Reading Academic

Respuesta correcta: A) introduction

• A) introductionCorrect! The introduction frames the problem, situates the study and states the research question.
• B) conclusionThe conclusion presents the findings, not the research question.
• C) methodologyThe methodology describes how the data were gathered.
• D) appendixAn appendix holds supplementary material such as tables.

Respuesta correcta: B) method

• A) discussionThe discussion interprets the results.
• B) methodCorrect! The section that describes the sample, the instruments and the procedure is the method.
• C) abstractThe abstract summarises the whole article in a few lines.
• D) referencesThe references list the sources cited.

Respuesta correcta: C) the results agree with what previous research found.

• A) the results contradict the previous research.A contradiction would be expressed with 'in contrast' or 'inconsistent with'.
• B) the previous research was badly designed.Nothing in the phrase criticises the design of the previous work.
• C) the results agree with what previous research found.Correct! 'Consistent with' is a standard formula meaning that the results agree with earlier research.
• D) the results were copied from an older study.Agreement with other studies is not the same as having copied them.

Respuesta correcta: D) The sample was limited to one region.

• A) The results were highly significant.Significance strengthens a finding rather than limiting it.
• B) The data support the hypothesis.Supporting a hypothesis is a positive claim, not a limitation.
• C) The method was replicated twice.Replication strengthens a method rather than restricting it.
• D) The sample was limited to one region.Correct! Restricting the sample to one region is a boundary of the study, which is a limitation.

Respuesta correcta: A) defined how the key concept was measured.

• A) defined how the key concept was measured.Correct! To operationalise is to define how a concept will be measured, here by weekly attendance.
• B) rejected the usual definition of participation.The sentence states a definition, not a rejection of one.
• C) proved that attendance rose during the study.The sentence describes the measurement, not a result about it.
• D) asked participants to change their behaviour.No instruction to the participants is given in that sentence.

Respuesta correcta: B) a source the author is referring to.

• A) a quotation reproduced word for word.A word-for-word quotation also carries a page number.
• B) a source the author is referring to.Correct! The name and the year identify the source being referred to at that point.
• C) a footnote with a legal comment.A footnote marker is a symbol, not a name and a year.
• D) a list of the works cited at the end.The list at the end of the article is the reference list, not the in-text citation.

Respuesta correcta: C) It interprets the results and relates them to the literature.

• A) It reports the number of participants in the study.The sample belongs to the method section.
• B) It lists the sources consulted by the author.The sources belong to the references.
• C) It interprets the results and relates them to the literature.Correct! The discussion interprets the findings and sets them against what was already known.
• D) It states the question the study sets out to answer.The research question belongs to the introduction.

Respuesta correcta: D) the difference is unlikely to be due to chance alone.

• A) the difference was very large in size.Significance says nothing about the size of the difference.
• B) the difference was important to the author personally.It is a technical measure, not a personal judgement.
• C) the difference was measured in a biased way.Bias is a problem with the design, not the definition of significance.
• D) the difference is unlikely to be due to chance alone.Correct! Statistical significance means the result is unlikely to have arisen by chance alone.

Respuesta correcta: A) The study did not include a control group.

• A) The study did not include a control group.Correct! The absence of a control group is a boundary of the design and belongs in the limitations.
• B) The study examines how teenagers use social media.The topic of the study appears in the abstract.
• C) The study was carried out in two schools.The setting of the study is a normal part of the method described in the abstract.
• D) The findings suggest a link between the two variables.The main finding is what the abstract reports.

Respuesta correcta: B) observation always allows more than one explanation.

• A) saying 'prove' is not polite in academic writing.The choice is about the strength of the claim, not about politeness.
• B) observation always allows more than one explanation.Correct! Data can be explained in more than one way, so a researcher states a suggestion rather than a proof.
• C) the word 'data' is only used for numbers.The word 'data' is used for both numbers and observations.
• D) proof is impossible in any field of research.Proof is possible in some fields, and the difference between the verbs is empirical.

Respuesta correcta: C) a possible cause that has not been demonstrated.

