A suggested procedure

The question types

In fact there are two question types here:

1. True/False/Not given: fact based
2. Yes/No/Not given: opinion based

In each case you need to decide if the information in the text agrees with the information in the question. You should note that in the ?Yes/No/Not given? questions, you are normally asked to look for the writer?s opinions rather than facts.

The key skill

The key skill here is to understand that you are interpreting the text and the question. This means that you need to read very closely and pay attention to what the writer means. Don?t think of it as a skimming question, rather a question where you need to read the text and the question closely and decide what the writer means.

A difficulty ? Not Given

The ?Not Given? variation is probably what makes this type of question so difficult. How can you deal with this problem? You need to understand that:

• ?Not given? does not mean ?Not mentioned?. Typically, you will the ?NG? answers mentioned in the text ? they simply don?t answer the question

• You cannot add information that is probably true: you can only use the information given in the text

An avoidable mistake ? only focussing on key words in the question

The typical mistake that is made here is: you see a word in the question and match it with some words in the text. People who make this mistake tend to underline key words in the question:

Some practical tips

1. Read the whole question. Do NOT focus on key words. Think about the meaning of the question.
2. Be especially careful with words such as ?often? and ?some?. They can change the meaning of the question dramatically.
3. Be careful with questions beginning ?The writer says?: here you need to think about the writer?s opinions and not about facts.
4. The questions will follow the order of the text: if you can?t find answer 12, you know it must be somewhere between 11 and 13.
5. Do not spend too long on any one question. If the answer is ?Not Given?, there may be nothing for you to find.
6. One possibility is to mark all the ?True? answers and all the ?False? answers and then guess ?Not Given? for the others.

A suggested procedure

Here is my suggested procedure:

1. Read the instructions carefully and note whether you are being asked to look for facts or opinions.
2. Look at all the questions and see what topics they ask about. You may note key words here, but only to identify the correct part of the text to read.
3. Skim the text to identify which paragraphs you need to read more closely. Note that the questions will follow the order of the text and so the answer to question 10 will follow the answer to question 11
4. Mark on the question paper which paragraphs relate to which question: eg, write 11 against paragraph E
5. Refocus on the question and read the whole question: be careful with tricky words like ?usually?
6. Underline the words in the text that give you the answer. This helps you concentrate and also allows you to change your mind, if you find a better answer later.

A variation is to mark the ?True? answers first as they tend to be the easiest and then go back to the ?False? and ?Not given? later.

Practice

What constitutes the good life? What is the true value of money? Why do we work such long hours merely to acquire greater wealth? These are some of the questions that many asked themselves when the financial system crashed in 2008. This book tackles such questions head-on. The authors begin with the great economist John Maynard Keynes. In 1930, Keynes predicted that within a century people?s basic needs would be met, and no one would have to work more than fifteen hours a week. Clearly, he was wrong: though income has increased as he envisioned, our wants have seemingly gone unsatisfied, and we continue to work long hours. The authors explain why Keynes was mistaken. Then, arguing from the premise that economics is a moral science, they trace the concept of the good life from Aristotle to the present and show how our lives over the last half century have strayed from that ideal. Finally, they issue a call to think anew about what really matters in our lives and how to attain it.

Date: 2016-06-12; view: 185