Reading Multimodal Texts

Respuesta correcta: B) The bar chart, because it shows the monthly distribution of rainfall

• A) The footnote, because it explains the sourcesA footnote explains provenance and does not supply evidence about levels.
• B) The bar chart, because it shows the monthly distribution of rainfallA month-by-month distribution identifies March as a distinct point, which is exactly what the caption asserts.
• C) The photograph, because it shows the appearance of the waterA photograph shows a moment visually but cannot establish which month the level was lowest.
• D) The title of the page, because it names the subjectA title names the subject and carries no month-by-month data.

Respuesta correcta: A) Any trend the chart appears to show may be affected by those two missing years

• A) Any trend the chart appears to show may be affected by those two missing yearsA gap in the series can change how a trend appears, so a reader cannot read the shape without noting it.
• B) The chart is unreliable in every other respectThe statement concerns two specific years and says nothing about the rest.
• C) The two years had no rainfall at allAbsence of data is not the same as absence of rainfall.
• D) The chart was withdrawn from publicationNo withdrawal is mentioned anywhere in the text.

Respuesta correcta: A) That the two districts are shaded with tones that are adjacent in the legend

• A) That the two districts are shaded with tones that are adjacent in the legendFive tones classify values into bands, so a difference between two districts means different amounts only within a band.
• B) That both districts appear in the legendEvery tone on a classified map corresponds to a legend entry, and membership is not the variable question.
• C) That the map was printed in colourThe tone can be read in monochrome as distinct patterns, so printing is not the issue.
• D) That the two districts have the same populationNothing in the map classification depends on population size.

Respuesta correcta: C) It allows values to be located and compared row by row

• A) It shows why the figures matter to readersA table does not explain significance; the accompanying prose is where that appears.
• B) It hides the original data sourceA source note, when present, becomes easier rather than harder to find in a table.
• C) It allows values to be located and compared row by rowA tabular layout places values in fixed positions, which makes precise comparison fast and reliable.
• D) It explains what the figures meanInterpretation is what prose is best at, and the table alone does not supply meaning.

Respuesta correcta: B) It shows one moment and cannot establish how long the queue usually lasts

• A) It proves that the clinic is underfundedA funding conclusion would require financial evidence that the text does not provide.
• B) It shows one moment and cannot establish how long the queue usually lastsA photograph freezes a single instant, so any claim about duration exceeds what the image can support.
• C) It cannot be trusted because it was taken at a clinicThe location is not a reason to distrust the image.
• D) It shows the wrong day of the weekThe caption supplies the day, and nothing suggests it is wrong.

Respuesta correcta: D) Convert the number of icons into an approximate population count

• A) Determine the exact population of each districtIcons give a rounded figure, and exact counts require the underlying data.
• B) Compare the districts by incomeThe note concerns population size and says nothing about income.
• C) Identify the year the data were collectedNo date appears in the note or anywhere else in the description.
• D) Convert the number of icons into an approximate population countWith a scale given for the symbols, counting them yields a total of multiples of one thousand.

Respuesta correcta: D) Both figures can be correct because they come from different sources

• A) One of the two must be a mistakeThe explanation supplied by the text removes the need to assume a mistake.
• B) The sentence is correct and the chart must be discardedThe note explains the chart rather than invalidating it.
• C) The figures cannot be compared because both are estimatesComparisons of two vintages remain possible once the difference is known.
• D) Both figures can be correct because they come from different sourcesThe note identifies a difference in vintage, which explains the discrepancy without any need for an error.

Respuesta correcta: D) It presents the same figures while showing the speaker's explanation of them

• A) It covers the same material in fewer words than the paperSummarising reduces detail rather than presenting the same material in fewer words.
• B) It can replace the paper for anyone with limited timeA summary supports the paper but does not replace it, since the full method and data remain in the text.
• C) It presents additional experiments that the paper omittedThe figures come from the paper, so no additional experiments are involved.
• D) It presents the same figures while showing the speaker's explanation of themShowing the figures alongside the interpretation gives the reader both the evidence and the reasoning about it.

Respuesta correcta: A) The straight line hides the terrain that a real route would have to follow

• A) The straight line hides the terrain that a real route would have to followSchematic lines are a generalisation, and terrain can force any real road to deviate substantially from them.
• B) The scale bar is too small to readThe scale bar is provided, which is precisely what makes the drawing readable.
• C) The map shows too many districtsThe number of districts is unrelated to the accuracy of the route.
• D) The route is drawn in the wrong colourColour carries no correctness role in the drawing of a route.

Respuesta correcta: A) The colour alone does not reveal the value or the limit being judged

• A) The colour alone does not reveal the value or the limit being judgedColour encodes a judgement whose basis lies in the thresholds, so without them the colour cannot be interpreted.
• B) The panel explains who built the dashboardAuthorship information does not help a reader interpret a particular colour.
• C) The panel contains the raw measurementsRaw measurements belong to the indicators, not to a panel of thresholds.
• D) The panel is optional and can be ignoredThe thresholds define what the colours mean, so the panel is not optional.

