Homework · Day 2

Not-Given Hunt · Paraphrase Pairs

Estimated time: 30 minutes Due: Before Day 3 Submit by: Email (button at bottom)

What you'll do tonight

  1. Practise TFNG on the short passage below.
  2. Read any article and write 3 "Not Given" statements based on it.
  3. Build a 10-pair paraphrase list.
  4. Submit by email.

Exercise 1 — TFNG drill

Read the passage carefully. Decide T / F / NG for each statement.

Passage: Plastic Pollution in the Oceans

Each year, an estimated 8 million tonnes of plastic enter the world's oceans. The majority comes from land-based sources, particularly through rivers in Asia. Once in the marine environment, plastic breaks down into smaller particles called microplastics, which have been found in the digestive systems of over 90% of seabirds studied. Efforts to address the crisis include the 2018 EU ban on single-use plastics such as straws and cutlery, but enforcement varies widely between member states. Some scientists argue that without a global treaty similar to the Paris Agreement, the problem will continue to worsen.

  1. Plastic pollution is increasing in the oceans every year.
  2. Asian rivers are the main pathway for ocean plastic.
  3. Microplastics have been found in every seabird studied.
  4. The EU banned single-use plastics in 2018.
  5. All EU countries enforce the plastic ban equally.
  6. A global plastic treaty has already been signed.
  1. NOT GIVEN — passage mentions 8 million tonnes per year, but says nothing about whether the figure is rising or stable.
  2. TRUE — "particularly through rivers in Asia" = "main pathway".
  3. FALSE — passage says "over 90%", not every single one. Absolute "every" makes it FALSE.
  4. TRUE — directly stated.
  5. FALSE — passage says "enforcement varies widely". "Equally" contradicts that directly.
  6. FALSE — passage says "without a global treaty… the problem will continue", implying no treaty exists. (Some would say NOT GIVEN — but the phrasing "without a global treaty" presupposes its absence.) Defensible either way; the safer answer is FALSE.

Exercise 2 — Not-Given hunt

Find any English article online (or print one). Write 3 statements that would be NOT GIVEN if asked about that article. They should sound plausible based on the topic but not actually appear in the text.

Article title:

Source:

Three NOT GIVEN statements:

Self-check

For each one, can you point to the exact sentence in the article that would confirm or deny it? If yes — it's True or False, not Not Given. If no — you've got a real NG.

Exercise 3 — Paraphrase pairs

Fill in a synonym/paraphrase for each common IELTS Reading word.

Common wordLikely paraphrase in passage
1. essential
2. decline
3. cause
4. result in
5. difficult
6. ancient
7. develop
8. famous
9. enough
10. damage

Any reasonable synonym scores. Sample: essential → vital, crucial · decline → decrease, drop, fall · cause → lead to, trigger, bring about · result in → produce, yield, give rise to · difficult → challenging, demanding · ancient → old, prehistoric, primitive · develop → grow, evolve, expand · famous → well-known, renowned · enough → sufficient, adequate · damage → harm, ruin, impair

Free practice resources

Extra free practice for tonight — each link opens in a new tab. These are free online resources (no purchase needed); a few may ask you to create a free account.

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