Step 1 · Statement
The library allowed free borrowing from the day it opened.
Step 2 · Answer
FalseStep 3 · Evidence
"For its first two decades the library lent books only to members who paid a small yearly fee."
Step 4 · Why the tempting answer is wrong
Many students choose Not Given because the passage does not use the word "free" in the first sentence. But the second sentence directly contradicts the statement: borrowing cost money for twenty years. A direct contradiction is always False.
1The one test that separates False from Not Given
Ask yourself: can I point to a line in the passage that contradicts the statement? If yes, the answer is False. If the passage simply never mentions the point, or only mentions the topic without settling the claim, the answer is Not Given.
Most wrong answers happen because a statement sounds unlikely. Unlikely is not the same as contradicted. If the text is silent, it is Not Given, however surprising the statement feels.
2Small words that flip the answer
Watch for qualifiers. "All", "always", "only", "never", "the first" and "most" make a statement very precise. If the passage says "many" and the statement says "all", that is not a match.
- Passage: "some farmers". Statement: "farmers". Check whether the claim needs all of them.
- Passage: "is expected to". Statement: "will". A prediction is not a fact.
- Passage: a date or number. Statement: a different one. That is False, not Not Given.
Practice questions
Read the passage, then choose True, False or Not Given for each statement. You will see the answer and the reason straight away.
Passage
Rooftop gardens became popular in Singapore during the 2000s, encouraged by a government scheme that paid up to half the installation cost for commercial buildings. Studies by the National Parks Board found that a planted roof can reduce the temperature of the floor beneath it by as much as four degrees. Maintenance remains the main obstacle. Many owners underestimated the cost of watering and repairs, and a number of early gardens were removed within ten years. Residential towers were slower to adopt the idea, although several new developments now include shared roof gardens for residents.- 1
The government scheme paid the full cost of installing a rooftop garden.
Answer: False
The passage says "up to half the installation cost". Half contradicts full.
- 2
The scheme was available to commercial buildings.
Answer: True
The passage says the scheme paid costs "for commercial buildings".
- 3
Rooftop gardens were first built in Singapore in the 2000s.
Answer: Not Given
The passage says they became popular then. It does not say when the first one was built.
- 4
A planted roof can cool the floor below it.
Answer: True
The study found it can reduce the temperature "by as much as four degrees".
- 5
Maintenance cost is the biggest difficulty with rooftop gardens.
Answer: True
"Maintenance remains the main obstacle" says the same thing in different words.
- 6
All of the early rooftop gardens were removed within ten years.
Answer: False
The passage says "a number of" early gardens were removed, not all of them.
- 7
Residential rooftop gardens are more expensive to maintain than commercial ones.
Answer: Not Given
The passage never compares maintenance costs between the two types of building.
- 8
Some new residential developments include roof gardens.
Answer: True
"Several new developments now include shared roof gardens for residents."
Up next
Matching Headings
Find the main idea of each paragraph
Written by the AdmitVerse team. Last reviewed on . AdmitVerse is not affiliated with IELTS, the British Council or IDP. For official rules and test dates, see ielts.org.