Reading: Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers

Alfa PTE
22 May 2020

About Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers

After reading a text, answer a multiple-choice question on the content or tone of the text by selecting more than one response. This question carries negative marking & hence, a student will get penalized if chosen a wrong answer.

For this item type, you need to read the passage and answer the multiple-choice question. There is more than one correct response

Task - After reading a text, answer a multiple-choice question on the content or tone of the text by selecting more than one response.
Skills assessed - Reading
Prompt length - Text up to 300 words

You need to select all the response options that you think are correct from the list of possible options.

To select an option click on it using the left button on your mouse. If you change your mind, left-click on the option again to deselect it.

The options you select are highlighted in yellow.

Test Tips:

Make sure you know how the task is scored:

Read the instructions carefully. Remember that more than one option is correct in this type of multiple-choice item. You will score marks for any correct options but you will lose score points for any incorrect options. These include options that you have clicked on as correct but which are wrong. If you click on all the options, because you do not know the answer, you will lose score points. This applies to Multiple choice, choose multiple answers item types for reading and listening.

Note any repeated words in the options:

Quickly read through the response options and note any words that are repeated, particularly adjectives (e.g., ‘multigrade’) or nouns (e.g., ‘classes’). If the same noun phrase occurs in a lot of the options, the answer is probably related to this phrase.

Scan the text for the repeated words. Then read around them to find the answer more quickly:

How this question is scored:

Your response for Multiple-choice, Choose Multiple Answers is judged on your ability to analyze, interpret, and evaluate a short reading text on an academic subject. If all responses are correct, you receive the maximum score points for this question type. If one or more response options are incorrect, partial credit scoring applies. This is the first of three question types where you can lose points if you choose any incorrect options. For any wrong options chosen 1 point is deducted, whilst correct options are given 1 point. Make sure you are confident in your choices.

Note:

This question type affects the scoring of reading.
Your listening, speaking and writing skills are not tested by this question type.

Source: https://pearsonpte.com/

Tips By ALFA:

Please note, this question type has negative marking. If you select a wrong option, you will receive a negative mark, for a minimum total of zero i.e. your score in any one question of this type cannot go below zero despite the negative marking.

Two skills that are vital in reading passage questions are – skimming and scanning.

Skimming is when you quickly go through a passage to get an overall of the passage or of the organization of information in it. Scanning is when you go through the passage to look for some specific information.

In the event that you locate a specific subject (a spot, a thing, an individual, or an occasion) which has been portrayed in a considerable lot of the choices, make a point to give more prominent consideration when you run over this subject in the account.

Don't indiscriminately choose a choice on the off chance that it incorporates catchphrases or phrases (or their equivalents) referenced in the passage.

After you have picked the suitable alternatives, don't sit around idly in overthinking or dissecting. Take a full breath and proceed onward to answering the question.