True-False Questions on Final Exams & Chapter Tests | Life Solutions of Dallas-Fort Worth

True-False Questions can be tricky! These five easy-to-learn tips can help students experience more success on tests.

(1) Understand True-False Questions

A true-false question is a sentence that states some facts about a person, place, or thing.

Few true-false items are written simply: the entire statement must be considered, so it’s important to read carefully looking for anything that would make it false.

(2) Watch out for Qualifiers

Qualifiers are words that modify a statement by expressing the amount, quality, degree, or intensity.

All or Nothing Qualifiers

All or nothing words are usually false because there are very few things that are 100 percent true.

T F All birds can fly.

This statement is false because not all birds can fly: most can but some can’t – like penguins and ostriches.

One small word can make a huge difference in the basic true-false statement. Qualifiers may overstate a statement (all) or may understate it (none).

“All or none” words are also called “absolutes” and include all, none, no, every, only, never, always, entirely, and invariably.

These words are usually connected with a false statement because there are very few things in this world that are 100% one way or the other.

“Some & Most” Qualifiers

What about “most”? Qualifiers such as “most” may be just right, but they may also overstate the true-false statement.

T F Most snakes are venomous.

This one sounds like it could be true (especially if you don’t like snakes), but it’s actually false: of the three thousand different kinds of snakes, only about 250 types are venomous: this is not most.

Think of qualifiers on a continuum:

All……….Most……….Some……….None

When you see a qualifier in a True-False question, substitute other qualifiers to see which one makes the statement most true.

Try These Tips to Deal with Qualifiers

Remember these suggestions when dealing with qualifiers in true-false statements:

Circle all the qualifiers in the statement
If absolutes (all or none) are used, the statement is always false.
If absolutes are not used, substitute other qualifiers to see which one makes it just right. If it’s a different word from the one used on the test, the answer is false.

This is a sample of what your student can learn in Student Success!

(3) Check Each Part of the Statement

If any part of a true-false statement is false, then the entire statement is false.

Watch out for a statement that includes a list of items: one item in the list may make the statement false: read carefully and check off each item as you consider it! For example,

A warm-climate product, cocoa is grown in the Gold Coast of Africa, Nigeria, British Columbia, and Venezuela.

This statement includes a lot of true information, but one item, British Columbia (in Canada), makes it false. Canada is not a warm-climate country!

(4) Beware of the Negative!

True-False statements that contain negative words or prefixes can be difficult to answer.

Always circle the negative words and prefixes in true-false questions!

Negative Words include not, cannot, and no

Negative Prefixes include dis-, il-, im-, in-, non-, and un-

The addition of negative words and prefixes can quickly change the meaning of true-false statements as seen in these three statements:

It is logical to believe Ben Franklin’s fame was due to his many practical inventions. – True

It is illogical to believe Ben Franklin’s fame was due to his many practical inventions. – Not True

It is illogical to believe Franklin’s fame was not due to his many practical inventions. – True

The last statement is true because the two negatives cancel each other out.

(5) If you must Guess – Guess True

If you cannot remember an answer and have tried these methods, but still can’t figure out the answer, it’s a good idea to guess because you have a 50-50 chance of being right.

Because teachers want you to know what is true, most T-F questions are true.

An Exception to this Rule: If the teacher wants you to change a false statement into a true statement, this rule does not apply!

Need Help Applying these Strategies?

Contact us to schedule an appointment.

(c) 2010 – 2019, Monte W. Davenport, Ph.D.

True-False Questions can be tricky! These five easy-to-learn tips can help students experience more success on tests.

(1) Understand True-False Questions

A true-false question is a sentence that states some facts about a person, place, or thing.

Few true-false items are written simply: the entire statement must be considered, so it’s important to read carefully looking for anything that would make it false.

(2) Watch out for Qualifiers

Qualifiers are words that modify a statement by expressing the amount, quality, degree, or intensity.

All or Nothing Qualifiers

All or nothing words are usually false because there are very few things that are 100 percent true.

T F All birds can fly.

This statement is false because not all birds can fly: most can but some can’t – like penguins and ostriches.

One small word can make a huge difference in the basic true-false statement. Qualifiers may overstate a statement (all) or may understate it (none).

“All or none” words are also called “absolutes” and include all, none, no, every, only, never, always, entirely, and invariably.

These words are usually connected with a false statement because there are very few things in this world that are 100% one way or the other.

“Some & Most” Qualifiers

What about “most”? Qualifiers such as “most” may be just right, but they may also overstate the true-false statement.

T F Most snakes are venomous.

This one sounds like it could be true (especially if you don’t like snakes), but it’s actually false: of the three thousand different kinds of snakes, only about 250 types are venomous: this is not most.

Think of qualifiers on a continuum:

All……….Most……….Some……….None

When you see a qualifier in a True-False question, substitute other qualifiers to see which one makes the statement most true.

Try These Tips to Deal with Qualifiers

Remember these suggestions when dealing with qualifiers in true-false statements:

Circle all the qualifiers in the statement

If absolutes (all or none) are used, the statement is always false.

If absolutes are not used, substitute other qualifiers to see which one makes it just right. If it’s a different word from the one used on the test, the answer is false.

This is a sample of what your student can learn in Student Success!

(3) Check Each Part of the Statement

If any part of a true-false statement is false, then the entire statement is false.

Watch out for a statement that includes a list of items: one item in the list may make the statement false: read carefully and check off each item as you consider it! For example,

A warm-climate product, cocoa is grown in the Gold Coast of Africa, Nigeria, British Columbia, and Venezuela.

This statement includes a lot of true information, but one item, British Columbia (in Canada), makes it false. Canada is not a warm-climate country!

(4) Beware of the Negative!

True-False statements that contain negative words or prefixes can be difficult to answer.

Always circle the negative words and prefixes in true-false questions!

Negative Words include not, cannot, and no

Negative Prefixes include dis-, il-, im-, in-, non-, and un-

The addition of negative words and prefixes can quickly change the meaning of true-false statements as seen in these three statements:

It is logical to believe Ben Franklin’s fame was due to his many practical inventions. – True

It is illogical to believe Ben Franklin’s fame was due to his many practical inventions. – Not True

It is illogical to believe Franklin’s fame was not due to his many practical inventions. – True

The last statement is true because the two negatives cancel each other out.

(5) If you must Guess – Guess True

If you cannot remember an answer and have tried these methods, but still can’t figure out the answer, it’s a good idea to guess because you have a 50-50 chance of being right.

Because teachers want you to know what is true, most T-F questions are true.

An Exception to this Rule: If the teacher wants you to change a false statement into a true statement, this rule does not apply!

Need Help Applying these Strategies?

Contact us to schedule an appointment.

(c) 2010 – 2019, Monte W. Davenport, Ph.D.