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IELTS Reading · Guide

Multiple Choice (One Answer) in IELTS Reading: a method for A, B, C, D

You answer a question about the passage by choosing one option from four, A to D. The stem may ask about a detail, a reason, the writer's opinion, the purpose of a paragraph or the main idea. It tests close reading, because wrong options are built from words and ideas that are really in the passage.

About Reading practice

Format

  • Usually 3 to 5 questions in a set, in any of the three passages. In some tests the questions cover a whole passage.
  • One answer from four options. On computer you click one option, and you can change it until the 60 minutes are over.
  • Questions follow the order of the passage. A final question about the passage as a whole, such as the writer's main purpose, is the exception and is best answered last.
  • The stem is a question or an unfinished sentence, sometimes referring to a paragraph letter.
  • One mark per question and no penalty for a wrong answer.

Strategy

  1. Read the stem on its own and underline its keywords. Do not read the options yet, because they are written to attract you toward the wrong places in the text.
  2. Scan for the keywords and read the sentences around them. Mark the reference words ('this', 'such a move', 'the latter') and look back to see what they stand for.
  3. Answer the stem in your own words from the text: 'Switching costs most when tasks are unfamiliar'. Then look for the option that says the same.
  4. Test every option, not just the one that looks right. Mark each as supported, contradicted or not mentioned, and keep the one that is supported.
  5. Look hard at sentences with 'however', 'but', 'in fact' and 'although'. They often carry the writer's main point, and the question frequently targets the clause after them.
  6. Check wording for strength: an option containing 'always', 'only', 'never' or 'completely' needs the passage to say that, not 'often' or 'mainly'.
  7. For main-idea and purpose questions, leave them to the end and answer from what you now know of the whole passage or paragraph, not from the first line.

Common traps

  • Choosing the option that repeats words from the passage. A copied phrase feels safe, yet it is often put inside a changed relationship, such as cause turned into effect.
  • Choosing an option that is true somewhere in the passage but does not answer this stem. Check it against the question, not just against the text.
  • Choosing the option that matches your own opinion or general knowledge, which the passage may not support.
  • Taking the first part of a sentence as the answer and missing the correction later in the same sentence.
  • Reading too much. The answer is normally in a few sentences, and rereading the whole passage for one question can take five minutes.

Practise it inside a real Reading section

Practice on PrepFreely is always a complete section, so you meet this question type in the same place and proportion as on test day. Random sections never repeat until you've done them all. Every answer is explained.

Practise Reading Take the Reading course

FAQ

Do I read the options before the passage?

It is usually faster to read the stem first and answer it from the passage, then check the options. Reading all four first can send you to the wrong sentences.

Can the answer be in a different paragraph from the keywords?

Yes, occasionally. When the stem mentions a paragraph letter, stay within it; otherwise follow the order of the passage.

Are multiple choice answers in the order of the passage?

Usually, except for a question about the passage as a whole.

What if two options both seem correct?

Find the exact difference between them, then look in the passage for evidence of that difference. One of them will go beyond what the text says.

Is it worth guessing?

Yes. There is no negative marking and each guess has a one in four chance.

More IELTS Reading guides

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