Reading: evaluate answer options

Single-answer reading tasks require selecting the option best supported by a passage. Identify whether the question asks for the main idea, a detail, an inference or the writer’s purpose. Different targets need different evidence. A detail option can be accurate but fail to summarise the whole text; a broad summary can be sensible yet omit the passage’s central distinction.

Read the stem before judging the options, then locate relevant evidence. Compare each choice with the text rather than with your own knowledge. Watch for changed quantities, reversed cause and effect and absolute language that is stronger than the source. If two options appear plausible, name the exact difference between them and return to the controlling sentence. During review, explain why the closest distractor fails. This is more useful than only remembering the correct letter, because a later task will use different wording and a different set of alternatives.

වැඩි විස්තර අවශ්‍ය විට පමණක් මෙම කොටස කියවන්න.

Multiple-answer tasks may require more than one supported choice. Evaluate each option as a separate claim against the passage. Do not assume a fixed number of answers unless the instructions specify it. An option can contain one supported phrase and one unsupported addition, making the whole option unreliable. Pay attention to conditions, comparisons and exceptions.

Use a simple mental classification: supported, contradicted or not established. Select only what the text supports, following the current scoring instructions. Pearson’s multiple-answer tasks can penalise incorrect selections within the item, so selecting every plausible option is not a sound strategy. Read carefully enough to distinguish a benefit mentioned by a critic from one accepted by the author. Review both errors of addition and errors of omission: choosing an unsupported answer and overlooking a supported one reflect different reasoning problems.

වැඩි විස්තර අවශ්‍ය විට පමණක් මෙම කොටස කියවන්න.

An inference connects information already supplied by the passage; it does not add an unsupported story. If a policy reduces fees but excludes some groups, an inference about unequal access may be justified, while a claim about the writer’s personal finances is not. Tone comes from word choice and argument: cautious, enthusiastic, critical and neutral are different attitudes.

Use targeted reading to balance accuracy and time. First understand the stem, then locate and inspect evidence. If unfamiliar vocabulary appears, use grammar, contrast and examples to infer its role without abandoning the whole task. Keep a record of time spent as well as accuracy so that you can see whether over-reading one passage harms later items. A practical improvement may be deciding sooner when sufficient evidence has been found, rather than reading faster everywhere. The aim is controlled decisions based on the text, not intuition based on a familiar topic.

වැඩි විස්තර අවශ්‍ය විට පමණක් මෙම කොටස කියවන්න.