Academic Writing Test 2015

1. What is the in-text citation format for Harvard style of formatting?

Answers:

• Author and year; Author page no.; Author and publisher, Author and title

• Author, year, page no.

2. What is the difference between plagiarism and copyright infringement?

Answers:

• Plagiarism is a legal violation, while copyright infringement is an ethical violation.

• Plagiarism is always copyright infrigement, but copyright infringement is not always plagiarism.

• Plagiarism involves using someone else's work without attribution, while copyright infringement involves using someone else's work without permission.

• Plagiarism is the least severe form of copyright infringement.

3. What is the most appropriate structure for an academic essay?

Answers:

• the cause-and-effect model

• the inverted pyramid

• the appropriate structure depends on the assignment and topic

• the five-paragraph essay

4. Which section of an academic paper evaluates the current body of published work in the field?

Answers:

• works cited

• literature review

• methodology

• introduction

5. Choose the best thesis statement:

Answers:

• The masonic symbols within Mozart's works reveal a subtler, politically-minded artist than was originally thought.

• Mozart was a great composer.

• Mozart's work contains many masonic symbols.

• The masonic symbols in Mozart's work are significant in understanding his beliefs.

6. What is the best approach to using jargon or technical terms in academic writing?

Answers:

• It should be avoided; only vocabulary that will be familiar to the average person should be used.

• Technical language should be used as frequently as possible, to demonstrate your mastery of the subject.

• Jargon and technical terms should be used in the body of the writing, but never in an introduction or conclusion.

• Jargon and technical terms should be used when appropriate for precision and authority.

7. Which of the following is an example of common knowledge that would not require a citation?

Answers:

• the name of the first chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court

• an interpretation of the meaning of a symbol in "The Great Gatsby"

• a scholar's opinion of the efficacy of the Voting Rights Act

• a long direct quotation from Shakespeare's "King Lear"

8. What is self-plagiarism?

Answers:

• allowing colleagues or classmates to use ideas from one's own work

• reusing one's own work; for instance, by submitting the same paper to two classes

• directly quoting oneself, as if to imply one is an expert

• deliberately misrepresenting the meaning of a quotation from a source

9. Which section of an academic paper reiterates the paper's claim and may suggest its further significance?

Answers:

• conclusion

• results

• abstract

• literature review

10. Which of the following statements about plagiarism is true?

Answers:

• ideas from course lectures or discussion sections don't require citation

• plagiarism is always the result of deliberate dishonesty

• paraphrasing the ideas of another person constitutes plagiarism

• verbatim copying of another person's writing without citation constitutes plagiarism

11. What is the best pair of descriptors for academic tone?

Answers:

• formal, personal

• formal, imperious

• informal, impersonal

• formal, impersonal

12. Which of the following is an example of plagiarism?

Answers:

• citing a source too much

• citing an inappropriate source

• failing to cite an appropriate source

• citing a source whose authorship cannot be determined

13. Which section of an academic paper describes the design of the experiment or study?

Answers:

• abstract

• references

• results

• methodology

14. If a novelist were to attempt a piece of academic writing, what changes in language and tone would she be advised to make?

Answers:

• Use a less personal, more objective voice

• Use a more personal, less objective voice

• Place less emphasis on a clear, linear line of development from one section to the next

• Use fancier words.

15. How should you address sources that disagree with your argument?

Answers:

• by acknowledging them and rebutting their claims

• by not mentioning them; doing so would weaken your argument

• by dismissing them before you begin your own argument

• by listing them in a separate appendix

16. From a style perspective, good academic writing should:

Answers:

• be as clear and direct as possible

• use language that reflects the historical prominence of the relevant universities or colleges.

• use as sophisticated vocabulary as possible

• be as florid as possible

17. Choose the most correct option for a piece of academic writing: "The complete data of experiment results were ____ in the New England Journal of Medicine later that year."

