The Y/N/NG exercise format is one of the very familiar types of exercises in English exercises and especially in the IELTS test. Today, I will share with you some experiences and tips with this type of article!
As we all know, this type of exercise will give you a list of statements and ask you to choose whether it is “Yes”, “No” or “Not given”.
- The statement is “Yes” when its meaning matches the author’s intention in the article.
- The statement is “No” when its meaning is contrary to what the author stated.
- The statement is “Not given” when that information is not in the text.
Tips:
– The order of information in the question is always in the order of information in the reading passage. Thus, the content of sentence 2 always follows sentence 1;
– Verbs should not be used as locating keywords because verbs are often paraphrased with the passage;
Task tactic:
- Read reviews.
- Underline key words in sentences to locate relevant passages in the passage.
Locating keywords are prominent words such as proper names, numbers, and professional words. . .
- Use keywords to determine the definition to compare with the ideas in the article.
You should pay attention to the following words:
– Sentences with strong words such as always (always), never (never), only (only one), … are usually the answer “No”.
– Sentences with words can, may, might… are usually the answer “Yes”.
– The accompanying descriptive adjectives and adverbs are always used to compare with the meaning of the article. Sentences with such words are usually “Not given”.
Here we will do an example:
All our life, so far as it has definite form, is but a mass of habits,” William James wrote in 1892. Most of the choices we make each day may feel like the products of well-considered decision making, but they’re not. They’re habits. And though each habit means relatively little on its own, over time, the meals we order, what we say to our kids each night, whether we save or spend, how often we exercise, and the way we organize our thoughts and work routines enormous effects on our health, productivity, financial security, and happiness. One paper published by a Duke University researcher in 2006 found that 40 percent or more of the actions people performed each day weren’t actual decisions, but habits. |
Do the statements below agree with the ideas expressed by the author? Write YES, NO or NOT GIVEN.
- The majority ofchoiceswe make on a daily basis are conscious decisions
- Saving moneyis the key tofinancial security.
- Habitsaccount for at least40 percent of the things we do each day.
Solving Guide
- The majority ofchoiceswe make on a daily basis are conscious decisions.
The answer is “No”.
With this sentence, you can define the positioning keyword as “choices” or “decision“. Then you will read the whole sentence containing this word to compare the meaning. In the statement, the word used to compare means “conscious” (obviously, consciously).
The sentence in the article: “feel like the products of well-considered decision making, but they’re not.” (day-to-day decisions may seem like well-thought-out decisions, but they are not.) And the very next sentence explains “They’re habits(They are habits).
- Saving moneyis the key tofinancial security.
Answer Not given.
The positioning keyword in the sentence is “financial security” (economic guarantee). This word is considered a professional word. Meaningful statement: Saving money is the key to economic security. However, in the reading, the author does not mention the “saving money“have an impact on”financial security“.
In this sentence, you usually understand that the author asserts that the way of thinking and doing daily work has a great impact on economic security. So saving money cannot be the key to “financial security”.
- Habitsaccount for at least40 percent of the things we do each day.
The answer is Yes.
In this sentence, the identified keyword is “40 percent” (number). Compare with the reading that states: that 40 percent or more of the actions people performed each day weren’t actual decisions, but habits.
Thus, the statement reinterpreted the idea that “40 percent or more of the decisions people make every day are not actual decisions but habits” to become “the habit that takes over.” at least 40 percent of what we do every day.”
Let’s practice some exercises like this with IELTS-fighter!
