4.4. Short-Answer Questions
Answer a direct question in a few words taken straight from the passage, one step at a time.
Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.
- 11What was the largest fall in afternoon temperature measured under a plane tree?11
- 12Which material did the Hartog study use for its condenser blocks?12
- 13In which year did the city begin planting along the carriageway?13
The short version
You answer a direct question, such as when, where, how much or who, with words from the passage.
The first word of the question tells you the shape of the answer: a date, a place, a figure, a person.
There is a word limit, and the or a counts as a word.
The questions follow the order of the passage.
What you have to do
The test shows three or four questions. Each asks for one fact: Where do you collect the key? You type the answer in a box, using words from the passage, inside the limit shown above the group, such as NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER. You do not write a sentence, and you do not add words of your own. The questions follow the order of the passage, so the answer to 12 sits below the answer to 11.
The question word does the work
The first word of the question tells you the shape of the answer. When wants a time or a date. Where wants a place. How much wants a sum, how many a number. Who wants a person, a job title or an organisation. Which wants one item from a set the passage names. Decide the shape before you look, and you scan for that shape instead of for the whole question.
Step by step
- 1Read the question and highlight the question word
Highlight when, where, how much, who or which. Then note the word limit shown above the group. Read the rest of the question once, so you know which fact it wants. Not just a date, but the date something starts.
- 2Decide the shape of the answer before you look
Say what you are looking for: a year, a place name, a sum of money, a job title. Then pick the anchor, the name, number or unusual noun in the question that will still be in the passage. Scan for the shape and the anchor, not for the whole question.
- 3Find the line and match the meaning
Scan for the anchor. The question is reworded from the passage: collect may appear as pick up, cost as charge. When you land, read the whole sentence, and the one after it. A rule often has its exception in the next line.
- 4Reject what the sentence rules out
A sentence often names two places, one to use and one to avoid: from the desk, not from the counter. Answer with the one the question asks about. Then drop the and a, and cut to the words the question needs, inside the limit.
- 5If you cannot find it
Look just below your last answer, because the questions follow passage order. If it is still missing after a minute, type the word of the right shape from that part of the passage. A date for when, a place for where. Then move on. An empty box scores nothing for certain.
Quiz time5 questions
Each question gives you the one or two sentences it is answered from. Practise the judgement, not the searching.
Answer the question word
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the extract. Decide the shape when needs before you look.
Read thisThe museum stays open until 21.00 on the first Thursday of each month, and the last entry to the roof terrace is at 20.15.
When is the last entry to the roof terrace?
Write no more than 2 words.
The place the rule sends you to
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the extract. Two places are named. Keep the one the question asks about.
Read thisSchool groups must be booked through the education officer, not through the ticket desk, at least ten days before the visit.
Who must a school contact to book a visit?
Write no more than 2 words.
Right answer, too long
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the extract. The passage answers in a whole phrase. Cut it to the words the question needs.
Read thisSketching is allowed in every gallery except the print room, where pencils may be used only at the long table.
Where in the print room may visitors use a pencil?
Write no more than 2 words.
The word in the question
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the extract. Look at which word the question already gives you.
Read thisThe audio guide is free to members, but other visitors pay £3, or £5 for the family version that covers two adults and up to three children.
Which version of the guide costs £5?
Write no more than 2 words.
When you cannot find it
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the extract. You have a minute left and the word pushchair is nowhere in the passage. Look for the shape where needs in this part.
Read thisPrams may be left at the desk in the entrance hall, but the museum accepts no responsibility for items left in them.
Where can a visitor leave a pushchair?
Write no more than 2 words.
Try a full set
Below is a workplace notice with three questions, set as the test sets them. Work the five steps in order: highlight the question word, decide the shape, find the line and read the next one too, keep the place the rule sends you to, then cut to the limit.
From 1 June, staff in Grade 4 and above may apply for a basement locker. The arrangement is not automatic. Your line manager must confirm that you work on site at least three days each week. Rules that apply to every approved request: • Collect the key from the facilities desk on the lower ground floor, not from reception. • Do not store food, batteries, or anything that needs a power socket. • A lost key costs £12. Pay at the cashier on the same day you report it; the facilities desk does not take money. • Return the key to the facilities desk on your last day in the building. Do not leave it with a colleague. Staff below Grade 4 should use the coat hooks in the cycle lobby. Those hooks are not locked and are emptied every Friday evening.
The full set3 questions
From when?
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER. Answer the question word.
From which date may Grade 4 staff apply for a locker?
Write no more than 2 words.
Where?
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER.
Where do you collect the key?
Write no more than 2 words.
How much?
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER.
How much does a lost key cost?
Write no more than 2 words.
Tips
- Answer only what was asked
Extra context is not rewarded and often pushes you over the word limit. If the question asks when, give the time and nothing else.
- Do not write a full sentence
These answers are phrases. At 8.00 is fine. The lockers open at 8.00 is over the limit on most papers.
- Read the next line too
A rule often has its exception in the following sentence, and the exception is sometimes what the question is about.
Recap
The question word tells you the shape of the answer. Decide it before you look.
Keep the place the rule sends you to, not the one it names to rule out.
Take the words from the passage, drop the and a, and stay inside the limit.
Next: matching questions, where you connect a list to parts of the passage.