SESSION 2

QUESTION TYPE: IDENTIFYING INFORMATION

(TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN)
INTRODUCTION
In this question type, we need to decide if information in the question statements can be found in the
reading passage.

TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN

Based on the information provided in the reading passage, you will choose True/False/Not Given for each
statement.

 True: the information in the statement MATCHES the information provided from the passage.
 False: the information in the statement CONTRADICTS the information provided from the passage.
 Not Given: the information is NOT MENTIONED at all in the passage.

Format

***Identification signs: “...statements agree with the claims/views...”

METHOD

Necessary Skills

Identify keywords

Scanning and Reading Identify

controlling
paraphrasing Skills words

Follow a
description or an
argument

There will be 5 steps to do this question type:

Question =>
•Read carefully and understand the statement Keyword +
Step 1 controlling
words =>
•Identify and underline keywords (names, numbers,...) and controlling words (all, Scan=> Read
Step 2 most,...) in the statement
=> Compare

•Find, identify and underline keywords and controlling words in the reading passage
Step 3

•Read carefully the information area related to keywords and controlling words,
Step 4 compare the coincidence of main ideas between the statement and the passage

•Choose the answer

Step 5
 Tips
Type: TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN (containing 1 object)

TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN (Containing 1 Object)

Does the passage contain the information?

Yes, matching Yes, but wrong No, no Only mention part of the information
information information information and CANNOT BE verified

TRUE FALSE NOT GIVEN

Type: TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN (containing comparison)

TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN (Containing Comparison)

 Two items are mentioned in  Two items are mentioned in  Two items are mentioned in
the question and the text. the question. the question and the text.
 There is no comparison.  One item is in the text. The  One item is “greater”, etc.
other item is not mentioned. than the other.

The text is the other The text is the same.

way round.

NOT GIVEN FALSE TRUE

NOTES
Answers to the questions will be arranged in order.
The answer Not Given does not mean there is no information.
The information to answer the question is only in the reading passage. → DO NOT
overcomplicate your thinking.
HOW TO IDENTIFY EXACTLY KEYWORDS IN QUESTIONS?
The first step when solving this type of problem is to read and understand the question and then identify
the keywords in that sentence. Keywords can be divided into the following two types:

Keywords

CANNOT BE CAN BE
paraphrased paraphrased

Keywords that cannot be paraphrased are also called priority keywords - which means we will prioritize
finding and underlining them. Usually it will be personal names (person's name, company name, school
name, name of a place, ...), numbers (phone number, date and time, ...), or scientific terms (technics, brain,
cancer, ...), ...

Keywords can be paraphrased: a noun, verb, adjective or a whole phrase. To increase the difficulty of the
question as well as test the candidate's vocabulary, the examiner will paraphrase keyword A in the question
into a keyword A' that is synonymous with keyword A.

For example:

Statement:

Dr Maria Richter believes that people become interested in collecting in early childhood.

 Priority keywords: Dr Maria Richter

 Keywords can be paraphrased:
- become interested in

- collecting

- early childhood

You should practice thinking quickly about how the keywords above will be paraphrased in the reading
passage, this will help you locate information more easily.

 become interested in = be fond of, be fascinated by, ...

 collecting = gathering, assemble, accrue, ...
 early childhood = in the early / first year of life, ...

Moreover, we need to pay attention to some important words after identifying keywords, which are
controlling words. Controlling words are words that just need to be added to a sentence, it CAN CHANGE
the meaning of the whole sentence.
For example:

Look at the sentences below, pay attention to the words in bold and then compare the meanings of the
sentences.

 Dr Maria Richter believes that people become interested in collecting in early childhood.

 Dr Maria Richter believes that all people become interested in collecting in early childhood.

 Dr Maria Richter believes that the majority of people become interested in collecting in early
childhood.

 Dr Maria Richter believes that a few people become interested in collecting in early childhood.

 Dr Maria Richter believes that people rarely become interested in collecting in early childhood.

 The words “all” “the majority of” “a few” and “rarely” are called controlling words.

