How the task looks
You get one text (usually 300–500 words, with numbered lines) and 5 or 10 questions. Each question has four options, a)–d), and exactly one is correct. Detail questions usually follow the order of the text: the answer to question 3 is usually after the answer to question 2. Questions about the topic or the title need the whole text.
The most important rule: the answer must be in the text. What you know about the topic from school or from life does not count. If an option is true in real life but the text does not say it, it is wrong.
Step-by-step method
- Read the questions first (without the options). You will know what to look for.
- Read the whole text once at normal speed. After each paragraph, say its main point to yourself in a few words: “paragraph 2 — problems”, “paragraph 3 — solutions”.
- For each question, find the place in the text: by the line number, by key words, or by their synonyms.
- Read that sentence carefully, together with the sentence before and after it.
- Answer the question in your own words before you look at the options.
- Check each option against the text and mark it: ✓ — the text says this; ✗ — the text says the opposite; ? — the text does not say this.
- Choose the option marked ✓ that answers exactly this question.
If two options seem correct, one of them usually adds something the text does not say, or changes a small word (some → all, may → will).
Type 1. Main idea, topic, title
Typical wording: Which of the following best states the topic of the text? What is the best title for the text? The text is mainly about…
The correct option covers the whole text, not one paragraph. Wrong options are usually:
- too narrow — they describe only one detail or one paragraph;
- too broad — they are about a much larger topic than the text;
- not mentioned — they use the topic of the text, but say something the text does not discuss.
Example. A text has three paragraphs: (1) why the number of bees is falling, (2) how this affects fruit and vegetable harvests, (3) what farmers are doing to protect bees.
| Option | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| a) How honey is produced | ✗ | Not discussed in the text |
| b) The decline of bees and its consequences | ✓ | Covers all three paragraphs |
| c) New machines on farms | ✗ | Too narrow — at most one detail of paragraph 3 |
| d) Insects of the world | ✗ | Too broad |
Tip: the first and the last paragraph often contain the main idea. Check that your choice also fits the middle of the text.
Type 2. Details: “According to the text…”
The answer is stated directly in one or two sentences. But the correct option usually paraphrases the text: it says the same thing with other words. Wrong options often copy words from the text but change the meaning.
Text: “The museum was closed for two years while the roof was being repaired.”
✗ The museum repaired its collection for two years. — the words are from the text, but the roof was repaired, not the collection
✓ Repair work kept the museum shut for two years. — different words, same meaning
Check four things in every option: who (the subject), what (the action), when (the time), how much (numbers and quantity words).
Type 3. A word in context
Typical wording: The word “enduring” in line 11 is closest in meaning to…
- Find the word in the text and read the full sentence.
- Cover the word and guess from the context what it means.
- Put each option in place of the word and read the sentence again. The correct option keeps the meaning of the sentence and fits grammatically (a noun for a noun, an adjective for an adjective).
Be careful: many words have several meanings, and the exam often checks the less common one. The option with the most familiar meaning is often a trap.
Text: “The company is in a sound financial position.”
Here sound = healthy, reliable (not “noise”). Options: a) loud ✗, b) stable ✓, c) musical ✗, d) silent ✗.
Type 4. What a pronoun refers to
Typical wording: The word “it” / “they” / “this” in line 7 refers to…
- Look back in the text: a pronoun usually refers to something mentioned earlier.
- Check the number: it, this, its — singular or a whole idea; they, them, these, their — plural.
- Put the candidate in place of the pronoun. The sentence must make sense.
The nearest noun is not always the answer.
Text: “When the boys finally found the keys in the garden, they were very happy.”
The nearest plural noun is keys, but keys cannot be happy. They = the boys. Meaning decides, not distance.
Text: “Anna gave her old bicycle to her cousins because it was too small for her.”
The nearest noun is cousins, but it is singular. It = the bicycle.
This and which can refer to a whole idea, not one word: “Prices rose by 20%. This made many families angry.” — this = the fact that prices rose.
Type 5. Conclusions: “It can be inferred…”
Typical wording: It can be inferred from the text that… The author implies… In future years it is most likely that…
The answer is not written directly, but it must follow logically from the text. Choose the smallest, safest conclusion. Options that go too far are wrong.
