How to Answer IELTS Reading Identifying Writer's Claims Questions
In your IELTS preparation, you'll need to practice a total of 11 IELTS reading question types. In this post, we'll look at the Identifying Writer' Claims IELTS reading question type in detail and provide you with many IELTS reading Identifying Writer' Claims practice questions.
First, join IELTS Instructor Tina below to learn how to approach an IELTS reading Identifying Writer' Claims question. Click either General Training or Academic to watch the associated video lesson.
Table Of Contents
IELTS Reading Identifying Writer' Claims Question Introduction
A lot of people also call this question type "YES/NO/NOT GIVEN", because in this question type, you will see a lot of statements about factual information and your job is to figure out if the statement (fact) is "YES", "NO", or "NOT GIVEN" according to the reading passage. Simply put:
- If the statement reflects the claims of the writer, then it is YES.
- If the statement contradicts the claims of the writer, then it is NO.
- If it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this, then it is NOT GIVEN.
This question type is one of the most difficult question types on the IELTS reading test because you need to spend time finding the correlating information in the reading passage. This tests your speed reading skills. In addition, you need to have strong logic in order to answer correctly. Even many native English speakers find this question type challenging because they cannot logically distinguish between "NO" and "NOT GIVEN". But don't worry! We will help you in this post.
3 common problems answering YES/NO/NOT GIVEN" questions
In general, there are 3 common problems students have when answering "YES/NO/NOT GIVEN" questions.
Common problem 1
A common mistake students make is confusing "NOT GIVEN" with "NO".. A lot of students think if words match then it must be YES or NO. Not really! If the answer is NOT GIVEN, it means they don't have enough information to answer the question as a whole. Also, many students confuse NOT GIVEN with NO because they assume too much.
Here is a great example. The highlighted sentences show why the answer is "NOT GIVEN".
YES if the statement reflects the claims of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
1. Most people come up with the same idea of a monarch caterpillar due to educational standards in the UK.
2. ...
Note that the question statement is: "Most people come up with the same idea of a monarch caterpillar due to educational standards in the UK." Now, look at the highlighted sentences "more than 90% of participants who were asked this question came up with the same distinct image of the monarch caterpillar in its larvae form". Nothing in the passage suggests that this is due to the educational standards in the UK. However, nothing contradicts this information, either. For example, nothing in the passage states a different reason why 90% of participants came up with the same answer. Therefore, the information is simply NOT GIVEN.
Common problem 2
The second scenario where people often go wrong is when the statement does not look like the information in the text at all, but the answer is still "YES". This is either because
- The statement paraphrases sentences from the text or
- The information in the statement is not explicitly stated on the texts. (You have to further infer a deeper meaning from texts)
In either case, you have to completely understand the text and use your logic in order to give the correct answer. Here is an example. In this example, the statement is implied information from the highlighted text. The answer is YES.
YES if the statement reflects the claims of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
1. The butterflies take a truly remarkable journey only once a year.
2. ...
When scanning for the key words, "butterflies", "journey", and "once a year" you should notice the statement, "What most find to be the most amazing aspect of these creatures is the annual flight, once the caterpillars develop into butterflies. The fact that this does not occur year-round is what makes it so special." Afterwards, the passage includes information showing that this journey takes three months to complete. The question posits that this journey happens once a year, which is in line with the information in the passage. So the answer is "YES". Note how the words "annual" and "not year-round" were used rather than "once" and "yearly", which would be closer to the vocabulary used in the passage. This is why understanding synonyms is so important for the exam!
Common problem 3
Another common mistake students make is if the statement is similar to the information in the text, they think the answer is "YES". This is wrong. "YES" means that the meaning is the same. If it is just similar, then it is "NO". Remember we are dealing with factual information, so there is no room for saying similar is "YES".
YES if the statement reflects the claims of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
1. The annual journey is bittersweet due to changing climates.
2. ...
