U.S. Academic Writing Test

1. What is the difference between paraphrasing and summarizing?

Answers:

• Summarizing a passage conveys the main points using language very similar to that of the original; paraphrasing a passage sketches out only the most essential points.

• Paraphrasing a passage creates a stronger argument, while summarizing the same passage creates a weaker argument.

• Paraphrasing a passage conveys the main points using language very similar to that of the original; summarizing a passage sketches only the most essential points.

• Paraphrasing requires roughly twice as much text as summarizing the same amount of material.

• Paraphrasing is closer to plagiarism than summarizing.

2. What is a topic sentence?

Answers:

• The longest sentence in a paragraph, usually found in the middle

• A sentence that states the main point of a paragraph and works as a mini-thesis for the paragraph

• A short, snappy sentence that ends a paragraph

3. Which of the following is/are clear benefits of transferring an academic journal online?

Answers:

• Online links may give the journal a potential increase in readership.

• Online advertising is cheaper than print advertising.

• The journal could then publish an online newsletter and enact a membership log-in feature.

• An online presence makes it easier to keep in touch with readers via a registered user database connected to the website.

• All of the above are benefits of transferring an academic journal online.

4. Which of the following techniques will increase the readership of an academic article no matter where the writer displays it online?

Answers:

• Including many links, both internal and external, in the article

• Including many searchable keywords

• Making the article accessible to both general readers and to more experienced readers of academic texts

• Including section headings that are links

• All of the above

5. What is open-access publishing?

Answers:

• Publishing anonymously

• Publishing within a peer review system that prevents academic work from being sub-standard

• Publishing directly to hand-held reading devices such as the Palm Pilot or Kindle

• A contemporary method of publishing in which anyone can access the work, often adopted for online publishing of academic journals and dissertations

• None of the above

6. What is the Columbia style of citation used for?

Answers:

• Manuscripts

• Articles and essays

• Electronically accessed sources

• Scientific topics

7. Which of the following terms means "to combine pre-stated arguments or statements into one"?

Answers:

• Thesis-building

• Antithesis

• Synthesize

• Mutual doubling

• Synecdoche

8. What does ISSN (the journal equivalent of ISBN) stand for?

Answers:

• Internal Sort Service Number

• International Sweet Section Name

• Internal Sticker Shift Number

• Inner Server Serial Number

• International Standard Serial Number

9. What is self-plagiarism?

Answers:

• Reusing significant material from someone else's publication or copyrighted work and passing it off as one's own

• Duplicating one's own work and publicizing it in multiple formats and multiple territories

• The reuse of identical or nearly identical portions of one's own work without citing the original work

• Stealing one's own possessions and selling them as if they were someone else's.

• Exploiting one's own work in a domestic and foreign market without changing one's name

10. What is the reason for citing academic sources in a bibliography?

Answers:

• To create connections to previous ideas and show the path of their influence on the writer's work

• To rightfully acknowledge the source of the original work or academic expression

• To conform to academic standards and procedures

• To avoid accusations of plagiarism

• All of the above

11. What does the term "rhetoric" mean?

Answers:

• Rhetoric is an ambiguous term that means both "erudite" and "academic," but also "easily communicated."

• Rhetoric is the study of the evolution of language and how languages interact.

• Rhetoric is the art of using language as a means of persuasion.

12. How should quotations longer than three lines generally be laid out within the body of an academic paper?

Answers:

• Use a simple in-text quotation that includes the quotation inside the paragraph.

• Indent the whole quotation and double-space it (if the paper is single-spaced).

• Indent the whole quotation and single-space it (if the paper is double-spaced).

• The formatting depends on the bibliographical style the writer is using.

• None of the above

13. What are paragraph transitions?

Answers:

• The point at which paragraphs end

• The point at which paragraphs begin

• Visual markers, usually blue or red, that warn the reader that a new paragraph is approaching.

• A point either at the beginning of the paper (the opening paragraph) or the conclusion (after the last paragraph).

• The last sentence of one paragraph and the first sentence of the following paragraph, which work together to create a smooth linguistic or argumentative transition from one idea to another.

