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NBT AQL practice questions

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Question 1Academic Literacy

Urban community gardens are often praised for improving access to fresh produce. A three-year study of 12 cities found, however, that most gardeners gave away less than a fifth of what they grew; the main benefit reported was regular exercise and social contact. What is the main idea of the passage?

  1. Gardens may support health and social contact more than food supply. Correct answer.
  2. Regular exercise is the single most important benefit of gardening.
  3. Most urban gardeners grow vegetables primarily to sell them for profit.
  4. Community gardens in cities almost never produce any useful vegetables.

Explanation

A main idea must cover the whole passage: the study contrasts the food-supply benefit with health and social benefits. The other choices either overstate the evidence or focus on a minor detail.

Question 2Academic Literacy

The committee's report was deliberately circumspect, avoiding any direct criticism of the minister. What does "circumspect" mean in this sentence?

  1. Open and blunt, saying exactly what one thinks
  2. Angry and strongly accusatory in tone
  3. Cautious and unwilling to take risks Correct answer.
  4. Confused and poorly organized in structure

Explanation

Circumspect means cautious and careful about consequences, which fits a report that avoids direct criticism. The surrounding phrase signals restraint rather than openness or confusion.

Question 3Academic Literacy

Many universities now record lectures and post them online. This practice allows students to review difficult material, but it can also reduce attendance. What does "This practice" refer to?

  1. Recording lectures and posting them online Correct answer.
  2. Reviewing difficult material before an examination
  3. Reducing attendance at lectures among students
  4. Attending university lectures regularly

Explanation

"This practice" points back to the immediately preceding action: recording lectures and posting them online. The following clause describes consequences of that practice.

Question 4Academic Literacy

Which statement is an opinion rather than a fact?

  1. The university library opens its doors at eight in the morning.
  2. The library building holds more than two million printed books.
  3. The library is the most valuable resource on campus. Correct answer.
  4. The library was fully renovated during the year 2019.

Explanation

A fact can be verified, while an opinion expresses an evaluation or value judgement. Calling the library "the most valuable resource" is a subjective judgement.

Question 5Academic Literacy

The vaccine was shown to be effective in trials. ____, it was not made available to the public until the following year. Which word best fills the blank?

  1. Nevertheless Correct answer.
  2. Therefore
  3. Similarly
  4. For example

Explanation

The two clauses contrast: effectiveness is set against delayed availability. "Nevertheless" signals contrast, while the other connectors signal cause, similarity, or example.

Question 6Academic Literacy

In the 1970s, scientists assumed that deep-sea creatures depended on food falling from the surface. The discovery of hydrothermal vents changed this view. There, bacteria convert chemicals into energy, supporting entire communities without sunlight. Which sentence best summarizes the passage?

  1. Some deep-sea communities rely on chemical rather than surface food. Correct answer.
  2. Hydrothermal vents are much hotter than the surrounding ocean water.
  3. Deep-sea creatures were first studied in the 1970s by scientists.
  4. Bacteria are the only organisms that can survive without sunlight.

Explanation

A summary should capture the central change in understanding, not a single detail. The passage explains that hydrothermal-vent communities use chemical energy, overturning the assumption that all deep-sea life depended on surface food.

Question 7Academic Literacy

Before you begin the experiment, label every container. Record the starting temperature, and keep the lid closed. Never leave the burner unattended. What is the author's main purpose?

  1. To entertain readers with a story about a laboratory
  2. To describe the history of an important experiment
  3. To persuade readers to become professional scientists
  4. To instruct readers on safe experimental procedure Correct answer.

Explanation

The imperative verbs label, record, keep, and never leave mark instructions. The passage gives steps for conducting an experiment safely, not a story or an argument.

Question 8Academic Literacy

The proposal to extend the library's opening hours is welcome, though the estimated cost seems optimistic. A pilot scheme would be wiser than a permanent change. What is the tone of the passage?

  1. Enthusiastic and uncritical
  2. Supportive but cautious Correct answer.
  3. Hostile and sarcastic
  4. Indifferent and detached

Explanation

The writer calls the proposal welcome but questions the cost estimate and recommends a pilot. That combination signals support with caution.

Question 9Academic Literacy

When the city introduced free bus travel for students, most schools expected late arrivals to fall. Instead, lateness rose slightly, and many students reported that they now walked to the stop but waited longer, since buses were often full. What can be inferred?

