
'Employ' is the highest-register AWL synonym for 'use' when describing research methodology; 'apply' is also academic but less idiomatic with 'methods'; 'utilise' is considered inflated by many style guides.
Question 3: The data ______ that urban areas with higher green-space coverage report lower levels of stress-related illness.
- suggests (Correct answer)
- shows
- tells
- says
Correct answer: suggests
'Suggests' is preferred over 'shows' when the evidence is inferential rather than conclusive; 'tells' and 'says' are informal and not used with 'data' as subject.
Question 4: The ______ of the study was to examine the long-term economic consequences of early childhood education investment.
- aim (Correct answer)
- goal
- purpose
- objective
Correct answer: aim
'Aim of the study' is the most standard academic phrasing for introducing research purpose in IELTS and academic writing contexts.
Question 5: The author makes a ______ distinction between correlation and causation, which is central to the validity of the argument.
- crucial (Correct answer)
- vital
- important
- necessary
Correct answer: crucial
'Crucial distinction' is the most common academic collocation; 'vital distinction' is less frequent; 'important' and 'necessary' are less idiomatic here.
Question 6: Despite extensive research, the ______ causes of Alzheimer's disease remain poorly understood.
- underlying (Correct answer)
- basic
- original
- real
Correct answer: underlying
'Underlying causes' is a fixed academic collocation meaning the fundamental or root causes; the other options are less precise or less academic in register.
Question 7: The government has allocated ______ resources to the national infrastructure programme over the next decade.
- substantial (Correct answer)
- large
- big
- vast
Correct answer: substantial
'Substantial resources' is the standard academic collocation; 'large' is possible but less formal; 'big' and 'vast' are informal or hyperbolic.
IELTS Vocabulary: Academic Word List and Collocations 2
The new legislation was designed to ______ corruption in public procurement, but critics argue it lacks enforcement mechanisms.