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Vocabulary: Academic Word List and Collocations Flashcards

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  1. The researchers sought to ______ a clear link between air quality and respiratory disease in urban populations.

    Answer: establish

    'Establish a link' is the correct academic collocation; 'make', 'do', and 'build' do not collocate naturally with 'link' in formal academic writing.

  2. The policy was ______ as ineffective by multiple independent review bodies, leading to a complete overhaul of the framework.

    Answer: assessed

    'Assessed as' is the standard academic collocation for formal evaluation; the others carry stronger, more emotive connotations inappropriate here.

  3. Scientists have made ______ progress in understanding the genetic basis of the condition, though a complete cure remains elusive.

    Answer: considerable

    'Considerable progress' is the standard academic collocation; 'remarkable' is possible but less typical with 'progress' in formal writing; 'huge' and 'big' are informal.

  4. The term 'sustainability' is used to ______ a range of practices that balance economic development with environmental protection.

    Answer: denote

    'Denote' is the academic AWL verb meaning 'to signify or represent,' appropriate when discussing the scope of a term.

  5. The committee will ______ a decision on the proposal at its next meeting, taking all submitted evidence into account.

    Answer: make

    'Make a decision' is the correct collocation; 'take a decision' is possible in British English but less standard in academic writing; 'do' and 'have' are incorrect.

  6. The study ______ four main variables: income level, education, geographic location, and household size.

    Answer: identified

    'Identified' correctly describes the action of a study finding/selecting variables; 'comprised' and 'constituted' describe composition, not a research action; 'composed' is grammatically wrong here.

  7. Globalisation has had a ______ impact on local cultures, transforming everything from diet to architecture.

    Answer: profound

    'Profound impact' is the standard academic collocation; 'deep impact' is less typical in academic prose; 'heavy' and 'big' are informal.