Integrated Skills Practice

Respuesta correcta: A) Scanning, because she looks for one specific piece of data.

• A) Scanning, because she looks for one specific piece of data.Correct: scanning moves the eyes straight to one detail, such as a number or a date.
• B) Skimming, because she reads the whole flyer at normal speed.Skimming gives the general idea of a text, but it can easily miss a small figure.
• C) Close reading, because she studies the wording of each sentence.Close reading analyses wording and detail in depth, which is wasted on a quick lookup.
• D) Note taking, because she copies the main ideas into her notebook.Note taking comes after reading, so it cannot help her find the number in the first place.

Respuesta correcta: C) The article argues that separating waste is cheaper than burning it.

• A) The article explains how to write a formal letter to a school.Writing a formal letter is a reading skill, not a topic that this article develops.
• B) The article describes three types of cloud found near Monteverde.Clouds near Monteverde belong to another text, so this sentence names the wrong subject.
• C) The article argues that separating waste is cheaper than burning it.Correct: it names the topic and takes a position on it, which is what a main idea does.
• D) The article lists the names of the schools in the province.A list of school names is only a supporting detail, so it cannot carry the whole main idea.

Respuesta correcta: B) This report examines air quality in Heredia and argues that buses cause most of it.

• A) The sensors were replaced twice, once in March and once in August.A specific maintenance detail belongs later in the report, so it cannot introduce the text.
• B) This report examines air quality in Heredia and argues that buses cause most of it.Correct: it names the subject and the aim, so the reader knows exactly what the report does.
• C) In conclusion, the data show that the problem is worse than expected.A closing sentence placed at the start leaves the reader without any idea of the focus.
• D) Appendix B lists the readings that were collected on rainy afternoons.An appendix notice comes at the end, and it announces no purpose for the whole report.

Respuesta correcta: D) Skim for the main idea, note the key points, then paraphrase in his own words.

• A) Copy sentences, count the words, then choose a title for the page.Copying sentences first produces a plagiarised summary, and counting words adds nothing to it.
• B) Read closely twice, underline every adjective, then reuse the same words.Two close readings waste time, and reusing the author's words is not summarising at all.
• C) Summarise first, check the main ideas later, then read the article again.Writing before reading the article means the summary would be invented instead of based on it.
• D) Skim for the main idea, note the key points, then paraphrase in his own words.Correct: skimming gives the focus, notes gather the support, and paraphrasing avoids copying.

Respuesta correcta: A) Recycling saves raw materials, so less waste is sent to the rivers.

• A) Recycling saves raw materials, so less waste is sent to the rivers.Correct: 'so' links a cause to its result, which is the real relation between these two facts.
• B) Recycling saves raw materials, because less waste is sent to the rivers.'Because' makes the second clause the reason, but less waste is the effect, not the reason.
• C) Recycling saves raw materials, so less waste was sent to the rivers.'So' needs the present simple for a general truth, and the shift to the past breaks the link.
• D) Recycling saves raw materials, and less waste is sent to the rivers.'And' only lists two facts and signals no cause, so the connection the speaker wants disappears.

Respuesta correcta: B) San Jose, with about 900 trips a day.

• A) Heredia, with about 400 trips a day.Heredia's bar is tall but clearly shorter, so 400 cannot be the highest value on the chart.
• B) San Jose, with about 900 trips a day.Correct: the tallest bar reaches about 900, and the longest bar always means the highest value.
• C) Cartago, with about 250 trips a day.Cartago's bar is lower than Heredia's, so its 250 does not top the four cities.
• D) Puntarenas, with about 150 trips a day.Puntarenas has one of the shortest bars, so 150 trips belongs among the lowest values.

Respuesta correcta: D) The text says that water use in Cartago fell by 40 percent last year.

• A) The text says that dry regions receive less rain each year.The source states that dry regions receive less rain, so this summary keeps the information.
• B) The text says that families in Guanacaste save water with simple habits.The saving habits appear in the source text, so this sentence reports them faithfully.
• C) The text says that the government plans to build new reservoirs.The plan for new reservoirs is in the source, so nothing absent has been added here.
• D) The text says that water use in Cartago fell by 40 percent last year.Correct: the source gives no 40 percent figure, so the summary invents data that changes meaning.