  1. The bus company reduced the number of buses on purpose.
  2. Late arrivals were not measured before the scheme.
  3. Free travel did not remove the causes of lateness. Correct answer.
  4. Students preferred walking to taking the bus.

Explanation

The passage explains that students still waited longer and buses were often full, so free travel addressed cost but not delay or capacity. Thus the causes of lateness were not removed.

Question 10Academic Literacy

The council should fund more bicycle lanes. Cities that built protected lanes saw a 30% rise in cycling, and fewer accidents. Moreover, lanes are cheaper than widening roads. What is the main conclusion?

  1. Protected lanes increase cycling by 30%.
  2. The council should fund more bicycle lanes. Correct answer.
  3. Bicycle lanes are cheaper than road widening.
  4. Cities have seen a rise in accidents.

Explanation

The conclusion is the claim the writer wants accepted; the other statements are reasons offered in support. "Should fund" marks the recommendation.

Question 11Academic Literacy

The company concluded that its new online training reduced errors because error rates fell after the training was introduced. However, during the same period it also introduced a checklist that every employee had to complete before finishing a task. Which assumption is questionable?

  1. Error rates are a useful measure of performance.
  2. The checklist did not cause the fall in error rates. Correct answer.
  3. Employees completed the online training modules.
  4. Online training was cheaper than classroom training.

Explanation

To infer that training reduced errors, the company must rule out the checklist as an alternative cause. Since both changes occurred together, that assumption is questionable.

Question 12Academic Literacy

A student claims that "students learn better in small classes." Which piece of evidence would most directly support this claim?

  1. Small classes are much more common in private schools than in public schools.
  2. Teachers often say that they enjoy teaching small classes more than large ones.
  3. Small-class students gain more in test scores than similar large-class students. Correct answer.
  4. Small classes cost considerably more to run than large classes do.

Explanation

Support requires a comparison showing an outcome difference between small and large classes. Only the test-score comparison directly links class size to learning.

Question 13Academic Literacy

The findings should be treated with caution, not because the data are unreliable, but because the sample was small. Which sentence best paraphrases this statement?

  1. Caution is needed mainly because of sample size, not data quality. Correct answer.
  2. The results are so unreliable that they should be completely ignored.
  3. The sample was large enough, so there is no need for any caution.
  4. The data themselves are unreliable because the sample was small.

Explanation

The original denies unreliability of data and identifies the small sample as the reason for caution. The correct paraphrase preserves both parts of that contrast.

Question 14Academic Literacy

The first trial produced no significant effect. The second trial, ____, used a larger sample and found a modest benefit. Which phrase best fills the blank?

  1. therefore
  2. in contrast Correct answer.
  3. similarly
  4. for instance

Explanation

The second trial differs from the first, so a contrast connector is needed. "In contrast" marks that difference; the others mark example, cause, or similarity.

Question 15Academic Literacy

Social media use is associated with poorer sleep among teenagers. This does not prove that social media causes poor sleep; teenagers who sleep badly may simply spend more time online at night. What is the writer doing?

  1. Qualifying a correlation claim with reverse causation Correct answer.
  2. Rejecting every piece of evidence about teenagers and sleep
  3. Providing a clear example of good sleep habits
  4. Claiming that social media use actually improves sleep

Explanation

The writer accepts an association but limits the causal claim by suggesting the reverse direction. That is a qualification of the correlation, not a rejection of all evidence.

Question 16Academic Literacy

Unlike the first report, which relied on interviews, the second drew on hospital records. The second is therefore more reliable for estimating injury rates, though it says little about how patients felt. What is the writer's view?

  1. Hospital records can reveal how patients felt.
  2. The second is better for injury rates but weaker on experience. Correct answer.
  3. The first report is much more reliable for estimating injury rates.
  4. Neither report is useful for any purpose at all.

Explanation

The writer compares the reports by purpose: hospital records are better for injury rates, interviews better for feelings. This is a qualified comparison, not total rejection.

Question 17Academic Literacy

Adding shade trees over a playground lowered surface temperatures by several degrees. Children were also more active during hot afternoons after the trees matured. Which statement is best supported?

