May the FOEC Be With You

Which of the following uses literal language?

• He’s on cloud nine.

• They hit a wall with the project.

• The stock market took a nosedive.

• The stock value decreased significantly.

What is the most appropriate academic revision of this informal sentence?
"The researchers found out that the method doesn’t work."

• The researchers discovered that the method was ineffective.

• The researchers figured out that it fails.

• The researchers found out something bad.

• The researchers saw it wasn’t working.

In academic writing, which sentence avoids using a rhetorical question?

• Isn’t it obvious that pollution is harmful?

• Pollution negatively affects the environment.

• Who doesn’t want to live in a clean world?

• Isn’t climate change real enough for you?

Which of the following is an example of a declarative sentence?

• Why is this happening?

• Stop doing that!

• Please be quiet.

• The data supports the hypothesis.

Which word below is an example of a phrasal verb?

• Recommend

• Decide

• Give up

• Analyze

What is the more academic equivalent of “find out”?

• Look into

• Discover

• Check out

• Dig up

Which of the following contains a contraction, making it informal?

• The researchers found a significant correlation.

• The survey results are presented in the following section.

• The researchers didn’t find a significant correlation.

• The data were analyzed using SPSS.

Why is emotive language discouraged in academic writing?

• It increases the word count.

• It is difficult to understand.

• It introduces bias and undermines neutrality.

• It confuses the grammar structure.

Which sentence demonstrates an objective tone?

• The results indicate a decline in participation over time.

• The results were honestly shocking and disappointing.

• We strongly believe the government should act now.

• You can tell the participants were not motivated.

Which of the following is a subjective statement?

• The data suggest a moderate correlation between variables.

• Respondents were selected through purposive sampling.

• This was obviously the best method to use.

• The methodology followed ethical guidelines.