Tips for Answering True/False Questions
Read very carefully and closely. Pick out key words in the question (Rozakis, 2003, p.162). Look for “the word or group of words upon which the truth or falsity of the statement depends” (Mundsack, Deese, &
Deese, 2003, p. 101). Look for the qualifiers in true/false questions. Qualifiers are words that are absolute (Learning Express, 2007, p.91). Educational specialists have identified the following categories of qualifiers:
• All, most, some, few, none, no
• Always, usually, sometimes, rarely, never
• Great, much, little, none, no
• More, equal, less
• Good, bad
The correct answers are rarely always or never, black or white. It is difficult to construct a true statement using qualifiers like no, never, always, and every. If you see a qualifier in a test item, that item will probably not be correct, but you should always check it to be sure. Once you find the qualifiers in the question, you can test them by substituting another in the same group for one you see in the true/false statement. If your substitution makes more sense than the original true/false statement, then the statement is probably false. If your substitution does not make more sense, then the statement is probably true (Mundsack et al., 2003, p.100).
Example: Smoking tobacco has been responsible for all forms of respiratory disease. True or False
Smoking tobacco has been responsible for some forms of respiratory disease (true).
Smoking tobacco has been responsible for most forms of respiratory disease (could be either).
Smoking tobacco has been responsible for few forms of respiratory disease (probably false).
Answer: False
Look at connecting words in the question because two sentences can be true but connected by a word that makes them false. Read the question closely to make sure it doesn’t lead to false conclusions. Some examples of connecting words are: and, because, but, due to, for, further, nor, one account of, or, since and yet (Rozakis, 2003, p.162).
Example: President John F. Kennedy is famous because he was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald.
JFK is famous, and he was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald, but that’s not what made him famous. The connecting word because makes the sentence false.
Read the entire sentence or statement. For a sentence to be true, all parts of it must be true. If even one small part is false, the entire sentence is false. The longer a sentence, the more likely it is to be false. Pay very close attention to long sentences in true-false questions (Rozakis, 2003, p.163).
When it comes to true-false questions, you should guess on all questions you can’t answer, unless there is a penalty for guessing. You have a 50 percent chance of getting the answer right, so take the chance.
Sources
Learning Express (2007). Test-taking power strategies: Improve your test scores.
NY: Learning Express.
Mundsack, A., Deese, J., & Deese, E.K. (2003). How to study and other skills for success in college (5 th

ed.). NY: McGraw-Hill.
Rozakis, L. (2003). Test taking strategies and study skills for the utterly confused. E-book; DOI:
10.1036/0071416765McGraw-Hill.
This document was compiled by Shirley “Mandy” Sexton, Ph.D.