This is Part 5 of Reading and Use of English: one long text followed by 6 multiple-choice questions, each with four options (A-D). Questions come in the same order as the information in the text, except that the final one may cover the whole piece.
They test detail, opinion and attitude, and some ask why the writer mentions something, what a phrase means in context, or what the writer is trying to do overall.
Every correct answer is backed up by the text. Before choosing, locate the sentence or sentences that answer the question and read them closely. If you can't point to the words that prove your option, you're probably guessing.
Wrong options are designed to be attractive. Watch for one that borrows words from the text but twists their meaning, one that's true but answers a different question, and one where half the statement fits and the other half doesn't.
Answer from what the writer actually says, not from what you know or believe about the topic. An option can sound perfectly sensible and still be wrong because the text never says it. This trap is strongest when you know the subject well.
Read each question stem closely. Is it asking for a fact, the writer's opinion, someone else's view, or the purpose of a paragraph? A question about why the writer mentions an example needs a different kind of answer from one about what happened.
Attitude often hides in small words: 'surprisingly', 'admittedly', 'hardly', 'of course', 'supposedly'. For purpose questions, ask what a paragraph or example does: does it criticise, compare, explain, warn or illustrate? Verbs like these in the options are your clue.
When a question asks about the text as a whole, such as the writer's main aim or overall opinion, think about every paragraph, not just the ending. The right option sums up the whole piece rather than one detail.