What the task is
You read a passage, then a statement about it, and pick true, false or cannot say. The answer comes only from the passage. Outside knowledge, common sense and what the real world usually does are all irrelevant; the text is the only witness.
The three answers
True means the passage, read plainly, proves the statement. False means the passage proves the opposite. Cannot say means the passage neither proves nor disproves it, even if the statement is obviously true in life. The third option is the one most people under-use.
Ask one question per item: "does the passage say this, contradict this, or stay silent?" If your reason needs the word "probably", the answer is cannot say.
A fixed order
- Read the statement first, so you know what to look for.
- Scan the passage for the exact fact the statement turns on.
- Match names, numbers and qualifiers word for word; "some" and "all" are not the same.
- Decide true or false only from that fact; if it is missing, answer cannot say.
How to practice
Take one passage, write the decisive sentence next to each statement, and label the item. Speed comes from knowing when the text stays silent, so practice the cannot-say items hardest; they are where the marks hide.
MSc Psychology, 7 years of test taking.
Last updated: Oct 27, 2026