14. Which of the following is the correct name for a citation style that would be appropriate to use in a research paper in chemistry?

Answers:

• American Chemical Society (ACS) Style

• American Chemistry Style

• Chemistry Style of Academic Writing

15. What is the difference between a works cited page and a bibliography?

Answers:

• Nothing but the name; they are basically the same.

• A bibliography is always shorter than a works cited page.

• A works cited page lists only the source material directly cited in the text, while a bibliography lists all the source material used in writing the book.

• A bibliography lists only the source material directly cited in the text, while a works cited page lists all the source material used in writing the book.

• A works cited page appears at the front of the book, while a bibliography appears at the back.

16. Which of the following elements is NOT dictated by the American Sociological Association style of citation?

Answers:

• Single spacing

• 1 ¼-inch margins on all sides

• 12 point font

17. What is a hanging paragraph?

Answers:

• A paragraph in which the first line is set to the left margin and all subsequent lines are indented

• A paragraph in which the first line is set to the right margin and all subsequent lines are indented

• A paragraph in which the first line is indented and all subsequent lines are set to the left margin

• A paragraph that hangs over the edge of the page, either at the bottom or at the right margin

• An unnecessary paragraph

18. Which of the following are useful online resources or techniques a writer could use to showcase his or her own academic writing?

Answers:

• Online journals, blogs, personal websites, and websites linked to the writer's university

• Pre-existing bibliographies to which the writer can upload original work

• Sending mass e-mails with attachments of the writer's academic work

• a and c

19. Which of the following form the core of a bibliographic entry specifically for a journal article?

Answers:

• ISSN, journal title, volume, and back catalogue of relevant previous copies

• Journal title, volume, page numbers

• Article title, even page numbers, date of publication

• Article title, journal title, volume, page numbers, date of publication, author(s)

• None of the above

20. Which of the following features is/are not desirable in academic writing?

Answers:

• Too much description and too little analysis

• Too many quotes

• Plagiarism

• Informal language

• All of the above

21. Which of the following expressions should not be used in academic writing?

Answers:

• In my opinion...

• It has been argued...

• There is little doubt...

• There is enough statistical data to prove...

22. Any academic piece of writing should be cohesive at which level?

Answers:

• Sentence level

• Paragraph level

• Whole text level

• All of the above

23. Which of the following is the best definition of plagiarism in an academic context?

Answers:

• Stealing intellectual materials from one's neighbor

• "Borrowing" the words of a well-known professor without citing the source

• Stealing words or ideas from one's fellow students and then using them out of context (i.e., using parts of someone's newspaper article in one's own academic paper)

• Using all of the right words, but not necessarily in the right order

• The adoption, reproduction, or use of someone else's words or ideas without proper acknowledgment of the source

24. What is a comma splice?

Answers:

• When a comma resembles an apostrophe

• A common printing error that splits a comma in two

• When a semi-colon and a comma are used interchangeably

• When a comma is used to join two complete sentences without adding an appropriate conjunction between them

• Both a and d

25. Choose the best option based on the following statement.

The topic sentence is always placed as the first sentence in a paragraph.

Answers:

• True

• False

26. Choose the option that best completes the following sentence.

A writer's approach to an academic paper should generally be ________________ in nature.

Answers:

• analytical, objective, rational, and intellectual

• impressionistic, analytical, subjective, and intellectual

• polemical, emotional, impressionistic, and subjective

27. Which of the following elements is NOT dictated by the MLA style of citation?

Answers:

• Typed and double-spaced

• 1-inch margins on all sides

• Use of standard white paper (8.5 x 11)

• All of the above are dictated by the MLA style of citation

28. Which of the following is not a technical or administrative form of academic writing?

Answers:

• A brief

• The Yellow Pages

• A peer review

• A proposal

• A white paper

29. Which of the following are features of academic writing?

Answers:

• Authority and credibility

• Structure

• Style and clarity

• Analytical approach

• Attribution of references

• a, c, d, and e

• a, b, c, d, and e

• b, c, and e

30. Which of the following statements regarding translation is NOT true?

Answers:

• Translation takes into account any constraints regarding context, the writing conventions of the two languages, idioms, and the grammar of the two languages.

