Academic/General Training Module by Adam Smith First Published in 2015

 
 
 

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 IELTS
 JOURNAL 
 
110 
Exercise 50: IELTS Reading: true, false, not given 
Read the text below about Issac Newton.
Sir Isaac Newton was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural 
philosopher, alchemist, and theologian. His Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia 
Mathematica (Latin for "Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy"; usually 
called the Principia), published in 1687, is one of the most important scientific 
books ever written. It lays the groundwork for most of classical mechanics. 
Newton is considered by many scholars and members of the general public to be 
one of the most influential people in human history. French mathematician 
Joseph-Louis Lagrange often said that Newton was the greatest genius who ever 
lived. Newton himself had been rather more modest of his own achievements, 
famously writing in a letter to Robert Hooke in February 1676: “If I have seen 
further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” 
Are the following statements TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN? 
1. Newton's Principia is recognised as a groundbreaking text in its field.
2. Many experts regard Newton as the greatest genius the world has seen.
3. Newton wrote that he had achieved everything without the help of others.
 
 
 

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 IELTS
 JOURNAL 
 
111 
Exercise 51: IELTS Reading: 'paragraph' questions 
There are 2 types of questions that ask you about paragraphs:
1. Paragraph headings - match the sub-headings with the paragraphs.
2. Specific information - which paragraph contains the following information? Try 
an example. 
For 'paragraph headings' questions, you need to find the main idea of each 
paragraph. I usually recommend starting with the shortest paragraph first.
For 'specific information' questions, remember that one paragraph can contain 
more than one piece of information (e.g. "paragraph A" could be the answer for 
questions 1 and 2). Some paragraphs may not contain any information, so it 
doesn't help to start with the shortest one.
Both types of question are easier if you do the other question sections first (gap-fill, 
true/false/not given etc.). You will then be more familiar with the text, and you might 
even remember where some of the 'paragraph' answers are.