The question-type playbook and elimination tactics
Recognise main-idea, detail, inference, vocabulary and intention questions — and the elimination move that suits each.
Multiple-choice reading questions come in a small number of recognisable types. Naming the type before you answer is a real advantage: each type has a signature trap and a matching elimination tactic. You are not just picking the right answer — you are ruling out the wrong ones the way each question invites.
The five types you will meet
Question type, its tell, and the elimination move
| Type | Tell / wording | Elimination tactic |
|---|---|---|
| Main idea / idée principale | « le texte traite surtout de... » | cut options that are true but only a detail |
| Detail / détail | « selon le texte, quand... » | cut options not literally in the text |
| Inference / inférence | « on peut déduire que... » | cut options going too far beyond the text |
| Vocabulary / vocabulaire | « le mot X signifie ici... » | test each option back in the sentence |
| Intention / intention | « l'auteur cherche à... » | cut options that match content, not purpose |
Main idea vs detail: the too-narrow trap
For a main-idea question, the wrong answers are often perfectly true — they just describe one paragraph, not the whole text. The correct choice covers the entire passage. Ask: does this option fit the whole text, or only one corner of it?
« Le texte traite surtout... » — une option vraie mais limitée à un exemple du 3e paragraphe est un distracteur.Inference: supported, not invented
An inference must be backed by the text without being stated outright. Two traps sit on either side: the option that merely repeats a sentence (that is a detail, not an inference) and the option that leaps to a conclusion the text never supports. The right answer is a modest, well-anchored deduction.
Le texte dit : « Les inscriptions ont doublé malgré la hausse des frais. »Practice idea: on your next reading set, write the question type beside each item before answering, then review whether misidentifying the type explains any wrong answers.
Original ScoreRoute lesson — written for TEF Canada / TCF Canada preparation.
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