IELTS Reading Exam TrueFalseNot Given and YesNoNot Given Questions
Hi!
I’m Martin.
Welcome to Oxford Online English!
In this lesson, you’re going to learn how
to complete true/false/not given, and yes/no/not
given questions in the IELTS reading exam.
But what is the difference between these two
types of question?
True/false/not given questions ask you about
facts.
Yes/no/not given questions can include facts
or the writer’s opinion.
However, you can think about these two kinds
of question in exactly the same way.
But, please check what type of question you’re
answering.
If you write the answer ‘yes’ in a ‘true,
false, not given’ question, the answer is
obviously not correct.
This is mistake is easier to make than you
might imagine.
Let’s have a look at some techniques you
can use to answer true/false/not given questions
in your IELTS reading exam.
Part One: how to find the relevant part of
the text.
Before you can answer the question, you need
to find the right part of the text.
First, remember that the questions follow
the text.
That means that for the first question, you
should start looking near the beginning of
the text.
Now, let’s do an example.
Imagine that you see this question:
“Zander cannot live in salt water.”
Probably, your first thought is, “What’s
a zander?”
Perfectly reasonable.
I had to look it up, too!
However, you know that the zander is something
which can (or can’t) live in salt water.
What lives in water?
Many things, but we know the zander must be
some kind of animal or plant which lives in
water.
So, look for words in the text related to
fish or sea life.
You can also look for the word ‘zander’, obviously.
Also, the question mentions salt water.
Where do you find salt water?
In the sea, right?
So, look for words like sea, ocean etc.
What’s the opposite of salt water?
It’s fresh water.
Where do you find fresh water?
Mostly in rivers and lakes.
If the answer is ‘true’, and zander cannot
live in salt water, then they must live in
fresh water.
This means you should also look for references
to fresh water in the text, so look for words
like river or lake.
Let’s do one more example.
You see this question:
“Before 1900, there were no zander in the
UK.”
What should you look for in the text?
Look for dates or time references.
The question mentions 1900, so you could look
for time expressions like 19th century, 20th
century, turn of the century, and so on.
You could also look for references to the
UK or parts of the UK.
This means you should look for words like
Britain, England, Scotland, etc.
Use these techniques to find the section in
the text which will let you answer the question.
Okay, so now you’ve found the relevant part
of the text.
What next?
Part two: finding key ideas in the text.
Take a look at this extract from a text.
“The zander is a type of fish, thought originally
to be from Western Europe.
Zander were introduced into the UK in the
late 20th century, and now can be found in
many rivers and freshwater lakes around the
UK.
Scientists claim that zander have harmed many
native English fish species since their introduction.”
Pause the video if you want extra time to
read it.
What should you focus on here?
Here are a few things to look for and think
about:
First, look for time and date references.
The statement says ‘late 20th century’.
What does that mean?
1990?
Is 2000 late 20th century?
When does late start?
Is 1970 late 20th century?
Secondly, look for expressions of quantity
like ‘all’, ‘many’, ‘some’, ‘most’, and so
on.
Here, the text says ‘many rivers and freshwater
lakes’.
Does that mean all zander live in rivers?
Does it tell you whether zander are more common
in rivers or lakes?
Thirdly, look for specific details and facts.
What do you know for sure after reading this
text?
You know that the zander is a fish, and that
there weren’t any zander in the UK before
1950 (because they were introduced).
You know that zander live in rivers and freshwater
lakes in the UK.
Those are the only facts in the text, so they’re
the only things you can be sure about.
To do well with IELTS true/false/not given
questions, you need to separate fact from
speculation.
Finally, look for expressions of uncertainty.
This is the opposite of the point we just
mentioned.
Look for modal verbs like ‘could’, ‘might’
or ‘must’.
Look for expressions which indicate uncertainty,
for example ‘it is thought that…’ or ‘many
experts believe that…’
For example, the text says that zander are
thought to be from Western Europe.
Does that mean they are definitely from Western
Europe, or is it uncertain?
The text says that scientists claim that zander
have harmed many native English fish species.
From this, can you say for sure that zander
have damaged English wildlife?
Of course, the exact points you consider depend
on the question you’re trying to answer.
However, it’s good practice to think about
these different things when you’re preparing
for your IELTS reading test.
To get a high score, you need really good
attention to detail.
Part three: how to answer true/false/not given
questions.
Let’s do a few questions together to practise.
First I’m going to give you the statement
which you need to read, then I’ll give you
the part of the text where you would find
the answer.
All you have to do is decide if the statement
is true, false, or not given.
Here’s your first statement.
Read it and think about what you could be
looking for.
“Bananas became popular as soon as they were
brought to Europe.”
Here is the text:
“After their introduction to Europe bananas
were an immediate sensation and became a staple
in many people’s diets.”
So, what do you think?
Is the statement true, false or not given?
It’s true.
The text says ‘immediate sensation’ and the
statement says that ‘bananas were popular
as soon as they were brought to Europe’.
These are exactly the same thing.
