You’re given a question or an incomplete sentence and four options (A–D); one is correct, based only on what the passage states.

Example: “According to the passage, the main cause of the decline was: A) reduced rainfall B) overfishing C) rising temperatures D) new predators”

Tip: eliminate options that are true elsewhere in the passage but don’t answer this specific question — that’s the most common trap, not factual error.

You’re given statements and must decide if each agrees with the passage (True), contradicts it (False), or isn’t addressed at all (Not Given).

Example: “The city’s population has grown every year since 1990.” — True if stated, False if the passage says growth stalled or reversed, Not Given if population trends aren’t mentioned.

Tip: Not Given is not “the opposite wasn’t said” — it means the topic itself never comes up. This single distinction accounts for more lost marks than any other question type.

Same logic as True/False/Not Given, but used specifically for the writer’s claims, opinions, or arguments rather than plain facts.

Example: “The author believes current regulations are sufficient.” — check whether the writer actually states or implies that view, states the opposite, or never addresses it.

Tip: base your answer only on the writer’s own stated view, not on what’s generally true or what you’d expect them to think.

You match a list of headings to paragraphs or sections of the passage — testing whether you can identify each paragraph’s main idea, not just its topic.

A paragraph describing three failed policy attempts and why each failed needs a heading like “Repeated attempts and their shortcomings,” not just “Government policy.”

Tip: read the first and last sentence of each paragraph first — the main idea is almost always signalled there, and it saves you from re-reading the whole passage per heading.

You’re given a list of specific details (a statistic, an example, a comparison) and must find which paragraph contains each one — the paragraphs aren’t in question order.

“A comparison between two countries’ approaches” might sit in paragraph D even though question order suggests looking near paragraph B.

Tip: scan for names, numbers, and dates first — they’re easier to spot than ideas and usually anchor the right paragraph fast.

You match statements to a list of people, theories, time periods, or categories mentioned across the passage.

Matching “argued that the effect was temporary” to the correct one of four researchers named in the passage.

Tip: underline every proper noun (names, theories, places) on your first read — this question type is really a name-tracking exercise.

You complete a sentence using words taken directly from the passage, usually with a strict word limit (“NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS”).

“The material’s strength comes from its unusually high ___________.” (answer must be lifted verbatim from the text, within the word limit)

Tip: the answer’s grammar must fit the gap exactly — if the sentence needs a noun, the passage’s verb form of the same idea is wrong even if the meaning is right.

You complete a summary, notes, a table, or a flow-chart of part of the passage — either with words from the text or from a given word bank.

A flow-chart of a manufacturing process with three steps blanked out, to be filled from the passage’s description of that process.

Tip: work out which paragraph the summary is condensing before you start — completion questions are usually sequential, so once you locate the start, the rest follow in order.

You label parts of a diagram, map, or plan using words from the passage — common in Academic passages describing a process or a physical layout.

Labelling the parts of a diagram of a water filtration system, based on a paragraph describing how water moves through it.

Tip: trace the process in the order the passage describes it, left to right or top to bottom on the diagram — the text almost always follows the diagram’s physical logic.