Types of controlling words that you need to pay special attention to when analyzing questions:

Controlling
words

adverbs of adverbs of Solely, purely,

ordinal number comparisons
quantity frequency only

Controlling words Vocabulary

Adverbs of quantity all, most, the majority of, none, some, few/ a few, many, ...
Adverbs of frequency always, sometimes, often, rarely, never, ...
Ordinal number the first, the second, the third, the last, ...
Special adverbs solely, purely, only, ...
Comparisons more ... than ..., less ... than ...., the most, the worst, ...
HOW TO IDENTIFY INFORMATION IN THE READING PASSAGE?
After identifying keywords and controlling words in the questions, we quickly scan those words in the
reading passage, focusing on priority keywords such as proper names.

For example:

Statement:

Dr Maria Richter believes that people become interested in collecting in early childhood.

 Priority keywords: Dr Maria Richter

 Keywords can be paraphrased:
- become interested in

- collecting

- early childhood

People from almost every culture love collecting things. They might collect stamps, books, cards,
priceless paintings or worthless ticket stubs to old sport games. Their collection might hang on the wall
of a mansion or be stored in a box under the bed. So what is it that drives people to collect?
Psychologist Dr Maria Richter argues that the urge to collect is a basic human characteristic. According
to her, in the very first year of life we form emotional connections with lifeless objects such as soft toys.
And these positive relationships are the starting point for our fascination with collecting objects. In fact,
the desire to collect may go back further still. Scientist suggest that for some ancient humans living
hundreds of thousands of years ago, collecting may have had a serious purpose. Only by collecting
sufficient food supplies to last through freezing winters or dry summers could our ancestors stay alive
until the weather improved.

After determining the position of keywords in the paragraph, we carefully read the sentences that contain
content related to this sentence.

In the example above,

Connections to
Read carefully all
Read quickly from the beginning objects such as toys Compare again with
sentences related to
of the paragraph to Psychologist are the starting point the main idea of ​the
Dr. Maria Richter's
Dr Maria Richter for a passion for question  TRUE
statement
collecting.
Quiz
Choose the correct answer A, B, C or D.

1. Based on the information provided in the reading passage, what is a TRUE statement?

A. The information in the statement is not mentioned in the reading passage.

B. The information in the statement is mentioned in the reading passage.
C. The information in the statement does not match the information provided from the passage.
D. The information in the statement matches the information provided from the passage.

2. Based on the information provided in the reading passage, what is a FALSE statement?

A. The information in the statement contradicts the information provided from the passage.
B. The information in the statement does not contradict the information provided from the passage.
C. The information in the statement is not mentioned the information provided from the passage.
D. The information in the statement is mentioned the information provided from the passage.

3. Based on the information provided in the reading passage, what is a NOT GIVEN statement?

A. The information in the statement matches the information provided from the passage.
B. The information in the statement does not contradict the information provided from the passage.
C. The information in the statement has information on the passage.
D. The information in the statement is not mentioned at all in the passage.

4. What are the reading skills we need?

A. Identify keywords, controlling words, scanning, and paraphrasing

B. Identify keywords, scanning, paraphrasing, and follow a description or an argument
C. Identify keywords, controlling words, scanning, paraphrasing, and follow a description or an argument
D. Identify keywords, controlling words, and follow a description or an argument

5. What are the steps to do YES/NO/NOT GIVEN?

A. Read and understand the statement  Identify keywords in the statement  Identify keywords in the
passage  Read the information area related to the keywords and compare main ideas between the
statement and the passage.
B. Read and understand the statement  Identify keywords and controlling words in the statement 
Identify keywords and controlling words in the passage  Read the information area related to the
keywords and compare main ideas between the statement and the passage.
C. Read and understand the statement  Identify keywords in the passage  Identify keywords in the
statement  Read the information area related to the keywords and compare main ideas between the
statement and the passage.
D. Read and understand the statement  Identify keywords and controlling words in the passage 
Identify keywords and controlling words in the statement  Read the information area related to the
keywords and compare main ideas between the statement and the passage.

