True/False/Cannot Say guide
True/False/Cannot Say questions give you a short passage and a statement. Your verdict must rest on what the passage asserts and nothing else: True if the passage supports it, False if the passage contradicts it, and Cannot Say if the passage settles neither — no matter how plausible the statement sounds.
The method
- Read the statement first, then find the exact part of the passage it refers to.
- Apply the closure test: is this claim inside what the passage actually says? If the passage neither supports nor contradicts it, the answer is Cannot Say.
- Check quantifiers and polarity precisely — 'some' is not 'most', and a near-synonym is not always the same claim.
- Never top up the passage with world knowledge. Only the text on the page counts.
Common mistakes
- Answering from outside knowledge instead of the passage.
- Quantifier shift — reading 'some' as 'most' or 'all'.
- Treating a near-synonym as the same claim when it isn't co-extensive.
- Misreading a negation or polarity.
- Marking a plausible-but-unstated claim True instead of Cannot Say.
Worked example
A real question from this category, with the verified answer and the exact evidence that decides it.
The pharmacy delivers prescriptions free of charge. Customers may speak to the pharmacist without an appointment. The pharmacy is closed on Sundays.
Statement: Prescriptions are delivered by the pharmacy at no charge.
Verified answer: True
The evidence
The pharmacy delivers prescriptions free of charge. Customers may speak to the pharmacist without an appointment. The pharmacy is closed on Sundays.
The highlighted text decides the answer.
What to notice
The passage says the pharmacy delivers prescriptions free of charge.
The rule
'Free of charge' and 'at no charge', active to passive — same fact, True.
Why the others are wrong
- False: Delivery is free, so False contradicts it.
- Cannot Say: Delivery cost is stated, so it is answerable.
Frequently asked questions
When is the answer Cannot Say?
When the passage neither supports nor contradicts the statement — the information simply isn't there. Cannot Say is about the passage, not about whether the claim is true in the real world.