• Translation is a word-to-word conversion from one language to another.

• The text that needs to be translated is called "source text," while the language in which it is to be translated is known as the "target language."

31. What is an oxymoron, a word that is used in academia in a number of humanities and interdisciplinary subjects?

Answers:

• A word that also means its opposite

• A seemingly nonsensical figure of speech that combines two typically contradictory terms, such as "icy hot" or "jumbo shrimp"

• An oxygen molecule in chemistry that behaves in a noticeably "stupid" way

• a and b

32. Which of the following form the core of a bibliographic entry, whether for a book or a journal article?

Answers:

• Author's full name, place of birth, and place of residence

• Date of first publication, ISBN, book spine color

• Author, title, publisher, place of publication, date of publication

• ISBN, ISSN, author's full name, name of publisher

• Author, ISBN, name of publisher, place of publication

33. Choose the option that best completes the following sentence.

The tone of academic writing should generally be ______________ in nature.

Answers:

• conversational, colloquial, and personal

• formal, serious, and impersonal

• conversational, serious, and impersonal

34. Are there circumstances in which the phrase "But I didn't know I was plagiarizing" is an acceptable excuse?

Answers:

• No, never.

• In prison, maybe.

• Yes, as instances of unconscious plagiarism have been documented.

• Yes, when a fellow student or writer is also a plagiarist.

35. Which of the following literary devices or language conventions is the only one to be used in academic writing?

Answers:

• Passive voice

• Contractions

• Formal rhetorical language

• Circumlocution

• Jargon

36. Which of the following are features of cohesive writing?

Answers:

• A variety of sentence structures

• Correct punctuation

• Appropriate use of linking words and transitions

• All of the above

37. How would a writer format a quotation in an academic paper if he wanted to delete some words from the middle of the quotation?

Answers:

• By using ellipses to replace the missing words, as in: "I went out...and returned an hour later."

• By using a comma to replace the missing words, as in: "I went out, and returned an hour later."

• By using a colon to replace the missing words, as in: "I went out: and returned an hour later."

• By using a hyphen to replace the missing words, as in: "I went out - and returned an hour later."

38. If a bibliography is very long, is it an acceptable common practice to organize it into sections?

Answers:

• Depends on the subject

• Yes

• Never

• None of the above

39. Which of the following statements regarding abstracts is NOT true?

Answers:

• An abstract is a brief summary.

• An abstract assists the reader in identifying the purpose of the paper.

• An abstract is placed at the beginning of a manuscript.

• An abstract is usually included only for a novel or other work of fiction.

40. What is the difference between a book report and an abstract?

Answers:

• An abstract is just a summary of a book, while a report also includes reviews and reactions to a book.

• There is no difference between an abstract and a book report.

• A report is just a summary of a book, while an abstract also includes reviews and reactions to a book.

41. The term "bibliography" comes from the Greek and literally means which of the following?

Answers:

• Book blurbing

• Book listing

• Book writing

• Book loving

• Library loving

42. Which style of citation is used for technical topics, especially those related to computer science?

Answers:

• APA

• IEEE

• CSE

• APSA

43. Which of the following is NOT an online blog or website where one's academic writing could be displayed and commented upon?

Answers:

• Blogger

• Wordpress

• Academia.edu

• wobble.org

• weebly.com

44. Which of the following groups correctly lists the forms of academic writing?

Answers:

• Abstract, book, book chapter, book report, translation, thesis, conference paper, dissertation, research article, research paper, essay, and explication

• Abstract, book, book report, translation, thesis, conference paper, dissertation, research article, and research paper

• Book report, translation, thesis, conference paper, dissertation, research article, research paper, essay, and explication

45. What kind of academic paper is the "literature review"?

Answers:

• The same as a book review, but longer.

• The summary of an author's collected works, in chronological order.

• Both a and b

• An assessment or account of material published on a topic by accredited scholars and researchers.

• A descriptive list of the material available, or a set of summaries.

