TOEFL Academic Writing and Argumentation 3

Question 1

In academic writing, which of the following is the BEST example of a well-developed body paragraph?

Accepted Answer

Studies show that urban air pollution contributes to respiratory illness. According to the WHO, cities with high particulate matter levels report significantly higher rates of asthma and bronchitis, demonstrating a clear link between pollution and public health outcomes.

Answer

Pollution is bad. People should care more about the environment. The government should do something.

Answer

The environment is important, and many people believe in protecting it. There are many reasons for this.

Answer

Pollution has existed for a long time and continues to be a problem in many places around the world.

Question 2

When paraphrasing a source in academic writing, a writer should:

Accepted Answer

Restate the original idea in their own words and sentence structure, then cite the source

Answer

Change only a few key words while keeping the original sentence structure

Answer

Directly copy the sentence and put quotation marks around it

Answer

Include the author's name but not a page number or citation

Question 3

Which of the following BEST describes a 'straw man' fallacy in argumentation?

Accepted Answer

Misrepresenting an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack

Answer

Using overly complex language to confuse the reader

Answer

Providing too much evidence to support a claim

Answer

Appealing to the reader's emotions instead of logic

Question 4

In the TOEFL Integrated Writing task, what is the student expected to do?

Accepted Answer

Explain how the lecture challenges, supports, or casts doubt on points from the reading

Answer

Write a personal opinion essay on a given topic

Answer

Summarize both the reading passage and lecture without taking a position

Answer

Compare two reading passages and evaluate which is more persuasive

Question 5

Which of the following sentences contains a DANGLING MODIFIER?

Accepted Answer

Running quickly through the airport, the flight was barely caught.

Answer

Running quickly through the airport, the traveler barely caught the flight.

Answer

The flight was barely caught because the traveler was running quickly through the airport.

Answer

The traveler, who was running quickly, barely caught the flight.

Question 6

In academic writing, an 'ANECDOTE' is most appropriately used to:

Accepted Answer

Illustrate or personalize a point, not as a substitute for data

Answer

Serve as the primary statistical evidence for a claim

Answer

Disprove an opposing argument with a specific story

Answer

Replace a literature review in the introduction