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True False Not Given: IELTS Reading Practice Lessons

January 9, 2019 by Liz 304 Comments

Free practice reading for IELTS True False Not Given questions. IELTS reading TFNG questions come in both
the Academic reading test and the General Training reading test. Below are 4 FREE practice lessons for
IELTS TFNG questions. They are practice lessons for IELTS candidates and are aimed at helping people
develop awareness and skills to successfully tackle these types of reading questions. Before you do reading
practice, watch this Free Video Lesson about how to successfully tackle these questions: TFNG Tips Video

Note: If you are confused about the answers to any questions below, please check the comments boxes where
I have explained in detail.

TFNG Reading: Exercise 1

Passage: The Thames Tunnel

The Thames Tunnel was a tunnel built under the River Thames in London. It was the first subaqueous
tunnel ever built and many people claimed it was the Eighth Wonder of the World at the time it was opened.
It was opened in 1843 to pedestrians only and people came from far and wide to see the marvel. The day it
was first opened, it attracted fifth thousand people to enter the tunnel and walk its length of almost 400
metres. The Thames Tunnel was used by people from all classes. The working class used it for its functional
use of crossing from one side of the river to another, while for the middle classes and upper classes, it was a
tourist experience. In the age of sail and horse-drawn coaches, people travelled a long way to visit the
tunnel, but this was not enough to make the tunnel a financial success. It had cost over £500,000 to complete
which in those days was a considerable amount of money. However, even though it attracted about 2 million
people each year, each person only paid a penny to use it. The aim had been for the tunnel to be used by
wheeled vehicles to transport cargo so that it could bring in a profit. But this failed and the tunnel eventually
became nothing more than a tourist attraction selling souvenirs. In 1865, the tunnel became part of the
London Underground railway system which continues to be its use today.

Questions 1-8

Are the following statements true, false or not given according to the information in the passage?

True = the statement matches the information in the passage.

False = the statement contradicts the information in the passage.
Not Given = the information is not found in the passage.

1. The Thames Tunnel was the first tunnel ever built under a river.
2. The Thames Tunnel was the Eighth Wonder of the World.
3. People were drawn from all over to see the Thames Tunnel.
4. The tunnel was used more by the middle and upper classes.
5. People were able to travel by sea or land in those days.
6. The aim of the tunnel was to turn a profit as a tourist attraction.
7. Statues of the tunnel could be bought as souvenirs.
8. The tunnel is no longer used as a pedestrian walkway to cross the river.

Answers

Click below to reveal the answers.

Answers
1. TRUE
1. “It was the first subaqueous tunnel ever built… “
2. You might not know the word “subaqueous” but I’m sure you are familiar with “subway”
which means a way under the ground. You might also recognise the word “aqua” as being
connected with water. Even if you don’t know words, you can make an educated guess about
the answer.
2. FALSE
1. “…many believed it was the Eighth Wonder of the World at the time…… “
2. It was something people believed at that time. It was not a fact.
3. TRUE
1. “…drew people from far and wide…”
2. The word “draw” in this context means to attract.
3. “from all over” is an expression which does not mean from every individual country in the
world. It is a vague expression – from many places.
4. NOT GIVEN
1. The passage does not state how much each class used the tunnel.
5. TRUE
1. “In the age of sail and horse-drawn coaches….”
2. “sail” refers to boats (sea) and “horse-drawn coaches” were the method of land travel.
6. FALSE
1. “The aim had been for the tunnel to be used by wheeled vehicles to transport cargo so that it
could bring in a profit.”
7. NOT GIVEN
1. There is no information about what types of souvenirs were sold.
8. TRUE
1. “In 1865, the tunnel became part of the London Underground system which continues to be its
use today.”

Note: This passage was created by IELTS Liz. Information for this passage was sourced from various
websites: ikbrunel.org.uk, wiki, britcannica.com and other sources.

