How to answer difficult questions
When two options seem possible, the difference often lies in a qualification, a condition, or the available evidence. This module brings together tools you can use in all four Reading parts.
Work through each lesson and mark the module complete when you finish practising.
6.1 Recognize a complete paraphrase
A paraphrase expresses the same idea in different words. Before accepting it, check that it preserves:
- Who: The person or group it refers to.
- What: The action, fact, or opinion.
- How much: The quantity, frequency, or degree.
- When and under what conditions: The timing, exceptions, or requirements.
Example:
The service operates year-round.
The service is available throughout the year.
Both express availability throughout the year. By contrast, The service is available every hour of the day adds a claim about opening hours that the text does not provide.
Mini-test
Preserve the conditions
Read:
Staff who have completed their probation period may request up to two remote-working days per week, subject to manager approval.
Which option preserves the meaning?
6.2 Distinguish an inference from an assumption
An inference connects clues in the text to reach a conclusion that is not stated literally. An assumption adds a story that the text does not justify.
Ask: Which words or facts support my conclusion?
The answer does not need to copy a sentence. It does need to be the best-supported conclusion among the options.
Mini-test
Infer without inventing
Read:
Mira used to leave her evening class early to catch the last bus at 8 p.m. Since the final departure was moved to 10 p.m., she has been able to stay until the class ends at 9 p.m.
What can be inferred?
6.3 Notice words that change the answer
| Expression | What to check |
|---|---|
| Some / most / all | A portion of a group is not the same as the majority or the entire group. |
| May / could / will | A possibility is not the same as a guaranteed outcome. |
| Up to / at least | The first sets a maximum; the second sets a minimum. |
| Only if / unless | Identify the requirement or exception before choosing. |
| Before / after / until | Check the sequence and time limit. |
| More than / less than | Identify the two quantities or options being compared. |
Do not automatically eliminate an option because it uses all or never. It may be correct if the text supports that scope.
Also check the question: mainly about asks for the main idea; according to requires you to identify a voice; most likely asks for the most probable conclusion based on the clues.
6.4 Identify why an option is misleading
An answer can sound convincing but fail on a detail:
| Problem | What happens |
|---|---|
| Keyword match | It repeats vocabulary from the text but changes the idea. |
| Partial truth | It starts with a correct fact and adds an unsupported claim. |
| Exaggeration | It changes some to all, or a possibility to a certainty. |
| Wrong voice | It attributes one person's opinion to someone else. |
| Changed relationship | It changes who did something, the reason, or the sequence of events. |
| Outside knowledge | It sounds reasonable based on what you know, but the text does not establish it. |
Every part of the option must fit. One correct half does not compensate for an incorrect second half.
6.5 Decide between two close options
When you are unsure between two options:
- Return to the question and identify exactly what it asks.
- Locate the passage that would answer it.
- Compare each option with that passage.
- Look for the decisive difference: person, scope, condition, cause, or time.
Mini-test
Find the decisive detail
Read:
The library will trial later opening on Tuesdays and Thursdays for three months. Other weekday hours will remain unchanged. A permanent extension will be considered only if attendance rises and the additional staffing costs can be covered. The city has not yet allocated funds for a permanent change.
Which statement is supported by the text?
Practise the questions that make you hesitate
Compare similar options and learn to justify your choice with evidence from the text.