When scanning for the key words, "annual", "journey", and "bittersweet", you will probably be drawn to the statement, "It is somewhat of a bittersweet ritual, however, as most of the male monarchs die soon after the mating process." Although the key word "bittersweet" is used, these two statements do not mean the same thing. In fact, the statement in the passage provides a different reason for why the journey could be considered bittersweet. Therefore, the answer is NO, since there are two pieces of contradictory information. In other words, the writer would agree with the information in the passage and not that in the question statement.
Below is a sample practice. Give it a try! Remember to click either General Training or Academic based on the IELTS test you are taking or plan to take.
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spellcheck Answers1. NO
2. YES
3. NOT GIVEN
4. YES
5. NO
The study and exploration of dinosaurs is included at one point or another in science curricula across schools in North America. Understanding these spectacular creatures sheds light on Planet Earth before humans came into existence and provides us with a fascinating look at prehistoric times. However, how comprehensive is our understanding of dinosaurs and the places in which they dwelled? Think about what you have heard, learned, or studied regarding dinosaurs and their habitats. When it comes to their dwellings, you are probably thinking of a humid swamp or an extremely hot forest. While certain dinosaurs most certainly lived in these types of environments for millions of years, scientists have found recent information that could contradict everything we seem to know about these creatures.
Would you be surprised to find out that Antarticta or Alaska were probable homes for dinosaurs? Just last year, paleontologists unearthed the remains of dinosaurs that were known to live in environments that were cold for most of the year. Rightly so, this discovery called for a thorough investigation and quite an open mind from the scientific community, as the findings had the potential to change our understanding of dinosaurs, or at least add an intriguing facet to the subject. Once the remains had been dug up and analyzed, paleontologists came to the conclusion that these creatures were known as “polar dinosaurs”, and endured long periods of dimly-lit environments for up to eight months! This has also provided further information regarding the initial stages of the Earth's changing climate. For instance, the “dimly-lit environments” during prehistoric times most likely occurred during a winter season, since it was generally the coldest period of the year.
However, these typical winters may have been much different from what current society is familiar with. In fact, they were most likely much milder than winters today. Scientists estimate that the typical winter in the area that we now come to regard as “Alaska” was closer to something that we may see in present-day Chicago. That is, there was plenty of ice and snow, but nowhere near what current temperatures in Alaska are known to be. Moreover, examining the temperature differences from these prehistoric winters and comparing them with what we experience today is a truly fascinating opportunity to understand how our climate has evolved.
Of course, fossils have played a large part in our understanding of dinosaurs, and continue to unleash excellent clues into prehistoric times. Unsurprisingly, they have also helped researchers link various relatives of dinosaurs together, ultimately providing more information regarding their habitats and probable locations. Fossil evidence shows that the relatives of the popular Tyrannosaurus Rex would have roamed forests full of conifers, otherwise known as cone-bearing trees, which were similar to our modern day juniper or pine trees. These dinosaurs would have most likely hunted the thirty-five foot long herbivores, Edmontosaurs, in these forests. In this case, fossils have also verified information researchers had already speculated about when understanding the relationships between dinosaurs who acted as predators and those who met their ends as prey.
The changing temperatures and seasons forced dinosaurs to evaluate their habitats and make possible changes as to where they chose to dwell. For instance, when the winter season arrived, polar dinosaurs were faced with two options. First, they could stay where they were over the long winter, or escape to warmer climates. Scientists believe that the dinosaurs that stayed in a given area may have been warm-blooded, similar to modern birds and mammals, because they maintained a body temperature through metabolic processes. As this was considered quite a bold finding, it was met with criticisms and disbelief from the scientific community. Initially, some critics posited that these polar dinosaurs were most likely cold-blooded, remaining warm by absorbing sunshine. However, due to recent findings regarding the dimly-lit areas, this theory would be impossible, further proving the fact that these dinosaurs were warm-blooded.