TFNG Reading: Exercise 2

Passage: Pyramid Building

The most famous pyramid is the Great Pyramid of Giza which is actually only one of over a hundred
surviving pyramids. There is a long-standing question about how the pyramids were built given the
lack of technology over 4,000 years ago but scientists are piecing together the puzzle. The blocks
which make up the pyramids were hewn from quarries and then transported to the pyramids for
construction. This was an incredible feat considering the distance that the raw materials had to travel
and their enormous weight. The transportation of the materials was either by river using a boat or by
land using a wooden sledge. Given the softness of the ground, the wheel would have been of little use
had it been invented at that time. It is believed that the sand in front of the sledge was wet with water
in order to facilitate the movement of the sledge and reduce friction. These sledges were pulled
manually or sometimes by using beasts of burden depending on the ease at which the sledges could
move over the ground. Interestingly, two thousand years after the pyramid building era of the Ancient
Egyptians, the Romans moved stones using similar techniques at Baalbek. Once the blocks arrived at
the pyramid construction site, it is thought they were moved into place using a ramp and pulley
system.

The Old Kingdom period in Ancient Egyptian history is also known as the pyramid building era. The
Ancient Egyptians achieved the most remarkable feats of building work which have still not been
surpassed, particularly given the primitive technology used to build them. There is nothing remotely
mystical or magical about how the pyramids were built as is commonly thought. Further still, while
popular belief is that the Great Pyramid was built using slave labour, this theory has since been
debunked. The first building made in a pyramid shape is thought to be the Stepped Pyramid which
consists of six steps placed on top of each other in a pyramid shape to create the world’s first
superstructure. The credit to finally achieving a smooth sided pyramid goes to Imhotep, an architect
commissioned by King Sneferu. The pyramids were not an instant achievement, but the achievement
of trial and error.

Download: This reading exercise can be downloaded for use at home or in classrooms. Click here: Pyramids
Reading TFNG.

Questions 1-9

Decide if the statements below are True, False or Not Given according to the information in the passage.

1. The controversy over the method used in the construction of the pyramids has been solved by
scientists.
2. It is possible that Ancient Egyptians could have lubricated paths to aid transportation by sledge.
3. Sleds were dragged by animals not humans.
4. The Romans learned the techniques of moving huge stones from the Ancient Egyptians.
5. The building work of the Ancient Egyptians is unrivalled.
6. Some people believe that magic may have been used by the Ancient Egyptians to build the pyramids.
7. The Great Pyramid was built using slave labour.
8. It took more than one attempt to get the construction of the pyramids right.

Note: Photo by Les Anderson

Answers

Click below to reveal the answers:

Answers
1. FALSE
1. “…scientists are piecing together the puzzle.” = currently – a work in progress – not finished.
2. TRUE
1. “It is believed that the sand in front of the sledge was wet with water in order to facilitate the
movement of the sledges and reduce friction.”
3. FALSE
1. “These sledges were pulled manually or sometimes by using beasts of burden …”
2. manually = by hand (people)
3. beast of burden = animal
4. Not Given
1. The passage gives no information about who the Roman’s learned from.
2. “…using similar techniques at Baalbek”. The preposition “at” means that “Baalbek” is a place,
not a person.
5. TRUE
1. “The Ancient Egyptians achieved the most remarkable feats of building work which have still
not been surpassed ….”
6. TRUE
1. “There is nothing remotely mystical or magical about how the pyramids were built as is
commonly thought. “
2. Meaning: “There is nothing magical – as is commonly thought.
3. Meaning: “There is nothing magical but many people think there is.”
4. The term “as is commonly thought” changes the whole meaning of the sentence given and
converts it to the meaning above. This is high level English. If you get this question wrong, it is
due to language, not technique.
5. If you struggle to understand this one, you might need to ask an English language teacher to
give you a lesson on the use of this expression.
7. FALSE
1. “…while popular belief is that the Great Pyramid was built using slave labour, this theory has
since been debunked.”
2. debunked = discredited
8. TRUE
1. “The pyramids were not an instant achievement, but the achievement of trial and error.”

Note: This passage was created by IELTS Liz. Information for this passage was sourced from various
websites: catchpenny..org, wiki, bbc.co.uk and other sources

TFNG Reading: Exercise 3

Passage: Beethoven

Composer Ludwig van Beethoven was born on or near December 16, 1770, in Bonn, Germany. He is widely
considered the greatest composer of all time. Sometime between the births of his two younger brothers,
Beethoven’s father began teaching him music with an extraordinary rigour and brutality that affected him
for the rest of his life. On a near daily basis, Beethoven was flogged, locked in the cellar and deprived of
sleep for extra hours of practice. He studied the violin and clavier with his father as well as taking additional
lessons from organists around town. Beethoven was a prodigiously talented musician from his earliest days
and displayed flashes of the creative imagination that would eventually reach farther than any composer’s
before or since.

