MCQ IELTS

​Reading: Multiple choice & T/F/NG

By Dea Lindia Udiance

The MCQ questions may vary in style, but they generally fall into the following categories:

• Single-answer MCQ

• Multiple-answer MCQ

• True/False/Not given

Tips for IELTS Reading Multiple Choice Questions

• Read the instructions carefully

• Skim the passage

• Predict the answers

• Eliminate wrong answers

• Look for answer in sequence

• Manage your time

Strategies for IELTS Reading Multiple Choice Questions

• Look through the questions first

• Underline key words from the question

• Then scan the text for those key words that you have underlined

• The answer should be found close to that word

• The answers will be found in the text in the same order as the questions

BEWARE

There will be synonyms used in the reading - the words in the IELTS multiple choice questions may not be the same as in the text

​Practice Exercise

Identify the key word in the question first of all. Then scan the text to find it. When you have done this, read the sentences around this key word and see what information best matches the three choices you have.

​Question

What is dry farming?

A. Preserving nitrates and moisture.
B. Ploughing the land again and again.
C. Cultivating fallow land.

To answer this question you should have highlighted the word dry farming.
You should then have been able to scan the two paragraphs to quickly find this word.

Multiple Choice

Australian Agricultural Innovations:
1850 – 1900

During this period, there was a wide spread expansion of agriculture in Australia. The selection system was begun, whereby small sections of land were parceled out by lot. Particularly in New South Wales, this led to conflicts between small holders and the emerging squatter class, whose abuse of the system often allowed them to take vast tracts of fertile land.

There were also many positive advances in farming technology as the farmers adapted agricultural methods to the harsh Australian conditions. One of the most important was “dry farming”. This was the discovery that repeated ploughing of fallow, unproductive land could preserve nitrates and moisture, allowing the land to eventually be cultivated. This, along with the extension of the railways allowed the development of what are now great inland wheat lands.

What is dry farming?

• Preserving nitrates and moisture.

• Ploughing the land again and again.

• Cultivating fallow land.

Questions

Multiple Choice

Artificial artists

Can computers really create works of art?

The Painting Fool is one of a growing number of computer programs that, so their makers

claim, possess creative talents. Classical music by an artificial composer has had audiences

enraptured and even tricked them into believing a human was behind the score. Artworks

painted by a robot have sold for thousands of dollars and been hung in prestigious galleries.

And software has been built which creates art that could not have been imagined by the

programmer.

What is the writer suggesting about computer-produced works in the first paragraph?

• People's acceptance of them can vary considerably

• A great deal of progress has already been attained in this field.

• They have had more success in some artistic genres than in others.

• The advances are not as significant as the public believes them to be.

Multiple Choice

Artificial artists

Can computers really create works of art?

Human beings are the only species to perform sophisticated creative acts regularly. If we can

break this process down into computer code, where does that leave human creativity? 'This is

a question at the very core of humanity,' says Geraint Wiggins, a computational creativity

researcher at Goldsmiths, University of London. 'It scares a lot of people. They are worried that

it is taking something special away from what it means to be human.'

According to Geraint Wiggins, why are many people worried by computer art?

• It is aesthetically inferior to human art.

• It may ultimately supersede human art.

• It undermines a fundamental human quality.

• It will lead to a deterioration in human ability.

Multiple Choice

Artificial artists

Can computers really create works of art?

To some extent, we are all familiar with computerized art. The question is: where does the work

of the artist stop and the creativity of the computer begin? Consider one of the oldest machine

artists, Aaron, a robot that has had paintings exhibited in London's Tate Modern and the San

Francisco Museum of Modern Art Aaron can pick up a paintbrush and paint on canvas on its

own. Impressive perhaps, but it is still little more than a tool to realize the programmer's own

creative ideas.

What is a key difference between Aaron and the Painting Fool?

• Its programmer's background

• Public response to its work

• The source of its subject matter

• The technical standard of its output

True-False-Not given/
Yes-No-Not given

The main goal of this question type is to determine whether the information presented in the given passage aligns with the statements provided in the question.

I am a university student studying psychology. I enjoy spending my free time outdoors, especially hiking in the mountains. Photography is one of my passions, and I love capturing the beauty of nature through my camera lens.

True : Johanna is studying psychology at university.

False : Johanna prefers spending my free time indoors, away from nature.

Not Given : Johanna owns a professional-grade camera for my photography hobby.

