CISL is proud to offer intensive Monday-Friday classes to help our students prepare for the IELTS exam. In addition, on the CISL Blog we often look at test tips and practice questions. In this post, we are focusing on the IELTS Reading Test and one question type that is very difficult for many students: the True/False/Not Given question. A True/False question sounds simple . . . but the addition of the “Not Given” complicates this question type and can be very difficult for students! Here are some tips to help you correctly answer these questions.

IELTS True/False/Not Given Questions

You will read a passage with information, and then read a statement. You will have to say if, according to the passage, the information is True, False, or Not Given.

General guidelines:

If you can clearly find the answer in the reading, then the answer is TRUE.
If you can find something that contradicts information in the reading, then the answer is FALSE.
If you cannot prove that the statement is true or false by using the information in the reading, then the answer is Not Given.

Tips:

Quickly read the text for a general understanding of the meaning, then read the questions.
The questions are in order. If you don’t know the answer to, for example, Question #3, you can find the answer to it between the answers for Questions #1 and #3.
Be sure that you fully understand the question before trying to answer it.
Try to identify key words in the question and find these key words in the text. Sometimes synonyms are used.
Be careful for words that can quickly change the meaning of a sentence, like ALTHOUGH, HOWEVER, and YET.
Look for words like ONLY and ALL and NEVER and identify how this affects the question.
Remember to manage your time wisely. If you feel like you are spending too much time on one question, move on. If you can’t find the answer, then the answer is probably Not Given.

To practice, we are taking a look at some text from the website of the San Francisco Cartoon Art Museum, the coolest museum in the world! Read the text and then see if you can answer the True/False/Not Given questions below.

IELTS Reading Practice: The San Francisco Cartoon Art Museum

From editorial cartoons to comic books, graphic novels to anime, Sunday funnies to Saturday morning cartoons, the Cartoon Art Museum has something for everyone. Located downtown in San Francisco’s Yerba Buena cultural district, the museum is home to over 6,000 pieces of original and cartoon and animation art, a comprehensive research library, and five galleries of exhibition space. Join us for one of our many book signings, lectures, cartooning classes or workshops; mix and mingle with professional and aspiring cartoonists; or visit our bookstore. Whether it’s nostalgic, educational, or just plain fun, a trip to the Cartoon Art Museum will be an experience you will never forget.

OUR MISSION

The Cartoon Art Museum’s key function is to preserve, document, and exhibit this unique and accessible art form. Through traveling exhibitions and other exhibit-related activities — such as artists-in-residence, lectures, and outreach — the museum has taken cartoon art and used it to communicate cultural diversity in the community, as well as the importance of self-expression.

OUR PROFILE

The Cartoon Art Museum is the only museum in the western United States dedicated to the preservation and exhibition of cartoon art in all its forms. This unique institution houses approximately 6,000 original pieces in its permanent collection. A complete volume research/library facility is located on the museum’s premises. In addition to ten major exhibitions a year, the museum has a classroom space and a bookstore.

OUR HISTORY

In 1984, a group of cartoon art enthusiasts began organizing exhibitions by using artwork from their own collections. For several years, the Cartoon Art Museum was a “museum without walls,” setting up shows in local museums and corporate spaces. In 1987, with an endowment from Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz, the museum established residence in the heart of San Francisco’s new vibrant art center, Yerba Buena Gardens.

In the museum’s 25-plus years of existence it has produced over 100 exhibitions and 20 publications celebrating and examining the diversity of cartoon art in animation, comics, graphic novels, zines, book illustration, and more.

EDUCATION

The Cartoon Art Museum offers a wide variety of programs and classes in cartooning, illustration, and animation. Our education program includes School Group Tours and Field Trips, Classes, Classroom Outreach, After-School Programs at your school and at the museum, Camps, and Internships.

True/False/Not Given QUESTIONS

1. The Cartoon Art Museum offers more than just cartoon exhibits.

2. The CAM is appropriate for all ages.

3. The CAM is a great place to meet professional cartoonists.

4. Cartoons are more accessible than traditional art forms.

5. The Cartoon Art Museum is the only museum in the western United States dedicated to the preservation and exhibition of cartoon art in all its forms.

6. The museum was founded by the creator of Peanuts.

7. In the museum’s 25-plus years of existence it has produced over 1,000 exhibitions and 20 publications celebrating and examining the diversity of cartoon art in animation, comics, graphic novels, zines, book illustration, and more.

8. The CAM has been run by the same organization since its inception 25 years ago.

True/False/Not Given ANSWERS

1. The Cartoon Art Museum offers more than just cartoon exhibits.

TRUE: Located downtown in San Francisco’s Yerba Buena cultural district, the museum is home to over 6,000 pieces of original and cartoon and animation art, a comprehensive research library, and five galleries of exhibition space.

2. The CAM is appropriate for all ages.

NOT GIVEN

3. The CAM is a great place to meet professional cartoonists.

TRUE: Join us for one of our many book signings, lectures, cartooning classes or workshops; mix and mingle with professional and aspiring cartoonists; or visit our bookstore.

4. Cartoons are more accessible than traditional art forms.

FALSE: The Cartoon Art Museum’s key function is to preserve, document, and exhibit this unique and accessible art form.

5. The Cartoon Art Museum is the only museum in the western United States dedicated to the preservation and exhibition of cartoon art in all its forms.

TRUE: The Cartoon Art Museum is the only museum in the western United States dedicated to the preservation and exhibition of cartoon art in all its forms.