True/False Tests

Change proves true
on the day
it is finished
I Ching, Book of Changes, Chinese
c 2000 B.C.

• Most true/false tests contain more true answers than false answers.
  When in doubt, guess true. You have more than 50% chance of being right
  
• Pay close attention to qualifiers, negatives, and long strings of statements
  
• Qualifiers are words that restrict or open up general statements.
  Words like "no, never, none, always, every, entirely, only" restrict possibilities and usually imply false statements. They imply a statement must be true 100% of the time. Qualifiers like "sometimes, often, frequently, ordinarily, generally" open up the possibilities of making accurate statements and usually indicate true answers. They make more modest claims that are more likely to reflect reality.
  
• Negatives are confusing.
  If the question contains negatives, like "no, not, cannot," circle the negative and read the sentence that remains. Decide whether that sentence is true or false. If it is true, the opposite or negative is usually false.
  
• Every part of a true sentence must be true.
  If any one part of the sentence is false, the whole sentence is false despite many other true statements. Therefore read long sentences carefully and pay attention to each group of words set off by punctuation. Sentences with long strings of words are most likely-- but not always--false statements.

Adapted from Walter Pauk's How to Study In College.

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