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CELPIP Reading Course · Lesson 2 of 8

The Question Types and How to Approach Each

By CELPass Editorial Team · 2 min read · Updated

CELPIP Reading uses three kinds of question. Each needs a slightly different way of reading.

Multiple choice about the text

A question with four options about the text. Read the question first, find the part of the text it refers to, then read that part closely before looking at the options. Choosing an option before you have checked the text is how traps work.

Drop-down completion

A second text (a reply, an email or a comment) has gaps, each with a drop-down menu. The correct option must fit both the grammar of the sentence and the facts in the first text. Read the whole sentence around the gap, not just the words before it.

Paragraph matching (Part 3)

You decide which paragraph (A–D) contains the information in a statement, or E if none does. Summarise each paragraph in a few words first, then match by meaning. Lesson 5 covers this in detail.

Key points

  • Multiple choice: question → text → options.
  • Drop-down: grammar and facts must both fit.
  • Matching: summarise paragraphs first, match meaning.

Exercise

Text: "The library will close at 6 p.m. on Fridays starting in May, instead of 9 p.m." Gap in a reply: "Thanks for letting me know. I'll have to return my books ___ on Fridays from now on." Options: later / earlier / on weekends / by 9 p.m.

  1. Which option fits?
Show answers
  1. earlier: the library now closes three hours sooner, and "by 9 p.m." contradicts the new hours.

Practise with free questions

Free questions in the CELPIP format, with answers and no account needed. Try a few now, while the lesson is fresh.

All lessons in this course

  1. How CELPIP Reading Works and Is Scored
  2. The Question Types and How to Approach Each
  3. Part 1: Reading Correspondence
  4. Part 2: Reading to Apply a Diagram
  5. Part 3: Reading for Information
  6. Part 4: Reading for Viewpoints
  7. Paraphrase and Trap Answers
  8. Pacing and Your Test-Day Plan

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