Tips

True-False-Not given/Yes-No-Not given

• If the fact you are given is clearly in the reading it is True

• If the reading says the opposite of the fact you've been given it is False

• If it is not true or false, it is Not Given

Multiple Choice

Chilies originate in South America and have been eaten for at least 9,500 years. Organised cultivation began around 5,400 BC. Christopher Columbus was the first European to encounter chilies, when he landed on the island of Hispaniola in 1492. He thought it was a type of pepper and called it the “red pepper”, a name still used today. After their introduction to Europe they were an immediate sensation and were quickly incorporated into the diet. From there they spread to Africa, India and East Asia.

The reason for the chili’s “hotness” lies in a chemical called Capsaisin. Capsaisin causes temporary irritation to the trigeminal cells, which are the pain receptors in the mouth, nose and throat. After the pain messages are transmitted to the brain, endorphins, natural pain killers, are released and these not only kill the pain but give the chili eater a short lived natural high. Other side effects include: an increased heart rate, a running nose and increased salivation and sweating, which can have a cooling effect in hot climates.

The reason for the presence of Capsaisin is thought to be to deter animals from eating the fruit. Only mammals feel the burning effects; birds feel nothing. As birds are a better method of distributing the seeds, which pass intact through their guts, Capsaisin would seem to be a result of natural selection.

The smaller chilies tend to be the hottest. This may reflect the fact that they tend to grow closer to the ground and are therefore more vulnerable to animals. The heat of a chili is measured on the Scoville scale. The hottest types such as the Habenero and the Scotch Bonnet rate between 100,000 and 300,000, the world famous Tabasco sauceÒ rates at 15,000 to 30,000, about the same as the Thai prik khee nu, while the popular Jalapeno is between 5,000 and 15,000. Powdered chili is 500 to 1,000 and the mild capsicins and paprikas can range between 100 and 0.

Chilies became popular as soon as they were brought into Europe.

• TRUE

• FALSE

• NOT GIVEN

Multiple Choice

Chilies originate in South America and have been eaten for at least 9,500 years. Organised cultivation began around 5,400 BC. Christopher Columbus was the first European to encounter chilies, when he landed on the island of Hispaniola in 1492. He thought it was a type of pepper and called it the “red pepper”, a name still used today. After their introduction to Europe they were an immediate sensation and were quickly incorporated into the diet. From there they spread to Africa, India and East Asia.

The reason for the chili’s “hotness” lies in a chemical called Capsaisin. Capsaisin causes temporary irritation to the trigeminal cells, which are the pain receptors in the mouth, nose and throat. After the pain messages are transmitted to the brain, endorphins, natural pain killers, are released and these not only kill the pain but give the chili eater a short lived natural high. Other side effects include: an increased heart rate, a running nose and increased salivation and sweating, which can have a cooling effect in hot climates.

The reason for the presence of Capsaisin is thought to be to deter animals from eating the fruit. Only mammals feel the burning effects; birds feel nothing. As birds are a better method of distributing the seeds, which pass intact through their guts, Capsaisin would seem to be a result of natural selection.

The smaller chilies tend to be the hottest. This may reflect the fact that they tend to grow closer to the ground and are therefore more vulnerable to animals. The heat of a chili is measured on the Scoville scale. The hottest types such as the Habenero and the Scotch Bonnet rate between 100,000 and 300,000, the world famous Tabasco sauceÒ rates at 15,000 to 30,000, about the same as the Thai prik khee nu, while the popular Jalapeno is between 5,000 and 15,000. Powdered chili is 500 to 1,000 and the mild capsicins and paprikas can range between 100 and 0.

Capsaisin causes significant damage to the mouth.

• TRUE

• FALSE

• NOT GIVEN

Multiple Choice

Chilies originate in South America and have been eaten for at least 9,500 years. Organised cultivation began around 5,400 BC. Christopher Columbus was the first European to encounter chilies, when he landed on the island of Hispaniola in 1492. He thought it was a type of pepper and called it the “red pepper”, a name still used today. After their introduction to Europe they were an immediate sensation and were quickly incorporated into the diet. From there they spread to Africa, India and East Asia.

The reason for the chili’s “hotness” lies in a chemical called Capsaisin. Capsaisin causes temporary irritation to the trigeminal cells, which are the pain receptors in the mouth, nose and throat. After the pain messages are transmitted to the brain, endorphins, natural pain killers, are released and these not only kill the pain but give the chili eater a short lived natural high. Other side effects include: an increased heart rate, a running nose and increased salivation and sweating, which can have a cooling effect in hot climates.

