1. Multiple Choice

Multiple-Choice questions seek just one correct answer from a variety of possible answers. Exam takers have to be aware of all the possible ways in which the IELTS exam will try to confuse or distract you to make a wrong choice.

Procedure:

1. underline (paper) or highlight (computer) keywords in the questions PROMPT
2. SCAN the text for these words or common synonyms (vocabulary) or paraphrase
3. Check the answer statement options and choose the answer that best reflects the meaning the question prompt asks.

To perform well on this task, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO READ THE ENTIRE TEXT. You have to SCAN the text for the keywords because you 1. Will save a lot of time on the exam 2. Will not necessarily remember where all the answers are after one reading.

Note: Where you find the correct answer for the first question IN THE TEXT, the following ANSWERS will be found AFTER the first correct answer. By knowing this you will be able to move quickly to locate keywords from the question prompts. So, the process you are employing during Multiple-Choice questions is a Back-and-Forth motion from the answer key, looking for keywords, and then to the text, locating keywords or synonyms.

For the following Multiple-Choice questions practice the above method and try to finish within 2 to 2 ½ minutes. Both examples below are typical of General Training and Academic Reading exams.

Hadrian, Publius Aelius (76 – 138)

Hadrian was a Roman emperor from 117, born in Rome, or according to some sources, in Italica, in Spain. After his father’s death in 86, he accompanied the emperor Trajan, his kinsmen, and guardian, on his wars. He became prefect of Syria, and after Trajan’s death was proclaimed emperor by the army. Insurrections had broken out in Egypt, Palestine, and Syria; Moesia and Mauretania were invaded by barbarians, and the Parthians had once more asserted their independence.

Hadrian concluded peace with the Parthians, having resolved to limit the boundaries of the empire in the East, and after appeasing the invaders in Moesia, he established his authority in Rome and suppressed a conspiracy against his life.

At about 120, he began his long tour of the empire. He visited Gaul, Germany, Britain (where he built the wall from Solway to Tyne), Spain, Mauretania, Egypt, Asia Minor, and Greece, returning to Rome at the end of 126. He wintered twice in Athens (125 – 126, 129 – 130). After crushing a major revolt in Judaea (132-134), he returned to Italy, where he died.

He reorganized the army, ruled justly, and was a patron of the arts. Among his buildings were his mausoleum (now part of the castle of St. Angelo); the magnificent villa at Tibur, and he founded Adrianopolis.

Questions 1 -5

Choose the correct letter A, B, C, or D.

1. Who did Hadrian escort in 86?
2. A. his father
3. B. the prefect of Syria
4. C. Trajan
5. D. the army

2. Who declared Hadrian emperor?
3. A. his father
4. B. Trajan
5. C. the army
6. D. the barbarians

3. What did Hadrian have to concede to the Parthians?
4. A. his throne
5. B. Asia Minor
6. C. Moesia
7. D. boundaries in the east

4. How many years was Hadrian’s tour of the Empire?
5. A. about 7 years
6. B. about 5 years
7. C. about 3 years
8. D. about 9 years

5. What did Hadrian build in Britain?
6. A. a castle
7. B. a wall
8. C. a mausoleum
9. D. a villa

Magnusson, M. (Ed.). (1990). Chambers Biographical Dictionary (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap.

Answers:

The Question 1 keywords you scan for are ‘who’, ‘escort’, and the year ‘86’ – Answer C, Trajan. (note the synonym ‘accompanied’ for ‘escort’).

The Question 2 keywords you scan for are ‘who’, ‘declared’, and ‘emperor’ (Hadrian) – Answer C, the army (note the synonym ‘proclaimed’ for ‘declared’).

The Question 3 keywords you scan for are ‘What’, (Hadrian/subject), ‘concede’, and ‘Parthians’ – Answer D, boundaries in the east (note the synonym ‘resolved’ (give up (something) or outcome) for ‘concede’).

The Question 4 keywords you scan for are ‘How many’, ‘years’ + subject/Hadrian’s + ‘tour’ – Answer A, about 7 years (from 120 – 126). Use logic and count the year for the correct answer (1. 120, 2. 121, 3. 122, 4. 123, 5. 124. 6. 125, and 7. 126).

The Question 5 keywords you scan for are ‘what’ + subject, ‘build’, ‘in Britain’ .  Answer B, the wall, is correct.

Test takers should know how to approach Multiple Choice questions on the IELTS exam as this is a very basic skill – to scan for keywords.  This skill is used in different ways throughout the Reading section. Likewise, all the skills in Section 1 of this text should be reviewed and practiced. For example, in ‘Matching Headings’, readers are asked to scan paragraphs for their topic sentences because the Heading will be very close/probably synonymous with the controlling idea! Thus, you have to know ‘what you are looking for’- to find a topic sentence (the topic and controlling idea that sets the parameters for the paragraph). As mentioned earlier, scanning is a ‘quick’ reading skill where your eyes move over the words looking for keywords and/or their synonyms. This strategy is most effective on this test, but it needs to be practiced many times until it becomes automatic from the moment you realize it is a Multiple-Choice question.

Try to practice under test conditions – give yourself an hour (50 minutes to read and 10 minutes to fill in the answer sheet). By practicing and correcting your mistakes, you learn where your weaknesses are. With the Multiple-Choice task, most people have difficulty with the synonymous language used between the questions and the text. For this reason, it is always advisable to have a Thesaurus on your desk at all times because it takes time to build a vocabulary. It is a tough lesson to learn to constantly tell yourself to work on your weaknesses, but this is what helps you become a well-rounded individual and a better reader with regard to the IELTS Reading exam.