6. In question type TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN containing one object, if the passage contains the
information and it matches the information in the statement, that statement will be
A. TRUE
B. FALSE
C. NOT GIVEN

7. In question type TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN containing one object, if the passage contains the
information but it contradicts the information in the statement, that statement will be

A. TRUE
B. FALSE
C. NOT GIVEN

8. In question type TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN containing one object, if the passage does not mention the
information in the statement, that statement will be

A. TRUE
B. FALSE
C. NOT GIVEN

9. In question type TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN containing one object, if the passage only mentions part of
the information in the statement and cannot be verified, that statement will be

A. TRUE
B. FALSE
C. NOT GIVEN

10. In question type TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN containing comparison, two items are mentioned in the
statement, but one item is in the text and the other item is not mentioned. That statement will be

A. TRUE
B. FALSE
C. NOT GIVEN

11. In question type TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN containing comparison, two items are mentioned in the text
and the statement. One item is better than the other and the text is the same. That statement will be

A. TRUE
B. FALSE
C. NOT GIVEN

12. In question type TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN containing comparison, two items are mentioned in the text
and the statement, and there is no comparison. That statement will be

A. TRUE
B. FALSE
C. NOT GIVEN

13. In question type TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN containing comparison, two items are mentioned in the text
and the statement. One item is better than the other and the text is the other way round. That statement
will be

A. TRUE
B. FALSE
C. NOT GIVEN

14. The answers to the questions will be

A. not arranged in order.

B. arranged in order.
C. arranged from left to right.
D. arranged from right to the left.

15. What do the keywords divided into?

A. keywords that can be paraphrased and cannot be paraphrased

B. Keywords that can be paraphrased and controlling words
C. keywords that cannot be paraphrased and controlling words
D. the priority keywords and controlling words

16. Why are the controlling words important?

A. Because it helps you understand the statement clearly.

B. Because it can change the meaning of the whole sentence.
C. Because keywords usually come after it.
D. Because important verbs usually come after it.

17. What are types of controlling words?

A. adverbs of quantity, adverbs of frequency, ordinal number, comparison

B. adverbs of quantity, adverbs of frequency, special adverbs, number, comparison
C. adverbs of quantity, adverbs of frequency, special adverbs, ordinal number, comparison
D. adverbs of quantity, adverbs of frequency, ordinal number, special adverbs

18. Read the statement and identify the keywords.

'A language helps you begin to learn more about the people and their cultures - their ideas, their food,
what is important to them and so on'.

A. a language, learn more about the people, their cultures

B. helps, you, about, their ideas, their food
C. begin, more, important, so on
D. a language, begin to learn, important, them

19. Read the sentence and identify the controlling words.

I often go to school at 6:30 in the morning. All the students in my class go to school on time.

A. at, in, on
B. at, all, on
C. often, all
D. all, on

20. The 3 special adverbs we need to remember are:

A. solely, often, all
B. the first, purely, most
C. all, sometimes, only
D. solely, purely, only
PRACTICE
1 Read the following statements and underline the keywords, controlling words.

EX: Most geoglyphs in England are located in a particular area of the country.

Priority keywords geoglyphs in England

Keywords can be paraphrased located, a particular area of the country, most
Controlling words most

a There are more geoglyphs in the shape of horse than any other creature.

b A recent dating of the Uffington White Horse indicates that people were mistaken about its
age.

c Historians have come to an agreement about the origins of the Long Man of Wilmington.

d Geoglyphs were created by people placing white chalk on the hillside.

e Many geoglyphs in England are no longer visible.

f The shape of some geoglyphs has been altered over time.

g The fame of the Uffington White Horse is due to its size.

2 Based on the keywords that can be paraphrased in exercise 1, predict how to paraphrase in the
reading.

Ex: Most geoglyphs in England are located in a particular area of the country.

 located  situated, found, discovered

 most  majority
 a particular area of the country  names of a particular place such as in the south, in the
suburb, in the city center

3 Based on the keywords in exercise 1, scan and find their paraphrase in the passage and complete
the following table. Then compare with the part you paraphrased.

The White Horse of Uffington

The cutting of huge figures or geoglyphs into the earth of English hillsides has taken place for more than
3,000 years. There are 56 hill figures scattered around England, with the vast majority on the chalk
downlands of the country’s southern counties. The figures include giants, horses, crosses and regimental
badges. Although the majority of these geoglyphs date within the last 300 years or so, there are one or two
that are much older.

