01
Choose one
1 point
Which revision best replaces vague wording with a precise, evidence-based statement?
Free Practice Quiz Question List
9 Academic Style and Clarity Online Quiz Questions
Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 9 Academic Style and Clarity, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.
20 questions
02
Choose one
1 point
A writer wants to make a sentence more direct without changing its claim. Which revision best does that?
- A
There were several factors that contributed to the decline in enrollment.
- B
Several factors contributed to the decline in enrollment.
- C
The decline in enrollment, which had several factors, was contributed to.
- D
It is important to note that enrollment declined for several factors.
03
Choose one
1 point
Which sentence best applies concision while preserving the original meaning?
- A
The committee decided to postpone the vote.
- B
The committee made a decision to postpone the vote.
- C
The committee made the decision that it would postpone the vote.
- D
The committee reached a decision in order to postpone the vote.
04
Choose all
1 point
Select all statements that accurately describe how academic writers should choose between active and passive voice.
- A
Use active voice when identifying the actor and action improves clarity.
- B
Avoid passive voice in every academic sentence.
- C
Use passive voice when the actor is unknown or less relevant than the process or result.
- D
Choose sentence voice according to a blanket rule that applies to every discipline.
05
Choose all
1 point
Select all choices consistent with clear academic style.
- A
Choose language for accuracy and readability.
- B
Use elaborate vocabulary to make prose sound scholarly.
- C
Vary sentence length when doing so improves readability.
- D
Make every sentence short and follow the same pattern.
06
True or false
1 point
True or false: Academic writers should avoid first person in every assignment, regardless of discipline or instructor guidance.
- A
True
- B
False
07
True or false
1 point
True or false: A writer should keep the word “may” when it accurately limits a claim, even if removing it would make the sentence shorter.
- A
True
- B
False
08
Written response
1 point
In the sentence “The samples were stored at 4°C,” what grammatical voice is used?
09
Written response
1 point
When evidence allows, what kind of wording should replace vague terms such as “things” or “a lot”? Enter the two-word phrase.
10
Fill in the blank
1 point
Replace the wordy phrase with a concise equivalent: “The result changed the sample was small.”
11
Fill in the blank
1 point
Replace the vague verb with the precise verb used in this revision: “The survey responses.”
12
Open ended
1 point
A draft says, “The policy is obviously foolish.” The policy was projected to reduce costs, but in the observed cases costs rose rather than fell. Rewrite the claim in an appropriately academic tone by identifying what the evidence challenges without overstating what it shows.
13
Choose one
1 point
While revising a sentence, a writer is unsure who carried out an action. Which reader-focused question from the revision process should guide the next edit?
- A
Does every sentence contain the same number of words?
- B
Who performs this action?
- C
Can every technical term be replaced with a simpler word?
- D
Can all qualifications be removed to make the claim stronger?
14
True or false
1 point
True or false: Clear academic prose requires every sentence to be short and to follow the same pattern.
- A
True
- B
False
15
Choose one
1 point
A report says, “The results were good and showed a lot of change.” The measurements show that attendance rose by 12 percent. Which revision is the most precise?
- A
The results showed a 12 percent increase in attendance.
- B
The results showed a good amount of change in attendance.
- C
The results dealt with a lot of attendance changes.
- D
The results showed that attendance was significantly good.
16
Written response
1 point
Replace “because of the fact that” with the concise word that preserves its meaning.
17
Choose one
1 point
Which revision makes this sentence more direct without changing its meaning: “There are several factors that contributed to the decline in enrollment”?
- A
There were several factors that contributed to the decline in enrollment.
- B
Several factors contributed to the decline in enrollment.
- C
In relation to the decline in enrollment, there are several contributing factors.
- D
The decline in enrollment was something several factors contributed to.
18
Written response
1 point
When may a writer appropriately use passive voice? Give one circumstance in which the actor does not need to be emphasized.
19
Choose one
1 point
A survey provides some evidence that a new schedule may improve performance, but it does not establish the conclusion conclusively. Which sentence best represents the strength of that evidence?
- A
The survey proves that the new schedule improves performance.
- B
The survey guarantees that the new schedule improves performance.
- C
The survey suggests that the new schedule may improve performance.
- D
The survey makes it obvious that the new schedule improves performance.
20
Choose one
1 point
A draft calls a policy “obviously foolish.” The policy assumes that costs will remain constant, but the observed cases show that costs increased. Which revision uses a more appropriate academic tone?
- A
The policy is obviously foolish and should be rejected.
- B
The observed increase in costs challenges the policy’s assumption that costs will remain constant.
- C
The policy is ridiculous because its supporters failed to think carefully.
- D
The policy is terrible, as anyone can plainly see.