Bridget aucoin consulting editor: wendy sahanaya

Understanding 
details and true/false/not given questions 
With these questions, you are being asked to identify factual information in the text. They can 
be used to test your ability to distinguish and understand both details and main ideas.You need 
to determine whether a statement is true, i.e. stated in the reading, or false, i.e. contradicted 
in the reading ( often the opposite of the statement) or whether the information is not given, 
i.e., there is no information on the statement in the reading. When you look for an equivalent
statement in the reading, you will usually not find the exact words but a paraphrase (rewording)
or synonym (word with similar meaning) or an opposite meaning, or word with an opposite
meaning (antonym).

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42 
IELTS Preparation and Practice Reading & Writing - General Training 
Step 1 Quickly survey the text - look at the title, and any other clues, read the first 
and last paragraphs, look at the overall organisation of the text, read the 
first line of every paragraph. 
Step 2 Identify key words in the question. 
Step 3 Scan the reading for the relevant part. 
Step 4 Identify key words in the reading. 
Step 5 Match by identifying words that are the same (synonyms). opposite 
meanings (antonyms). parallel phrases, or not mentioned. 
Step 6 Decide whether the answer is True, False or Not Given. 
Optional: transfer your answers now to the answer sheet. Check spelling and grammatical 
accuracy as you go. 
Guided practice activity 5 
Read the following short paragraphs taken from one of the main practice texts. Read the 
statements and the questions that follow. 
Office hours, appointments and physician referrals 
New patients may schedule an appointment by calling [phone], extension 3310. 
Office hours are 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday, although some doctors may 
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If you think you need an appointment longer than 15 minutes, you should say so 
when you book your appointment. This will avoid delays for other patients.