Myth vs fact explainer

Myth 1: If the wording matches the passage, it must be correct.

Fact: A close option often mirrors the passage but shifts scope or reference.
Trap example: Passage says “some cities” while the option says “cities”.
Fix: Run the SPaRTN check, Scope, Polarity, Reference, Time, Number. Reject any mismatch.

Myth 2: True means the text generally supports it.

Fact: In True False Not Given, True must be explicitly supported. Not Given means the text does not confirm or deny the exact claim.
Trap example: Statement adds a cause the text never mentions.
Fix: Ask, can I put my finger on the sentence that states this If not, choose Not Given.

Myth 3: Paraphrase equals proof.

Fact: Paraphrase can hide a polarity flip.
Trap example: Passage, “rare” vs option, “uncommon”. That is fine. Passage, “rarely harmful” vs option, “harmless”. That flips meaning.
Fix: Highlight negatives and hedges first, not the nouns.

Myth 4: Numbers are small details.

Fact: Numbers and comparatives decide correctness.
Trap example: Passage, “rose from 30 to 40”. Option, “rose by 10”. Another option, “rose to 30”.
Fix: Map prepositions with numbers. By shows change size, to shows final value.

Myth 5: Long options are wrong.

Fact: Length is irrelevant. The correct option is the one that entails the text, meaning it must be true if the text is true.
Fix: Read the minimal claim inside a long option. If any part fails SPaRTN, discard.

The SPaRTN routine for close options

Use after you locate the evidence sentence.

1. Scope, part vs whole, some, many, most, all.
2. Polarity, negatives and hedges, not, hardly, seldom, tends to, likely.
3. Reference, this policy, these costs, the former, the latter.
4. Time, dates, before or after, then vs now.
5. Number, figures, ranges, more than, less than, by vs to.

Measured target: under 20 seconds per option after you find the evidence line.

Worked examples

Example 1, True False Not Given

Text: “The trial improved symptoms in some patients, but evidence for long term benefit is limited.”
Statement A: “The trial improved symptoms in patients.”
Statement B: “The trial delivered long term benefit.”
Analysis with SPaRTN

• A, Scope differs, some vs all. The text does not say all patients. Answer, False.
• B, Polarity and time, the text says evidence is limited, not that benefit occurred. Answer, Not Given.

Example 2, Multiple choice

Text: “The project cut delivery times by 15 percent after the new route opened in 2022.”
Which is correct
A) Delivery got faster by 15 percent before 2022.
B) Delivery improved by 15 percent after a route change in 2022.
C) Delivery improved by 30 percent after 2022.
D) Delivery got faster, but the reason is unclear.
Analysis

• A fails Time.
• B matches Number and Time and Reason.
• C fails Number.
• D fails Reason.
  Answer, B.

Mini case, Dhaka candidate

Shafin scored 22 of 40 in Reading. Review showed most errors on “almost right” options. He began underlining hedges and quantifiers before reading details, then ran SPaRTN on his first choice. In two weeks he moved to 30 of 40. Average decision time dropped from 55 seconds to 32 seconds per question.

Do and avoid checklist

Do

• Skim paragraph first, then read the exact sentence for evidence.
• Underline quantifiers, some, many, most, all, and comparatives, more, less, fewer.
• Copy tricky figures in the margin with arrows, from and to, by and to.
• Read pronouns back to their nouns, this plan, these results.
• Say your answer as a short claim and try to falsify it. If you can, change it.

Avoid

• Selecting an option only because vocabulary matches.
• Ignoring negatives and hedges, not, hardly, tends to.
• Treating Not Given as False. If the text does not decide the claim, pick Not Given.
• Spending more than 90 seconds on one item. Mark and move.

Edge cases

• Except questions: First mark the three true options from the text, then choose the exception.
• Writer’s opinion items: Distinguish reported views, according to researchers, from the writer’s stance signalled later.
• Multi-paragraph logic: Sometimes the claim is satisfied only when two sentences are read together. Check the previous line for a hedge.

Mini glossary

• Distractor: a close but wrong option that fails on detail.
• Paraphrase: different words with similar meaning.
• Polarity: the positive or negative direction of a claim.
• Scope: how widely a claim applies, some vs all.
• Entailment: a logical relationship where the text makes the option necessarily true.

Actionable closing
Print SPaRTN on a sticky note. In your next practice set, underline hedges and quantifiers first, then verify your first choice with SPaRTN. Cap each item at 90 seconds. Aim for a two week goal, 80 percent correct on TFNG and under 35 seconds average for multiple choice decisions.