Academic Flashcards

Which of the following DOES NOT belong in a well-crafted sentence?

Answer: Repeating yourself often to make a point

A well-crafted sentence aims for clarity, conciseness, and impact. Repeating oneself often is generally considered redundant and weakens the sentence's effectiveness, making it less engaging and harder to read. Instead, strong writing uses precise language and varied sentence structure to convey meaning efficiently.

Which sections belong on your sheet for taking notes?

Answer: Questions, Notes, and Summary

Effective note-taking strategies, such as the Cornell Method, often recommend dividing your sheet into these sections. The 'Notes' section is for capturing information during a lecture or reading, 'Questions' is for formulating queries about the material, and 'Summary' is for condensing the main ideas after the session. This structure aids comprehension, retention, and review.

A motivational speaker tells a story about how liberating it may be to collect bees with your left hand, according to a friend of his. What does this illustrate?

Answer: Second-person observation

The speaker is relaying an experience 'according to a friend of his.' This means the speaker is observing or reporting what someone else (the friend) experienced or said, not directly experiencing it themselves. Since the friend is a 'second person' to the speaker, and the speaker is observing/reporting, it's second-person observation.

Determine the writing sample's tone: "The apartment was terribly run-down and outdated." The furniture seems to be out of a Victorian horror story. There were moths on the drapes. As if they were nearing their end, even the appliances let forth a rattling and clanking sound.

Answer: Critical

The language used in the description, such as 'terribly run-down and outdated,' 'Victorian horror story,' 'moths on the drapes,' and 'rattling and clanking sound,' all convey a negative judgment or disapproval. The author is clearly expressing a critical view of the apartment's condition, highlighting its flaws and poor state.

Will there be a change in the sound of the following two sentences read aloud in English? First sentence: His scarf was left at home. Sentence 2: Was his scarf left behind at home?

Answer: Yes, the second sentence will rise in pitch at the end because it's a question

In English, declarative statements (like the first sentence) typically have a falling intonation at the end. Conversely, yes/no questions (like the second sentence) usually have a rising intonation at the end. This change in pitch helps distinguish between a statement and a question when spoken aloud.

Which phrase makes use of your, yore, or you're correctly?

Answer: Your test had the best score in the class!

'Your' is a possessive adjective, meaning 'belonging to you.' In option E, 'Your test' correctly indicates that the test belongs to the person being addressed. 'You're' is a contraction of 'you are,' and 'yore' refers to a long time ago. The other options incorrectly use 'your' or 'you're' where the other form is needed.

What should you do if you hear a word you don't know while listening to English spoken aloud?

Answer: Stay calm and let it go; focus on the speaker's main point

In a listening comprehension scenario, getting stuck on an unfamiliar word can cause you to miss subsequent important information. It's more effective to infer the meaning from context or simply move on, focusing on understanding the overall message. Panicking or stopping the speaker disrupts the flow and hinders overall comprehension.

'Insecure' has what prefix?

Answer: in

A prefix is a morpheme added to the beginning of a word to modify its meaning. In the word 'insecure,' 'in-' is the prefix, which typically means 'not' or 'without,' changing the meaning of 'secure' (safe, confident) to 'not secure' (lacking confidence or safety).

What in this sentence is incorrect? Sharon chose to have spaghetti for dinner even though she had planned to go have steak.

Answer: The wrong transitional word is being used

The sentence uses 'even though,' which implies a contrast or concession. However, the two clauses ('Sharon chose to have spaghetti for dinner' and 'she had planned to go have steak') present a choice between two options, not a contrast where one happened despite the other. A more appropriate transitional phrase might be 'instead of' or 'rather than' to reflect the choice made.

Which of these terms serves as a connector to link ideas that are similar or related?

Answer: But

'And' is a coordinating conjunction used to connect words, phrases, or clauses that are grammatically similar and express related or additive ideas. 'Additionally' also links similar ideas but is an adverb. 'But' introduces a contrast, and 'Another' introduces a new, distinct item.

When it comes to answering the Reading section questions on the PTE Academic exam, what should you do first?

Answer: Read the questions first

A common and effective strategy for reading comprehension tests, including the PTE Academic, is to read the questions before reading the passage. This helps you identify what information to look for, allowing you to read the passage more actively and efficiently, saving time and improving accuracy.