IELTS Reading Comprehension 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In IELTS Reading, what does a 'True/False/Not Given' question test?
- Whether a statement agrees with, contradicts, or is absent from the text (Correct answer)
- The author's opinion only
- Your prior knowledge of the topic
- The grammatical accuracy of the statement
Correct answer: Whether a statement agrees with, contradicts, or is absent from the text
True/False/Not Given checks if a factual statement matches, opposes, or is simply not mentioned in the passage.
Question 2: What is the key difference between 'Not Given' and 'False'?
- There is no difference
- 'False' contradicts the text; 'Not Given' lacks any information to judge (Correct answer)
- 'Not Given' contradicts the text; 'False' lacks information
- Both mean the statement is wrong
Correct answer: 'False' contradicts the text; 'Not Given' lacks any information to judge
'False' requires the text to actively contradict the statement, while 'Not Given' means the text says nothing about it.
Question 3: Which technique helps you quickly find a specific name or date in a passage?
- Skimming
- Scanning (Correct answer)
- Intensive reading
- Translating
Correct answer: Scanning
Scanning involves moving your eyes rapidly to locate specific details like names, numbers, or dates.
Question 4: In 'Yes/No/Not Given' questions, what are you evaluating?
- Factual data only
- The writer's claims, views, or opinions (Correct answer)
- Vocabulary definitions
- Sentence structure
Correct answer: The writer's claims, views, or opinions
Yes/No/Not Given questions assess whether statements match the writer's expressed opinions or claims.
Question 5: When matching headings to paragraphs, what should you focus on?
- The first word of each paragraph
- The main idea or central theme of each paragraph (Correct answer)
- Any unfamiliar vocabulary
- The longest sentence
Correct answer: The main idea or central theme of each paragraph
Heading-matching tasks require identifying the overall main idea of each paragraph.
Question 6: How much time should you ideally spend on each of the three IELTS Academic Reading passages?
- About 20 minutes per passage (Correct answer)
- About 5 minutes per passage
- About 40 minutes per passage
- About 10 minutes per passage
Correct answer: About 20 minutes per passage
With 60 minutes total for three passages, roughly 20 minutes each is the standard pacing.
Question 7: Why is it risky to spend too long on one difficult question?
- It improves your score
- It leaves less time for easier questions you could answer correctly (Correct answer)
- It is required by the rules
- Examiners reward slow reading
Correct answer: It leaves less time for easier questions you could answer correctly
Lingering on hard items wastes time you could use to secure marks on easier questions.
In IELTS Reading, what does a 'True/False/Not Given' question test?