  1. Shade may encourage activity by reducing heat. Correct answer.
  2. Surface temperature has no effect on behaviour.
  3. Children avoid activity when temperatures are low.
  4. Trees always increase children's activity levels.

Explanation

The passage links shade to lower temperature and then to more activity, supporting a possible pathway. It does not prove that shade always works or that low temperatures reduce activity.

Question 18Academic Literacy

An advertisement claims: "Our toothpaste is recommended by dentists who care about their patients." What is the main persuasive technique?

  1. Reporting a personal story from a satisfied customer
  2. Using vague authority to imply expert support Correct answer.
  3. Comparing the product with a named competitor
  4. Presenting statistical data from a controlled trial

Explanation

The phrase "recommended by dentists who care" uses unnamed experts to suggest authority without evidence. This is a vague-authority appeal.

Question 19Academic Literacy

The term "food desert" usually refers to an area where residents cannot easily buy affordable, nutritious food, even if shops selling processed food are nearby. Which situation best fits the definition?

  1. A rural area where residents grow most of their own food
  2. A district with only convenience stores selling limited produce Correct answer.
  3. A town where restaurants are open late but grocery stores close early
  4. A neighbourhood with many supermarkets and low food prices

Explanation

The definition stresses limited access to affordable, nutritious food. A district with only convenience stores selling limited, high-priced produce matches that situation.

Question 20Academic Literacy

Two studies found that students who took notes by hand remembered more than those who typed. But both studies involved fewer than 50 students, and neither has been replicated. What conclusion is best supported?

  1. The studies prove that laptops should be banned.
  2. Typing notes is harmful to all students.
  3. The findings are suggestive but not yet firm. Correct answer.
  4. Handwriting notes always improves memory.

Explanation

The passage reports a pattern but notes small samples and no replication, so the conclusion must be tentative. "Suggestive but not firm" captures that limitation.

Question 21Academic Literacy

A hospital found that patients assigned to a new recovery programme left hospital sooner than those in the old programme. However, patients were allowed to choose which programme to join, and those choosing the new one were generally younger. Which criticism is strongest?

  1. Age differed between groups, so age may explain the result. Correct answer.
  2. Patients should never be allowed to choose their treatment.
  3. The study did not measure how long patients stayed in hospital.
  4. The new programme was probably more expensive than the old one.

Explanation

Because patients chose their programme, age differed between groups. Age could affect recovery, so the comparison is confounded and cannot isolate the programme's effect.

Question 22Academic Literacy

A historian notes that surviving letters from the period were mostly written by wealthy merchants. They describe the famine as mild, yet parish records show a sharp rise in burials among labourers. What does the historian suggest?

  1. Labourers wrote most of the surviving letters.
  2. The letters may understate the famine's effect on the poor. Correct answer.
  3. The famine did not affect wealthy merchants in any way at all.
  4. Parish records are less trustworthy than personal letters.

Explanation

The historian contrasts wealthy merchants' letters with burial records for labourers. This implies the letters may underrepresent the famine's severity among the poor.

Question 23Academic Literacy

The author's argument is undermined by her own evidence, which is largely anecdotal. What does "anecdotal" mean here?

  1. Based on carefully controlled experiments
  2. Drawn from official government statistics
  3. Based on personal accounts, not systematic data Correct answer.
  4. Supported by a large and representative sample of people

Explanation

Anecdotal evidence comes from personal stories or isolated accounts rather than systematic research. The sentence contrasts it with stronger evidence, so this meaning fits.

Question 24Academic Literacy

If the library reduces its opening hours, students will have fewer places to study. Fewer study places will lower academic performance. Therefore, the library must not reduce its opening hours. Which statement best identifies the flaw?

  1. It claims that academic performance is completely unimportant.
  2. It treats predicted effects as certain and ignores other study spaces. Correct answer.
  3. It contradicts itself about opening hours.
  4. It relies on an undefined term.

Explanation

The argument predicts a chain-fewer hours, fewer places, lower performance-and treats it as certain. It also ignores other places students might study, so the strongest criticism concerns overcertainty and missing alternatives.

Question 25Academic Literacy

Study A found that students who used laptops in lectures scored lower on conceptual questions. Study B found no difference in scores but noted that laptop users spent more time on unrelated websites. Together, the studies suggest that...

