IELTS Reading – Cách xử lý dạng câu hỏi TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN

True/False/Not Given là một trong số các dạng câu hỏi của đề thi IELTS Reading. Có 2 chiến lược chính, tuỳ theo thói quen & mức độ phù hợp đối với từng thí sinh:

A. Đọc câu hỏi trước khi đọc bài (đa số dùng chiến lược này)
B. Đọc bài trước khi đọc câu hỏi

Vietop xin giới thiệu với các bạn chiến lược đọc bài (kèm tóm tắt cực ngắn cho từng đoạn) thật nhanh trước khi đọc câu hỏi. Nếu chưa quen, cách làm này có thể mất khá nhiều thời gian, nhưng bạn sẽ cần hình thành thói quen đọc lướt từng đoạn & tóm tắt nhanh gọn chỉ bằng vài từ. Đây là 1 kỹ năng đọc hiểu rất quan trọng, không chỉ dùng riêng cho thi IELTS.

Ta hãy xét qua 1 bài đọc làm thí dụ cho dạng câu hỏi rất phổ biến: TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN hoặc YES/NO/NOT GIVEN

Nội dung chính

A SILENT FORCE

A. There is a legend that St Augustine in the fourth century AD was the first individual to be seen reading silently rather than aloud, or semi-aloud, as had been the practice hitherto. Reading has come a long way since Augustine’s day. There was a time when it was a menial job of scribes and priests, not the mark of civilization it became in Europe during the Renaissance when it was seen as one of the attributes of the civilized individual.

B. Modern nations are now seriously affected by their levels of literacy. While the Western world has seen a noticeable decline in these areas, other less developed countries have advanced and, in some cases, overtaken the West. India, for example, now has a large pool of educated workers. So European countries can no longer rest on their laurels as they have done for far too long; otherwise, they are in danger of falling even further behind economically.

C. It is difficult in the modern world to do anything other than a basic job without being able to read. Reading as a skill is the key to an educated workforce, which in turn is the bedrock of economic advancement, particularly in the present technological age. Studies have shown that by increasing the literacy and numeracy skills of primary school children in the UK, the benefit to the economy generally is in billions of pounds. The skill of reading is now no more just an intellectual or leisure activity, but rather a fully-fledged economic force.

D. Part of the problem with reading is that it is a skill which is not appreciated in most developed societies. This is an attitude that has condemned large swathes of the population in most Western nations to illiteracy. It might surprise people in countries outside the West to learn that in the United Kingdom, and indeed in some other European countries, the literacy rate has fallen to below that of so-called less developed countries.

E. There are also forces conspiring against reading in our modern society. It is not seen as cool among a younger generation more at home with computer screens or a Walkman. The solitude of reading is not very appealing. Students at school, college or university who read a lot are called bookworms. The term indicates the contempt in which reading and learning are held in certain circles or subcultures. It is a criticism, like all such attacks, driven by the insecurity of those who are not literate or are semi-literate. Criticism is also a means, like all bullying, of keeping peers in place so that they do not step out of line. Peer pressure among young people is so powerful that it often kills any attempts to change attitudes to habits like reading.

F. But the negative connotations apart, is modern Western society standing Canute-like against an uncontrollable spiral of decline? I think not.

G. How should people be encouraged to read more? It can easily be done by increasing basic reading skills at an early age and encouraging young people to borrow books from schools. Some schools have classroom libraries as well as school libraries. It is no good waiting until pupils are in their secondary school to encourage an interest in books; it needs to be pushed at an early age. Reading comics, magazines and low brow publications like Mills and Boon is frowned upon. But surely what people, whether they be adults or children, read is of little import. What is significant is the fact that they are reading. Someone who reads a comic today may have the courage to pick up a more substantial tome later on.

H. But perhaps the best idea would be to stop the negative attitudes to reading from forming in the first place. Taking children to local libraries brings them into contact with an environment where they can become relaxed among books. If primary school children were also taken in groups into bookshops, this might also entice them to want their own books. A local bookshop, like some local libraries, could perhaps arrange book readings for children which, being away from the classroom, would make the reading activity more of an adventure. On a more general note, most countries have writers of national importance. By increasing the standing of national writers in the eyes of the public, through local and national writing competitions, people would be drawn more to the printed word. Catch them young and, perhaps, they just might then all become bookworms.

Đọc lướt (Skim) thật nhanh qua từng đoạn (đọc lướt cả đoạn nếu gặp đoạn ngắn / chỉ đọc phần đầu & phần cuối nếu gặp đoạn dài), ta có tóm tắt như sau:

Reading: St Augustine => the Renaissance
Literacy affects the West (economically)
Reading: a fully-fledged economic force
Reading: not appreciated (in most developed societies)
Reading: not cool / not appealing => bookworms
The West: standing Canute-like? No
Reading: how to encourage?
The best idea: stop negative attitudes

Xem thêm: Mẹo làm bài Matching Headings trong IELTS Reading giúp bạn đạt điểm cao

Questions 23-27

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage?