Respuesta correcta: A) In her opinion, recycling should become a legal duty for every household.

• A) In her opinion, recycling should become a legal duty for every household.Correct: it keeps the meaning in natural word groups, so this is a real paraphrase and not a copy.
• B) In her opinion, the writer thinks recycling should be a legal duty for homes.It copies four consecutive words from the source, which counts as close quotation here.
• C) Recycling should be a legal duty, as the writer of the text most surely thinks.'most surely thinks' is not natural English, and the clause after the comma is not a report.
• D) The writer's opinion is that it is better to make recycling a duty for all.It reorders the original words mechanically, so the result reads like a machine translation.

Respuesta correcta: C) According to the text, remote work can improve wellbeing for many employees.

• A) Remote work improves wellbeing, so companies should offer it every day.The first clause sounds like Diana's own certainty, and 'every day' invents a new demand.
• B) The writer of the text thinks that remote work really improves wellbeing.'Thinks' adds an opinion the text may not state, and 'really' overstates the evidence given.
• C) According to the text, remote work can improve wellbeing for many employees.Correct: 'According to the text' marks the source and 'can' keeps the claim measured, not absolute.
• D) It is obvious that remote work improves wellbeing for every single worker.'It is obvious' and 'every single worker' overclaim, and the source of the view disappears.

Respuesta correcta: B) Dear Principal Jimenez, I am writing to explain my absence on Monday.

• A) Hey!! Just checking in about that test I missed, hope you are doing fine.The greeting is casual and the slang is informal, so this tone does not fit a member of staff.
• B) Dear Principal Jimenez, I am writing to explain my absence on Monday.Correct: a formal salutation plus a clear purpose sentence follows the polite email structure.
• C) Hi boss, I missed the exam, so what are we going to do about it?'Hi boss' is far too familiar, and the second clause reads like a demand instead of a request.
• D) Attention. Student from 11B. Reason for absence: I overslept, sorry.A label with no name, the word 'Attention' and a blunt reason all break the polite register.

Respuesta correcta: C) She studies English since five years, so her grammar has improved fast.

• A) Since she moved to Heredia, Valeria has studied English every single day.Here 'since' marks the starting point of the habit, which is exactly the correct use of it.
• B) She has studied English for six years, and she still enjoys every class.A duration such as 'for six years' is expressed correctly, so the verb pattern works here.
• C) She studies English since five years, so her grammar has improved fast.Correct: 'since' needs a point in time such as 'since 2019', while a duration takes 'for'.
• D) Since starting high school, she has read two novels in English.'Since starting high school' points to the beginning of the action, so the use is correct.

Respuesta correcta: A) Because most waste in Cartago is organic, separating it would cut landfill costs.

• A) Because most waste in Cartago is organic, separating it would cut landfill costs.Correct: it states a claim, a reason and a scope, so the paragraph can argue and support it.
• B) Recycling is good and everyone should probably do more of it soon.The words 'good', 'should' and 'probably' stay vague, so there is nothing concrete to defend.
• C) My family has recycled since I was small, and so has my neighbour.That is a personal example, which serves as evidence inside a paragraph but is not itself a thesis.
• D) The recycling talk at school was long, and the bins are usually full.It describes a talk and some bins, and it defends nothing, so no argument can be built on it.

Respuesta correcta: D) The first text praises evening classes, whereas the second one criticises them.

• A) In addition, both texts agree that evening classes should be cancelled.'In addition' adds support, but these two texts oppose each other and never add up here.
• B) Similarly, the first text praises evening classes and the second says the same.'Similarly' joins similar ideas and it also invents an agreement the sources do not have.
• C) As a result, the number of evening classes in Alajuela has clearly increased.'As a result' marks a consequence, yet neither text reports any effect on the number of classes.
• D) The first text praises evening classes, whereas the second one criticises them.Correct: 'whereas' contrasts two opinions, and each half stays attached to the right text.

Respuesta correcta: B) The author argues that schools should start later: "Early classes harm learning."

