This is the question type that takes the most marks off students who are otherwise ready, and it goes wrong for one reason: they answer with what they know instead of with what the passage says.
Hold these three definitions exactly.
True — the passage states this, or says something that means this. False — the passage states the opposite, or something that cannot both be true with it. Not Given — the passage does not settle it either way.
The word "not" in Not Given belongs to the passage, not to the fact. A statement can be obviously true in real life and still be Not Given, because this passage never said it. That is the whole trick, and it is why background knowledge is a hazard here rather than an advantage.
A practical routine:
- Find the part of the passage the statement is about. It will be there, in order.
- Decide whether the statement adds anything the passage did not say. A new comparison, a new
- cause, a new "most", a new "only" — that addition is usually the reason the answer is Not Given.
- Check the strength words on both sides. "Some researchers" and "researchers agree" are
- different claims. "May cause" and "causes" are different claims. Contradicted strength is
- False; unmentioned strength is Not Given.
One habit that pays: when you pick False, be able to point at the words that contradict it. If you cannot point at them, your answer is Not Given.