True, False, Not Given (reading)
These type of questions require you to read the related sentences in the text carefully and decide if the connected statement is true, false or if the information in the statement is not provided in the text (not given).
ALWAYS REMEMBER
KEEP MOVING. Do not get 'stuck' trying to identify one statement.
STEPS
Read all the statements and quickly underline all keywords. Can you think of any synonyms? If so, note them on the paper.
Choose a statement in the middle of the list (e.g. if the list is Q1 - Q6, then choose Q4). Find where the statement relates to in the text. You can do this by identifying the easiest keyword in any of the statements (e.g. a number, percentage, person’s name, abbreviation, proper noun, date) and locating it in the text.
Write that statement number on the reading text (e.g. 4) next to where you have found the related sentences. Now you know that the answers to Q1, Q2 and Q3 will be before 4 in the reading and the answer to Q5 will be after. This is very helpful for you, especially if you need to come back later to look for an answer.
Read the relevant sentences in the reading text carefully. Read before the identified sentence and after. Remember qualifiiers (e.g. ‘mainly’, ‘one of the …’, ‘almost’, ‘mostly’, ‘hardly ever’ etc) will change the meaning of the statement.
Select your answer True, False or Not Given.
As always, if you can’t decide on an answer quickly, move on. This is especially important for TFNG questions– because you will not be able to find Not Given answers in the text (because they are not there).
Go to the next statement and find the related sentences in the text. Read carefully. Decide if it is True, False or Not Given.
Return to the statements you have not answered and read again. If you have little time remaining, identify them as 'Not Given'.
TIPS
The biggest problem here is the ‘Not Given’ option. Students often spend too much time making sure a statement is ‘not given’ and this affects the rest of their test. You must keep moving!
Identify any words that qualify the statement, for example, some, all, mainly, often, always and occasionally. These words are there to test if you have read the whole statement because they can change the meaning. For example, ‘Coca-Cola has always made its drinks in the U.S.A.’ has a different meaning from ‘Coca-Cola has mainly made its drinks in the U.S.A.’
PRACTICE
Remember to try and do your practice quickly. Click on the link below for practice exercises.
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