Reading: True, False, or Not Stated
A reading passage in the external exam is a short German article about a town's new bike-sharing scheme. It states: the scheme started in March with 50 bikes at 8 stations; the first month was free; from April a yearly pass costs 30 euros; the town hopes to double the stations by next year; and a local shop owner says the scheme has reduced parking problems but some residents complain that bikes are left on footpaths. A student, Tomas, answers a 'true/false/not stated' item: 'The scheme has been popular with all residents.' He marks it false, reasoning that 'some residents complain', so not everyone is happy. A second item: 'The scheme will definitely double the stations.' He marks it true because the article mentions doubling.
1. Assess Tomas's two answers and explain the reasoning expected by the question type.
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First item: his answer (false) is defensible if the item means 'all residents are happy', since the text says some complain. But he should check the exact wording: 'popular with all residents' is not stated as a claim in the text, and 'not all residents are happy' is not the same as 'the scheme is unpopular'. The safer reading is that the text does not state overall popularity, so 'not stated' may be correct; the complaint shows only that not everyone is positive. He should match the item wording precisely. Second item: his answer (true) is wrong. The text says the town 'hopes to' double the stations by next year, which is an intention, not a certainty. 'Will definitely' overstates it, so the correct answer is false (or not stated if the item asks about certainty). The lesson is to track modal words like 'hopes to', 'may', 'some' and to answer the item as written.
2. Give a procedure Tomas can use for true/false/not stated items to reduce these errors.
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Step 1: underline the key claim in the item, especially quantifiers (all, some), modals (will, may, hopes to) and time words. Step 2: locate the matching sentence in the text. Step 3: compare strength and scope: if the item is stronger or broader than the text, it is false; if the text simply does not address it, it is not stated. Step 4: check for paraphrase traps, where the text says 'hopes' and the item says 'will'. Applying this, 'will definitely double' is stronger than 'hopes to double', so false; 'popular with all residents' is not addressed as a claim, so not stated unless the item is phrased as 'all residents are happy', which the complaint contradicts.
3. The article includes a shop owner's opinion alongside residents' complaints. How should Tomas treat opinions differently from facts?
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He should treat opinions as attributed views, not established facts. The shop owner says parking has improved; that is one person's view, not a measured outcome. Residents' complaints are also views. For items about what 'the article says', an attributed opinion can make an item true if the item says 'a shop owner says...'. But an item that presents an opinion as general fact ('the scheme has reduced parking problems') is not supported as stated. Tomas should note who says what and keep the attribution in mind when judging.