Reading task type seven: matching causes and effects
Task description
You will be provided with two lists. In most cases, one list contains a small number of causes and the other list contains a larger number of effects. The task is to find the effect which arose from (matches) each cause. To complete this task well you will need to understand clearly what the words 'cause' and 'effect' mean.
What is being tested is your ability to:
Sample task
The reading passage describes a number of cause and effect relationships.
Match each cause (1-4) in List A with its effect (A-H) in List B Write your answers (A-H) in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.
NB There are more effects in List B than you will need, so you will not use all of them. You may use any effect more than once if you wish.
List A: Causes
1Outdated regulations designed for much smaller ships
2Captain Smith's failure to communicate sufficient information to officers
3No requirements for 24 hour a day wireless operation
4Lack of procedures for dealing with wireless messages
How to approach questions to match causes and effects
- Step 1:
- Read the instructions carefully.
- Step 2:
- Look at the table and decide which list you should work from. In most cases it would be most efficient to work from the shorter list (usually the causes).
- Step 3:
- Read the first cause.
- Step 4:
- Briefly familiarise yourself with the effects list. Which effects seem possible at this stage?
- Step 5:
- Skim the reading text to find the section which discusses the first cause.
- Step 6:
- Read that section of the reading text carefully to find the effect.
- Step 7:
- When you have found the effect in the reading passage, refer back to the effects list and select the one which best paraphrases the information in the reading text. If none of the effects listed seem to match, then keep reading the text, as it is not unusual for causes to have more than one effect.