The reason for the presence of Capsaisin is thought to be to deter animals from eating the fruit. Only mammals feel the burning effects; birds feel nothing. As birds are a better method of distributing the seeds, which pass intact through their guts, Capsaisin would seem to be a result of natural selection.

The smaller chilies tend to be the hottest. This may reflect the fact that they tend to grow closer to the ground and are therefore more vulnerable to animals. The heat of a chili is measured on the Scoville scale. The hottest types such as the Habenero and the Scotch Bonnet rate between 100,000 and 300,000, the world famous Tabasco sauceÒ rates at 15,000 to 30,000, about the same as the Thai prik khee nu, while the popular Jalapeno is between 5,000 and 15,000. Powdered chili is 500 to 1,000 and the mild capsicins and paprikas can range between 100 and 0.

Chilies can be part of a birds diet.

• TRUE

• FALSE

• NOT GIVEN

Multiple Choice

Chilies originate in South America and have been eaten for at least 9,500 years. Organised cultivation began around 5,400 BC. Christopher Columbus was the first European to encounter chilies, when he landed on the island of Hispaniola in 1492. He thought it was a type of pepper and called it the “red pepper”, a name still used today. After their introduction to Europe they were an immediate sensation and were quickly incorporated into the diet. From there they spread to Africa, India and East Asia.

The reason for the chili’s “hotness” lies in a chemical called Capsaisin. Capsaisin causes temporary irritation to the trigeminal cells, which are the pain receptors in the mouth, nose and throat. After the pain messages are transmitted to the brain, endorphins, natural pain killers, are released and these not only kill the pain but give the chili eater a short lived natural high. Other side effects include: an increased heart rate, a running nose and increased salivation and sweating, which can have a cooling effect in hot climates.

The reason for the presence of Capsaisin is thought to be to deter animals from eating the fruit. Only mammals feel the burning effects; birds feel nothing. As birds are a better method of distributing the seeds, which pass intact through their guts, Capsaisin would seem to be a result of natural selection.

The smaller chilies tend to be the hottest. This may reflect the fact that they tend to grow closer to the ground and are therefore more vulnerable to animals. The heat of a chili is measured on the Scoville scale. The hottest types such as the Habenero and the Scotch Bonnet rate between 100,000 and 300,000, the world famous Tabasco sauceÒ rates at 15,000 to 30,000, about the same as the Thai prik khee nu, while the popular Jalapeno is between 5,000 and 15,000. Powdered chili is 500 to 1,000 and the mild capsicins and paprikas can range between 100 and 0.

All large chilies grow high off the ground.

• TRUE

• FALSE

• NOT GIVEN

Multiple Choice

Chilies originate in South America and have been eaten for at least 9,500 years. Organised cultivation began around 5,400 BC. Christopher Columbus was the first European to encounter chilies, when he landed on the island of Hispaniola in 1492. He thought it was a type of pepper and called it the “red pepper”, a name still used today. After their introduction to Europe they were an immediate sensation and were quickly incorporated into the diet. From there they spread to Africa, India and East Asia.

The reason for the chili’s “hotness” lies in a chemical called Capsaisin. Capsaisin causes temporary irritation to the trigeminal cells, which are the pain receptors in the mouth, nose and throat. After the pain messages are transmitted to the brain, endorphins, natural pain killers, are released and these not only kill the pain but give the chili eater a short lived natural high. Other side effects include: an increased heart rate, a running nose and increased salivation and sweating, which can have a cooling effect in hot climates.

The reason for the presence of Capsaisin is thought to be to deter animals from eating the fruit. Only mammals feel the burning effects; birds feel nothing. As birds are a better method of distributing the seeds, which pass intact through their guts, Capsaisin would seem to be a result of natural selection.

The smaller chilies tend to be the hottest. This may reflect the fact that they tend to grow closer to the ground and are therefore more vulnerable to animals. The heat of a chili is measured on the Scoville scale. The hottest types such as the Habenero and the Scotch Bonnet rate between 100,000 and 300,000, the world famous Tabasco sauceÒ rates at 15,000 to 30,000, about the same as the Thai prik khee nu, while the popular Jalapeno is between 5,000 and 15,000. Powdered chili is 500 to 1,000 and the mild capsicins and paprikas can range between 100 and 0.

People breed chilies for their heat.

• TRUE

• FALSE

• NOT GIVEN

Questions