The most famous of these figures is perhaps also the most mysterious — the Uffington White Horse in
Oxfordshire. The White Horse has recently been re-dated and shown to be even older than its previously
assigned ancient pre-Roman Iron Age date. More controversial is the date of the enigmatic Long Man of
Wilmington in Sussex. While many historians are convinced the figure is prehistoric, others believe that it
was the work of an artistic monk from a nearby priory and was created between the 11th and 15th
centuries.

The method of cutting these huge figures was simply to remove the overlying grass to reveal the gleaming
white chalk below. However, the grass would soon grow over the geoglyph again unless it was regularly
cleaned or scoured by a fairly large team of people. One reason that the vast majority of hill figures have
disappeared is that when the traditions associated with the figures faded, people no longer bothered or
remembered to clear away the grass to expose the chalk outline. Furthermore, over hundreds of years the
outlines would sometimes change due to people not always cutting in exactly the same place, thus creating
a different shape to the original geoglyph. The fact that any ancient hill figures survive at all in England
today is testament to the strength and continuity of local customs and beliefs which, in one case at least,
must stretch back over millennia.

The Uffington White Horse is a unique, stylised representation of a horse consisting of a long, sleek back,
thin disjointed legs, a streaming tail, and a bird-like beaked head. The elegant creature almost melts into
the landscape. The horse is situated 2.5 km from Uffington village on a steep slope close to the Late Bronze
Age (c. 7th century BCE) hillfort of Uffington Castle and below the Ridgeway, a long-distance Neolithic
track.

The Uffington Horse is also surrounded by Bronze Age burial mounds. It is not far from the Bronze Age
cemetery of Lambourn Seven Barrows, which consists of more than 30 well-preserved burial mounds. The
carving has been placed in such a way as to make it extremely difficult to see from close quarters, and like
many geoglyphs is best appreciated from the air. Nevertheless, there are certain areas of the Vale of the
White Horse, the valley containing and named after the enigmatic creature, from which an adequate
impression may be gained. Indeed, on a clear day the carving can be seen from up to 30 km away.

The earliest evidence of a horse at Uffington is from the 1070s CE when ‘White Horse Hill’ is mentioned in
documents from the nearby Abbey of Abingdon, and the first reference to the horse itself is soon after, in
1190 CE. However, the carving is believed to date back much further than that. Due to the similarity of the
Uffington White Horse to the stylised depictions of horses on 1st century BCE coins, it had been thought
that the creature must also date to that period.

However, in 1995 Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) testing was carried out by the Oxford
Archaeological Unit on soil from two of the lower layers of the horse’s body, and from another cut near the
base. The result was a date for the horse’s construction somewhere between 1400 and 600 BCE — in other
words, it had a Late Bronze Age or Early Iron Age origin.

The latter end of this date range would tie the carving of the horse in with occupation of the nearby
Uffington hillfort, indicating that it may represent a tribal emblem marking the land of the inhabitants of
the hillfort. Alternatively, the carving may have been carried out during a Bronze or Iron Age ritual. Some
researchers see the horse as representing the Celtic horse goddess Epona, who was worshipped as a
protector of horses, and for her associations with fertility. However, the cult of Epona was not imported
from Gaul (France) until around the first century CE. This date is at least six centuries after the Uffington
Horse was probably carved. Nevertheless, the horse had great ritual and economic significance during the
Bronze and Iron Ages, as attested by its depictions on jewellery and other metal objects. It is possible that
the carving represents a goddess in native mythology, such as Rhiannon, described in later Welsh
mythology as a beautiful woman dressed in gold and riding a white horse.
The fact that geoglyphs can disappear easily, along with their associated rituals and meaning, indicates that
they were never intended to be anything more than temporary gestures. But this does not lessen their
importance. These giant carvings are a fascinating glimpse into the minds of their creators and how they
viewed the landscape in which they lived.

Information in the reading Keywords in the Keywords in the reading

Sentence
passage statements passage
Paragraph 1, line 2, “There are 56 ... located in England scattered around England
the southern counties.” Most The vast majority
Example a particular area of the the country’s southern
country counties

7
4 Read the following statements and underline the keywords, controlling words.

a Methods for predicting the Earth’s population have recently changed.

b Human beings are responsible for some of the destruction to food producing land.

c The crops produced in vertical farms will depend on the season.

d Some damage to food crops is caused by climate change.

e Fertilisers will be needed for certain crops in vertical farms.

f Vertical farming will make plants less likely to be affected by infectious diseases.

