Multiple choice questions are frequently asked in the IELTS reading section of both IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training. They are amongst the most direct questions that are asked. Students have to simply identify the correct or most suitable answer to the question. Each question carries a mark and there is no negative marking for wrong ones.
MCQs appear fairly easy to complete and get awarded but they are often tricky if the text is misread or misunderstood. Students often make wrong choices that cost them precious marks. Therefore it is important to understand the reading skills required to answer such questions.
In this article, we will attempt to decode the common problems faced while attempting the IELTS Reading section’s multiple choice questions, checking out example questions and providing tips and tricks to ace this section in the IELTS exam.
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What is IELTS Reading?
The IELTS reading section is one of the four sections of the test. There are forty questions that test a wide range of reading skills of test-takers. The skills that are tested are:
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Reading for the main ideas
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Reading to get the gist
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Understanding logical views and arguments
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Skimming
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Recognising the author’s tone, attitude, purpose and opinions
The questions are sometimes direct and sometimes based on the understanding of the text. The question types include multiple choice questions, identifying information and views, matching, sentence completion, diagram label, summary, note, table, flowchart comparison, etc. Among these, the main type is the IELTS reading multiple choice questions which we shall discuss next.
IELTS Reading Multiple Choice Questions
IELTS Reading multiple choice questions are considered the easiest type of all the objective questions. However, they are not as easy to solve as they seem. While attempting IELTS Reading multiple choice questions, you need to make note of the following things:
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For indirect questions, you need to choose the option closest to the representation made by the text.
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Not all questions ask you to choose the correct answer. Some questions may ask you to sort out the option which is wrong.
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There are always a few multiple choice questions whose options are so similar that it is difficult to choose. Caution is necessary for solving these questions.
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Each question carries one mark and as easy as it is to score with correct answers, it is also easy to lose marks.
IELTS Reading Tips to Answer Multiple Choice Questions
You can refer to the following IELTS Reading tips to answer multiple choice questions asked in IELTS Reading. These will help you confidently answer the questions and grab a mark for each correct answer.
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Get the gist of the question first to understand whether it is a direct question or not.
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If the question is direct, search and skim through the text. The answer will either will be directly given in the question, or it will be in clear words or phrases in the text.
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If the question is indirect, you need to find out exactly what the question aims to ask.
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You can go through the part of the text relevant to the question. Carefully read and get the meaning from the question to answer correctly.
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While reading the relevant text part, you must ensure to read around the information, in case it is written as a contradiction to the representation made by the text.
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Carefully read each option of the indirect IELTS Reading multiple choice questions.
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Try eliminating the wrong options to get to the right answer.
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After choosing the correct option, go through the question and answer together. If the interrelation is the same as the representation made by the text, then your answer is correct.
IELTS Reading Multiple Choice Sample Questions
Here are some of the IELTS Reading multiple choice questions and their relevant text passages as asked in previous question papers.
Sample 1: Questions with more than one answer.
Sample 2: Questions with only one answer
Sample 3: Questions with direct answers in a text passage
Sample 4: Questions with indirect or inferred answers
IELTS Reading Practice for Multiple Choice Questions
When it comes to IELTS Reading preparation, more than any IELTS Reading tips or sample questions, it is the study material that is important. IELTS Reading practice with proper study material will help in building a habit of following the right techniques to approach and solve the IELTS Reading multiple choice questions.
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Books: Books help in building the right understanding of the concepts for IELTS Reading practice. They provide correct information and explanations for each of the concepts followed to answer the IELTS Reading multiple choice questions. They also cover the various types of IELTS Reading comprehension passages. Hence, you get an insight into which types of passages can be asked in the test.
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Practice Papers: Practice papers cover a single type of IELTS Reading questions in huge numbers for practice. Hence, you can practice IELTS Reading multiple choice questions without getting interrupted by the other questions. The uninterrupted and lots of practice creates momentum, which will help you learn the skills to solve IELTS Reading multiple choice questions like second nature. You would know at a glance what is the approach you need to take to solve the question.
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Question Papers: IELTS Reading practice with question papers gives the flexibility to attempt the question papers and get familiar with them, without having to adhere to the time limits. They contain previous years' sample question papers or just question papers designed on the basis of the IELTS exam pattern. You can get familiar with the IELTS Reading section thoroughly by practising several question papers, all while you do not have to worry about the ticking clock.
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Mock Tests: While IELTS question papers allow you the freedom to solve the questions without time constraints, mock tests make us get used to attempting the section under timed conditions. Once you have become confident with your answering skills for IELTS Reading multiple choice questions, you need to ensure that you apply them while answering the paper. IELTS mock tests will help you in attempting them as you are expected in the real exam.
You might have understood that IELTS Reading multiple choice questions are, in fact, easy to approach and attempt if you have an idea how to do so. You can use the IELTS Reading tips and practice material shared above to prepare for such questions. However, since the IELTS exam does not comprise multiple choice questions only, it is recommended that limited time is spent practicing these questions. Crafting out a strategic plan and incorporating multiple choice questions and how much time within the overall IELTS exam preparation will be more logical.
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