Answers:

• put out

• unfurled

• put on display

• published

18. Which of the following is not included in an MLA-style reference for a book?

Answers:

• title and edition number (if any)

• publisher

• page count

• place of publication

19. Which of the following is an acceptable way to cite a web source according to the Chicago Manual of Style?

Answers:

• United States Internal Revenue Service. "IRS Criminal Investigation Issues Annual Report." Irs.gov. Accessed 10 March 2014. http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/IRS-Criminal-Investigation-Issues-Annual-Report.

• "http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/IRS-Criminal-Investigation-Issues-Annual-Report" March 2014

• US IRS: "IRS Criminal Investigation Issues Annual Report," irs.gov, http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/IRS-Criminal-Investigation-Issues-Annual-Report

• "IRS Criminal Investigation Issues Annual Report" irs.gov 2014 Web 10 Mar 2014

20. What is the primary difference between a Works Cited list and a Bibliography?

Answers:

• A Works Cited list includes only references that are cited in the text, while a Bibliography includes all sources consulted.

• APA style calls for "Works Cited"; MLA style calls for "Bibliography."

• A Works Cited list is considered more formal than a Bibliography.

• (None of these)

21. In academics, a 'discourse community' refers to:

Answers:

• (none of these)

• the departmental faculty of one specific field, within one institution or more than one institutions within a geographical area

• a group of scholars who are primarily engaged and interested in a given field

• an event or conference where scholars can come together and discuss developments in their field

22. All of the following are acceptable structures (in order) for an academic paper EXCEPT:

Answers:

• introduction, argument, methodology, background, bibliography

• abstract, introduction, methodology, results, conclusion, list of works cited

• introduction, background, argument, conclusion, bibliography

• abstract, background, argument, conclusion, list of works cited

23. What is included in an APA-style in-text citation?

Answers:

• author and publication date

• title and author

• title and page number

• author and publisher

24. Which style of citation would be most appropriate for academic work in the social sciences?

Answers:

• Bluebook

• Chicago

• APA

• MLA

25. What is the logical fallacy that assumes the conclusion as one of the premises?

Answers:

• appeal to authority

• begging the question

• red herring

• ad hominem argument

26. Which of the following is not a variety of intertextuality?

Answers:

• Reiterability

• Presupposition

• Iterability

• Reclamation

27. An acronym describing a traditional order for an academic work, IMRAD stands for:

Answers:

• Introduction, Method, Result, Analysis, and Discussion

• (all of these)

• Introduction, Method, Result, Abstract, and Discussion

• Introduction, Method, Result, and Discussion

28. A bibliography or list of works cited should appear:

Answers:

• before the work's conclusion

• after the abstract, but before the body of the work begins

• at the end of the work

• in the appendices

29. The primary difference between an abstract and a thesis statement is:

Answers:

• length: the thesis statement is always longer than the abstract

• scope: the second summarizes the entire work, while the first clearly states the work's main purpose

• scope: the first summarizes the entire work, while the second clearly states the work's main purpose

• length: the abstract is always longer than the thesis statement

30. Which of the following is a form of plagiarism?

Answers:

• using a verbatim quotation from another person within quotation marks, providing a citation

• adding your own analysis without providing a citation

• paraphrasing the ideas of another person without providing a citation

• paraphrasing the ideas of several people, with citations, within a single paragraph

31. True or false: an academic argument is almost always strengthened when the author leaves out first-person pronouns.

Answers:

• False

• True

32. What is a thesis statement?

Answers:

• a "hook" to capture the reader's attention

• an explanation of the importance of the argument

• a restatement of the most important evidence

• a short statement of the main point

33. What is the relationship between a thesis statement and a topic sentence?

Answers:

• the thesis statement is implied and abstract; the topic sentence is the literal statement of the thesis

• a thesis statement can appear anywhere in the work; a topic sentence must be at the beginning of a paragraph

• the work as a whole has a thesis statement; each paragraph has a topic sentence