Despite the initial contrary and popular belief, many paleontologists now agree that polar dinosaurs were warm-blooded. Looking at fossils has helped solidify this finding, and has unlocked more knowledge on not only prehistoric weather patterns, but on how these dinosaurs looked and roamed the land as well. For example, instead of working with projected models of fossils made of clay, paleontologists were finally able to base their findings off of real, physical fossils. This enabled them to truly understand the size and magnitude of dinosaur bones, especially in terms of their growth rates. Recently, these researchers were able to compare the dinosaurs' growth rates with those of both living and extinct animals, and found that the growth rate of the polar dinosaurs matched that of mammals. On the contrary, cold-blooded animals have shorter limbs and fewer degrees of muscle mass than warm-blooded animals. Thus, this fascinating discovery has made waves in the archaeological and paleontological world. Perhaps we will have to re-evaluate our knowledge of dinosaurs and their dwellings and revamp the way this is taught in schools!
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spellcheck Answers1. YES
2. NOT GIVEN
3. NO
4. NOT GIVEN
5. NO
The question of whether we are alone in the Universe has haunted humanity for centuries, but we may now stand poised on the brink of the answer to that question, as we search for radio signals from other intelligent civilisations. This search, often known by the acronym SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence], is a difficult one. Although groups around the world have been searching intermittently for three decades, it is only now that we have reached the level of technology where we can make a determined attempt to search all nearby stars for any sign of life.
The primary reason for the search is basic curiosity - the same curiosity about the natural world that drives all pure science. We want to know whether we are alone in the Universe. We want to know whether life evolves naturally if given the right conditions, or whether there is something very special about the Earth to have fostered the variety of life forms that we see around us on the planet. The simple detection of a radio signal will be sufficient to answer this most basic of all questions. In this sense, SETI is another cog in the machinery of pure science which is continually pushing out the horizon of our knowledge. However, there are other reasons for being interested in whether life exists elsewhere. For example, we have had civilisation on Earth for perhaps only a few thousand years, and the threats of nuclear war and pollution over the last few decades have told us that our survival may be tenuous. Will we last another two thousand years or will we wipe ourselves out? Since the lifetime of a planet like ours is several billion years, we can expect that, if other civilisations do survive in our galaxy, their ages will range from zero to several billion years. Thus any other civilisation that we hear from is likely to be far older, on average, than ourselves. The mere existence of such a civilisation will tell us that long-term survival is possible, and gives us some cause for optimism. It is even possible that the older civilisation may pass on the benefits of their experience in dealing with threats to survival such as nuclear war and global pollution, and other threats that we haven't yet discovereIn discussing whether we are alone, most SETI scientists adopt two ground rules. First, UFQs (Unidentified Flying Objects) are generally ignored since most scintists don't consider the evidence for them to be strong enough to bear serious consideration (although it is also important to keep an open mind in case any really convincing evidence emerges in the future). Second, we make a very conservative assumption that we are looking for a life form that is pretty well like us, since if it differs radically from us we may well not recognise it as a life form, quite apart from whether we are able to communicate with it. In other words, the life form we are looking for may well have two green heads and seven fingers, but it will nevertheless resemble us in that it should communicate with its fellows, be interested in the Universe, live on a planet orbiting a star like our Sun, and perhaps most restrictively, have a chemistry, like us, based on carbon and water.
Even when we make these assumptions, our understanding of other life forms is still severely limited. We do not even know, for example, how many stars have planets, and we certainly do not know how likely it is that life will arise naturally, given the right conditions. However, when we look at the 100 billion stars in our galaxy (the Milky Way), and 100 billion galaxies in the observable Universe, it seems inconceivable that at least one of these planets does not have a life form on it; in fact, the best educated guess we can make, using the little that we do know about the conditions for carbon-based life, leads us to estimate that perhaps one in 100,000 stars might have a life-bearing planet orbiting it. That means that our nearest neighbours are perhaps 100 light years away, which is almost next door in astronomical terms.
