Meaning: Honing means to sharpen or improve something, particularly skills or abilities.

Wrong options:

• backing: Backing is a noun that refers to support or evidence, which does not fit as it does not describe the action of improving skills.
• concerning: Concerning is a preposition that indicates a relation to something, which does not fit grammatically or contextually in this sentence.
• comprehensible: Comprehensible is an adjective that describes something that can be understood, which does not fit as it does not relate to the action of skill improvement.
• subordinate: Subordinate is an adjective that describes something of lesser importance, which does not fit the context of skill development.
• reserving: Reserving is a gerund that refers to the act of keeping something for future use, which does not relate to the improvement of skills.

Correct answer: backing

Explanation: The term 'backing' serves as a gerund that indicates the act of supporting or providing evidence for a thesis. It fits grammatically as it follows the structure of the sentence and aligns with the context of academic writing, where evidence is crucial.

Meaning: Backing means support or evidence that reinforces a claim or argument.

Wrong options:

• honing: Honing is a gerund that refers to improving skills, which does not fit in the context of providing evidence for a thesis.
• concerning: Concerning is a preposition that does not fit grammatically or contextually as it does not relate to supporting a thesis.
• comprehensible: Comprehensible is an adjective that describes something that can be understood, which does not fit as it does not relate to the act of providing evidence.
• subordinate: Subordinate is an adjective that describes something of lesser importance, which does not fit the context of supporting a thesis.
• reserving: Reserving is a gerund that refers to keeping something for future use, which does not relate to the act of providing evidence.

Correct answer: comprehensible

Explanation: The word 'comprehensible' is an adjective that describes articles that are easy to understand. It fits grammatically as it describes the noun 'articles' and aligns contextually with the goal of effective academic writing, which is to present complex ideas clearly.

Meaning: Comprehensible means something that can be easily understood.

Wrong options:

• backing: Backing is a noun that refers to support or evidence, which does not fit as it does not describe the quality of articles.
• honing: Honing is a gerund that refers to improving skills, which does not fit as it does not describe the nature of articles.
• subordinate: Subordinate is an adjective that describes something of lesser importance, which does not fit as it does not relate to the clarity of articles.
• reserving: Reserving is a gerund that refers to keeping something for future use, which does not relate to the clarity or understandability of articles.