In 1804, only weeks after Napoleon proclaimed himself Emperor, Beethoven debuted his Symphony No. 3 in
Napoleon’s honor. It was his grandest and most original work to date — so unlike anything heard before
that through weeks of rehearsal, the musicians could not figure out how to play it. At the same time as he
was composing these great and immortal works, Beethoven was struggling to come to terms with a shocking
and terrible fact, one that he tried desperately to conceal. He was going deaf. At the turn of the century,
Beethoven struggled to make out the words spoken to him in conversation.

Despite his extraordinary output of beautiful music, Beethoven was frequently miserable throughout his
adult life. Beethoven died on March 26, 1827, at the age of 56.

Notice: The passage above is from biography.com. You can read the full article on this page:
Ludwig Van Beethoven. There is also a great video to watch about this composer.

Questions 1 – 8

Are the following statements True, False or Not Given according to the information in the passage.

1. It is not known exactly when Beethoven was born.

2. Beethoven suffered cruelty at the hands of his father.
3. Beethoven was denied hours of sleep as a punishment for poor performance.
4. Beethoven’s father was also a talented musician.
5. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 was inspired by a famous man.
6. In the early 1800’s Beethoven struggled to follow a conversation.

Answers

Click below to reveal the answers.

Answers
1. True
2. True
3. False
4. Not Given
5. Not Given
1. The main problem people have with this question is the word “inspire”. The word “inspire” and
the words “in someone’s honor” are not at all the same. They have a completely different
meaning. Check an online dictionary to find out.
6. True

TFNG Reading Exercise 4

Passage: Spam Messaging

SPAM, as every user of mobile phones in China is aware to their intense annoyance, is a roaring trade in
China. Its delivery-men drive through residential neighbourhoods in “text-messaging cars”, with illegal but
easy-to-buy gadgetry they use to hijack links between mobile-phone users and nearby communications
masts. They then target the numbers they harvest, blasting them with spam text messages before driving
away. Mobile-phone users usually see only the wearisome results: another sprinkling of spam messages
offering deals on flats, investment advice and dodgy receipts for tax purposes.

Chinese mobile-users get more spam text messages than their counterparts anywhere else in the world. They
received more than 300 billion of them in 2013, or close to one a day for each person using a mobile phone.
Users in bigger markets like Beijing and Shanghai receive two a day, or more than 700 annually, accounting
for perhaps one-fifth to one-third of all texts. Americans, by comparison, received an estimated 4.5 billion
junk messages in 2011, or fewer than 20 per mobile-user for the year—out of a total of more than two trillion
text messages sent.

(Notice: Passage from The economist, November 2014)

Questions 1-7

Decide if the following questions are true, false or not given.

1. In China, SPAM text messaging is a successful business.

2. People’s phone numbers are collected through the use of technology which cannot be readily bought.
3. In no other country do people receive more Spam texts than in China.
4. In 2013, the number of SPAM texts increased considerably to reach 300 billion.
5. The majority of all texts received in Shanghai and Beijing are SPAM.
6. In 2011, Americans sent more texts than anywhere else in the world.

Answers

Click below to reveal the answers.

Answers
1. True
1. roaring trade
2. False
1. the gadgetry = technology
2. easy to buy = readily bought
3. This is false because the passage shows it is easy to buy which contradicts the statement.
3. True
4. Not Given
1. Most people get this question wrong because they don’t pay attention to meaning. The passage
only gives one fixed number in time = over 300 billion. “Over 300 billion” means “more than 300
billion”, it does not indicate an increase or a decrease.
5. False
1. only one third are SPAM at the most
6. Not Given

Vocabulary
intense = strong / extreme
roaring business = successful business / booming business
residential = suburban
gadget = device
harvest information = collect / gather
sprinkling = smattering
counterparts = equals / colleagues
spam messages = junk messages
digits = numbers / numerals

IELTS Reading Practice & Tips

A free video lesson and list of tips for IELTS Reading TFNG: IELTS Reading TFNG Tips