46. What does the phrase "never bury the lead" mean in the world of online writing?

Answers:

• Never make the article too long or too short.

• Never hide the main point of the story too far into the article or text.

• Never place the writer's name too far into the article, but rather at the beginning.

• Cover as many subjects as possible in the space available.

• All of the above

47. In which field is the Bluebook style of citation used?

Answers:

• Literature

• Biology

• Law

• None of the above

48. Choose the correct series of phrases to complete the following sentence.

The citation style known as APA, which stands for _____________, is generally used for ______________.

Answers:

• American Psychological Administration; research papers in psychology

• American Physical Science Association; research papers in physical science

• American Psychological Association; research papers within the social sciences

49. Which of the following is not a citation style for academic writing?

Answers:

• CMOS

• APA

• APSA

• ACA

50. Which style of citation is used for publications and academic essays in the arts and humanities?

Answers:

• Chicago

• Columbia

• Bluebook

• Modern Language Association (MLA)

• Both a and d may be used depending on subject matter.

51. What is a premise in an argumentative paper?

Answers:

• A collection of one or more declarative sentences (or "conclusions") that make up the penultimate point of an argument

• A collection of one or more declarative sentences (or "propositions") that make up the beginning point of an argument

• A collection of one or more declarative sentences (or "conclusions") that make up the end point of an argument

• A collection of one or more prescriptive sentences (or "propositions") that make up the middle point of an argument

• The same as an open-ended conclusion

52. What is peer review?

Answers:

• An exchange program between academicians from different countries

• An exchange program between students from different countries

• A process in which an author's scholarly research or ideas are assessed by other academic experts in the same field

• A process of overseeing exam results in which certain students are allowed to see their work before it is graded

• A double-assessment process in which academicians exchange work directly and give each other mutually beneficial criticism

53. What is the term for the sentence (or sentences) in a standard academic paper that describes the central proposition to be put forward and proved in the paper?

Answers:

• Précis

• Antithesis and synthesis

• Word clause

• Thesis

• Word count

• Praxis

54. What are moral rights?

Answers:

• The rights of the so-called "moral majority," frequently conservative rights

• The right of any citizen to be protected by the law in moral, rather than legal, terms

• The opposite of natural rights, but similar to immoral or amoral rights

• A subset of the rights possessed by the creators of copyrighted works, including the right of attribution, the right to have a work published pseudonymously or anonymously, and the right to the integrity of the work

• All copyrights owned by the originator of a work of art (usually visual art)

55. Which of the following sentences would be best suited to academic writing?

Answers:

• Looking at the present scenario, I think the day is not far off when we'll all be carrying oxygen tanks on our backs.

• The present scenario suggests that one day everyone will be carrying an oxygen tank.

• The present scenario suggests that one day we will all be carrying oxygen tanks.

56. What is an annotated bibliography?

Answers:

• A bibliography in which pictures replace some of the entries

• A bibliography that includes a summary and/or evaluation of the source

• A bibliography in which the chronology is reversed

• A bibliography in which a few sections have extra written explanations or notes

• a and d

57. Which of the following publications is NOT a known literary review?

Answers:

• The Southern Literary Review

• The English Plantation Review

• Literary Review of Canada

• The New York Review of Books

• The Times Literary Supplement

58. What is brainstorming and when would an academic writer be most likely to use it?

Answers:

• Brainstorming is a verbal discussion between academicians and is often used when they are involved in a collaborative work.

• Brainstorming is a creative technique for generating many ideas for a particular purpose. The activity is often used as a part of the initial planning process.

• Brainstorming is a condition sustained when the brain "overheats" as a result of intense work or stimulation. It is the body's way of telling the person to rest for a while.

59. How are works arranged in a bibliography?

Answers:

• Alphabetically by name

• Alphabetically by date

• chronologically by date

• chronologically by name

• In five even sections

60. Why is knowing one's audience of great importance when writing an academic article?

Answers:

• Doing so keeps the writer focused and ensures the reader will take his article seriously.

• Doing so helps readers evaluate, assess, and recognize new research.

• Doing so ensures that the article will be as effective as possible in communicating its message.

• All of the above