Reading Skills - MCQs test your ability to understand the main ideas contained in a text and then look for specific information.
1. You will need to quickly identify the main idea in order to locate the correct section of the text.
2. When you do this it will seem like two or three of the options could be the correct answer and you therefore must read in much more detail to find the specific information that gives you the correct answer.
This post will:
- look at example questions
- discuss the reading skills required
- discuss common problems
- give you tips and advice
- provide you with a strategy to use on exam day
1. Example questions
There are
three different types of MCQ question. You will either have to:
1. choose one answer out of four options (the most common)
2. choose two answers out of five options
3. choose three answers out of six options
You may also have two different question forms. Either:
1. answering a question
2. completing a sentence
Here is an
example of answering a question type from the academic test:
In the following example
you have to choose one answer from four possible options and the question
requires you to complete the sentences.
Here is an
example from the general paper:
2. Common Problems
1. Reading the text before the questions – if you do
this you are reading ‘blind’ because you are not sure what you are looking for.
You also waste time because you will have to read the questions and then read
the text again, so you have just wasted your time on the first reading.
2. Not answering questions – this seems
like an obvious one but it would shock you how many people don’t answer the
question at all.
3. Being tricked by the examiner – examiners
love to try and trick you with ‘distractors’. Distractors are things that look
like the correct answer but are actually incorrect. When you locate the correct
section in the reading text, there will appear to be two or three plausible
correct answers. A very common trick is matching lots of keywords from the
question options to parts of the text. Just because there are lots of matching
keywords doesn’t mean it is the correct answer. Also look at the context of the
whole sentence and any qualifying words like most, all, always,
sometimes.
4. Not reading the whole sentence – the first
part of a sentence might look correct but the second half of it might change
the meaning. Words like but and however can change the meaning
of a whole sentence. Examiners know you are trying to get the answers as
quickly as possible and will try to trick you in this way.
5. Not reading the text carefully – because
there are so many ‘distractors’, some of the ‘correct’ answers will appear to
‘jump out’ at you. If you don’t read the text carefully, you will choose the
incorrect answer. Take some time to really understand the meaning of each
sentence.
3. Top 10 Tips
1. Read the questions before you read the text.
2. You will often be able to eliminate 2 of the four
answers and this leaves you with two choices. Think about the difference in
meaning between these two choices and this will help you get the correct
answers.
3. If you are unsure of what the difference is between
two or three sentences, it can help to rephrase them in your own words.
4. If you are running out of time or you really don’t
know the answer, have a guess. You will not lose marks for wrong answers and
you have a 25% chance of getting the correct answer just by guessing.
5. Don’t be tricked by the examiner’s ‘distractors’
especially keywords from the questions that look the same as the text.
6. If you don’t know anything about the topic, don’t
panic. It is a reading test, not a test of your knowledge.
7. Try to predict the correct answer before you read the
text. This will help you find the correct answer.
8. Before deciding on your answer, always go back and
carefully read the questions before making your final decision.
9. The answers will be in the same order as the
text.
10. You might be asked about both facts and opinions.
Facts are things that are always true or can not be disproved but opinions are
just what people think.
4. Strategy
1. Read the questions carefully.
2. Skim the text to get the general meaning.
3. Underline any keywords in the question and
think about any synonyms that might appear in the text.
4. Read the choices and underline any
keywords. Think about the difference in meaning between the different
choices.
5. Predict the correct answer.
6. Read the text and using keywords and synonyms locate
the part containing the answers.
7. Read that part of the text very carefully, thinking
about the difference in meanings.
8. Go back and read the question again and mark your
final choice.
Summary
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Task type and format
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Test takers are required to choose the
best answer from four alternatives (A, B, C or D), or the best two answers
from five alternatives (A, B, C, D or E), or the best three answers from
seven alternatives (A, B, C, D, E, F or G). Test takers write the letter of
the answer they have chosen on the answer sheet. The questions may involve
completing a sentence, where they are given the first part of a sentence and
then choose the best way to complete it from the options, or could involve
complete questions; with the test takers choosing the option which best
answers them.
The questions are in the same order as
the information in the text: that is, the answer to the first question in
this group will be located in the text before the answer to the second
question, and so on. This task type may be used with any type of text.
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Task focus
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Multiple choice tests a wide range of reading skills, including detailed
understanding of specific points or an overall understanding of the main
points of the text.
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No. of questions
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Variable
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I hope you
found this useful. If you have any questions please let me know in the comments
below or on the Facebook page.
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