Understand before you answer
The rules and clues to remember
Main idea and supporting detail
The main idea covers the passage as a whole. A supporting detail may be true but too narrow to summarise the text.
DetailThe centre kept some appointments for walk-in visitors.
Main ideaThe centre tested a booking system and used results and feedback to plan adjustments.
Remember: A true statement is not automatically the answer to a main-idea question.
Inference without invention
An inference is a conclusion supported by the text even if it is not stated in the same words. It must require less imagination than an unsupported guess.
TextThe team will review costs before deciding whether to extend the service.
SupportedAn extension has not yet been confirmed.
UnsupportedThe service will definitely close next month.
Remember: Outside knowledge cannot replace evidence from this particular passage.
Vocabulary and reference words
Try the proposed meaning in the sentence and check that the passage still makes sense. For a pronoun or phrase such as this feedback, identify the specific earlier information it points to.
ContextThe trial produced encouraging results, but further checks were needed.
MeaningEncouraging suggests grounds for hope, not a guarantee.
Remember: A familiar dictionary meaning may be wrong in the current sentence.
Tone and the writer’s purpose
Tone describes the attitude expressed by the wording. A passage that reports gains while acknowledging limits may be cautiously positive. A story may illustrate a lesson through a character’s change.
Balanced toneThe trial helped some visitors, although access remained uneven.
Remember: Choose a tone supported by several parts of the text, not one isolated word.
Try it yourself
12 questions, with every choice explained
Read each original fictional passage, then answer its six questions using only the passage. Questions 1–6 refer to Passage A; questions 7–12 refer to Passage B. No specialist knowledge is required.
Write down A, B, C or D before opening each answer. Work at your own pace. These exercises use no exam timer or negative marking.
Passage A · Original fictional report
A booking system on trial
For eight weeks, a district information centre tested an appointment system. Visitors could reserve a time by phone or online. The centre also kept a number of places for people who arrived without a booking. Staff said this was important because not everyone had reliable internet access or a phone available during working hours.
During the trial, the average waiting time recorded on three mornings each week fell from 38 minutes to 24 minutes. However, the manager warned that these observations did not describe every day or every visitor. Some appointments took longer than expected, and the afternoon queue was not measured.
At the exit, visitors could complete a short questionnaire. Several asked for clearer directions to the correct counter; others wanted later appointments. The centre used this feedback to redesign its signs and consider an evening session. The manager called the results encouraging but said that staffing costs and afternoon demand would need to be assessed before any permanent expansion.
Go to Passage A questions ↓Question 1 · Main idea
Which statement best summarises Passage A?
- A.All visitors must now book online.
- B.The centre proved that afternoon queues had disappeared.
- C.A booking trial showed benefits, while feedback and further checks would guide improvements.
- D.The centre decided to cancel every appointment.
Show answer and explanations for question 1
Answer C: A booking trial showed benefits, while feedback and further checks would guide improvements.
Evidence from the passageThe first paragraph describes the trial, the second gives qualified results, and the third discusses feedback and further assessment.
- Not correct. Phone bookings and walk-in places were available, so all-online booking is inaccurate.
- Not correct. The afternoon queue was not measured, so this claim is unsupported.
- Correct. This covers the trial, recorded improvement, feedback and conditions before expansion.
- Not correct. The passage discusses improvements and assessment, not cancelling every appointment.
Question 2 · Explicit detail
Why did the centre keep some places for visitors without bookings?
- A.Some people lacked reliable internet access or a phone during working hours.
- B.The website accepted bookings only at night.
- C.Every booked appointment was cancelled.
- D.Staff wanted to stop taking phone calls.
Show answer and explanations for question 2
Answer A: Some people lacked reliable internet access or a phone during working hours.
Evidence from the passage“not everyone had reliable internet access or a phone available during working hours”
- Correct. The first paragraph explicitly gives access difficulties as the reason.
