My main strategies to answer True/False/Not Given questions are:
- Turn each statement into an opposite statement to check if it is FALSE (see explanation below).
- Turn each statement into a question to check if it is NOT GIVEN (see explanation below).
- Identify quantifiers and comparisons.
- Practice regularly and do a reading analysis after every test.
What are True/False/Not Given questions?
True: If the statement agrees with the information given in the passage (You will find synonyms)
False: If the statement contradicts the information given in the passage (You will find the opposite statement, antonym or WRONG information)
Not Given: If the passage does not say whether the statement is True or False
Extra Tips
- You should write the exact words as given in the passage when writing your answer. Do not guess, make assumptions or use your general knowledge.
- There will always be at least one True, one False or one Not Given answer.
- The passage and the questions follow the same order for all types of reading questions except ‘finding the heading’.
- If you find the paragraph which contains the keywords of the question statement, but still can’t find the answer, it is Not Given
Steps on how to find the answer:
Step 1: Read the question statement before reading the passage
Step 2: Underline the keywords (names, dates, capital letters, italics etc.) in the statement to quickly find the paragraph which consists the information.
Step 3: Look for synonyms to check if the statement is TRUE.
Step 4: Convert the statement into its opposite to check if the statement is FALSE.
Step 5: Convert the statement into a question to check if the statement is NOT GIVEN.
EXAMPLE 1
Read this paragraph and the question statement:
It took humans 10,000 years to learn how to grow most of the crops we now take for granted. Along the way, we despoiled most of the land we worked, often turning verdant natural ecozones into semi-arid deserts.
- Human beings are responsible for some of the destruction to food-producing land.
Pay attention to the key words given and underline the synonyms (similar words with the same meaning)
Ecozones: areas where there is a natural environment of plants and animals (Similar word in the statement: Food-producing land)
Semi-arid: with little water
It means we destroyed most of the agricultural, thereby turned natural ecozones into semi-arid deserts. Therefore, the statement is TRUE as it agrees with the information given in the passage.
EXAMPLE 2
Read this paragraph and the question statement:
The supporters of vertical farming claim many potential advantages for the system. For instance, crops would be produced all year around, as they would be kept in artificially controlled, optimum growing conditions. There would be no weather-related crop failures due to droughts, floods or pests. All the food could be grown organically, eliminating the need for herbicides, pesticides and fertilisers.
- Fertilisers will be needed for certain crops in vertical farms.
Now, convert the statement into its opposite: Fertilisers will not be needed for certain crops in vertical farms.
Now look at the statement: All the food could be grown organically, eliminating the need for herbicides, pesticides and fertilisers.
Here the opposite statement (Fertilisers will not be needed for certain crops in vertical farms) agrees with the information given in the text. So, the question statement is FALSE
EXAMPLE 3
Read this paragraph and the question statement:
By the year 2050, nearly 80% of the Earth’s population will live in urban centres. Applying the most conservative estimates to current demographic trends, the human population will increase by about three billion people by then.
- Methods for predicting the Earth’s population have recently changed.
Now, convert the statement into a question. Ask yourself: Did the methods for predicting the Earth’s population recently change?
Maybe it changed or maybe it didn’t. We do not know as it is not mentioned in the paragraph. So, the answer is NOT GIVEN.
Get advice on how to do IELTS Writing Task
- Find out how to describe Changes to a Plan here
- Find out how to write a BAND 9 model essay here
- 15 ways to improve your IELTS Vocabulary
- How to write Complex Sentences: IELTS Writing Task 2
- How to improve your Speaking at Home
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