ELSA Academic Language & Register Flashcards
6 cards from real ELSA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 ELSA Academic Language & Register flashcards as text
Which sentence uses an appropriate academic tone for a research paper?
Answer: This study examines the relationship between diet and cognitive performance.
Academic writing uses precise, formal language such as 'examines,' 'relationship,' and 'cognitive performance' instead of informal expressions.
Which sentence correctly uses a relative clause to define a term?
Answer: A hypothesis, which is a testable prediction, must be supported by evidence.
A non-restrictive relative clause introduced by 'which' and set off by commas correctly defines 'hypothesis' within the sentence.
What is the difference between a summary and a synthesis in academic writing?
Answer: A summary restates one source; a synthesis combines ideas from multiple sources.
A summary condenses the main ideas of a single source, while a synthesis integrates and connects ideas from several sources.
Which phrase correctly introduces an example in formal academic writing?
Answer: For instance, researchers have found…
'For instance' is a formal academic phrase used to introduce an illustrative example.
In academic writing, what is the purpose of a literature review?
Answer: To summarize and evaluate existing research relevant to the study's topic
A literature review surveys and critically evaluates prior research to establish context and identify gaps that the current study addresses.
Which sentence correctly uses a concessive clause to acknowledge a limitation?
Answer: Although the sample size was small, the results provide preliminary evidence.
'Although' correctly introduces a concessive clause, and the sentence structure (subordinate clause + main clause) is grammatically correct.