• A) The author argues that schools start later. "Early classes harm learning, she writes."A reporting clause after the quotation breaks it, and 'she writes' inside the quote is not the author's words.
• B) The author argues that schools should start later: "Early classes harm learning."Correct: a colon introduces the quotation, and the quoted sentence stands complete on its own.
• C) The author argues that schools start later, "and early classes harm learning".A comma before a quotation plus 'and' inside it turn the source's sentence into the writer's own.
• D) According to the author "schools should start later", because early classes harm learning.Placing 'because' after a full quotation leaves no main clause, and the link with the source is lost.

Respuesta correcta: C) Note the main point of each source, group them by theme, then select the evidence.

• A) Read the article aloud, skip the podcast, and give only his own opinion.Ignoring one source breaks the integration the task asks for, and personal opinion is not evidence.
• B) Play the podcast, quote ten lines, and mention the article only at the end.Ten quoted lines with no structure is reading aloud, and the article never supports the argument.
• C) Note the main point of each source, group them by theme, then select the evidence.Correct: notes first, then grouping by theme, and only then evidence, which keeps the talk organised.
• D) Copy both texts word for word so that no idea is lost during the presentation.Copying word for word turns the talk into reading, and a presentation must select and compare.

Respuesta correcta: D) Turrialba grows coffee, dries it for export, and earns foreign currency from it.

• A) Coffee is grown in Turrialba. The coffee is exported. Coffee earns money.Each sentence restates the same noun in a flat pattern, so the reader gains no progression.
• B) Coffee, coffee and coffee: Turrialba grows it, Turrialba dries it, Turrialba sells it.The triple repetition of the noun and of the name sounds clumsy and hides the new actions.
• C) It is coffee and coffee, because coffee in Turrialba is coffee for everyone.A chain of repeated nouns without articles is ungrammatical and repeats the topic word constantly.
• D) Turrialba grows coffee, dries it for export, and earns foreign currency from it.Correct: the pronouns refer to one clear noun and each verb adds new information about it.

Respuesta correcta: B) Find the phone number and the opening hours given in the advertisement.

• A) Summarise the main argument of the article in about fifty words.Summarising in fifty words needs the main idea and a close reading of the whole article.
• B) Find the phone number and the opening hours given in the advertisement.Correct: locating one detail in a text is scanning, since no deep understanding is required.
• C) Explain how the writer moves between the third and the fourth paragraph.Explaining how a writer links paragraphs needs analysis of structure and logic, not scanning.
• D) Compare the tone of the two reviews and justify your answer in writing.Comparing tone is analytical work that requires careful reading of the choices of words.

Respuesta correcta: C) How recycling programmes work in Costa Rican schools: two texts compared.

• A) A page of my notebook about recycling, school and Costa Rica.It lists the topic and the writer, but it says nothing about the content or the task.
• B) Recycling: interesting, important, useful and good for our schools.It is only a chain of adjectives with no setting and no action, so it cannot guide the reader.
• C) How recycling programmes work in Costa Rican schools: two texts compared.Correct: it names the topic, the setting and the task of comparing, so it predicts the content.
• D) A summary of a summary written for a summary written by a student.The repetition of one noun in the title makes it meaningless and hides the real subject.

Respuesta correcta: A) Planting trees in the schoolyard can make the yard cooler during the day.

• A) Planting trees in the schoolyard can make the yard cooler during the day.Correct: the text links shade trees to a cooler yard, and 'can' keeps that claim measured.
• B) Every school in Alajuela should plant trees, because trees solve heat problems.'Every school' and 'should' widen the claim far beyond what a text about one yard supports.
• C) Students who sit under trees learn more quickly than students who do not.Nothing in the text mentions learning results, so this sentence adds an unsupported idea.
• D) Shade trees are cheaper than any other way of cooling a public building.The text never compares costs, so this ranking of solutions has no basis in the source.

Respuesta correcta: D) Since both texts link better buses to local growth, the city should add routes.

• A) In conclusion, this essay has discussed public transport in Heredia.It comments on the essay itself and repeats one noun, so it closes nothing and says nothing new.
• B) To sum up, transport is transport, and Heredia is a city with transport.The repeated nouns carry no meaning, and no idea from either text is used in the closing.
• C) The first text says one thing and the second text says another thing entirely.It only reports that the texts differ, without naming the difference or drawing a conclusion.
• D) Since both texts link better buses to local growth, the city should add routes.Correct: it takes the shared point of both sources and turns it into a clear recommendation.