Paraphrase Writing Exercises: Level B2 (with Answers)

⏱ Time: 07:30 📝 Questions: 15 📊 Level: B2 📚 Type: Writing ⭐ XP: up to +16 (on pass)

Track your Paraphrase progress with 15 exercises at Level B2. Take the quiz today, note your score, and retake it next week to see how much you have improved. Every question includes a full explanation so each attempt teaches you something new.

⏱ You have 07:30 to answer 15 questions. The timer only starts when you click Begin.

Q1  15
Q1 15

Question 1: Read the following two texts: Original: 'The Industrial Revolution began in Britain in the late 18th century and dramatically transformed manufacturing processes.' Rewritten: 'Starting in Britain during the late 1700s, the Industrial Revolution brought about major changes in how goods were produced.' What is the rewritten version an example of?

Question 1 options
A paraphrase restates someone else's ideas using different words and sentence structures while preserving the original meaning. The rewritten version changes the wording and structure but keeps the same key information.
Q2 15

Question 2: When paraphrasing a source in an academic essay, you should restate the ideas in your own words and ___.

Question 2 options
When paraphrasing, it is essential to provide a reference to the original source to give proper credit to the original author and avoid plagiarism.
Q3 15

Question 3: A paraphrase must always be shorter than the original text.

Question 3 options
This is false. A paraphrase can be shorter, longer, or roughly the same length as the original. The key requirement is that the meaning is preserved using different wording, not that the length is reduced.
Q4 15

Question 4: Original: 'Regular physical activity reduces the risk of heart disease and improves mental well-being.' Which of the following is a correct paraphrase of this sentence?

Question 4 options
The correct paraphrase restates the original meaning — that exercise lowers heart disease risk and benefits mental health — using entirely different words and structure. The other options either copy too much original wording, change the meaning, or add unsupported information.
Q5 15

Question 5: Match each writing term to its correct definition.

Question 5 options
Paraphrasing
Direct quoting
Citing a source
Summarising
Providing a reference to the original author
Restating ideas using entirely different words
Using the exact original words with quotation marks
Condensing a text into its main points

Select an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.

Paraphrasing restates ideas in new words; quoting uses exact original words; citing gives credit to sources; summarising condenses the main points of a longer text.
Q6 15

Question 6: A student attempted to paraphrase the following original sentence: 'Climate change poses significant threats to coastal communities worldwide.' Which of the student's attempts contains a paraphrasing error?

Question 6 options
The sentence 'Climate change poses significant threats to communities along the coast worldwide' retains too much of the original wording, merely substituting 'coastal' with 'along the coast.' Effective paraphrasing requires substantially changing both vocabulary and sentence structure.
Q7 15

Question 7: You are paraphrasing the following passage for a research paper: Original: 'Deforestation in tropical regions has accelerated dramatically, leading to severe biodiversity loss and contributing to global warming.' Which paraphrase best fits an academic paper?

Question 7 options
The best choice restates the original meaning with new vocabulary and sentence structure while maintaining an academic register. It preserves all key points — increased deforestation, biodiversity loss, and contribution to climate change — without copying the original phrasing.
Q8 15

Question 8: A student wrote this paraphrase: Original: 'Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language.' Student's version: 'Shakespeare is commonly considered the best writer in English.' Which option correctly fixes the paraphrasing problem?

Question 8 options
The student's version keeps the same sentence structure and merely swaps individual words with close synonyms, which is insufficient paraphrasing. The correct fix restructures the sentence entirely while preserving the original meaning.
Q9 15

Question 9: Arrange the steps of the paraphrasing process in the correct order:

Question 9 options
  • Write a new version in your own words without looking at the original
  • Read and fully understand the original text
  • Identify and note the key ideas
  • Add a reference to the original source
  • Compare your version with the original and make revisions

Drag items or use arrows to arrange them in the correct order.

Effective paraphrasing follows a clear process: first read and understand the source, then note the key ideas, then write your own version without looking at the original, then compare and revise, and finally add the source reference.
Q10 15

Question 10: You are writing a university essay and want to use an idea from a research article. The original passage is three pages long and contains many technical details. Which approach is most appropriate?

Question 10 options
When a source passage is very lengthy, paraphrasing is more appropriate than quoting because it allows you to express the essential ideas concisely in your own words without including an excessively long direct quote.
Q11 15

Question 11: What is the key difference between paraphrasing and direct quoting?

Question 11 options
The fundamental distinction is that paraphrasing involves restating ideas in entirely new words and structures, whereas direct quoting reproduces the original wording exactly and encloses it in quotation marks.
Q12 15

Question 12: Which version of the following sentence is most appropriate for a formal academic research paper? Original: 'Social media has a huge impact on teenagers.'

Question 12 options
The formal academic register requires precise vocabulary and measured language. 'Social media platforms exert a considerable influence on adolescent behaviour and development' uses appropriately formal diction and avoids vague or casual language.
Q13 15

Question 13: Changing only a few words in the original sentence to synonyms while keeping the same sentence structure is considered effective paraphrasing.

Question 13 options
This is false. Simply swapping a few words for synonyms while retaining the original sentence structure is known as 'patchwriting' and is not considered effective paraphrasing. True paraphrasing requires changing both vocabulary and sentence structure substantially.
Q14 15

Question 14: Original: 'The study found that students who slept fewer than six hours performed poorly on memory tests.' Paraphrased: 'According to the research, inadequate sleep — specifically under six hours — was linked to weaker performance in memory assessments.' Why does the writer choose to paraphrase rather than directly quote this sentence?

Question 14 options
Paraphrasing demonstrates that the writer has fully understood the source material and can express it in their own words, which shows deeper engagement with the content than simply reproducing the original text verbatim.
Q15 15

Question 15: Which of the following is the best-improved paraphrase of this original sentence? Original: 'Pollution from factories is causing serious damage to rivers and lakes in many countries.'

Question 15 options
The best paraphrase completely restructures the sentence, uses new vocabulary ('industrial waste' instead of 'pollution from factories,' 'freshwater ecosystems' instead of 'rivers and lakes'), and changes the sentence's starting point while preserving the original meaning.