ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES DIAGNOSTIC EXAM

Name:_____________________________ Section:_________________

MULTIPLE CHOICES: Identify the letter of the correct answer. Write the letter of the correct answer on your paper.

1. The Philippines is lucky because it has a lot of options in choosing energy sources. It can go solar
because the country is in the torrid zone where the equator gets plenty of sunshine. It can go
natural since liquefied natural gas has been found in great commercial quantities in Palawan. The
Philippines is also bursting with power from within as geothermal energy is the natural heat of
the earth.
What is the whole paragraph about?
a. Natural Sources of Energy
b. Sources of Energy in the Philippines
c. Forms of Electricity
d. Asia's Sources of
Energy
2. The Philippines is not only a paradise of exotic birds, rare orchids, fabulous corals, flashy shells, and a myriad of tropical
fish
in dazzling colors but also a vast natural sanctuary of the most beautiful butterflies in Asia. Some 900 species of these
colorful wanderlusts have been found flaunting and banqueting in the Philippine countryside, particularly in gardens, parks,
meadows, valleys, and forests during summer. Commonly found by butterfly watcher-lovers are the elegantly colored ones
that flutter around in search of nectar from flower to flower namely, the eye catching little green daedalus palinurus and
bluish eggfly or hypolimnas bolina.
The topic of this passage is _____________________.
a. The Butterfly Lovers
b. A Paradise on Earth
c. Philippines--A Sanctuary of the Most Beautiful
Butterflies in Asia
d. The Most Beautiful Butterfly in Asia
3. Fish and other water animals are cold-blooded creatures, except for whales which are warm-blooded. Fish have gills so they
can breathe in water, but whales have lungs and must come up frequently at the water surface to fill themselves with air.
Fish lay eggs in the water and from these eggs little fish are hatched, but whales grow their babies within their bodies, as
land animals do. Baby fish swim in the water the moment they develop from eggs, but infant whales do not know how to
swim at first. Infant whales must come to the surface immediately, otherwise they will drown. All of these prove that
whales, like most of the war-blooded animals, are really mammals, not cold-blooded creatures like fish.
The topic of the passage is _______________________.
a. the cold-blooded and the war-blooded animals
b. the sea creatures
c. the difference between fishes and whales
d. comparing land animals and sea animals
4. Water is essential for energy, especially during hot weather, primarily because the body requires large amounts of water for
peak performance. Too little water can cause fatigue, headaches, and poor concentration. Because the brain is about 75
percent water, dehydration affects its efficiency quickly. The amount of fluid you drink should be well above what your thirst
mechanism signals that you need. If you feel thirsty, you are already partially dehydrated. Drink at least eight-ounce glasses
of water a day.
The best title for the paragraph is _______________________.
a. The Importance of Water
b. The Effects of Dehydration
c. Water--Secret to Great Energy
d. The Uses of Water
5. The Filipino is like the bamboo tree. He knows that he is not strong enough to withstand the onslaughts of superior forces.
And so he yields. He bends his head gracefully with many loud protests. --I.V. Mallari, "Pliant Like the Bamboo" What are
being compared in the paragraph?
a. the bamboo tree and the Filipino's strength
b. the Filipino's head and the bamboo tree
c. the Filipino and the bamboo tree
d. The Philippines and the bamboo tree
6. The Filipino is like the bamboo tree. He knows that he is not strong enough to withstand the onslaughts of superior forces.
And so he yields. He bends his head gracefully with many loud protests. --I.V. Mallari, "Pliant Like the Bamboo"
Why is the Filipino compared to the bamboo tree?
a. He is strong and flexible.
b. He always stands still with beauty and grace.
c. He is too sure of himself.
d. He bows his head and follows gracefully with
loud protests.
7. He has a saying that life is like a wheel. Sometimes it is up, sometimes it is down. The monsoon comes, and he has to go
under cover. But then the sun comes out gain. The flowers bloom, and the birds sing in the trees. You cut off the branches of
a tree, and, while the marks of the bolo are still upon it, it begins to shoot forth new branches--branches that are the
promise of new color, new fragrance, new life. --I.V. Mallari, "Pliant Like the Bamboo"
What do "new branches" in the paragraph symbolize or mean?
a. new life b. Misfortune
c. planting season d. more fragrant flowers
8. Based on item no. 7, to what does the phrase "monsoon season" refer?
a. heavy rain
b. happy moments
c. new beginning
d. times of problems
and failures
9. Blue skies and beautiful sunsets are effects of the atmosphere. While light contains all the colors
of the rainbow. As the white rays of the sun pass through the gasses and dust in the
atmosphere, they break into different colors. Blue and violets are scattered more than other
colors, hence, the sky looks blue. Specks of dust in the atmosphere absorb several colors such as
orange and red, and these are seen in the sky as sunrise and sunset.
What is the topic sentence of the passage?
a. Sunset and blue skies are beautiful.
b. The atmosphere produces wonderful effects.
c. There are many colors in the sky.
d. Colors are seen in the sky.
10. Half of the people in the world eat rice to stay alive. The other half eat bread made from wheat or rye. Porridge is made
from oatmeal, while spaghetti and macaroni come from durum, a special kind of wheat. Ground cereals, popularly known as
