📝 What Are Short Answer Questions?
Short Answer Questions require you to answer with information directly from the text using no more than 3 words and/or a number. These questions test your ability to locate specific information quickly and extract exact details.
🎯 Why This Question Type Matters:
Scanning Skills
Tests your ability to quickly locate specific information without reading every word
Precision
Requires exact answers - no paraphrasing or interpretation allowed
Time Management
Must be answered quickly to save time for complex questions
💡 Key Characteristics:
- Answers come directly from the text (no changes allowed)
- Usually follow the order of information in the passage
- Focus on concrete facts: names, dates, numbers, locations
- Word limit is strict - exceed it and lose marks
📋 Typical Question Format:
Question: What type of accommodation did most students prefer?
Answer from text: "shared apartments"
Word count: 2 words ✓
⚠️ Common Mistakes:
- Exceeding the word limit
- Changing the form of words from the text
- Adding unnecessary articles (a, an, the)
- Including punctuation that isn't part of the answer
🔍 Step-by-Step Approach
Follow this systematic method to answer short answer questions accurately and efficiently.
Read the Question Carefully
Identify exactly what information you need to find (who, what, when, where, how many)
Identify Keywords
Find 2-3 keywords from the question that will help you locate the answer in the text
Scan for Keywords
Quickly scan the text to find your keywords or their synonyms
Read Around the Keywords
Read the sentence containing your keywords plus 1-2 sentences before/after
Extract the Exact Answer
Copy the exact words from the text - don't change anything
Check Word Count
Count your words - numbers count as one word (e.g., "twenty-five" = 1 word)
📖 Example Passage:
The National Museum's new exhibition will run for six months starting from March. Tickets cost £15 for adults and £8 for children. The museum expects approximately 50,000 visitors during this period. Opening hours are 9 AM to 6 PM daily except Mondays.
Question: How long will the exhibition last?
Step 1: Need to find duration/time period
Step 2: Keywords: "exhibition", "run", "last"
Step 3: Found "exhibition will run for"
Step 4: Read: "exhibition will run for six months"
Step 5: Extract: "six months"
Step 6: Count: 2 words ✓
Answer: six months
🧠 Advanced Strategies
Master these techniques to improve accuracy and speed in short answer questions.
🔍 Scanning Techniques:
Look for Synonyms
The question might use different words than the text:
- Question: "cost" → Text: "price", "fee", "charge"
- Question: "location" → Text: "place", "site", "venue"
- Question: "annually" → Text: "per year", "yearly"
Number Recognition
Numbers can appear in different forms:
- Written: "twenty-five" = 1 word
- Numeric: "25" = 1 word
- Combinations: "25%" = 1 word
- Dates: "March 15" = 2 words
📝 Word Counting Rules:
What Counts as ONE word:
- Hyphenated words: "twenty-five", "self-control"
- Contractions: "don't", "isn't", "they're"
- Numbers with symbols: "25%", "$500", "9:30AM"
- Compound words: "classroom", "homework"
What NOT to Include:
- Articles unless they're essential: "the", "a", "an"
- Prepositions unless part of the answer: "in", "on", "at"
- Extra punctuation marks
- Your own words or paraphrasing
⚡ Speed Tips:
Question Order
Short answer questions usually follow the order of the text, so don't look backwards
Keyword Variations
Prepare mental lists of synonyms for common question words like "reason", "method", "type"
Elimination Method
If unsure between two possible answers, choose the one with fewer words
🎯 Practice Exercise
Read the passage and answer the short answer questions. Remember: NO MORE THAN 3 WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
📖 Passage:
The Green Valley Library will undergo major renovations starting in September and lasting for eight weeks. During this period, the library will operate from a temporary location at the Community Center on Park Street. Regular opening hours will be reduced from the usual 7 AM to 9 PM to a shorter schedule of 10 AM to 5 PM. The renovation project, costing approximately £2.3 million, will include the installation of new computer facilities and a children's reading area. Library members can continue to borrow books, but the maximum loan period will be reduced from three weeks to ten days. The head librarian, Sarah Mitchell, expects the improvements to attract 40% more visitors once completed.