  1. students who use laptops never take notes.
  2. laptop use has no effect at all on attention during lectures.
  3. laptops always lower every student's grades in every subject.
  4. laptop use may distract students, though its effect on grades is unsettled. Correct answer.

Explanation

Study A links laptops to lower conceptual scores, while Study B finds distraction but no score difference. A careful synthesis therefore treats distraction as possible while leaving grade effects unresolved.

Question 26Academic Literacy

A researcher describes her findings as 'tentative'. What does 'tentative' most nearly mean in this context?

  1. Deliberately misleading
  2. Based on a large sample
  3. Provisional, open to revision Correct answer.
  4. Final and widely accepted by experts

Explanation

In academic writing, 'tentative' describes a conclusion offered provisionally because the evidence is limited or incomplete. The word signals that the researcher expects the finding to be tested further, not that it is final or dishonest.

Question 27Academic Literacy

Many museums now offer virtual tours. Visitors who cannot travel can view exhibits online, and schools use the tours to prepare for visits. However, curators report that online visitors rarely donate or become members. Which sentence best states the main idea?

  1. Virtual tours have replaced physical visits in most museums.
  2. Schools are the main users of museum virtual tours.
  3. Museums should stop offering virtual tours.
  4. Virtual tours widen access but bring museums less money. Correct answer.

Explanation

A main-idea statement must capture both parts of the passage: the benefit described in the first two sentences and the drawback introduced by 'However'. Only one option balances the gain in access against the loss in income.

Question 28Academic Literacy

The first survey was sent only to households with internet access. ____, its results may under-represent older residents. Which word best fills the gap?

  1. Similarly
  2. In addition
  3. For example
  4. Consequently Correct answer.

Explanation

The blank links a cause (the survey reached only connected households) to its result (a likely bias). A consequence connector such as 'Consequently' expresses that cause-and-effect relationship.

Question 29Academic Literacy

Which of the following statements from a film review is an opinion rather than a fact?

  1. The film was shot in Iceland.
  2. The pacing is far too slow. Correct answer.
  3. The film was released in March.
  4. The film runs for 128 minutes.

Explanation

A factual statement can be checked against verifiable records such as running times, release dates or filming locations. A judgement about whether pacing is 'too slow' depends on the viewer's response and cannot be verified.

Question 30Academic Literacy

When the new drug was given to the mice, they showed no side effects, although it had been expected to cause drowsiness. What does 'it' refer to?

  1. the drowsiness
  2. the drug Correct answer.
  3. the mice
  4. the side effects

Explanation

A pronoun must agree with a plausible earlier noun phrase. The thing that was expected to cause drowsiness is the drug, not the animals or the symptoms themselves, so 'it' refers back to 'the new drug'.

Question 31Academic Literacy

A laboratory manual contains a paragraph explaining how to calibrate a balance before weighing samples. What is the main purpose of this paragraph?

  1. to entertain readers with a story
  2. to instruct readers in a procedure Correct answer.
  3. to persuade readers to buy a particular balance
  4. to compare two competing brands

Explanation

Purpose is identified from the writer's aim in a given text type. A step-by-step explanation of how to perform a task in a manual exists to instruct the reader.

Question 32Academic Literacy

The committee's report is notable for its restraint: it notes the missing data without assigning blame. Which word best describes the tone of the report?

  1. Enthusiastic
  2. Alarmed
  3. Sarcastic
  4. Measured Correct answer.

Explanation

Tone is inferred from the words used to characterise the writing. 'Restraint' and the refusal to assign blame point to a controlled, careful tone, which 'measured' describes.

Question 33Academic Literacy

Which detail would best support the claim that the new library is well used?

  1. The library cost £4 million to build and equip.
  2. The library opens at 9 a.m.
  3. The library has a large car park.
  4. The library recorded 12,000 visits last month. Correct answer.

Explanation

Supporting evidence must bear directly on the claim being made. A claim about how much the library is used is supported by data on visits, not by information about cost, hours or facilities.

Question 34Academic Literacy

For years, the village well was tested only in summer, when the water table was low, and tests always showed safe levels. Last winter, for the first time, samples were taken after heavy rain, and nitrate levels were above the limit. Which inference is best supported?