• A) a cause that the author has already proved.A proved cause would be stated without a modal of possibility.
• B) a definition of the main term of the study.The phrase does not define a term; it offers an explanation.
• C) a possible cause that has not been demonstrated.Correct! 'May be' presents a candidate explanation that the study suggests without demonstrating it.
• D) a criticism of a previous author's method.No criticism of a previous author appears in the sentence.

Respuesta correcta: D) It qualifies its claims with hedges such as 'may' or 'appears to'.

• A) It reports the most recent event of the day.Reporting the event of the day is a feature of news writing.
• B) It uses short sentences and vivid adjectives.Short sentences and vivid adjectives belong to journalistic narrative.
• C) It begins with a question addressed to the reader.Direct questions to the reader are characteristic of journalism, not of a scholarly argument.
• D) It qualifies its claims with hedges such as 'may' or 'appears to'.Correct! Hedging is a hallmark of academic writing because it shows how far the evidence supports a claim.

Respuesta correcta: A) the studies published earlier on the same question.

• A) the studies published earlier on the same question.Correct! 'Prior literature' means the research already carried out on the same problem.
• B) the introductory paragraphs of the same article.It refers to other studies, not to the paragraphs of this article.
• C) the personal opinions of the research team.It denotes published research rather than the opinions of the team.
• D) the bibliography compiled by a newspaper.The bibliography of a newspaper is not what the term denotes.

Respuesta correcta: B) To what extent does attendance affect performance in this subject?

• A) The study took place in six schools during 2019.The first sentence reports the setting, not the question.
• B) To what extent does attendance affect performance in this subject?Correct! The interrogative sentence that names two variables states what the study investigates.
• C) Attendance rose in three of the six schools studied.The third sentence states a result.
• D) The data were collected through a short questionnaire.The fourth sentence describes the method of collection.

Respuesta correcta: C) answers the research question and notes the limits of the study.

• A) lists every source consulted in alphabetical order.The list of sources belongs to the references.
• B) describes the instruments used in the fieldwork.The instruments are described in the method.
• C) answers the research question and notes the limits of the study.Correct! A conclusion answers the question that was posed and acknowledges the boundaries of the answer.
• D) repeats the abstract word for word.A conclusion interprets the findings rather than repeating the summary.

Respuesta correcta: D) reduces the risk of systematic differences between groups.

• A) guarantees that the results will be true.No method guarantees a true result, so 'guarantees' overstates it.
• B) shows that every member of the population took part.A sample is always smaller than the population.
• C) means the study was repeated in several regions.Randomisation concerns assignment, not the repetition of the study.
• D) reduces the risk of systematic differences between groups.Correct! Random assignment makes the groups comparable and reduces systematic bias between them.

Respuesta correcta: A) The study used a small convenience sample.

• A) The study used a small convenience sample.Correct! A small convenience sample restricts how far the results can be generalised, so it is a limitation.
• B) The instrument was validated by two experts.Validation by experts strengthens the credibility of the instrument.
• C) The data were collected over eight months.The length of the data collection period is a description of the design.
• D) The study replicated an earlier design.Replication is a strength, not a restriction.

Respuesta correcta: B) signal that the claim is reasonable but open to dispute.

• A) state the claim as a proven fact.A proven fact is stated without a hedge of this kind.
• B) signal that the claim is reasonable but open to dispute.Correct! 'Arguably' presents a defensible claim while leaving room for disagreement.
• C) reject the claim entirely.Rejecting a claim requires a different verb, such as 'contradicts' or 'refutes'.
• D) introduce a new term that must be defined.The adverb modifies the strength of a claim and introduces no new term.

Respuesta correcta: C) the method section

• A) the conclusionA conclusion interprets the results and does not list the sample.
• B) the abstract's title lineA title line states the subject, not the size of the sample.
• C) the method sectionCorrect! The method section describes the participants and therefore gives their number.
• D) the reference listThe reference list contains sources, not participants.

Respuesta correcta: D) discussion and limitations sections

• A) title of the articleA title states the subject, not the reach of the findings.
• B) number of the footnotesThe number of footnotes says nothing about the sample.
• C) title of the journalThe name of the journal does not indicate the limits of the sample.
• D) discussion and limitations sectionsCorrect! The limits of generalisation are set out in the discussion and the limitations.