All Reading Lessons and Tips: IELTS Reading main page on ieltsliz.com

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Comments

Mounica Jonnalagadda says

October 27, 2021 at 7:55 am

Hi Liz,

Thank you for your efforts to make us understand the T/F/NG,

I have a confusion about two of the questions from Cambridge Book 14
passage :
Transition care is for older people who have been receiving medical treatment but need more help to recover, and time
to make a decision about the best place for them to live in the longer term. You can only access transition care directly
from the hospital.
Q : Only hospital patients can go on to have transition care.
Answer : True
I feel that the question is having incomplete details. It is mentioned in the passage that transition care is for “older
people who are from hospital”. But the statement just mentions about “hospital people” and doesn’t it mean all people
from hospital are eligible for transition care right(? Is it not a contradictory statement? Why not the answer is
“FALSE”?
Can you please help me understand this ?

Also, there is another question :

Passage: Transition care is often provided by non-government organizations and is subsidized by the government. If
your circumstances allow, it is expected you’ll contribute to the cost of your care.
Statement :
Everyone receiving transition care must contribute to the cost
Answer :False
My argument is that it is only subsided by government and everyone has to pay for the services, don’t they?
Can you please give explanation for this as well?

Reply

Liz says
October 27, 2021 at 1:38 pm

The problem here is that you are trying to match words and you haven’t decided if you are matching the
passage to the question or the question to the passage. You are jumping between them both, trying to match them.
This doesn’t work. Step one – look at the question statement. This is the key statement. Take your time to
understand it. We need to find if only hospital patients can get transition care. We are not trying to match
information, we are trying to see if we can prove this statement.
True – only hospital patients can receive transition care
False – any patient can receive transition care – this would mean patients outside hospital as well as inside or
patients outside only
NG – we don’t know if hospital patients can receive transition care
Now, it is time to look at the passage and see if this information is proved, disproved or we can’t say.
The passage states: “You can only access transition care from hospital”
This proves the statement.
Do you see how you jumped from one to the other trying to match them? Instead, focus on the question statement
and spend time preparing your True, False and NG before you tackle the passage. This is about proving the
statement or disproving it or whether there isn’t enough information given.

With the second example, you jumped too quickly from passage back to statement. We need to know if everyone
must contribute to the cost. Once you find the area in the passage that contains the information, read carefully. Don’t
jump back and forth. Spend time making sure you have understood all the words given. Also look at information
before and after in the passage to see if there is anything else relevant. The passage shows our question statement is
wrong. The question statement is incorrect. The passage shows that “if your circumstances allow…” – this means
only if you have the money. In other words, if you don’t have the money, you don’t have to pay. Paraphrasing is a
useful skill in this case – it isn’t about synonyms, it’s about finding another way to express the same information.
Analyse for deeper understanding. Remember this isn’t about matching words.

I hope this helps

Reply

TG98 says
October 25, 2021 at 2:48 pm

Hi Liz,
Hope you are in good health. I recently gave my IELTS. Your tips and advanced lessons are treasures for people like us
who don’t have time to get themselves enrolled in a coaching class. The way you explain things is so detailed and
simple at the same time. I also appreciate the effort you put in to highlight the things that people do or prepare for
unnecessarily. Your model essays, on the exam day tips, fill in the blank exercises, videos on youtube are just one of
their kinds. I feel really fortunate to have found your blog or else I would’ve kept wandering to find the right resources
to prepare from. The grace and smile with which you explain things is just remarkable.
Thanks a lot Liz for every effort that you take to teach us. You’re the best!!!

Reply

Liz says
October 26, 2021 at 11:31 am

Thank you so much for your kind comment. I’m so pleased me lessons are useful to you. Wishing you
lots of luck in your test!!

Reply

divya says
October 27, 2021 at 11:42 am

Hi Liz,
first of all thankyou for existing. Because of u I learnt soo many things in IELTS.
and here,some other ques
The passage says: For example, when using the one, two, many type of system, the word many would mean,
Look at my hands and see how many fingers I am showing you.
The question says: Some peoples with simple number systems use body language to prevent misunderstanding of
expressions of number.
so the answer here should be ‘NOT GIVEN’ right? Because they have not mentioned about PEOPLE in passage.
but the answer is ‘TRUE’. how is it?
I got this doubt because u said in a video that if it was given ‘MORE PEOPLE’ in passage, then the answer would
have been ‘FALSE’.so that means we actually have to consider the words ‘SOME PEOPLE’.
can u explain please.