Text: “Although the park opened only last spring, it already receives more visitors than the old city zoo.”
✓ The park has become popular quickly. — follows directly
✗ The city zoo will close soon. — nothing is said about closing
✗ The park is the most popular place in the country. — too strong: compared only with the zoo
Words such as always, never, only, all, completely, every, the most often make an option too strong. Words such as some, often, may, likely are usually safer — but still check them against the text.
Type 6. Purpose and attitude of the author
Why does the author mention…? The purpose of paragraph 2 is to… The author’s attitude is…
Purpose verbs: explain, describe, compare, give an example, criticize, warn, persuade, prove. If the author writes “for example” after a statement, the purpose is usually to give an example that supports it.
Attitude is shown by evaluating words: unfortunately, surprisingly, remarkable, a serious mistake, an excellent idea. Decide first: is the author positive, negative or neutral? Then choose the more exact word: admiring, critical, doubtful, objective, worried.
Type 7. NOT, EXCEPT, FALSE
All of the following are mentioned EXCEPT… Which of the following is NOT true?
Here three options are in the text, and you need the one that is not. Underline NOT/EXCEPT before reading the options — it is easy to forget it halfway. Find each option in the text and mark it ✓. The only option that you cannot find (or that contradicts the text) is the answer.
Type 8. Which sentence has the same meaning?
You are given a sentence from the text (or a statement) and four paraphrases. Check the logical link first, then the details.
| Link | Words | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Contrast | but, however, although, though, yet, despite, in spite of, while | two facts that seem to disagree |
| Cause | because, since, as, because of, due to | why something happens |
| Result | so, therefore, as a result, consequently, thus | what follows |
| Addition | moreover, furthermore, in addition, also, besides | one more point |
| Example | for example, for instance, such as | an illustration |
| Time | at first, initially, later, eventually, finally, before, after | order of events |
Text: “Electric cars are cleaner, but they are still expensive for most families.”
✓ Although electric cars are cleaner, most families find them costly. — contrast kept, both facts kept
✗ Electric cars are cleaner because they are expensive. — contrast changed into a cause
✗ Electric cars are neither clean nor cheap. — first fact reversed
✗ Most families buy electric cars because they are clean. — not stated
The most common traps
| Trap | What happens in the wrong option |
|---|---|
| Copied words | the words are from the text, the meaning is not |
| Too strong | always / never / only / all / completely added |
| Wrong person | the action is given to a different subject |
| Wrong time | past fact presented as present or future |
| Cause ↔ result | the reason and the consequence are swapped |
| Real life, not text | true in general, but the text does not say it |
| Half true | the first half is correct, the second half is not |
| Wrong part of the text | a true detail, but it does not answer this question |
Worked example
Text:
(1) For centuries, people in mountain villages built their houses from local stone.
(2) The walls were thick, so the houses stayed cool in summer and warm in winter.
(3) In the twentieth century, many families moved to the cities, and the old houses were abandoned.
(4) Recently, however, young architects have started to restore them as guest houses for tourists.
Question 1. According to the text, the stone houses were comfortable because…
a) they were built in the cities ✗ — opposite of line 1
b) their thick walls kept the temperature pleasant ✓ — paraphrase of line 2
c) tourists liked them ✗ — tourists appear later and are not the reason
d) they were new ✗ — not stated
Question 2. The word them in line 4 refers to…
a) young architects ✗ — they are the ones who restore
b) tourists ✗ — tourists stay there, nobody restores tourists
c) the old houses ✓ — plural, mentioned in line 3, can be restored
d) the cities ✗ — cities are not turned into guest houses
Question 3. It can be inferred that…
a) all old houses are now guest houses ✗ — “all” is too strong
b) tourism has given the old houses a new use ✓ — follows from line 4
c) nobody lives in the cities now ✗ — contradicts line 3
d) stone houses are the warmest houses in the world ✗ — too strong, not stated
Final checklist
- Can I show the sentence in the text that proves my answer?
- Does my option answer exactly this question (topic, detail, word, reference, conclusion)?
- Have I checked who, what, when and how much?
- Have I noticed NOT, EXCEPT, FALSE in the question?
- Does the option add anything the text does not say (always, only, all, a new cause)?
- For a topic or title question: does the option cover the whole text?