What should you do before choosing an option?

Find the evidence in the text. The text decides which option is right.

An option is mostly right but one detail is wrong. It is…

Wrong. One wrong detail makes the whole option wrong.

A wrong option designed to look right is called…

A distractor. Distractors are there to tempt you.

11+ Comprehension · Topic explained

Multiple-choice comprehension

Four answers, and two look right. What now?

The big idea

Find the evidence in the text first, then cross out the options it doesn't support.

Picture it

Like a detective ruling out suspects one by one until only one is left.

Key words

Option: One of the answers you choose from.
Distractor: A wrong option designed to look right.
Eliminate: Cross out options the text proves wrong.

Worked examples

1Warm-up
"The cat slept on the warm windowsill all afternoon." Where did the cat sleep? A garden B windowsill C bed D sofa
- The text says windowsill.
- Cross out the rest: B.
211+ standard
"Rosa had trained for months. On race day she finished fourth, but she beat her best time by a whole minute." Which is true?
- A: she didn't win. C: she did train. D: we're not told.
- B: she ran faster than ever before.
311+ standard
"Which of these is NOT mentioned in the passage?"
- Watch for NOT: this time you hunt for the one that's missing.
411+ standard
"Rosa finished third and beat her best time."
- Half right is all wrong: she finished fourth.
- One wrong detail ruins an option.

The common mistake

The mistake

Picking the first option that looks right.

Instead

Check every option against the text before you choose.

Why: Distractors are written to look right at first glance, and often use words from the passage.

Where it comes up in the 11+

GL and CEM comprehension are mostly multiple choice, against the clock.

The video

Video coming soon

We're making a short video that explains multiple-choice comprehension step by step. Until then, everything it covers is on this page.

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