- Not correct. No night-only website restriction is mentioned.
- Not correct. The trial included appointments; it does not say they were all cancelled.
- Not correct. Phone booking was offered, and no plan to stop it is stated.
Question 3 · Supported inference
What can reasonably be concluded about the waiting-time results?
- A.Every visitor waited exactly 24 minutes.
- B.Afternoon waiting times fell by the same amount.
- C.The trial made all visits longer.
- D.The measurements show an improvement during the observed mornings, but not the experience of every visitor.
Show answer and explanations for question 3
Answer D: The measurements show an improvement during the observed mornings, but not the experience of every visitor.
Evidence from the passageThe average was recorded on three mornings each week; the manager said it did not describe every day or every visitor.
- Not correct. An average does not mean that every observation was identical.
- Not correct. Afternoon queues were not measured.
- Not correct. The reported average fell rather than rose.
- Correct. The passage gives a lower average for sampled mornings and explicitly limits how broadly it should be interpreted.
Question 4 · Vocabulary in context
What does encouraging most nearly mean in the manager’s description of the results?
- A.Legally required
- B.Giving reason to be hopeful
- C.Impossible to measure
- D.Completely conclusive
Show answer and explanations for question 4
Answer B: Giving reason to be hopeful
Evidence from the passageThe manager welcomed the results but still required assessment before permanent expansion.
- Not correct. Encouraging does not mean required by law.
- Correct. The improvement offers hope while leaving questions to resolve.
- Not correct. Some waiting times had already been measured.
- Not correct. Further checks were still needed, so the findings were not presented as conclusive.
Question 5 · Reference
What does this feedback in the final paragraph refer to?
- A.The glue used at the workshop
- B.Visitors’ suggestions in the exit questionnaires
- C.A decision to close the centre
- D.Only the recorded waiting-time figures
Show answer and explanations for question 5
Answer B: Visitors’ suggestions in the exit questionnaires
Evidence from the passageThe visitors asked for clearer directions and later appointments before “this feedback” is mentioned.
- Not correct. Glue belongs to Passage B and has no role here.
- Correct. The preceding sentences describe requests for clearer directions and later appointments.
- Not correct. No closing decision appears in Passage A.
- Not correct. The phrase points to the immediately preceding visitor comments, not only to the earlier numerical measurements.
Question 6 · Tone
Which phrase best describes the manager’s attitude?
- A.Unconditionally certain of complete success
- B.Hostile towards visitors who need help
- C.Cautiously positive about the trial
- D.Indifferent to the results
Show answer and explanations for question 6
Answer C: Cautiously positive about the trial
Evidence from the passage“encouraging” is balanced by warnings about the observations and the need to assess costs and demand.
- Not correct. The manager identifies limits and conditions, which rules out unconditional certainty.
- Not correct. The centre preserved walk-in access and considered requests; hostility is not supported.
- Correct. Encouraging expresses optimism, while the warnings and further checks make it cautious.
- Not correct. The manager discusses evidence and future decisions, showing interest rather than indifference.
Passage B · Original fictional story
The chair that looked finished
On her first week at a furniture workshop, Tara was asked to prepare an old wooden chair for a community reading room. She noticed a dull patch on its back and imagined how smart it would look after polishing. Her supervisor, Dev, asked her to check the joints first. Tara pressed each leg gently and found that one moved.
She wanted to finish quickly, but repairing the joint meant waiting for glue to dry. While she waited, she cleaned the other parts and wrote down the steps she had followed. The next morning, Dev tested the chair with her. Only when it stood firmly did they apply the final polish.
At the reading room, a visitor admired the chair’s smooth surface. Tara thanked him, then looked at the leg she had repaired. The work that mattered most was almost invisible. Back at the workshop, she began her next task by checking its structure. She still cared about a fine finish, but she no longer treated appearance as proof that a job was complete.