Even if you don’t know the exact meaning
of ‘sensation’ or ‘staple’, you could still
could still make a good guess based on:
The link between ‘as soon as’ and ‘immediate’.
2.
‘Many people’s diets’.
Even if you don’t know what ‘staple’ means,
you can hopefully work out that many people
were eating bananas.
That allows you to say that bananas were popular.
Let’s do one more.
Here’s the statement:
“Capsaicin can irreversibly damage the mouth.”
And here’s the relevant sentence from the
text.
“Capsaicin, found in chili peppers, causes
temporary irritation of the cells in the mouth.”
Do you know what capsaicin is?
Does it matter?
Not really.
Even if you have no idea what capsaicin is,
you can still be sure that this one is false.
How can you be sure?
If something is irreversibly damaged, then
it’s permanent; the text says it is only
temporary irritation.
Therefore, it has to be false.
Let’s do another one.
Here’s the statement:
“Bananas can be part of a parrot’s diet.
"
And here’s the text:
“Parrots must compete with larger animals,
such as monkeys, for the available food, and
especially fruit.
Larger fruits, such as bananas, are mostly
consumed by monkeys, who can reach them easily
by climbing.”
What do you think?
The text doesn’t say that parrots eat bananas,
but the statement includes the word ‘can’.
Is there anything in the text which tells
us that it’s possible for parrots to eat
bananas?
No, there isn’t.
We know that parrots eat fruit, and that bananas
are mostly consumed by monkeys.
The text suggests strongly that parrots can
eat bananas, but it doesn’t directly say
so.
So, the answer is ‘not given’.
Be careful with questions like these.
It’s natural to read something like this
and guess that parrots can eat bananas.
It’s reasonable to guess—the text does
suggest this.
However, your answers must be based on what
the text says or doesn’t say.
Part four: how to answer yes/no/not given
questions.
So, you’ve seen how to answer some true/false/not
given questions.
Now we’ll look at some yes/no/not given
questions.
Remember, you can approach these in the same
way.
The only difference is that yes/no/not given
questions may also include the writer’s
opinions.
Here’s a text.
Pause the video to read it if you need extra
time.
“Wainwright’s, established in 1863, are
now among the leading exporters of glass tankards
and other glass products anywhere in the Northern
hemisphere.
Although not immediately profitable, the company,
now based in Chicago, has grown prodigiously
into a brand whose elegant receptacles are
widely sought after and admired by many.
"
Alright?
Here’s your first statement:
“Wainwright’s success was instantaneous.”
‘Instantaneous’ has the same meaning as ‘immediate’.
We know Wainwright’s brand is now sought
after (well-known and wanted by people), but
also that it was not immediately profitable.
The statement says ‘instantaneous success’,
but our text says Wainwright’s wasn’t
immediately profitable.
If a company isn’t profitable, is it a success?
No.
So, you should choose ‘no.’
Question number two:
“Wainwright’s is one of the leading exporters
in North America.”
The text tells us Wainwright’s is one of
the leading exporters of glass tankards and
products in the northern hemisphere, which
includes North America.
However, the statement just says ‘leading
exporters’, while the text says leading exporters
of glass tankards and other glass products.
So, we know that Wainwright’s is a leading
exporter in one particular area, but we don’t
know if it’s one of the biggest exporters
overall.
What should we choose in this situation?
The correct answer is ‘not given’.
There’s nothing in the text which tells
you how Wainwright’s compares to other companies
in different sectors.
Question number three:
“Wainwright’s was founded in Chicago.”
What is this statement asking us?
The text tells us Wainwright’s is based
in Chicago now, but does that mean it started
in Chicago?
If it is now based in Chicago, that means
it was set up somewhere else, otherwise why
would the text use the word ‘now’?
The answer must be no.
Our last question:
“Many people own Wainwright’s glass products.”
Okay, let’s focus on the word ‘own’ here.
The text tells you the tankards are admired
and sought after by many people, which suggests
that they are popular products.
We also know that the company is successful,
which also strongly suggests that many people
buy and own their products.
However, does it say anything about people
owning Wainwright’s products?
Remember that ‘suggests’ is not enough.
We need something concrete in the text that
tells us that many people own Wainwright’s
glass products.
There isn’t anything like that in the text,
so we should select ‘not given.’
Part 5: final tips.
Hopefully you are feeling a little more confident
answering true/false/not given and yes/no/not
given questions.
Here are just a few more things to remember:
There will always be at least one true, one
false and one not given answer.
If you are missing one, one answer has to
be wrong.
The same is true for yes/no/not given questions:
there will always be at least one of each
answer.
If you aren’t sure, or you can’t find
an answer, put ‘not given’.
You don’t have a lot of time for this exam.
Don’t spend all your time looking for an
answer that isn’t there.
Answer all the questions!
Never leave blank spaces, even if you’re
running out of time or you have no idea.
You have a one in three chance of guessing
correctly, so always put an answer for every
question.
Well, that’s all from me.
Good luck if you have an IELTS exam coming
soon!
Thanks a lot for watching.
See you next time!