Practice lessons and tips for IELTS Reading Multiple Choice Questions. These types of questions appear often in the IELTS reading test. They require you to locate information in a reading passage and decide on the best answer option from a given list. They are easier than they seem.
Multiple Choice Tips for IELTS Reading
IELTS Reading Multiple Choice Question Types
There are different kinds of multiple choice questions.
A. Multiple Choice Question: a question to answer
What is the most important task ahead?
- A organising information
- B informing people of decisions
- C collecting data
As you see, you are given a question with three possible answers. There are nearly always three options. You must locate the information given in the question, in the passage and then choose the right options as an answer. Each option is a letter. Your answer must be a letter, for example A. If you write words as your answer, it will be marked wrong.
B. Multiple Choice Question: a sentence to complete
Procrastination is problematic because
- A it is a time waster.
- B it damages people’s health.
- C other people are affected by it.
Each of the answer options offers a possible ending to the sentence. You must locate the sentence in the passage and select the right ending. Again, your answer must be a letter or your answer will be marked wrong. Your answer cannot be a word or words.
Essential Tips for Multiple Choice Questions
- The answers will come in order in the passage. This means that the answer to question 1 will come first and then the answer to question 2 will come after that.
- You might find language or information relating to all answer options. This is why most people get confused about multiple choice questions. Many people think they will only see information about one option.
- Even if most or all options are mentioned, only one option will be the right one. There is only ever one possible answer.
- To choose the right answer means you really need to read for meaning rather than just matching words.
- The answer options, if they are present in the passage, will not be in order necessarily.
- Analyse the questions and answer options.
- Make sure you understand the meaning fully before you look for the answer in the passage.
- Not analysing the question and answer options is the main reason people choose the wrong answer and also the main reason they waste time.
- Analysing the question and answer options is a time saver.
- Correct answer in IELTS reading are not about matching words, but about deeper meaning.
- Prepare possible paraphrases and synonyms in the questions and answer options before you check the passage.
- Spot keywords in the question and answers.
- Take time to notice the difference between the answer options.
- Scan the passage for the paraphrases, synonyms, keywords and similar information.
- Once you locate the information in the passage, return to the questions and check all the answer options again.
- Focus on the difference in meaning between the options.
- You might also notice similarities between options – that is one way you end up choosing the wrong question. Some answer options might be similar with only small differences. So, pay attention to it all.
- Then return to the passage to make your choice.
- Read the surrounding sentences before deciding the answer
- there might be more information in the passage that you need to know about.
- And remember, your answer must be a letter.
IELTS Reading Multiple Choice Practice Lessons
Below are two reading passages for you to practice Multiple Choice for IELTS Reading. The levels of these passages vary to help you gain familiarity and confidence. Both GT and academic candidates can benefit from these exercises.
Multiple Choice Practice Lesson 1
An easy introduction to MC questions for you.
All About Rice
The first rice may have been grown in East and South Asia as long as 15,000 years ago, when people began to settle in river deltas and domesticated wild rice. Today it is grown practically everywhere, except Antarctica! Rice is grown on flooded land and on dry land, in tropical rain forests of Africa and in arid deserts of the Middle East, on coastal plains and on the Himalayan mountains.
In the year 2003, the world produced about 589 million tonnes of paddy rice. Most of that (about 534 million tones) was grown in Asia. In 2002, it is estimated that rice fields covered almost 1.5 million square km of land. Again, most of those fields are in Asia – around 1.3 million square km.
Questions 1 – 2: Choose the correct letter (A-C) for your answer.
1. Where is rice grown?
A everywhere
B almost everywhere
C mainly on flood lands and coastal plains
2. In 2002, rice fields covered about ……………
A 1.5 million square miles of land.
B 1.3 million square km of land in China.
C 1.5 million square km of land in the world.
ANSWERS
Click below:
ANSWERS- B
- This is testing both your vocabulary and general understanding of the passage. In the passage, it says ‘rice is grown everywhere except Antarctica’. This means it is grown everywhere except one place. This means it isn’t actually grown everywhere because there is one place where it isn’t grown. So, the answer can’t be A, even though there are matching words between question and passage. this is how many people choose the wrong answer because they match words and forget to match meaning instead.
- If you aren’t sure of an answer, guess. Never leave an answer box empty.
- C
- This question is a typical example of how confusing options can be if you don’t spot the keywords. Is the answer option about square miles or square km – that is a difference you needed to spot. And is the passage giving information about land used in China or in the world. All these can be subtle differences and easy to miss. I hope you got this question right.
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Multiple Choice Reading Practice 2
GM Foods
Genetically modified food is produced from plants which have had their genes tweaked in the lab. Scientists “cut and paste” a gene from another organism into a plant’s DNA to give it a new characteristic. This can be to increase yield or to allow the plant to exist in a more hostile environment than normal. Pro-GM scientists say this means cheaper more plentiful food but opponents argue we do not know the consequences of meddling with nature.
Farmers have modified their crops for thousands of years by crossing similar species. However, modern GM is controversial. Critics say the modified crops could “escape” and cross with wild plants, with unknown consequences. They also argue that more chemicals are used on some GM fields which may have a negative impact on wildlife. And while no study has found GM food to be harmful to humans, opponents say it is too soon to be sure.
A group of biotechnology experts say it is time to loosen Europe’s draconian regulations on genetically modified crops. In a report released today they argue that genetically modified crops have been used safely for decades, so no longer need to be automatically treated as unsafe. They also say that genetically modified crops should be reclaimed from multinational companies and treated as a public good.
Questions 1-5: Choose the best answer from A-C.
1. The genetic makeup of GM foods has been………
- A twisted.
- B altered.
- C cut.
2. By genetically engineering plants, they are……………
- A likely to increase in size.
- B able to produce more.
- C not able to exist in difficult conditions.
3. One issue with GM plants is the potential to………
- A cause undetermined consequences by damaging wildlife.
- B infect wild plants with unknown results.
- C cross pollinate.
4. It is thought, by specialists in biotechnology that policies governing GM crops should be…….
- A tightened.
- B relaxed.
- C reviewed.
5. GM foods ought to be ……….
- A reclaimed for the use of multinational companies.
- B used safely.
- C no longer privatised.
ANSWERS
Click below to reveal answers:
Answers- B
- B
- C
- B
- C
- tweak = adjust, modify, regular (the synonyms relate to the context)
- cross with = reproduce with, cross pollinate
- meddling with = interfering with
- loosened = relaxed
- regulations = rules / policies
- experts = specialists
- released = made public / issued / announced
- draconian = strict / tough / harsh
Passage adapted from: BBC News and New Scientist
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ADVICE: GM food topic can appear in IELTS Writing Task 2 and also Speaking Part 3. Always use my reading passages to review language and ideas for other parts of the IELTS Test.
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RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
- More Multiple Choice Reading Practice
- Yes No Not Given Reading Practice
- Matching Sentence Endings Reading Practice
- Matching Headings Reading Practice
- ALL IELTS READING PRACTICE LESSONS & TIPS
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