Loading tweets...These five tips for answering true-false questions are easy to learn and implement.
(1) Understand True-False Questions
A true-false question is a statement that states some facts about a person, place, or thing. Few true-false questions are written simply: they often include “traps” so read carefully!
(2) Watch out for Qualifiers
Qualifiers are words that modify a statement by expressing amount, quality, degree, or intensity.
All or nothing words are usually false because there are very few things that are 100 percent true.
T F All birds can fly.
This statement is false because not all birds can fly: some can but some can’t – like penguins and ostriches.
One small word can make a big difference in the basic true-false statement. Qualifiers may overstate a statement (all) or may understate it (none).
“All or none” words are also called 100% words and include:
No Every Only
Never Always Entirely
None All Invariably
These words are usually connected with a false statement because there are very few things in this world that are 100% in one way or the other.
What about “most”? Qualifiers such as “most” may be just right, but they may also overstate the true-false statement.
T F Most snakes are poisonous.
This one sounds like it could be true, but it’s actually false: of the three thousand kinds of snakes, only about 250 are poisonous: this is not most.
Think of qualifiers on a continuum:
All……….Most……….Some……….None
When you see a qualifier in a True-False question, substitute other qualifiers to see which one makes the statement most true.
Remember these suggestions when dealing with qualifiers in true-false statements:
- Circle all the qualifiers in the statement
- If 100% words are used, the statement is probably false
- If not 100%, substitute other qualifiers to see which one makes it just right. If it’s a different word from the one used on the test, the answer is false.
(3) Check Each Part of the Statement
If any part of a true-false statement is false, then the entire statement is false.
Watch out for a statement that includes a list of items: one item in the list may make the statement false: read carefully! For example,
A warm-climate product, cocoa is grown in the Gold Coast of Africa, Nigeria, British Columbia and Venezuela.
This statement includes a lot of true information, but one item, British Columbia in Canada, makes it false. Canada is not a warm-climate!
(4) Beware of the Negative!
True-False statements that contain negative words or prefixes can be difficult to answer.
To help yourself, circle all negative words and prefixes in statements.
Negative Words include: not, cannot, and no
Negative Prefixes include: dis-, il-, im-, in-, non-, and un-
The addition of negative words and prefixes can quickly change the meaning of true-false statements as seen in these three statements:
- It is logical to believe Ben Franklin’s fame was due to his many practical inventions.
- It is illogical to believe Ben Franklin’s fame was due to his many practical inventions.
- It is illogical to believe Franklin’s fame was not due to his many practical inventions.
Always circle the negative words and prefixes in true-false questions!
(5) If you must Guess – Guess True
If you cannot remember an answer and have tried these methods, but still can’t figure out the answer, it’s a good idea to guess, because you have a 50-50 chance of being right.
Because teachers want you to know what is true, most true-false questions are true.
Exception to this Rule: If the teacher wants you to change a false statement into a true statement, this rule does not apply!
(c) 2010, flexiture, monte w. davenport, ph.d.