In boxes 23-27 on your answer sheet, write

YES if the statement agrees with the writer’s claims

NO if the statement contradicts the writer’s claims

NOT GIVEN if there is no information about the statement

Example: According to legend, St Augustine was the first person to be seen reading silently.

Answer: YES

23. European countries have been satisfied with past achievements for too long and have allowed other countries to overtake them in certain areas.

24. Reading is an economic force.

25. The literacy rate in less developed nations is considerably higher than in all European countries.

26. If you encourage children to read when they are young the negative attitude to reading that grows in some subcultures will be eliminated.

27. People should be discouraged from reading comics and magazines.

Bước đọc lướt & tóm tắt từng đoạn ngay từ đầu giúp ta định vị từng mẫu thông tin nhanh hơn

23. Paragraph B => Y

24. Paragraph C => Y

25. Paragraph D => NG (vì không có thông tin “considerably higher” & “all European countries”)

26. Paragraphs G & H => Y

27. Paragraph G => N

Bài giải

Đoạn A: Key words: “St Augustine”, “the first individual to be seen reading silently”, “menial job”, “attributes of the civilized individual”, “Renaissance” → vai trò của việc đọc thành tiếng từ thời phục hưng.
Đoạn B: Key words: “nations,” “levels of literacy”, “less developed countries”, “educated workers”, “overtaken the West”; → thực trạng về giáo dục ở các nước.
Đoạn C: Key words: “Reading”, “the key”, “educated workforce”; “increasing the literacy”, “the benefit to the economy”, “fully-fledged economic force” → Việc tăng khả năng đọc viết của người dân sẽ đem lại lợi ích về mặt kinh tế cho đất nước.
Đoạn D: Key words: “not appreciated”, “European countries”, “the literacy rate has fallen” → thực trạng các nước phát triển không chú trọng tới khả năng đọc viết.
Đoạn E: Key words: “not very appealing”, “bookworms”, “criticism”, “peer pressure”, “change attitudes” → Việc đọc sách bị xem là một điều kì lạ và bị dè bỉu ở các nước phát triển.
Đoạn F: Key words: “Western society”, “standing Canute-like” → Đặt vấn đề liệu các nước phát triển có “làm ngơ” trước sự suy yếu về mặt giáo dục này hay không.
Đoạn G: Key words: “encouraged to read”,”classroom libraries”, “libraries”, “at an early age” → Khuyến khích người dân có thói quen đọc sách.
Đoạn H: Key word: “stop the negative attitudes” → đầu tiên nên thay đổi tư tưởng về việc đọc sách.

Xem thêm: Mẹo làm bài Matching Headings trong IELTS Reading giúp bạn đạt điểm cao

Sau khi đã tóm tắt được ý chính của toàn bài, ta sẽ có cái nhìn tổng quát về từng vấn đề được đề cập tới (vấn đề nào nằm ở đoạn nào) nên việc giải quyết câu hỏi sẽ dễ dàng và nhanh chóng hơn rất nhiều.

Cùng xem cách giải nhé!

Câu 23 nhắc tới các nước phương tây so sánh với các nước kém phát triển hơn. Thông tin này nằm ở đoạn B; Cụ thể: “…other less developed countries have advanced and, in some cases, overtaken the West.” → Đáp án: YES.
Câu hỏi 24 có key word “economic force”, có thể thấy ngay nội dung này được đề cập tới ở đoạn C; Cụ thể ở câu: “The skill of reading is now no more just an intellectual or leisure activity, but rather a fully-fledged economic force.” → Đáp án: YES.
Câu 25 đề cập tới “literacy rate”, ta thấy có key word này ở đoạn D: “the literacy rate has fallen to below that of so-called less developed countries.”. Tuy nhiên câu hỏi lại viết “considerably higher” (cao hơn rất nhiều), thì trong đoạn D không đề cập tới mức độ chênh lệch của các nước là cao hay thấp → Đáp án: NOT GIVEN.
Câu 26 có thể tìm được ở đoạn G: “It can easily be done by increasing basic reading skills at an early age…” → Đáp án: YES.

Câu 27 có thể tìm được ở đoạn G: “Reading comics, magazines and low brow publications […] What is significant is the fact that they are reading.” (không quan trọng là đọc gì, miễn là có đọc). → Đáp án: NO.

Chúc bạn thành công với IELTS Reading – Cách xử lý dạng câu hỏi TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN nhé!

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