Question Types 1: Factual, Negative Factual & Vocabulary in Context
Factual Information Questions
What it is asking
They ask what the passage STATES — a fact that is written down, not implied. The correct answer is a paraphrase of one or two sentences in one paragraph.
How to recognize it
Stems like 'According to the passage…', 'The passage states that…', 'Which of the following is true about X?' — often with a paragraph reference.
Step-by-step method
- Find the key noun/verb from the stem in the passage (scan for it or its synonym).
- Read the full sentence plus one sentence on each side.
- Answer in your own words BEFORE opening the options.
- Match options by meaning, not by shared words.
What evidence to look for
One specific sentence (or two adjacent ones). If your candidate answer needs text from two different paragraphs, be suspicious.
Common traps
- Options that repeat striking words from the passage but rearrange their meaning.
- Facts that are true in the real world but never stated.
- Details borrowed from the WRONG paragraph.
Why the wrong answers are wrong
Wrong answers fail in one of three ways: they contradict the sentence, they outrun it (adding claims the text never made), or they answer about a different subject that merely sits nearby in the text.
Time management
Budget ≈60-75 seconds. These are the fastest points on the test — bank time here for inference and summary questions.
Beginner strategy
Always locate the sentence first, even if an option 'sounds right'. Sounding right is how traps are built.
Advanced strategy
Predict the paraphrase before reading options; then eliminate any option you cannot pin to a line.
Negative Factual Information Questions
What it is asking
They ask which option is NOT true / NOT mentioned / is the exception. Three options are supported by the passage; one is not — or is flatly contradicted.
How to recognize it
Stems contain NOT, EXCEPT, or 'least': 'All of the following are mentioned EXCEPT…'. The negative word is the whole question — circle it mentally.
Step-by-step method
- Treat it as four mini True/False checks.
- Verify each option against the passage; tick off the three you can FIND.
- The survivor — the one you cannot find or that clashes — is your answer.
- If two seem missing, re-check: one of them is usually a paraphrase you skimmed past.
What evidence to look for
Three separate evidence lines, one per supported option. Your job is finding three, not one.
Common traps
- The option that is 'almost' in the text with one word changed (a date, a direction, a quantity).
- Choosing the first option you cannot immediately find without checking the rest — a later option may be even more absent.
Why the wrong answers are wrong
Wrong answers are wrong because they ARE in the passage — as paraphrases. They fail only the 'NOT' test: they answer the question you wished you had been asked.
Time management
Budget ≈90 seconds — verification takes longer. Never skip the checking phase to save time; that converts this into the slowest question on the test.
Beginner strategy
Physically point at the line for each option before eliminating it. No line, no tick.
Advanced strategy
Check the options in reverse order; test-writers like to hide the false one early, but scanning backward breaks the rhythm trap.
Vocabulary in Context Questions
What it is asking
They ask what a word or phrase means AS USED in the passage — which is often not its most common dictionary meaning.
How to recognize it
Stems quote the word and its paragraph: 'The word 'fragile' in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to…'.
Step-by-step method
- Cover the options. Re-read the sentence with the word.
- Replace the word with a blank and predict a meaning from the sentence's logic (contrast? cause? example?).
- Test each option IN the sentence — the right one keeps the sentence true and natural.
- Check the sentence before/after for contrast signals ('but', 'unlike') that define the word by opposition.
What evidence to look for
The surrounding sentence — especially examples, contrasts and restatements near the word.
Common traps
- The most familiar meaning of the word (the dictionary's first sense) when context demands another.
- An option that fits the TOPIC but not the sentence's grammar or logic.
Why the wrong answers are wrong
Wrong answers are usually real meanings of the word in other contexts, or words from the same topic family. They fail the substitution test: put them in the sentence and the logic breaks.
Time management
Budget ≈45 seconds. Context gives the answer; outside vocabulary knowledge is only a tiebreaker.
Beginner strategy
Never answer from the word alone. The sentence is the dictionary here.
Advanced strategy
Use word parts and tone: prefixes (un-, re-, dis-) plus the sentence's positive/negative charge usually cut the options to two instantly.