• there can be many thesis statements, but only one topic sentence

34. Which is a standard order for the sections of a piece of academic writing?

Answers:

• introduction, abstract, background, results, discussion, references, conclusion

• abstract, introduction, discussion, results, background, references, conclusion

• abstract, introduction, background, results, discussion, conclusion, references

• background, introduction, abstract, results, discussion, conclusion, references

35. Which of the following can be properly presented in an academic work without citation?

Answers:

• a popular quotation

• common knowledge

• information within the public domain

• paraphrasing

36. Which is most likely to be an effective strategy for avoiding plagiarism when researching?

Answers:

• never copying down direct quotations

• keeping careful track of sources

• using the Cornell method for note-taking

• focusing on secondary sources

37. What is deductive reasoning?

Answers:

• reasoning from general premises to a specific conclusion

• reasoning from specific information to broader conclusions

38. While there are many acceptable structures for pieces of academic writing, all of them have in common:

Answers:

• a 'results' section at the end of the paper, with all relevant experimental data

• a thesis statement appearing at or very near the beginning of the work

• a description of experiments performed

• no fewer than three large divisions within the work

39. Where in an academic essay is the most common place to introduce the thesis statement?

Answers:

• in the conclusion

• as the first sentence

• after previewing the evidence

• in the first paragraph

40. Which of the following is a form of plagiarism?

Answers:

• not providing a citation for assertions that are common knowledge

• providing citations acknowledging contributions by colleagues or classmates

• not providing a citation for an online source without a clear author

• providing citations for works not directly quoted in your writing

41. What is an abstract?

Answers:

• a restatement of the most important evidence

• a condensed summary of the entire work

• a "hook" to capture the reader's attention

• a preface or introduction

42. Which are discouraged in many forms of academic writing?

Answers:

• (All of these)

• contractions

• abbreviations

• colloquial language

43. Vocabulary should be selected in academic writing primarily for its:

Answers:

• opacity

• clarity

• colloquiality

• formality

44. Which element is necessary to a strong argument?

Answers:

• evidence to support a claim

• an acknowledgment of opposing views

• (All of these)

• a thesis statement that makes a claim

45. Which of the following could be plagiarized?

Answers:

• data and statistics

• (All of these)

• written text

• computer code

46. Which is most correct? "The professor presented her ideas to the panel of her ____."

Answers:

• extremely important colleagues

• extremely important buddies

• colleagues

• buddies

47. What type of academic paper should include a results section?

Answers:

• one that relies on historical analysis

• one that develops a novel argument

• one that focuses on an experiment or other primary research

• one that lacks any other citations

48. What voice is most appropriate to adopt for academic writing?

Answers:

• folksy and verbose

• objective and confident

• pretentious and stylized

• impassioned and emotional

49. When is it permissible to copy verbatim from a source without citation or quotation marks?

Answers:

• when the material is in the public domain (no longer under copyright)

• (None of these)

• when the material is freely available online

• when the purpose of the copying satisfies the tests for fair use

50. All of the following may appear as a section in a piece of academic writing EXCEPT:

Answers:

• Analysis

• Acknowledgements

• Debate

• Index or Indices

51. What is a difference between "Works Cited" and "References"?

Answers:

• (None of these)

• A Works Cited list is only appropriate in legal and medical contexts.

• A Works Cited list is considered more scientific than References.

• MLA style calls for "Works Cited"; APA style calls for "References."

52. Views that are in opposition to your own should be addressed:

Answers:

• never

• at length, and at each phase of your argument

• respectfully and with some brevity

• in full, so that they are fully dispatched by the end of your paper.

53. What is the primary difference between the MLA and Chicago styles of citation?

Answers:

• MLA is more focused on date of publication, while Chicago emphasizes authorship.

• MLA requires a bibliography, while Chicago calls for a list of works cited.

• MLA generally uses parenthetical citations, while Chicago generally uses footnotes or endnotes.

