True/False/Not Given

Facts about True/False/Not Given

I. They are fact based (no opinion or claim of writer is involved)

II. The question statements follow the order in the text (descending
order)
III. Answers are usually from one sentence, but you need to read
longer (two or three sentences) for one or two questions only, and
that is what you should expect in your exam.
True If the Q. statement agrees If the statement matches exactly with
with the information the text (make use of synonyms)
False If the statement If the statement is opposite (make
contradicts the use of antonyms)
information
Not If there is no information If the statement is not mentioned in
Given on this the text. (Neither synonym nor
antonym but some other word/ or
the word or phrase is missed)
 Six common patterns are: Example questions from reading
test papers:
Statement having qualifiers The semi-arid land of the Sahel is
found only in Mali.
Statement having relation between Henderson gave up portraiture so
two parts of the sentence: cause that he could focus on taking
and effect (reason), purpose, links photographs of scenery.
Statement having comparison Coconuts found on the west coast
(than, as…….as, comparatives/ of America were a different type
superlatives) from those found on the east coast

Statement having a general fact Cockroaches will fight over food.

(answer to be deduced on the (characteristic habit) (fact)
basis of tense difference)
Statements having modals - could, LED systems could solve world’s
would, can, should, will energy problems. (could implies
capacity in present)
Positive or negative verbs Chilies help prevent colds.
Let’s look into the hack one by one to reach the right answers for the
True/False/Not Given Questions set in the reading, using these six
patterns.

How to reach the correct answer when a question statement has a

qualifier in it?
Step1. Read the question carefully and underline the qualifiers.
Adjectives Adverbs Determiners
Original Originally first, most
Instant Instantly second
rare rarely few
nearby never/often/well little
many
all
some
Step2. Understand what that qualifier qualifies to?
For e.g., in the statement below the qualifier ‘beautiful’ qualifies ‘doll’
Q.s.: Sarah has a beautiful qualifier doll.
Q.s.: Roofs that are dark in color help address the issue of Urban Heat
Islands.

Step3. Scan the text with the help of some key words from the question
statement. Once you are at the right location read carefully and match
the question statement with text especially the qualifier.
a. If in the text, you get the synonym of the qualifier (the qualifier
qualifies the same noun as was in the statement), answer will be

True.
Q.s.: Sarah has a beautiful Sarah possesses a doll which is pretty.
doll. (Answer will be True)
OR
Sarah possesses a pretty doll. (Answer will
be True)
Q.s.: Most of one side of the Because of the way the ship sank, nearly
Mary Rose lay undamaged all of the starboard(right side) half survived
under the sea. intact. True (most = half)
undamaged= intact
b. If in the text, you get the antonym of the qualifier, it will be ‘False’
(because false is opposite)

Q.s.: Sarah has a beautiful Sarah possesses an ugly doll. (Answer will be
doll. False)
Or straight negation:
Sarah does not have a beautiful doll. (Answer
will be False)
Q.s.: Roofs that are dark Officials there are advising builders to use
in color help address the light-colored roofs in a bid to reduce the
issue of Urban Heat problem of Urban Heat Islands.
Islands.
 c. In case of Not given:
i. If in the text, you neither get a synonym nor an antonym but
some other word, answer will be Not Given.
Q.s.: Sarah has a beautiful Sarah has an expensive doll.
doll. (The word ‘expensive’ neither goes synonym
with ‘beautiful’ nor antonym with ‘beautiful’)
Q.s.: The cork oak has a Cork - the yellow bark of the cork oak tree - is
thick bark. the remarkable material.

ii. If in the text, you get to see that the qualifier is simply missing,
answer is Not Given.
Q.s.: Sarah has a beautiful doll. Text: Sarah has a doll.
Q.s.: The designers of the These metal constructions (Supertrees)
Supertrees originally planned are made to resemble very tall trees and
to plant very tall trees. range in height from 25 meters to 50
meters.
 iii. If in the text, you get the qualifier (be it as a synonym and
antonym) but it does not qualify the same noun or phrase as
was in the question, answer will be Not Given.

Q.s.: Sarah has a beautiful
doll.
Q.s.: The first tax on salt was
imposed by Chinese emperor.
Sarah, who is a beautiful girl, has a doll
with her.
In 2200 BC, the Chinese emperor Hsia Yu
levied one of the first known taxes on
salt.

Don’t worry let’s have some exam questions below with their
individual extracts taken from the different passages.

1. The semi-arid land of the Sahel is found only in Mali.

Text excerpt: The Sahel zone, the semi-arid lands, occupies
much of the West African countries of Mali, Mauritania,
Niger, and Chad.
2. The Sahara has spread slowly Northwards into the Sahel
region.
Text excerpt: Unfortunately, over the last century the
Sahara Desert has steadily crept southwards eating into
once productive Sahel lands.
3. Just over 70 per cent of the dry land in agricultural use in
Africa has deteriorated over the last 30 years.
Text excerpt: United Nations surveys show that over 70
percent of the dry land in agricultural use in Africa has
deteriorated over the last 30 years.
4. The loss of tree cover is a minor cause of desertification.
Text excerpt: Another cause of desertification is loss of
tree cover.

5. The trees from which quinine is derived grow only in South

America.
 Text excerpt: The drug (quinine) is derived from the bark
of the cinchona tree, native to South America, and by 1856
demand for drug was surpassing the available supply.

6. In developed countries, barely any food is thrown away.

Text excerpt: what journalists do not say is that the UK
and Australia currently consume and discard equal
amounts of good food. In the US, even more good food is
destroyed.

7. Rubbish dumps or landfill sites are quite disturbing to freegans.

Text excerpt: Due to all the rubbish in landfills, the sites
remain unusable for farming or housing for many years,
which upsets freegans.
 8. Prisons usually have good education and therapy systems.
Text excerpt: Prisons therefore contain systems of
education or therapy, as well as assessment to determine
whether inmates have truly developed remorse for past
misdeeds, an ability to re-integrate into society, and
intentions to do so.

9. Most tradesmen only went along certain sections of the Silk Road.
Text excerpt: Few merchants travelled the entire route;
goods were handled mostly by a series of middlemen.
10. Ponderosa pines are the largest.
Text excerpt: Pines can be small, such as the Siberian
Dwarf Pine, or huge, such as the Ponderosa Pine in the
wilds of Oregon, and there are over 100 varieties in all.

11. Birds usually spread pine seeds.

Text excerpt: As the cone opens, the seeds eventually fall
out, mostly to be dispersed by the wind, or sometimes by
birds.

12. Mynahs make an amazing number of different sounds.

Text excerpt: Likewise, mynah birds are mimics and can
produce around 200 different sounds.