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Worked Reading Examples

See the reasoning process behind correct answers for the main question types.

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Example passage

Short extract: "The Domestication of the Cat"

Unlike dogs, which were deliberately bred by humans for specific tasks such as hunting or guarding, cats are widely believed to have domesticated themselves. Around ten thousand years ago, as early farming communities in the Fertile Crescent began storing surplus grain, wild cats were naturally drawn to the rodents that infested these grain stores. Farmers likely tolerated, and eventually encouraged, the presence of cats because of the practical benefit of pest control, rather than for companionship. Genetic studies suggest that domestic cats today remain far closer to their wild ancestors than dogs are to wolves, which may explain why cats generally retain more independent, less trainable behaviour than most dog breeds.

Question type: True / False / Not Given

"Cats were deliberately bred by early farmers for companionship."

Answer: False

The passage states farmers tolerated cats "because of the practical benefit of pest control, rather than for companionship." This directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is False, not Not Given — the passage does address the reason and rules out companionship explicitly.

Question type: Multiple choice

Why were cats initially drawn to early farming communities?
A. To find shelter from predators  B. Because of rodents attracted to grain stores  C. Because farmers actively bred them  D. To escape competition with wolves

Answer: B

The passage says wild cats "were naturally drawn to the rodents that infested these grain stores." Option C is wrong because the passage explicitly contrasts cats with deliberately bred dogs; options A and D aren't mentioned at all.

Question type: Sentence completion (no more than two words)

Genetic studies show that domestic cats are genetically closer to their wild ancestors than dogs are to ____________.

Answer: wolves

The final sentence makes this direct comparison. The answer must be copied exactly as it appears — "wolves" — and fits within the two-word limit.

Strategy example

How to approach a Matching Headings question

Matching Headings questions ask you to match a heading to each paragraph based on its main idea, not just any detail it contains. The most reliable approach is:

  1. Read the list of headings first, and note that there are usually more headings than paragraphs, so some will not be used.
  2. Read each paragraph's first and last sentences carefully — these very often summarise the paragraph's main point.
  3. Eliminate headings that only match a small supporting detail rather than the paragraph's overall theme.
  4. Confirm your choice by checking it doesn't duplicate a heading you've already used for a different paragraph — each heading is normally used once.
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