Respuesta correcta: B) That rainfall and river level rise and fall together in proportion

• A) That the two series were recorded in different yearsThe years concern the horizontal axis and are not affected by the vertical scales.
• B) That rainfall and river level rise and fall together in proportionA reader who ignores the scales can align apparent movements and mistake a visual coincidence for a proportional relationship.
• C) That the river level is always higher than rainfallThe units on two axes are not directly comparable, so no such ranking can be drawn.
• D) That rainfall has no effect on the riverIgnoring the scales gives no basis at all for a claim of no effect.

Respuesta correcta: B) The author has selected which events to interpret, and the selection may itself carry a message

• A) The timeline is incomplete and cannot be relied onThe timeline may well be complete; nothing suggests otherwise.
• B) The author has selected which events to interpret, and the selection may itself carry a messageWhich events receive interpretation is a choice made by the author, and examining that choice is part of reading critically.
• C) The remaining four events are not part of the historyA graphic timeline records events whether or not the text discusses them.
• D) The remaining four events are less important than the othersJudging importance is not what the absence of discussion establishes.

Respuesta correcta: C) The absence of any statement about the data source or the year of collection

• A) The number of districts available to inspectThe number of districts is irrelevant to the reliability of any one panel.
• B) The language used in the labelsLabel wording has no bearing on what the numbers mean or how current they are.
• C) The absence of any statement about the data source or the year of collectionWithout provenance and a date, the figures cannot be evaluated or compared with anything else on the page.
• D) The fact that the map requires clicking rather than showing everything at onceInteractivity is a navigation choice and says nothing about the quality of the figures.

Respuesta correcta: D) The chart may represent something other than the values in the table

• A) The table must be in the wrong orderSorting the table differently would not change which value is smallest.
• B) The chart is always more reliable than the tableNeither format is inherently more reliable; the discrepancy indicates a mismatch rather than a preference.
• C) The figures were collected in two different yearsThe year of collection is not what the discrepancy points to.
• D) The chart may represent something other than the values in the tableA bar longest where the underlying figure is smallest indicates that the two are not encoding the same measure.

Respuesta correcta: A) The caption's claim and the table do not agree, so the claim requires checking

• A) The caption's claim and the table do not agree, so the claim requires checkingA statement and the data on the same page that disagree create an internal inconsistency that must be resolved before the claim is used.
• B) The table is incorrect because the caption is the more authoritative textNeither element is automatically authoritative, so ranking them does not settle the conflict.
• C) The caption refers to a different measurement from the one tabulatedA different measurement is one possible explanation, but the text does not say so, and the conflict stands until it is checked.
• D) The facility does not existNothing in the description suggests the facility is fictional.

Respuesta correcta: C) Its figures require verification because the producer is interested and no source is named

• A) It is reliable because a professional organisation produced itProfessional production signals technical competence but says nothing about the interests behind the figures.
• B) It is unreliable because news sites rarely publish graphsPublishing graphs is common practice and is not itself a reason to doubt one.
• C) Its figures require verification because the producer is interested and no source is namedAn interested producer and an absent source note are two specific weaknesses that together justify seeking independent verification.
• D) It should be disregarded completely because graphs cannot carry argumentsA graph can certainly express an argument, which is why its provenance matters.

Respuesta correcta: C) It lets a reader hear the figures and confirm them visually at the same time

• A) It presents the figures twice for no purposeThe duplication serves a purpose for anyone who cannot read or cannot hear clearly.
• B) It makes the figures easier to alter without detectionDuplication can complicate alteration, which is the opposite of the last option.
• C) It lets a reader hear the figures and confirm them visually at the same timeHearing and seeing the same values together supports verification, since a reader can check one against the other.
• D) It removes the need to read the accompanying textThe visual confirmation remains available, so the text is not made redundant.

Respuesta correcta: D) The photograph shows visible damage while the text asserts its extent, which the image alone cannot confirm

• A) The text is false, because the photograph shows worse damageA photograph of visible damage does not by itself contradict a claim about the limit of that damage.
• B) The photograph confirms the text completelyA single image cannot verify the full extent described in the text.
• C) The photograph was taken after the repairs were completedThe description shows visible damage, so the repairs interpretation has no basis.
• D) The photograph shows visible damage while the text asserts its extent, which the image alone cannot confirmA photograph records what is visible from one position, and it cannot establish that no other damage exists.

Respuesta correcta: B) Check each year in the graph for a rise, including any year in which the value stayed level or fell

• A) Compare the graph with a photograph of the same periodA photograph cannot verify annual values in a graph.
• B) Check each year in the graph for a rise, including any year in which the value stayed level or fellA claim of uninterrupted rise is a statement about every point on the series, so each must be examined.
• C) Confirm that the graph is colour-printedThe method of printing has no bearing on the values plotted.
• D) Read the source note to see whether the graph is currentA source note establishes provenance but does not check whether each year rises.

Respuesta correcta: C) There is no signal about which element should be read first or what each one contributes

• A) The reader will not be able to remember all of itMemory capacity is not a property of the document's design.
• B) The elements belong to different subjects and should not appear togetherCombining material on one subject is normal practice and not itself a defect.
• C) There is no signal about which element should be read first or what each one contributesEqual weighting removes the hierarchy that tells a reader where to begin and what each element is for.
• D) The document contains too much information to be usableThe difficulty is navigational rather than a matter of total information volume.