The True/False/Not Given question type is maybe one of the question
type in IELTS reading that is hard to answer by the test takers. Here
are some tips on how to deal with those kind of question type.
1. Decide: Fact based or Opinion based?
In fact there are two question types here:
-True/False/Not given: fact based
-Yes/No/Not given: opinion based
In
each case you need to decide if the information in the text agrees with
the information in the question. You should note that in this type of
questions, you are normally asked to look for the writer’s opinions
rather than facts.
2. Decide the writer means.
Understand that you are interpreting the text and the question. It means that you need to pay close attention to what the writer means. Don’t think of it as a skimming question, rather a question where you need to read the text and the question closely and decide what the writer means.
Understand that you are interpreting the text and the question. It means that you need to pay close attention to what the writer means. Don’t think of it as a skimming question, rather a question where you need to read the text and the question closely and decide what the writer means.
3. A difficulty – Not Given
The “Not Given” option is probably what makes this type of question difficult. You need to understand that “Not given” does not mean “Not mentioned”, they simply don’t answer the question. Moreover, you cannot add information that is probably true: you can only use the information given in the text
The “Not Given” option is probably what makes this type of question difficult. You need to understand that “Not given” does not mean “Not mentioned”, they simply don’t answer the question. Moreover, you cannot add information that is probably true: you can only use the information given in the text
For example:
Statement “Water has recently been found on Mars” does not make “There is life on Mars” becomes true. If there is no further information about life on Mars, the correct answer in “Not Given”.
Statement “Water has recently been found on Mars” does not make “There is life on Mars” becomes true. If there is no further information about life on Mars, the correct answer in “Not Given”.
Special practical tips:
- Read the whole question. Do NOT focus on key words. Think about the meaning of the question.
- Be especially careful with words such as “often” and “some”. They can change the meaning of the question dramatically.
- Be careful with questions beginning “The writer says”: here you need to think about the writer’s opinions and not about facts.
- The questions will follow the order of the text: if you can’t find answer x, you know it must be somewhere between y and z.
- Do not spend too long on any one question. If the answer is “Not Given”, there may be nothing for you to find.
- One possibility is to mark all the “True” answers and all the “False” answers and then guess “Not Given” for the others.
Reference: http://www.dcielts.com
