Practise under exam conditions5 questions · 8 minutes. In the real test you have about 20 minutes per passage.
Multiple choice questions look familiar, but in IELTS they are designed so that every wrong option contains something from the passage. That’s what makes them tricky: you can’t choose an answer just because you recognise the words. This guide shows you how to eliminate distractors, then lets you practise on a short passage with an instant answer checker.
How to answer multiple choice questions#
- Read the question stem first (the part before the options) and underline its keywords. Find the relevant part of the passage before you read the options in detail.
- Read that part of the passage carefully, then compare each option with it.
- Eliminate wrong options actively. Typical distractors: an option that is true but doesn’t answer the question; one that uses words from the passage with a different meaning; one that goes too far (always, all, only).
- The correct option is usually a paraphrase, so it rarely uses the same words as the passage.
- Questions follow the order of the passage, except questions about the whole text (such as “What is the writer’s main purpose?”), which usually come last.
Practice: Why We Forget#
Read the passage, answer the 5 questions, then check your answers below. Suggested time: 8 minutes.
Why We Forget#
In the 1880s, the German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus carried out a series of experiments on his own memory. He learned lists of meaningless syllables, such as “DAX” and “BOK”, and then tested himself after different periods of time. His results produced what is now called the “forgetting curve”: most of what we learn is lost very quickly, within the first hour or day, after which the rate of forgetting slows down considerably.
Later research has confirmed Ebbinghaus’s basic finding, but it has also shown that forgetting is far from inevitable. One of the most reliable ways to reduce it is known as the spacing effect. Information that is reviewed several times, with increasing gaps between each review, is remembered much better than information studied in a single long session, even when the total study time is the same. Students who “cram” the night before an exam may perform reasonably well the next day, but they tend to forget most of the material within weeks.
A second powerful technique is retrieval practice. Rather than simply rereading notes, learners test themselves, for example with flashcards or practice questions. The effort of recalling information appears to strengthen the memory each time, making it easier to retrieve in future. Surprisingly, this works even when learners get the answer wrong, as long as they then check the correct answer.
Sleep also plays an important role. During deep sleep, the brain appears to replay and reorganise the day’s experiences, transferring new information into long-term storage. Studies have found that people who sleep after learning remember more than those who stay awake for the same length of time.
None of these techniques requires special equipment or extra hours of study. They simply involve organising learning in a way that works with, rather than against, the natural tendencies of human memory.
Questions 1–5#
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
1. What did Ebbinghaus discover about forgetting?
- A It happens at the same speed over time.
- B It is fastest soon after something is learned.
- C It affects meaningless information only.
- D It can be prevented by repeating syllables aloud.
2. According to the passage, the spacing effect works best when information is
- A studied in one long session.
- B reviewed at regular, equal intervals.
- C reviewed several times with growing gaps in between.
- D studied for more hours in total.
3. What does the writer say about students who cram before an exam?
- A They usually fail the exam.
- B They do well in the short term but forget quickly.
- C They remember more than students who use spacing.
- D They need more sleep than other students.
4. Retrieval practice is effective because
- A rereading notes takes less time.
- B learners always find the right answer.
- C the act of recalling strengthens the memory.
- D flashcards contain less information than notes.
5. What is the writer’s main purpose in the passage?
- A To describe the life of Hermann Ebbinghaus
- B To argue that students should study for longer hours
- C To explain research-based ways of remembering more
- D To compare the memories of different age groups
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Answer key with explanationsShowHide
- 1BParagraph 1: “most of what we learn is lost very quickly… after which the rate of forgetting slows down”. A is the opposite; C and D are not stated.
- 2CParagraph 2: “reviewed several times, with increasing gaps between each review”. D is a distractor: the passage says “even when the total study time is the same”.
- 3BParagraph 2: they “may perform reasonably well the next day, but… forget most of the material within weeks”.
- 4CParagraph 3: “The effort of recalling information appears to strengthen the memory each time.” B contradicts “even when learners get the answer wrong”.
- 5CThe passage moves from why we forget to three techniques (spacing, retrieval, sleep) and ends: “None of these techniques requires… extra hours of study.” So B is wrong.
What this practice teaches#
- In Q2, option D uses a real idea from the passage (study time) but the passage says the time is the same. A classic distractor.
- Q5 asks about the whole passage. Look at how it starts and ends, not one paragraph.
- Correct answers are paraphrases: “increasing gaps” → “growing gaps”; “lost very quickly” → “fastest soon after”.
Other IELTS Reading question types#
- True / False / Not Given
- Matching headings
- Table and note completion
- Summary completion
- Short answer questions
See all IELTS Reading question types with tips, or take a full reading practice test to practise under exam conditions.