Passage Reference: Despite many efforts to control them, rabbits have overrun Australia and are causing blight, erosion and extinction wherever they go. On an island off the Australian coast, scientists had been testing a deadly rabbit virus to see whether it could serve as a weapon against the long-eared pests.

Common Mistake: NOT GIVEN - Not Given trap. Students think it is only a fact, but the writer clearly presents scientists' actions as purposeful control.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'many efforts to control them' = Statement: 'trying to control the population'

Tips: When the writer describes repeated actions with a clear aim, this usually signals agreement.

Key Vocabulary:

• control = manage
• pests = harmful animals

Question Focus: Distinguishing where facts apply

Correct Answer: NO

Passage Reference: First identified in China in 1984, the virus surfaced in Europe in 1986. The only animals affected by the virus are European rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus, which usually die within two days of contracting the disease.

Why this is correct: The passage says the virus was identified in China, but it does not say it killed many rabbits there. The deaths are described generally, not linked specifically to China.

Common Mistake: YES - Context shift trap. Students mix up where the virus was found with where deaths are described.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'First identified in China' = Statement: 'in China'

Tips: Always check if the place and the action are connected in the same sentence.

Key Vocabulary:

• identified = discovered
• contracting = catching

Question Focus: Writer allows possibility of intentional human action

Correct Answer: YES

Passage Reference: Officials suspect that humans may have been responsible for the disease's spread. A reporter for the Sydney Morning Herald may have unintentionally carried the virus from Point Pearce to Yunta; farmers, whose animosity toward rabbits runs deep, may also be helping the virus along, possibly by releasing infected animals.

Why this is correct: The writer suggests that farmers may have deliberately helped spread the virus. This supports the idea that sabotage might have been a reason.

Common Mistake: NOT GIVEN - Partial truth trap. Students miss that 'may be helping' implies possible intention.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'may also be helping the virus along' = Statement: 'sabotage might have been a reason'

Tips: Words like 'may' still show an opinion about possibility in YNNG questions.

Key Vocabulary:

• animosity = strong dislike
• responsible = caused

Question Focus: Comparative opinion missing

Correct Answer: NOT GIVEN

Passage Reference: 'The scale of rabbit damage is just vast," Byrne says. 'Twenty-five per cent of native mammals in New South Wales have been rendered locally extinct, and the major factor is rabbits."

Why this is correct: The writer gives serious damage in New South Wales, but never compares it with other states. There is no opinion saying it is worse than elsewhere.

Common Mistake: YES - Comparison trap. Students assume worse damage means worse than all other states.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'damage ... in New South Wales' = Statement: 'greater hazard in New South Wales than in other states'

Tips: If a comparison word like 'greater than' appears, look for a direct comparison in the passage.

Key Vocabulary:

• rendered extinct = made disappear
• scale = size

Question Focus: General theory not stated by writer

Correct Answer: NOT GIVEN

Passage Reference: But the virus failed to control the rabbit population for long, because a co-evolution between the virus and rabbits followed. According to Edward M. Berger, a biologist at Dartmouth College, 'a less virulent strain of virus evolved, and the (rabbit) survivors became more resistant,' enabling both the virus and the host to survive.

Why this is correct: The passage describes one example of co-evolution, not a general rule about all killing viruses. The writer never states this as a universal principle.

Common Mistake: YES - Overgeneralisation trap. Students turn one example into a general law.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'a co-evolution between the virus and rabbits followed' = Statement: 'new phase of evolution'

Tips: Be careful with statements that sound like scientific laws. Check if the writer really says that.

Key Vocabulary:

• virulent = deadly
• survivors = those that live

Question Focus: Reversed meaning

Correct Answer: NO

Passage Reference: A recent Scottish study shows that a previously used pollen dispersion model badly underestimated the amount of pollen that spreads from large oilseed rape fields.

Why this is correct: The writer says scientists underestimated pollen spread, meaning they thought it would spread less, not further. The statement reverses this meaning.

Common Mistake: YES - Reverse meaning trap. Students miss the direction of the comparison.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'underestimated the amount of pollen that spreads' = Statement: 'thought that pollen would spread further'

Tips: Underline comparison words like 'more' or 'less' to avoid reversing the meaning.

Key Vocabulary:

• underestimated = guessed too low
• dispersion = spreading

Question Focus: Distance comparison stated clearly

Correct Answer: YES

Passage Reference: Scientists were stunned when the virus appeared at Yunta, 260 kilometres from Point Pearce, and then at Blinman, another 200 kilometres away.

Why this is correct: The passage shows Blinman is farther because it is an additional 200 kilometres beyond Yunta. The writer presents this as the most distant location mentioned.

Common Mistake: NOT GIVEN - Calculation avoidance trap. Students avoid adding distances stated clearly.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'another 200 kilometres away' = Statement: 'farthest place'

Tips: When distances are given, do the simple math instead of guessing.

Key Vocabulary:

• stunned = very surprised
• appeared = was found

General Tips:

• YNNG tests the WRITER'S VIEW, not just facts. A fact without opinion is often NOT GIVEN.
• Statements follow passage order. Use the previous answer to find the next one faster.
• Watch out for reverse meaning with words like 'underestimate' and 'more'.
• Do not add comparisons or general rules unless the writer clearly states them.