Passage Reference: The service, which first went on-line Wednesday, is free. And the stenographers, most of them hired through their fraternities and enrolled in the courses, are paid $300 a semester to open their notebooks to the world.

Common Mistake: Students sometimes think about the paid note-takers and assume users also pay. That mixes up two different groups. This is a Context shift trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'is free' = Statement: 'must pay a fee'

Tips: Always check who is paying. Ask yourself: users or workers?

Key Vocabulary:

• fee = payment
• service = system

Question Focus: Specific personal habit of Mr. Wolf

Correct Answer: NOT GIVEN

Passage Reference: But he conceded that his offerings could be abused by those with less legitimate excuses, like chronic oversleeping or lingering hangovers. 'I definitely don't believe students should skip class,' Mr. Wolf said this week from his Houston office, as he admitted that he, too, on occasion, had done just that.

Why this is correct: The passage mentions chronic oversleeping only as an example of how others might abuse the service. It does not say that Mr. Wolf himself overslept chronically. The passage does not discuss whether this was his habit.

Common Mistake: Students often connect oversleeping to Mr. Wolf personally because his name appears nearby. This is a Not Given trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'could be abused by those with less legitimate excuses' = Statement: 'Mr. Wolf used to oversleep chronically'

Tips: For NOT GIVEN, separate examples about others from facts about the person.

Key Vocabulary:

• conceded = admitted
• chronically = repeatedly

Question Focus: Synonym match - negative impact on liberal education

Correct Answer: TRUE

Passage Reference: There is no shortage of critics who believe that the arrival of Mr. Wolfs venture - along with other websites that sell sample term papers and synopses of great books - signals nothing less than the erosion of liberal education, if not civilization.

Why this is correct: The phrase erosion of liberal education clearly means damage to arts education. Many critics believe this service is harmful, which matches the statement. This is TRUE.

Common Mistake: Some students hesitate because the words are different. But this is a clear Synonym match.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'erosion of liberal education' = Statement: 'detrimental to the education of arts'

Tips: Learn common paraphrases for education topics like liberal education.

Key Vocabulary:

• erosion = damage
• liberal education = arts education

Question Focus: Contradiction - who he blames

Correct Answer: FALSE

Passage Reference: But Mark Edmundson, a professor of English at the University of Virginia, one of the schools where Mr. Wolf has set up shop, thinks the problem lies more with universities - and their reliance, often for financial reasons, on 300-student lecture courses - than on those trying to beat the system.

Why this is correct: The statement says he thinks the websites are a major threat, but the passage says he believes the problem lies more with universities, not the websites. This is a contradiction, so the answer is FALSE.

Common Mistake: Students focus on criticism and miss who is actually blamed. This is a Contradiction trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'the problem lies more with universities' = Statement: 'websites pose a major threat'

Tips: Always check comparison words like more than, rather than.

Key Vocabulary:

• reliance = dependence
• pose = cause

Question Focus: Reverse meaning - access granted

Correct Answer: FALSE

Passage Reference: Mr. Wolf said professors at the University of Houston were initially wary of helping him and his note-takers gain access to classes, if they were not enrolled. But he said he won them over when they realized that attendance did not drop as a result.

Why this is correct: The passage explains that professors were initially wary, but later allowed access. This means the note-takers were not denied access. The statement is the opposite, so FALSE.

Common Mistake: Students stop reading at initially wary and miss the outcome. This is a Reverse meaning trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'he won them over' = Statement: 'were denied access'

Tips: Read past contrast words like but to see the final result.

Key Vocabulary:

• wary = cautious
• gain access = be allowed in

Question Focus: Cause and effect - legal action

Correct Answer: TRUE

Passage Reference: Peter Wood, a professor of anthropology and the associate provost at Boston University, which is also on Mr. Wolfs list, said the university might consider taking legal action once notes from the school appear on the site - which, as of Wednesday, they had not.

Why this is correct: The passage clearly says the university might consider taking legal action because notes appear on the site. This supports the idea that broadcasting without permission could lead to lawsuits. So the answer is TRUE.

Common Mistake: Some students think because it has not happened yet, it is NOT GIVEN. This is a Time/tense trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'taking legal action' = Statement: 'get involved in lawsuits'

Tips: Possible future actions still count if clearly stated.

Key Vocabulary:

• legal action = lawsuit
• broadcasting = publishing

Question Focus: Contradiction - emotional reaction

Correct Answer: FALSE

Passage Reference: Thus, many are likely to be as surprised as Professor Syer at Sacramento who learned from a reporter Wednesday that his introduction to the world's 10 largest countries had been reproduced by an anonymous note-taker for all to see. 'I'm not unalterably opposed to this dissemination,' he said.

Why this is correct: The passage says Professor Syer was surprised and not unalterably opposed, not angry or indignant. This contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.

Common Mistake: Students assume professors must be angry. That is outside knowledge. This is a Contradiction trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'not unalterably opposed' = Statement: 'was indignant'

Tips: Do not add emotions that are not stated in the passage.

Key Vocabulary:

• indignant = angry
• unalterably = firmly

Question Focus: Conditional meaning vs definite claim

Correct Answer: FALSE

Passage Reference: 'If I think this is something that is going to be quoted globally," he said, 'it may change what I say.'

Why this is correct: Professor Syer says it may change what I say, which is only a possibility, not a definite plan. The statement says he will change the content, which is stronger. This makes it FALSE.

Common Mistake: Students ignore conditional words like may and if. This is a Qualification trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'may change what I say' = Statement: 'will change the content'

Tips: Pay close attention to modal verbs like may, might, will.

Key Vocabulary:

• may = possibly
• quoted = repeated

General Tips:

• TFNG questions follow passage order. Use the location of the previous answer to find the next one faster.
• To choose between FALSE and NOT GIVEN, ask: does the passage clearly say the opposite? If not, choose NOT GIVEN.
• Watch for modal verbs like may, might, could. They often change TRUE to FALSE.
• Do not use your own opinions about education. Only use what the passage says.