Reply

Liz says
October 27, 2021 at 3:15 pm

The problem with this is that you looked at the wrong part of the passage. The answer was
contained here:
“But in real situations the number and words are often accompanied by gestures to help resolve any confusion”

Reply

Prasann Sachdev says

October 22, 2021 at 3:01 am

Hello Liz..!!
I have just received my results for IELTS and have scored an overall 8 band (LRWS- 8.5, 9, 6.5, 7.5).
Thank you so much for your efforts. The material on your website is amazing. I referred your material from the
starting, which helped me score my desired band.
Thank you again..!!!!!!

Reply

Liz says
October 26, 2021 at 11:40 am

Great to see your results. Brilliant Reading score

Reply

divya varghese says

October 27, 2021 at 11:45 am

wow congrants
how 9 in reading?mind to share tips?

Reply

Prasann Sachdev says

October 27, 2021 at 1:06 pm

Thanks..!!
Firstly, you are already at the right place. Refer to Liz’s website and Youtube videos, and not just for reading, for
all the sections.
Secondly, you might feel that you are not able to find answers, but I realised while practicing that answers are
always in the passage, just search at the right place. Paraphrasing technique comes handy here.
Next, in True/False or Yes/No Not Given questions, just read the instructions that defines True, False and Not
Given (Yes, No and Not Given) again and again after reading the question statement.
Do Not skim the passage when reading first time, read properly. Now that dosen’t mean that you understand
each and every line, but JUST READ ONCE.
And lastly, practice as much as possible, but not on the expense of other sections.

Reply

JP says
July 21, 2021 at 7:34 pm

Hi Liz,

Thankq so much first of all for your great work!

Also I want to understand the below T/F/NG exercise Qn. from the cambridge practice book.

Passage:

The possibility of returning to Dover to search for the boat’s unexcavated northern end was explored, but practical and
financial difficulties were insurmountable- and there was no guarantee that the timbers had survived the previous
decade in the changed environment.

QN:
Archaeologists went back to the site to try and find the missing northern end of the boat.

Answer: False

Is it not true according to passage? Passage says “explored”. As per the passage bringing back the Dover bot only
seemed to be insurmountable due to the timbers survival but the search was said to be explored.

Kindly clarify here.

Thanks in advance!

Reply

Liz says
July 21, 2021 at 7:43 pm

This is a great example of how grammar can help you understand the answer. The word “explore” does
not refer to exploring the northern end of the boat. The word “explore” refers to the “possibility of returning”. In this
context, the idea of returning was explored – the idea was discussed – the idea was analysed – but “the difficulties
were insurmountable” (too much). Now you know that the idea was dismissed and didn’t happen. Hope this helps

Reply

anonymous says
August 18, 2021 at 11:37 pm

thank you Liz. I learnt from this too

Reply

Rangskool says
September 25, 2021 at 6:15 am

Exactly , They have explored the “idea” not the boats missing part, The best thing to do is, find the
keyword, the you find the sentence, after that read that sentence twice or thrice to understand, then compare with
the question. (Now don’t tell, we don’t have much time to do all of that, if you practice this more often, it’s a piece
of cake.

Thanks Liz,

Reply

Julify says
March 18, 2021 at 5:48 pm

Hi Liz,

Thank you for making IELTS easy for learners like us.

If you don’t consider what I am about to ask odd, I would like to know; in the passage Beethoven, if the question
following the paragraph “Beethoven was widely considered the greatest composer of all time” was put this way..” Was
Beethoven the greatest composer of all times?” would the correct answer have been NOT GIVEN or TRUE.

Do reply please, and kindly give reasons for your answer. Thanks

Reply

Liz says
March 20, 2021 at 12:04 pm

TFNG statement questions are written as statements and never as direct questions. The only direct
questions in IELTS are short answer questions and they do not require answers such as the word “true” or “false”.
They require words taken from the passage. Try not to confuse the question types. If you go to the main Reading
Section of this website, you’ll find a list of question types which can appear in IELTS Reading.

Reply

liza says