EAP - English For Academic Purposes Grammar for Formal Writing Questions and Answers

Question 1

A student is editing a formal research paper and finds the following sentence: "The researchers' analysis didn't yield conclusive results, so they couldn't confirm their initial hypothesis." Which of the following revisions BEST adheres to the conventions of formal academic grammar?

Accepted Answer

The researchers' analysis did not yield conclusive results; therefore, they could not confirm their initial hypothesis.

Answer

The researchers' analysis did not yield conclusive results, and they weren't able to confirm their initial hypothesis.

Answer

Because the researchers' analysis did not yield conclusive results, they couldn't confirm their initial hypothesis.

Answer

The researchers' analysis didn't yield conclusive results; therefore, they were unable to confirm their initial hypothesis.

Question 2

Which of the following sentences demonstrates the most effective use of nominalization for a formal academic context?

Accepted Answer

The government's regulation of the industry was a necessary action.

Answer

The government acted to regulate the industry, which was necessary.

Answer

The industry was regulated by the government, which acted necessarily.

Answer

When the government regulated the industry, it was acting out of necessity.

Question 3

In which section of a scientific paper would the use of the passive voice be most appropriate and conventional?

Accepted Answer

Methods, to describe the experimental procedure.

Answer

Discussion, to state the author's opinions about the results.

Answer

Introduction, to describe the research we conducted.

Answer

Conclusion, to strongly state our final claims.

Question 4

Which sentence correctly replaces the informal phrasal verb with a more formal, single-word equivalent suitable for academic writing?

Accepted Answer

The committee will investigate the allegations of academic misconduct.

Answer

The study looked into the effects of sleep deprivation.

Answer

The researchers decided to put off the experiment until next week.

Answer

The numbers went up significantly after the intervention.

Question 5

A student wrote the following in a draft: "The university implemented a new wellness program. Because student mental health has become a major priority." How should this grammatical error be corrected for formal writing?

Accepted Answer

The university implemented a new wellness program, because student mental health has become a major priority.

Answer

The university implemented a new wellness program; because student mental health has become a major priority.

Answer

The university implemented a new wellness program. Student mental health becoming a major priority.

Answer

The university implemented a new wellness program. For example, student mental health has become a major priority.

Question 6

What is the primary purpose of using hedging language (e.g., 'it may suggest,' 'it seems likely that,' 'tends to') in formal academic writing?

Accepted Answer

To express claims with appropriate caution and acknowledge the limits of the research.

Answer

To make the writing sound more complex and intelligent.

Answer

To fill the word count requirement for the assignment.

Answer

To directly challenge and disprove the findings of other researchers.