  1. Summer testing is more accurate than winter testing could ever be.
  2. The well water is always unsafe to drink at any time of year.
  3. Rain has no effect on water quality.
  4. Earlier testing may have missed seasonal contamination. Correct answer.

Explanation

An inference must follow from the evidence without overstating it. Because the earlier tests covered only one season, the new result raises the possibility that contamination occurs at other times and was not detected.

Question 35Academic Literacy

A company finds that employees who completed an optional wellness programme took fewer sick days. Management concludes that the programme reduced illness. Which assumption does the conclusion depend on?

  1. Sick days are the best available measure of an employee's productivity.
  2. Those who joined did not differ in health from those who did not. Correct answer.
  3. The programme was expensive to run.
  4. All employees wanted to join the programme.

Explanation

When participants choose whether to take part, the groups may already differ in ways that explain the outcome. The conclusion only holds if the joiners were not healthier to begin with, so that assumption is essential.

Question 36Academic Literacy

The city planted 5,000 trees along main roads. Air quality monitors showed little change in pollutant levels, but summer temperatures on those streets fell by an average of 1.5°C, and residents reported walking more. Which sentence best summarises the passage?

  1. The city wasted money on trees because pollution did not fall.
  2. Residents walked more because pollution fell.
  3. The trees cut heat and boosted walking, but not pollution. Correct answer.
  4. Tree planting is the most effective way to cut pollution.

Explanation

A summary must report the key results without adding claims the passage does not make. Here the results are no change in pollution, a drop in temperature and more walking.

Question 37Academic Literacy

A student argues that homework improves exam performance. Which evidence would most strengthen this argument?

  1. A randomised trial comparing homework with no homework. Correct answer.
  2. A survey asking students whether they think homework helps them learn.
  3. A list of schools that set homework and the textbooks they use.
  4. A comparison of national exam results and homework policies.

Explanation

Evidence is strongest when it isolates the factor being tested and controls alternative explanations. Randomly assigning classes to homework or no homework and then comparing results does that better than opinion data or broad correlations.

Question 38Academic Literacy

One report states 'The treatment cures the disease'; another states 'The treatment appears to reduce symptoms in some patients.' Which statement is more appropriate for a research report, and why?

  1. The second: reports should avoid stating any conclusions.
  2. The first: confident claims are usually more persuasive to readers.
  3. The first: shorter sentences are easier to understand.
  4. The second: it does not claim more than the evidence supports. Correct answer.

Explanation

Academic writing calibrates the strength of a claim to the strength of the evidence, using hedges such as 'appears' and qualifiers such as 'in some patients'. The second statement does this; the first overstates what is known.

Question 39Academic Literacy

One researcher interviews 30 volunteers at a single clinic; another surveys 3,000 people randomly selected across the country. What is the main advantage of the second study?

  1. It is cheaper to conduct.
  2. Its interviews with each participant are far more detailed and revealing.
  3. It avoids the need for statistics.
  4. Its findings are more likely to generalise to the wider population. Correct answer.

Explanation

Generalisability depends on how representative a sample is of the population it is meant to describe. A large random national sample supports wider conclusions than a small group drawn from one clinic.

Question 40Academic Literacy

Read this sentence: 'The trial showed a clear benefit. Nevertheless, the researchers urged caution, noting that most participants were under 40.' What is the function of 'Nevertheless'?

  1. It introduces a concrete example of the previous claim.
  2. It signals a contrast with the previous statement. Correct answer.
  3. It adds a similar point to the one just made.
  4. It states the cause of the previous statement.

Explanation

Conjunctive adverbs signal the logical relationship between sentences. 'Nevertheless' marks a concession: a positive result is followed by a reason for caution, which pulls in the opposite direction.

Question 41Academic Literacy

A report states that its sample was 'representative'. What must be true for this claim to hold?

  1. Its key features match those of the population it describes. Correct answer.
  2. The sample was very large, with thousands of participants taking part.
  3. Participants volunteered eagerly for the study.
  4. The study was carried out over a long period of several years.

Explanation

Representativeness is about composition, not size or duration. A sample is representative when its relevant characteristics mirror those of the population about which conclusions are drawn.

Question 42Academic Literacy

An editorial argues: 'Either we ban cars from the city centre or the shops will all close.' What is the main problem with this argument?