5 Based on the keywords that can be paraphrased in exercise 4, predict how to paraphrase in the
reading.

6 Based on the keywords in exercise 4, scan and find their paraphrase in the passage and complete
the following table. Then compare with the part you paraphrased.

Crop-growing skyscrapers
By the year 2050, nearly 80% of the Earth’s population will live in urban centres. Applying the most
conservative estimates to current demographic trends, the human population will increase by about three
billion people by then. An estimated 109 hectares of new land (about 20% larger than Brazil) will be needed
to grow enough food to feed them, if traditional farming methods continue as they are practised today. At
present, throughout the world, over 80% of the land that is suitable for raising crops is in use. Historically,
some 15% of that has been laid waste by poor management practices. What can be done to ensure enough
food for the world’s population to live on?

The concept of indoor farming is not new, since hothouse production of tomatoes and other produce has
been in vogue for some time. What is new is the urgent need to scale up this technology to accommodate
another three billion people. Many believe an entirely new approach to indoor farming is required,
employing cutting-edge technologies. One such proposal is for the ‘Vertical Farm’. The concept is of multi-
storey buildings in which food crops are grown in environmentally controlled conditions. Situated in the
heart of urban centres, they would drastically reduce the amount of transportation required to bring food
to consumers. Vertical farms would need to be efficient, cheap to construct and safe to operate. If
successfully implemented, proponents claim, vertical farms offer the promise of urban renewal, sustainable
production of a safe and varied food supply (through year round production of all crops), and the eventual
repair of ecosystems that have been sacrificed for horizontal farming.

It took humans 10,000 years to learn how to grow most of the crops we now take for granted. Along the
way, we despoiled most of the land we worked, often turning verdant, natural ecozones into semi-arid
deserts. Within that same time frame, we evolved into an urban species, in which 60% of the human
population now lives vertically in cities. This means that, for the majority, we humans have shelter from the
elements, yet we subject our food-bearing plants to the rigours of the great outdoors and can do no more
than hope for a good weather year. However, more often than not now, due to a rapidly changing climate,
that is not what happens. Massive floods, long droughts, hurricanes and severe monsoons take their toll
each year, destroying millions of tons of valuable crops.
The supporters of vertical farming claim many potential advantages for the system. For instance, crops
would be produced all year round, as they would be kept in artificially controlled, optimum growing
conditions. There would be no weather-related crop failures due to droughts, floods or pests. All the food
could be grown organically, eliminating the need for herbicides, pesticides and fertilisers. The system would
greatly reduce the incidence of many infectious diseases that are acquired at the agricultural interface.
Although the system would consume energy, it would return energy to the grid via methane generation
from composting nonedible parts of plants. It would also dramatically reduce fossil fuel use, by cutting out
the need for tractors, ploughs and shipping.

A major drawback of vertical farming, however, is that the plants would require artificial light. Without it,
those plants nearest the windows would be exposed to more sunlight and grow more quickly, reducing the
efficiency of the system. Single-storey greenhouses have the benefit of natural overhead light; even so,
many still need artificial lighting. A multi-storey facility with no natural overhead light would require far
more. Generating enough light could be prohibitively expensive, unless cheap, renewable energy is
available, and this appears to be rather a future aspiration than a likelihood for the near future.

One variation on vertical farming that has been developed is to grow plants in stacked trays that move on
rails. Moving the trays allows the plants to get enough sunlight. This system is already in operation, and
works well within a single-storey greenhouse with light reaching it from above: it is not certain, however,
that it can be made to work without that overhead natural light.

Vertical farming is an attempt to address the undoubted problems that we face in producing enough food
for a growing population. At the moment, though, more needs to be done to reduce the detrimental
impact it would have on the environment, particularly as regards the use of energy. While it is possible that
much of our food will be grown in skyscrapers in future, most experts currently believe it is far more likely
that we will simply use the space available on urban rooftops.

Information in the reading Keywords in the Keywords in the reading

Sentence
passage statements passage

d
 e

7 Based on the results in exercise 6. Do the statements agree with the information given in the
reading passage “Crop-growing skyscrapers”?

Choose

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE if the statement contradicts the information

NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this