True/False/Not given card format: mini-passage 1

Review

1. Read the question first. Remember to read 2 sentences at a time. Break each question down into key words.
2. Read the passage and find information (the questions are arranged in the same order as the information in the passage) After identifying relevant information in the passage, we compare the information between the question and the passage. read
3. Enter True if all the information matches, False if there is opposite or different information and Not Given when information is missing or not mentioned.

The True/False/Not Given form and the Yes/No/Not Given form do exactly the same thing. Candidates should read the requirements carefully before filling in the answer sheet. If the question asks to fill in Yes/No/Not given and in the answer sheet we write Yes/No/Not Given, it will not be accepted.

Mini-passage

Watching television makes toddlers fatter and stupider at primary school, according to new research. Scientists who tracked the progress of pre-school children found that the more television they watched the worse they were at mathematics, the more junk food they ate, and the more they were bullied by other pupils.

The findings, which support earlier evidence indicated television harms cognitive development, prompted calls for the Government to set limits on how much children should watch. American paediatricians advise that under-twos should not watch any television and that older children should view one to two hours a day at most. France has banned shows aimed at under-threes, and Australia recommends that three to five year-olds watch no more than an hour a day. Britain has no official advice.

Researchers said that pre-school is a critical time for brain development and that TV watching displaced time that could be spent engaging in “developmentally enriching tasks”. Even incremental exposure to TV delayed development, said the lead author Dr Linda Pagani, of Montreal University.

According to the article, are these statements true, false or not given?

1. Scientists believe that there is a link between the amount of television young children watch and their mental ability.

2. Shows aimed at under-twos are banned in the USA.

3. Children’s television programming is more strictly controlled in France than in Britain

Answers and discussions

1. True

Question: Scientists believe that there is a link between the amount of television young children watch and their mental abilities.

Sentence contains information: Scientists who tracked the progress of pre-school children found that the more television they watched the worse they were at mathematics, the more junk food they ate, and the more they were bullied by other pupils

Compare information

Scientists = Scientists

young children = pre-school children

a link = the more………….the worse

mental ability = mathematics

all the information is correct so we conclude this is True

2. Not given

Question: Shows aimed at under-twos are banned in the THE USA.

Sentence contains information: American paediatricians advise that under-twos should not watch any television

Compare information

American = USA

Shows aimed at under-twos = under-twos….television

Thus, there is one more information: in the reading, only the shows aimed at under-twos was advised not to watch, not to mention that it was banned (banned) or not. So, the answer to this question is Not given

3. True

Question: Children’s television programming is more strictly controlled in France than in Britain

Sentence contains information: France has banned shows aimed at under-threes, and Australia recommends that three to five year-olds watch no more than an hour a day. Britain has no official advice.

Compare information

Children’s television programming = shows aimed at under threes

While France: banned shows aim at under-threes (bans TV shows for children under 3), in Britain: has no official advice (no official advice) ====> TV programs for children in France is more strictly regulated than in the UK. So we conclude the answer is True

After completing each exercise, you should not only compare the right and wrong answers, but find out why you are wrong and try again. Learning from their mistakes is the best way for them to avoid mistakes next time.

Good luck with your studies!