How to answer Reading Multiple Choice, Single Answer
Another question that assesses reading as the main skills is multiple-choice, single answer. There is a passage of 300 words long provided and the test take is prompted to select a single answer based on the content of the passage. The subskills tested here include Identifying the topic, theme or main ideas; identifying the relationships between sentences and paragraphs; evaluating the quality and usefulness of texts; identifying a writer’s purpose, style, tone or attitude; identifying supporting points or examples; reading for overall organization and connections between pieces of information and many more
Tips to answer the questions in this section.
Learn to summarise
As can be seen from example 2, the answer is a single summary to a 300 words long passage. It is important for the test taker to learn to summarize and paraphrasing to be able to answer this question.
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Identify keywords
The test taker has to have a knowledge of keywords and how to identify them. Keywords can be a single word or a phrase that mostly highlights what the passage is all about. For instance, from example 1, few obvious keywords are droughts, global warming, etc. Just by looking at these keywords you have an idea that the passage is about the environment and climate change to mention a few. Identify keywords in the passage as well as the provided options to select answers from is vital.
Understand the topic/content
It doesn’t matter whether one is knowledgeable in the subject matter, what matters is understanding the concept of the content. Don’t panic if you are presented with a subject about humanities when you are only accustomed to environment topic. Read and understand the concept then answer the question
Below are few examples on how to respond to this question.
Example 1
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The questions for this section is: One present indicator of climate change in Australia is………………….. Below are options where one has to select a correct answer. The correct answer is highlighted in red. |
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Parts of Australia’s biggest city, Sidney, plunged into near darkness for an hour to raise awareness of global warming. The local government, environmental groups and businesses united in support of “Earth Hour”- when the city turned off the lights to save power and cut emissions that contribute to global warming. Lights on the city’s iconic Harbor Bridge were switched off for the hour along with most of those on the famous Sydney Opera House. Tens of thousands of suburban homes joined in. So did hundreds of businesses |
A. Tropical cyclones B. Darkness C. Gas emissions D. Carbon dioxide E. Droughts |
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“It’s massive [climate change]. It’s very difficult to grasp I all its magnitude and complexities,” said the Australian actress Cate Blanchett. “So I think that the potency of tonight is that it’s about a very simple beginning, you know, turning off a switch.” Every day millions of lights and computers are left o in deserted offices, apartment and houses. Environmental activists say that simply switching them off could cut Sydney’s greenhouse gas emissions by five percent over the next year. |
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Per capita, Australis is one of the world’s largest producers of carbon dioxide and other gases that many scientist believe are helping to warm the Earth’s atmosphere, causing climate upset. Prime minister John Howard has refused to sign the International Kyoto Protocol to halt global warming, saying it doesn’t address key issues between developed and developing nations and hurts Australia’s coal-driven economy. But he argues Australia is meeting its international emissions obligations in other ways. |
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A long-standing drought and serious water shortages in Australia have focused much attention on climate change in this election year. Some experts warn higher temperatures could leave this nation of 20 million people at the mercy of more severe droughts and devastating cyclones |
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Example 2
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The questions for this section is: Which of the following most accurately summarizes the opinion of the author in the text?Below are options where one has to select a correct answer. The correct answer is highlighted in red. |
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The original idea for The Statue of Liberty was proposed by Edouard de Laboulaye, President of the French Anti-Slavery Society. A staunch political thinker and an abolitionist, Edouard Laboulaye, who supported the Union in the American Civil War, supposedly suggested the idea to the famous sculptor Frederic Bartholdi. |
A. Unlike proposed earlier, The Statue of Liberty wasn’t erected by the joint effort of both the countries, rather it was a French gift to the Americans.
B. Laboulaye was never of the opinion that the memorial should be erected by utilizing the resources of France only.
C. The Statue of Liberty was fully built in the year 1870 by Bartholdi
D. The idea to build The Statue of Liberty was originated in America.
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He is supposed to have said that a memorial must be created as a toast to American independence and it must be built up with a common effort from both the countries. |
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Another report suggests that Laboulaye believed that if this gift to the United States were built up on behalf of France, the French would feel encouraged to get over monarchy and call for democracy. In 1870, Bartholdi created the first model and then, even after returning to France, continued to improvise on the design |
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