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IELTS Practice Reading: True, False, Not Given ID: #56478 Medium Dvds
Instructions ›
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage?
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
Tap any word for its meaning

DVDs

The first DVD player hit the market in March 1997.

A DVD is very similar to a CD, but it has a much larger data capacity. A standard DVD holds about seven times more data than a CD does. This huge capacity means that a DVD has enough room to store a full-length, MPEG-2 encoded movie, as well as a lot of other information.

Here are the typical contents of a DVD movie:

  • Up to 133 minutes of high-resolution video, in letterbox or pan-and-scan format, with 720 dots of horizontal resolution (The video compression ratio is typically 40:1 using MPEG-2 compression.)
  • Soundtrack presented in up to eight languages using 5.1 channel Dolby digital surround sound
  • Subtitles in up to 32 languages

DVD can also be used to store almost eight hours of CD-quality music per side.

The format offers many advantages over VHS tapes:

  • DVD picture quality is better, and many DVDs have Dolby Digital or DTS sound, which is much closer to the sound you experience in a movie theater.
  • Many DVD movies have an on-screen index, where the creator of the DVD has labeled many of the significant parts of the movie, sometimes with a picture. With your remote, if you select the part of the movie you want to view, the DVD player will take you right to that part, with no need to rewind or fast-forward.
  • DVD players are compatible with audio CDs
  • Some DVD movies have both the letterbox format, which fits wide-screen TVs, and the standard TV size format, so you can choose which way you want to watch the movie.
  • DVD movies may have several soundtracks on them, and they may provide subtitles in different languages. Foreign movies may give you the choice between the version dubbed into your language, or the original soundtrack with subtitles in your language. 
AI explanationShows the answer. Tap to open.

Question Focus: Contradiction - 'just fits' vs extra space for other information

Correct Answer: FALSE

Why this is correct: The statement says the movie just fits, meaning there is no extra space. But the passage clearly says there is room for the movie and a lot of other information, so this directly contradicts the statement.

Passage Reference: This huge capacity means that a DVD has enough room to store a full-length, MPEG-2 encoded movie, as well as a lot of other information.

Common Mistake: Students often choose TRUE because they see MPEG-2 encoded movie and stop reading. They miss as well as a lot of other information, which shows extra space. This is a Contradiction trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'as well as a lot of other information' = Statement: 'just fits'

Tips: Watch for words like just, only, or exactly. They often create contradictions.

Key Vocabulary:

  • capacity = amount it can hold
  • encoded = digitally stored

Question Focus: Synonym match - 'compressed' matches 'video compression'

Correct Answer: TRUE

Passage Reference: • Up to 133 minutes of high-resolution video, in letterbox or pan-and-scan format, with 720 dots of horizontal resolution (The video compression ratio is typically 40:1 using MPEG-2 compression.)

Why this is correct: The passage clearly states up to 133 minutes of high-resolution video and mentions video compression. This matches the statement exactly in meaning.

Common Mistake: Some students hesitate because the word compressed is not in the main bullet line. But it appears in the explanation after it. This is a Synonym match.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'video compression ratio is typically 40:1' = Statement: 'can be compressed'

Tips: Check brackets and extra explanations after bullets. Important details are often there.

Key Vocabulary:

  • compression = making data smaller
  • resolution = image quality

Question Focus: Counting and importance not stated

Correct Answer: NOT GIVEN

Passage Reference: The format offers many advantages over VHS tapes:

Why this is correct: The passage says there are many advantages, but it never says they are five or that they are main advantages. The passage does not discuss the number in this way.

Common Mistake: Students count the bullet points and assume the writer means five main advantages. But counting yourself is not allowed. This is a Not Given trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'many advantages' = Statement: 'five main advantages'

Tips: Do not add your own conclusions. Only accept numbers if the passage clearly gives them.

Key Vocabulary:

  • advantages = benefits
  • format = type or system

Question Focus: Topic mentioned but specific comparison missing

Correct Answer: NOT GIVEN

Passage Reference: • DVD picture quality is better, and many DVDs have Dolby Digital or DTS sound, which is much closer to the sound you experience in a movie theater.

Why this is correct: The passage compares sound to a movie theater, not picture quality. It never says the picture is nearly the same as in a cinema.

Common Mistake: Students mix up sound and picture and assume both are compared to cinema quality. This is a Context shift trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'sound you experience in a movie theater' = Statement: 'quality in a cinema'

Tips: Check exactly what is being compared. Sound and picture are often tested separately.

Key Vocabulary:

  • cinema = movie theater
  • quality = how good something is

Question Focus: Qualification trap - 'many' vs 'most'

Correct Answer: FALSE

Passage Reference: • Many DVD movies have an on-screen index, where the creator of the DVD has labeled many of the significant parts of the movie, sometimes with a picture. With your remote, if you select the part of the movie you want to view, the DVD player will take you right to that part, with no need to rewind or fast-forward.

Why this is correct: The passage says many DVD movies, not most DVDs. Most means nearly all, which is stronger than what the passage states.

Common Mistake: Students treat many and most as the same. In IELTS, this change in quantity makes the statement wrong. This is a Qualification trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'many DVD movies' = Statement: 'most DVDs'

Tips: Be very careful with quantity words like many, most, some, and all.

Key Vocabulary:

  • index = list of sections
  • rewind = go backward

Question Focus: Direct match - display formats

Correct Answer: TRUE

Passage Reference: • Some DVD movies have both the letterbox format, which fits wide-screen TVs, and the standard TV size format, so you can choose which way you want to watch the movie.

Why this is correct: The passage clearly says some DVD movies have both formats. Having two formats means more than one mode of display.

Common Mistake: Students sometimes overthink this and look for the exact phrase mode of display. This is a clear Synonym match.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'letterbox format and the standard TV size format' = Statement: 'more than one mode of display'

Tips: If the meaning matches, the words do not need to be identical.

Key Vocabulary:

  • format = display type
  • mode = way or method

Question Focus: Quantity claim not stated

Correct Answer: NOT GIVEN

Passage Reference: • DVD movies may have several soundtracks on them, and they may provide subtitles in different languages. Foreign movies may give you the choice between the version dubbed into your language, or the original soundtrack with subtitles in your language.

Why this is correct: The passage says may have and may provide, which shows possibility, not majority. It never says most DVD movies have subtitles.

Common Mistake: Students see subtitles mentioned and assume it applies to most DVDs. This is adding information. This is a Not Given trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'may provide subtitles' = Statement: 'most DVD movies have subtitles'

Tips: Words like may and can mean possibility, not frequency.

Key Vocabulary:

  • subtitles = words on the screen
  • dubbed = voices replaced

General Tips:

  • TFNG statements follow passage order. Use the location of the last 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.
  • Be very careful with quantity words like many, most, some, and all. They often decide the answer.
  • Do not count bullet points or make conclusions the writer does not state directly.

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