True / False / Not Given (and Yes / No / Not Given)
The most feared question type, and a reliable way to decide.
18 minutes · A free lesson from Reading
- TRUE — the passage says the same thing, usually in different words.
- FALSE — the passage says the opposite, or something that cannot be true at the same time.
- NOT GIVEN — the passage does not tell you. It may mention the topic, but it does not answer the statement.
Yes / No / Not Given works the same way, but it is about the writer's opinions rather than facts.
Passage: "Many pencils are hexagonal rather than round, partly because a six-sided pencil is easier to grip and partly because it does not roll off a sloping desk."
Statement 1: Round pencils roll more easily than hexagonal ones. → TRUE (the passage implies it clearly).
Statement 2: Hexagonal pencils are cheaper to make. → NOT GIVEN (reasons are given, but cost is not one of them).
Statement 3: Hexagonal pencils are harder to hold. → FALSE (they are "easier to grip").
Ask: does the passage let me check this statement? If it can be checked and it is wrong, it is FALSE. If it cannot be checked at all, it is NOT GIVEN.
Quick check: Passage: "The museum opened in 1998 and now receives around 200,000 visitors a year." Statement: "The museum was more popular in its first year than it is today."
- TRUE
- FALSE
- NOT GIVEN
Show the answer
C: NOT GIVEN — The passage gives today's figure only. Nothing is said about the first year.
Lesson quiz
Check what you have learned. Choose an answer to see whether it is right, and why.
Quick check: Passage: “The bridge, completed in 1932, was the longest in the country for over forty years.” Statement: “The bridge was finished in the 1930s.”
- TRUE
- FALSE
- NOT GIVEN
Show the answer
A: TRUE — 1932 is in the 1930s: the passage says the same thing in other words.
Quick check: Same passage. Statement: “A foreign company built the bridge.”
- TRUE
- NOT GIVEN
- FALSE
Show the answer
B: NOT GIVEN — The passage says nothing about who built it, so it cannot tell you.
Quick check: Passage: “Unlike its neighbours, the village has never had a railway station.” Statement: “The village's railway station closed in 1960.”
- TRUE
- NOT GIVEN
- FALSE
Show the answer
C: FALSE — A station that never existed cannot have closed. The passage lets you check the statement, and it is wrong.
Quick check: You know from real life that a statement is true, but the passage does not say it. What is the answer?
- TRUE
- NOT GIVEN
- FALSE
Show the answer
B: NOT GIVEN — Do not use your own knowledge. If the passage does not say it, the answer is NOT GIVEN.
Marked as soon as you finish — free with an account.Practise now