  1. It attacks a person rather than an argument.
  2. It uses circular reasoning.
  3. It presents only two possibilities when others exist. Correct answer.
  4. It relies on statistics that may be unreliable or out of date.

Explanation

An argument that offers a strict 'either/or' choice is flawed when the situation admits other options, such as partial restrictions or support for shops. This is the false dilemma pattern.

Question 43Academic Literacy

A graph shows that a town's recycling rate rose every year from 2010 to 2019 and then fell sharply in 2020. Which statement is best supported by this description?

  1. The rate in 2020 was lower than in 2019. Correct answer.
  2. The 2020 fall proves a policy failed.
  3. Recycling rates and policy are unrelated.
  4. Recycling always declines over time.

Explanation

A conclusion drawn from data should stay within what the data show. The single sharp fall after a rise directly supports the claim that 2020 was lower than the year before, nothing more.

Question 44Academic Literacy

'Universities should provide free childcare for student parents.' This statement is best described as:

  1. A factual observation
  2. A definition
  3. A prediction
  4. A recommendation Correct answer.

Explanation

The word 'should' signals a value judgement about what ought to be done. Statements of this kind recommend a course of action rather than describing facts, defining terms or forecasting the future.

Question 45Academic Literacy

Source A reports that a new reading scheme raised test scores in one school. Source B, a review of 40 schools, finds no average effect. What is the most reasonable conclusion?

  1. It may work in some settings but not as a general rule. Correct answer.
  2. Source A must be fraudulent.
  3. The scheme definitely works, and Source B must be wrong.
  4. The scheme definitely does not work anywhere.

Explanation

When findings conflict, the reasonable response is to weigh their scope and to allow for variation across contexts. A single successful school and a broader null average can both be accurate.

Question 46Academic Literacy

A study finds that people who drink coffee live longer, after adjusting for age and smoking. Which further consideration would most weaken a causal interpretation?

  1. The sample included both men and women.
  2. Coffee contains antioxidants.
  3. People with early illness may drink less coffee. Correct answer.
  4. The study was published in a specialist medical journal.

Explanation

A causal reading is threatened if the outcome could produce the exposure rather than the reverse. If poor health leads people to cut down on coffee, the association would arise without coffee affecting lifespan.

Question 47Academic Literacy

An evaluation compares students who volunteered for a tutoring programme with classmates who did not. Critics say the comparison is unfair. Which criticism is strongest?

  1. The groups were not randomly assigned and may have differed beforehand. Correct answer.
  2. The tutors were volunteers who were not paid for their time.
  3. The test was marked by teachers who knew which pupils were tutored.
  4. The programme lasted only one term, which may be too short.

Explanation

When groups form by self-selection, pre-existing differences such as motivation or attainment can explain any gap in outcomes. Random assignment is the main safeguard against this, so its absence is the central weakness.

Question 48Academic Literacy

A report on a rare side effect warns that 'the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence'. This warning is most relevant when:

  1. trials were too small or too short to detect the effect. Correct answer.
  2. a large trial finds a small but statistically significant effect.
  3. two studies produce conflicting results.
  4. the side effect has been widely reported in the media.

Explanation

Failing to detect something is informative only if the study had the power to detect it. Small or short trials may simply lack the sensitivity to reveal a rare effect, so their silence cannot be read as proof that it does not exist.

Question 49Academic Literacy

A report states: 'If the bridge is repaired, traffic delays will end.' Which situation would show this claim to be false?

  1. The bridge is not repaired and delays continue.
  2. The bridge is repaired and delays end.
  3. The bridge is not repaired and delays end.
  4. The bridge is repaired and delays continue. Correct answer.

Explanation

A conditional claim of the form 'if P then Q' is refuted only when P occurs and Q does not. Repairing the bridge while delays persist is precisely that combination.

Question 50Academic Literacy

Two historians disagree about a strike. One cites company records showing that wages rose; the other cites workers' memoirs describing hardship. Which response is most reasonable?

  1. The memoirs are anecdotes, so the records must be correct.
  2. Both may be reliable for different questions, so they may measure different things. Correct answer.
  3. One historian must have misread the documents.
  4. The company records must be biased in favour of the employer, so the memoirs are correct.

Explanation

Sources are reliable for particular purposes and can be accurate about different aspects of the same event. Average wage figures and lived experience of hardship need not contradict each other.