flour go into biscuits, cakes, bread, noodles, and dumplings. These are only few of the innumerable kinds of food that can be
turned out of cereals.
What is the topic sentence of the passage?
a. Cereals are important food.
b. People eat to live.
c. Food keeps people alive.
d. There are many kinds of food.
11. Household wastes are unsightly, smelly, and the most common breeding places of pests that cause diseases. Proper
management of household wastes is imperative in order to prevent diseases. A most rewarding consequence is that you can
cash in on trash.
What is the topic sentence of the passage?
a. Household wastes are the most common
breeding places of pests.
b. Wastes are potential sources of cash.
c. Household wastes should be managed properly
in order to prevent diseases.
d. Household wastes can cause pollution.
12. In 1950, the minimum fare for a ride on the city bus was 10 centavos. In 1960, the same ride cost 20 centavos. Later in
1965,
it went up to 40 centavos. By 1980, it had gone up to 80 centavos, and in 1998, it became P2.00.
Which outcome is most likely in 2017, if the cost of oil and gasoline goes up?
a. There will be no buses.
b. The fare will be less than it was in 1998.
c. The fare will be more than it was in 1998.
d. The fare will be the same as it was in 1998
13. Japanese gardens look much larger and more spacious than they actually are. (2) There are at least three reasons for this.
(3) First, the Japanese do not clutter their gardens with a lot of unnecessary details. (4) Second, Japanese gardens are so
adroitly designed that you cannot determine just where they end. (5) Third and the most important of all, Japanese are keen
to perfection on how to secure scale in their garden designs. – Dudley & Faricy, “The Humanities”
The topic sentence of the paragraph is in sentence _______.
a. 1
b. 2
c. 4
d. 5
14. The word “Adroitly” in the passage in item no. 13 means _____.
a. fast
b. useful
c. clever
d. beautiful
15. Based on the passage in item no. 13, which of the following is not true of a Japanese garden?
a. Only those needed in the garden are included
b. The gardener is cleverly designed not to show
where it ends
c. It adjusts size and shape according to the extent
of the garden
d. It is adorned with the beautiful things available
16. This is anything written that can be used in the school, college, or university. It can include school books, academic
journals,
research articles, and anything that has been written accroding to an established structure.
a. Reaction paper
b. Research
c. Academic text
d. Documents
17. Critical reading means that a reader applies certain processes, models, questions, and theories that result in enhanced
clarity and comprehension. This includes the following, except:
a. Making judgements about the value of what is
being read
b. Providing opportunities to produce information
c. Understanding only the surface level of a text
which is seen important
d. Interrogating the writer and the text and one’s
understanding of the text
18. An academic text has the following features, except one. What is it?
a. text structure
b. purpose
c. Context
d. reaction
19. This type of text structure explains a topic, idea, person, place or thing by listing characteristics, features, and examples.
The focus is on one thing and its components.
a. cause and effect
b. process/procedure
c. description
d. sequence pattern
20. This structure presents the causal relationship between a specific event, idea, or concept and the events, ideas, or concept
that follow. The purpose is to explain why or how something happened, exists, or works.
a. cause and effect
b. process/procedure
c. comparison and contrast
d. sequence pattern
21. This type of structure presents the issue and offers answers to satisfy it. It may include the pros
and cons for the solutions.
a. cause and effect
b. problem and solution
c. comparison and contrast
d. sequence pattern
22. This text structure gives readers an order of events or a list of steps in a procedure.
a. cause and effect
b. problem and solution
c. comparison and contrast
d. sequence pattern
23. It is the framework in mind which you construct in academic writing.
a. structure
b. context
c. content
d. language
24. It refers to the approaches on how you are going to organize academic writing.
a. structure
b. style
c. content
d. language
25. Jargons, colloquial, academic words, and the like constitute one of the features of academic texts. What is it?
a. structure
b. style
c. content
d. language
26. A thesis statement functions as the following, except:
a. informs the reader of what she can expect to
learn
b. drives the discussion of the topic
c. states a general fact
d. anchors all the topic sentences
27. Which among the options is a good thesis statement?
a. There are many forms of Filipino Kundiman.
b. The local museum of art has arranged its
collection of photographic pieces in both
thematic and chronological order.
c. Alcoholism has many causes.
d. The researcher agrees with the author’s opinion.
28. Which among the options is a good thesis statement?
a. Conflict-resolution courses should be taught to
help prevent violin in different schools in Manila.
b. My instructor has an attendance policy.
c. Some children show violent behavior.
d. Social networking sites such as Facebook can
cause problems.
29. The following are the different essential purposes in writing an academic text, except one. What is it?
a. To provide a solution to a problem
b. To persuade reader to accept a point of view
c. To report a fact that has been taken from
reliable source
d. To show one’s skill in writing
30. All the statements imply the importance of academic and professional writing, except one:
a. They are opportunities to perfectly use the
English language
b. They aim to communicate
c. They aim to influence other’s thought
d. They develops skill in evaluating, analyzing,
criticizing, comparing and synthesizing