• MLA is more appropriate for scholarly use.

54. One significant difference between citation guidelines according to the MLA Handbook and Chicago Manual of Style is:

Answers:

• MLA discourages the use of internet sources, while Chicago does not.

• MLA requires that a book's title be included in an in-text citation, while Chicago does not.

• MLA allows footnotes for text citations, while Chicago does not.

• Chicago allows footnotes for text citations, while MLA does not.

55. What should distinguish an academic piece of writing from a general one, even if the author and topic are the same?

Answers:

• the audience for which the work is intended

• the thesis statement

• a general publication should not include citations of any kind

• an academic publication should not include citations of any kind

56. Which is a quality of a good thesis statement?

Answers:

• it makes a claim

• it makes an observation

• it defines a broad scope for discussion

• it is inarguably true

57. The practice of weaving pre-existing works into new ones is called:

Answers:

• intratextuality

• intrasectionality

• intersectionality

• intertextuality

58. Is it appropriate to use the pronouns "I" or "you" in academic writing?

Answers:

• It depends on the discipline and the type of paper.

• Yes, doing so makes the writer more approachable.

• It depends on the writer's level of expertise and authority.

• No, it is never appropriate.

59. The MLA and Chicago styles of citation are most commonly used in which discipline?

Answers:

• social sciences

• law

• medicine

• humanities

60. Phrases like "sort of," "seems to," and "may be" are classified as what?

Answers:

• appositive phrases

• illocutionary acts

• hedging words

• weasel words

61. What is inductive reasoning?

Answers:

• reasoning from specific information to broader conclusions

• reasoning from general premises to a specific conclusion

62. What is included in an MLA-style in-text citation?

Answers:

• title and author

• author and page number

• title and publisher

• author and publication date

63. Which is a correct APA-style reference for the book "Life of Pi"?

Answers:

• Martel, Y. Life of Pi: A novel. New York: Harcourt, 2001.

• Martel, Y. (2001, Harcourt). Life of Pi: A novel.

• Martel, Yann. Life of Pi: A Novel. New York: Harcourt, 2001. Print.

• Martel, Y. (2001). Life of Pi: A novel. New York: Harcourt.

64. Which is not a type of logical fallacy?

Answers:

• ad hominem argument

• habeas corpus

• post hoc ergo propter hoc

• appeal to authority

65. All of the following are acceptable ways to cite a passage in MLA format EXCEPT:

Answers:

• Goethe suggests a more liberal interpretation (163).

• A more liberal interpretation follows (Goethe 163).

• A more liberal interpretation is offered (Goethe, Dichtung und Warheit, 163).

• Goethe's opinion, that "art is for living human beings, not for higher powers or ideals" is a more liberal one (163).

66. In an academic paper, a frame could serve to:

Answers:

• bias the paper, so that only certain parts of the academic community can take the paper seriously

• suggest a new angle or perspective from which to view an already commonly-held belief.

• surround graphic depictions of data on the page

• explain the background of the relevant discipline

67. Use of the passive voice is sometimes advocated in which form of academic writing?

Answers:

• literature review

• historical writing

• scientific writing

• personal essay

68. True or false: an abstract is necessary in any extended piece of academic writing.

Answers:

• False

• True

69. Under what circumstances might plagiarism be handled with criminal legal action, rather than handled within the institution?

Answers:

• when the plagiarism is done purposefully, with malicious intent

• when prizes, money, or job placement are involved

• when the work being plagiarized is under copyright

70. What are the three essential elements in the Toulmin model of argument?

Answers:

• claim, grounds, warrant

• claim, backing, qualifier

• thesis, standards, assessment

• thesis, evidence, rebuttal

71. When presenting your argument, most important is:

Answers:

• to properly list all works cited

• to clearly state your intellectual intention

• to recognize and refute claims by oppositional intellectual parties

• to support your claim with clear, direct evidence.