Find the part of the passage the question is about, work out the answer from it, then choose the option that says the same thing in different words. Wrong options are often true statements from the passage that do not answer the question.
At a glance
- Where
- Academic and General Training Reading
- Options
- Usually A–D; some ask you to choose two or three
- Order
- Questions follow the order of the passage
- Marking
- One mark per correct choice
How to answer, step by step
- Read the question stem, not just the options. Note exactly what is asked: a reason, a purpose, the writer's view.
- Find the matching part of the passage and read it carefully.
- Decide what the answer is before reading the options closely.
- Choose the option that matches your answer by meaning, and check why each of the others is wrong.
Common mistakes
- Options that are true according to the passage but answer a different question.
- Options that copy exact words from the passage. The right answer is usually a paraphrase.
- Extreme wording such as always or completely when the passage is more cautious.
Worked example
From Skillora IELTS Academic Mock Test 1 · Reading Passage 2, Question 20
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
According to paragraph A, ships in the early 1950s
- were too small to carry crates.
- spent a long time in port without earning money.
- were mainly used for passengers.
- carried only bulk liquids.
Answer: spent a long time in port without earning money.
Ships spent "a week or more in port", time "during which it earned nothing". The other options are not stated.
“A typical ship might spend a week or more in port being loaded and unloaded — time during which it earned nothing.”
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