Multiple choice — evidence before intuition

Read a small trial before choosing

This passage and every question below were written for this site. They are practice, not official IELTS material.

A district library tested whether adjustable window blinds could make its reading rooms more comfortable. For four weeks in late spring, staff measured the temperature at 3 p.m. in two west-facing rooms and asked visitors a short comfort question. Room A kept its fixed blinds; Room B received adjustable ones. Room B was, on average, 1.8°C cooler at the time of measurement. However, it also contained fewer computers, which give off heat. The survey responses varied from week to week and did not show a clear difference between the rooms. The managers postponed a decision to buy blinds for every branch. They planned a second trial in rooms with the same number of computers.

The passage reports an observation: B was cooler. It does not establish the cause of that difference. That distinction is the centre of this lesson.

The blinds could block sunlight, but they could not block bad inferences.

One answer: locate the decision line

Question: Why did the managers plan another trial?

A. Visitors preferred the old blinds.
B. The first trial had no temperature measurements.
C. The two rooms differed in another way that might affect temperature.
D. The library could not find west-facing rooms.

C is supported. The sentence beginning However names the fewer computers in Room B; the final sentence says the next rooms will have the same number. Those two lines explain the decision together. A invents a preference; B contradicts the measurements; D contradicts the description of both rooms.

Eliminate without adding a story

• Contradicted: “No temperatures were measured” conflicts with the recorded 3 p.m. temperature.
• Not stated: “Visitors preferred the old blinds” adds a survey result the passage does not give.
• Too strong: “The new blinds reduced temperature by 1.8°C” turns a difference between rooms into a proven effect of blinds. The computers were not matched.

An answer can sound sensible and still lack textual support. For each option, point to the sentence that supports it. If you cannot, do not rescue it with general knowledge.

Choose two: judge each option separately

The official Academic Reading format says a multiple-choice question may ask for more than one answer. Read how many are required before you begin.

Which TWO statements does the passage directly support?

1. Room B had fewer computers than Room A. Yes — the passage says so.
2. Every visitor preferred Room B. No — the survey showed no clear difference.
3. Room B was cooler at the measurement time. Yes — by an average of 1.8°C.
4. All branches now have adjustable blinds. No — the purchase decision was postponed.

Do not stop after finding the first correct option. Treat every option as a separate claim, then check that you selected exactly the requested number.

Take the method to a longer passage

1. Circle ONE, TWO, or the number of answers requested.
2. Mark the key idea in the question; find its paragraph.
3. Compare every option with a line of evidence, including its qualifiers.
4. Reject what is contradicted, not stated, or stronger than the passage.
5. Confirm the selected options answer the question itself, not merely something true nearby.

Format rule checked on 23 September 2026 against IELTS Academic Reading.