An alien civilisation could choose many different ways of sending information across the galaxy, but many of these either require too much energy, or else are severely attenuated while traversing the vast distances across the galaxy. It turns out that, for a given amount of transmitted power, radio waves in the frequency range 1000 to 3000 MHz travel the greatest distance, and so all searches to date have concentrated on looking for radio waves in this frequency range. So far there have been a number of searches by various groups around the world, including Australian searches using the radio telescope at Parkes, New South Wales. Until now there have not been any detections from the few hundred stars which have been searched. The scale of the searches has increased dramatically since 1992, when the US Congress voted NASA $10 million per year for ten years to conduct a thorough search for extraterrestrial life. Much of the money in this project is being spent on developing the special hardware needed to search many frequencies at once. The project has two parts. One part is a targeted search using the world's largest radio telescopes, the American-operated telescope in Arecibo, Puerto Rico and the French telescope in Nancy in France. This part of the project is searching the nearest 1000 likely stars with high sensitivity for signals in the frequency range 1000 to 3000 MHz. The other part of the project is an undirected search which is monitoring all of space with a lower sensitivity, using the smaller antennas of NASA's Deep Space Network.
There is considerable debate over how we should react if we detect a signal from an alien civilisation. Everybody agrees that we should not reply immediately. Quite apart from the impracticality of sending a reply over such large distances at short notice, it raises a host of ethical questions that would have to be addressed by the global community before any reply could be sent. Would the human race face culture shock if faced with a superior and much older civilization? Luckily, there is no urgency about this. The stars being searched are hundreds of light years away, so it takes hundreds of years for their signal to reach us, and a further few hundred years for our reply to reach them. It's not important, then, if there's a delay of a few years, or decades, while the human race debates the question of whether to reply and perhaps carefully drafts a reply.
Now that you're familiar with the Identifying Writer' Claims question type, it's time to teach you some IELTS reading tips & strategies for successfully answering a Identifying Writer' Claims question.
How to Answer Identifying Writer' Claims Questions
- Step 1: Read the First Question - Take a look at the first sentence. As you read the first question, underline any key words that you think will help you identify in the information in the text.
- Step 2: Scan for the first answer -
Now take a look at the passage and see if you can find the first answer. Because it's sequential order, once you find the first answer, you'll be in a good spot to scan and find the other answers.
Also pay attention to synonyms since they will be used in the passage. That means the words used in the statements most likely will not appear directly in the passage. - Step 3: Continue Reading the Statements and Scanning for Answers - Now that you completed the first answer, you will just need to keep reading the remaining statements, scanning the remaining parts of the passage, and answering the remaining statements. Again, as you answer each statement, make marks in the passage(such as a line or dot to signify where the answer can be found). This way you know what to reference when you want to double check if your answer is correct..
Using this strategy, you’re certain to find answers efficiently, saving yourself precious time ensuring you answer every question before time runs out.
Recap
Here are some brief tips to remember when approaching this question type:
Do:
- Read the first statement, underline key words, and scan. Do the following for the rest of the questions.
- Remember that answers will most likely come in order.
- Remember the difference between NO and NOT GIVEN.
- Make marks in your passage as to where you’ve found various answers.
- Skip a question if it is difficult and move on. Then, you should be able to better locate the answer to a difficult question in the text, since it will most likely be between some of your marked information.
- Write only YES, NO, or NOT GIVEN on your answer sheets.
Don’t:
- Read the entire passage first.
- Forget to scan for the key words from the statements.
- Confuse NO and NOT GIVEN.
IELTS Reading Identifying Writer' Claims Practice List
Now it is time to practice! Check out the following Identifying Writer' Claims practice questions.
Academic Reading - Identifying Writer' Claims Questions Practice List
identifying viewer claims Practice 17 - 32 |
Practice 17Practice 18Practice 19Practice 20Practice 21Practice 22Practice 23 |
General Reading - Identifying Writer' Claims Questions Practice List
identifying viewer claims Practice 1 - 16 |
Practice 1Practice 2Practice 3Practice 4Practice 5Practice 6Practice 7Practice 8Practice 9Practice 10 |
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