True, False or Not Given: follow the evidence
Decide whether a statement agrees with the passage, contradicts it, or cannot be decided from it. Practise the distinction before opening a full paper.
These are original short learning activities, not official test questions. Answers are checked in this open page; they do not produce a band score or a saved mastery record.
Compare the whole claim
- Identify who or what the statement concerns. Notice quantities, dates, comparisons and words such as all, only and will.
- Locate the relevant passage detail and read the surrounding sentences. Compare meaning, not just shared words.
- Choose TRUE when the whole statement follows from the text, FALSE when the text contradicts it, and NOT GIVEN when the text does not settle it.
- Point to the evidence. For NOT GIVEN, name the missing relationship or detail instead of inventing a fact.
Use the passage, not outside knowledge. Identifying a writer’s views is a different task labelled YES/NO/NOT GIVEN: follow the answer labels in your own question instructions.
Contradiction is different from missing information
“Some visitors cycle” does not, by itself, establish that other visitors do not cycle. “Some, but not all, visitors cycle” does. Likewise, a report that one method worked well does not tell you whether it worked better than another method. Read the exact scope before choosing an answer.
A worked comparison
A fictional workshop opens at 10 am on Saturdays. Entry is free.
- “There is no entry charge.” → TRUE: this restates free entry.
- “The workshop opens at 9 am on Saturdays.” → FALSE: 9 am conflicts with the stated 10 am.
- “The council pays the workshop’s running costs.” → NOT GIVEN: free entry does not identify who funds it.
Nine short evidence checks
Read each complete passage. Before selecting an answer, write the words that support it or state what is missing. Hints and feedback are learning aids; a second correct attempt does not establish independent mastery.
Guided practice · time, quantity and missing detail
A local museum trained twelve volunteers in April. They catalogued maps during May and June. Six volunteers worked on weekdays and the other six worked at weekends. Staff checked each catalogue entry before it was made public.
Show a hint
Separate training from cataloguing. Then check the whole group, not just one half.
Statement 1
The volunteers catalogued maps over two months.
Locate the relevant detail
They catalogued maps during May and June.
Compare this with the whole passage. A relevant sentence can locate the topic without supplying the missing answer.
Statement 2
All twelve volunteers worked at weekends.
Locate the relevant detail
Six volunteers worked on weekdays and the other six worked at weekends.
Compare this with the whole passage. A relevant sentence can locate the topic without supplying the missing answer.
Statement 3
The museum paid the volunteers for each entry.
Locate the relevant detail
Staff checked each catalogue entry before it was made public.
Compare this with the whole passage. A relevant sentence can locate the topic without supplying the missing answer.
Independent practice · compare the same measurement
Researchers compared a cotton filter with a mesh filter in a laboratory trial. Each filter received one litre of water at the same temperature. The cotton filter retained 72 per cent of the test particles; the mesh filter retained 45 per cent. The team planned further trials using river water.
Show a hint
Compare particle retention, then distinguish a stated control from an unstated price.
Statement 1
The mesh filter retained a greater proportion of particles than the cotton filter.
Locate the relevant detail
The cotton filter retained 72 per cent of the test particles; the mesh filter retained 45 per cent.
Compare this with the whole passage. A relevant sentence can locate the topic without supplying the missing answer.
Statement 2
The cotton filter cost more than the mesh filter.
Locate the relevant detail
Researchers compared a cotton filter with a mesh filter in a laboratory trial.
Compare this with the whole passage. A relevant sentence can locate the topic without supplying the missing answer.
Statement 3
Both filters received the same volume of water.
Locate the relevant detail
Each filter received one litre of water at the same temperature.
Compare this with the whole passage. A relevant sentence can locate the topic without supplying the missing answer.
Transfer practice · restrictions and future plans
In July, a town added two morning ferry departures for a trial ending on 31 August. Bicycles were permitted only on the earlier of these departures. The council scheduled a September meeting to decide whether extra departures would operate during winter. During the trial, staff recorded passenger numbers on both departures.
Show a hint
A scheduled decision is not its outcome. Check what only restricts.
Statement 1
The extra departures will operate during winter.
Locate the relevant detail
The council scheduled a September meeting to decide whether extra departures would operate during winter.
Compare this with the whole passage. A relevant sentence can locate the topic without supplying the missing answer.
Statement 2
Passenger numbers were recorded on each of the two extra departures.
Locate the relevant detail
During the trial, staff recorded passenger numbers on both departures.
Compare this with the whole passage. A relevant sentence can locate the topic without supplying the missing answer.
Statement 3
Passengers could bring bicycles on either of the extra departures.
Locate the relevant detail
Bicycles were permitted only on the earlier of these departures.
Compare this with the whole passage. A relevant sentence can locate the topic without supplying the missing answer.
Explain the distinction without your notes
A report says a shuttle bus is popular with residents. Can you decide whether it is cheaper than a taxi? Explain what evidence would make the comparison TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN.
Compare my reasoning
Popularity supplies no fare comparison, so the statement “the bus is cheaper” is NOT GIVEN. A lower bus fare for a comparable journey would support TRUE; an equal or higher bus fare would contradict “cheaper” and support FALSE. Name the missing evidence rather than substituting a plausible guess.
Apply it to the existing original paper
In Original Academic Test 1, Reading Passage 1, practise these specific questions. The link opens the paper; use its question navigation to select the numbers below. In practice mode, note your evidence before checking the explanation.
- Question 1: Check the order of events against a paraphrase.
- Question 2: Compare a belief with the information collected.
- Question 5: Decide whether the passage identifies the responsible organisation.
After practice, return to the method and explain a mistake in your own words. Full-paper scores and saved attempts remain in the existing practice workspace.