Go to Passage B questions ↓Question 7 · Explicit detail
What did Dev ask Tara to do before polishing the chair?
- A.Check its joints
- B.Paint its legs
- C.Deliver it immediately
- D.Write to the visitor
Show answer and explanations for question 7
Answer A: Check its joints
Evidence from the passage“Her supervisor, Dev, asked her to check the joints first.”
- Correct. Dev specifically asked Tara to check the joints first.
- Not correct. Painting the legs is not described.
- Not correct. The chair was delivered only after repair, testing and polishing.
- Not correct. The visitor appeared later, and no letter is mentioned.
Question 8 · Sequence
Why did Tara need to wait during the repair?
- A.The reading room had closed permanently.
- B.She had lost the chair.
- C.Dev had forbidden her to clean it.
- D.The glue needed time to dry.
Show answer and explanations for question 8
Answer D: The glue needed time to dry.
Evidence from the passage“repairing the joint meant waiting for glue to dry”
- Not correct. No permanent closure is mentioned.
- Not correct. The chair remained at the workshop.
- Not correct. She cleaned other parts while waiting, so this is contradicted.
- Correct. The repair required waiting for glue to dry.
Question 9 · Vocabulary in context
In the final paragraph, almost invisible most nearly means that the important work was ___.
- A.deliberately concealed to deceive the visitor
- B.imaginary and never performed
- C.not easily noticed from the chair’s appearance
- D.unnecessary because the chair was already safe
Show answer and explanations for question 9
Answer C: not easily noticed from the chair’s appearance
Evidence from the passageThe visitor admired the surface; Tara looked at the repaired leg and reflected on the work that mattered.
- Not correct. The passage gives no deceptive motive.
- Not correct. Tara did repair the joint; the work was real.
- Correct. The repaired joint mattered even though the visitor noticed the polished surface.
- Not correct. The moving leg showed that a repair was needed.
Question 10 · Character change
How did Tara approach her next task differently?
- A.She ignored the structure to save time.
- B.She checked the structure before judging the finish.
- C.She stopped caring about appearance entirely.
- D.She decided never to repair furniture again.
Show answer and explanations for question 10
Answer B: She checked the structure before judging the finish.
Evidence from the passage“she began her next task by checking its structure” and “She still cared about a fine finish”
- Not correct. The passage states the opposite: she began by checking structure.
- Correct. She applied the lesson by checking structure first while still valuing a fine finish.
- Not correct. The passage explicitly says she still cared about a fine finish.
- Not correct. She began another task, so this is contradicted.
Question 11 · Inference
Which conclusion is best supported by Tara’s experience?
- A.A polished surface guarantees a sound structure.
- B.Waiting always wastes time.
- C.Every old chair has a loose leg.
- D.Careful preparation can matter even when the final viewer does not notice it.
Show answer and explanations for question 11
Answer D: Careful preparation can matter even when the final viewer does not notice it.
Evidence from the passageTara realises that the nearly invisible repair mattered more than the admired surface.
- Not correct. The chair initially looked ready for polishing but had a moving leg.
- Not correct. Waiting allowed the glue to dry; the story does not treat it as waste.
- Not correct. The story concerns one chair and cannot establish a rule about every old chair.
- Correct. The repaired joint was essential although the visitor admired the visible finish.
Question 12 · Main theme
Which title best expresses the lesson of Passage B?
- A.Good Work Goes Beyond Appearance
- B.The End of the Reading Room
- C.Why Every Task Must Be Rushed
- D.How to Choose a Paint Colour
Show answer and explanations for question 12
Answer A: Good Work Goes Beyond Appearance
Evidence from the passageThe closing sentence explains that appearance alone is not proof that a job is complete.
- Correct. The story contrasts a fine-looking finish with the structural work needed to complete the job well.
- Not correct. The reading room does not close.
- Not correct. Tara learns to resist rushing past important preparation.
- Not correct. Colour selection is not the focus.
