Mastering IELTS Reading Multiple Choice Questions

 Highlights:

• Understanding Multiple-Choice Questions: These questions evaluate your skills in skimming, scanning, and interpreting synonyms and paraphrases within the text.​
  
• Essential Strategies: Techniques such as reading questions before the passage, identifying keywords, and employing the elimination method can significantly boost performance.
  
• Practice and Application: Regular practice using authentic materials helps in mastering these strategies and improving reading comprehension.

The multiple-choice questions test your ability to understand the given text and then answer the specific details asked. Generally, one question will have 3 or 4 options, and you will have to choose the correct option. Some questions might ask you to choose two appropriate options. This section is relatively easy; however, students can make silly mistakes. 

This article will help you understand the multiple-choice section better and thereby help you score more. 

What are the skills needed for the Multiple Choice section in IELTS Test?

Here is a list of skills needed for the Multiple Choice questions

1) The ability to skim through the text

2) The ability to scan the text for the keywords

3) The ability to recognize the synonyms and paraphrases

4) The ability to answer the specific details

#Essential tips

Here are some essential tips that you should keep in mind while attempting the Multiple Choice Questions

Read the questions first.   While reading the questions, you will get a general idea about what is being asked.  Doing this will help you quickly identify the answers.

1. Look for synonyms and paraphrases.  You might not spot the exact word you were looking for in the text. It is crucial to be aware of synonyms and paraphrases in the text.

2. The answers follow a particular order. The answer to question 2 will be after question 1 and before question

3. Attempt all the questions. It is advised that you attempt all the questions even if you are unsure of the correct answer. There is a 25% chance that you might get it right.  

#Strategies  for attempting Multiple Choice Question

Here are some strategies to help you  answer this section more efficiently

Read the questions carefully.  Having a clear understanding of the question is very important in this section.  Misinterpretation will result in choosing the incorrect option.

1. Scan through the text.  After reading the question, scan through the text to look for the answer. Bear in mind that the answers will be in order, so search accordingly.
   

2. Identify the keywords.  After making a note of the keywords, look for their synonyms in the text.

3. Predict the answer before actually looking for it in the passage. Doing so will help you be more confident while selecting the correct option.

4. Follow the Elimination Method.  Some questions might be tricky, and the options may confuse you. The elimination method is the best strategy to opt for in this scenario.  First, eliminate incorrect choices. When you are left with two options, re-read the text again and scan for hints.

Key Takeaways:

• Skim and Scan: Quickly skim the passage to grasp the general idea, then scan for specific keywords related to the questions.
  
• Recognize Synonyms: The test often paraphrases information. Being adept at identifying synonyms helps in locating answers.​
  
• Answer Order: Typically, answers appear sequentially in the passage. If you’ve found answer 1 and 3, answer 2 is likely in between.​
  
• Elimination Method: Narrow down choices by eliminating clearly incorrect options, increasing the odds of selecting the right answer.​
  
• Attempt Every Question: There’s no penalty for wrong answers, so it’s better to guess than to leave a question blank.

#FAQ