MockoTEFAQ reading questions ask you to select the one option that is directly supported by evidence in the text. This sounds straightforward, but the challenge is that all four options are plausible and at least two are partly true. The skill that separates a high score from a middling one is the ability to locate the exact supporting sentence quickly, verify it precisely, and resist options that sound right but go slightly beyond what the text says.
What you’ll learn
- Find the specific sentence or phrase that serves as evidence for the correct answer.
- Verify that the supporting evidence matches the chosen option completely, not just in general.
- Identify which wrong options are distractors based on partial truth, over-generalization, or invented detail.
- Build a consistent evidence-checking habit that works under time pressure.
The evidence-first approach
The safest way to answer TEFAQ reading questions is to treat it like a verification task rather than a comprehension task. Before you commit to any option, find the sentence in the text that would prove it. If you cannot find that sentence, the option is almost certainly wrong, no matter how reasonable it seems.
- 1Read the question and identify what specific fact, condition, or claim it asks you to confirm.
- 2Read the text (or the relevant section) and locate a sentence that directly addresses that fact.
- 3Read that sentence carefully and compare it to all four options.
- 4Choose the option that the sentence fully supports.
- 5If two options seem equally supported, find the word or phrase in the text that distinguishes them.
Extrait: "Le festival se déroule chaque année en juillet, sauf en 2020 où il a été annulé en raison de la pandémie." Question: "Quand a lieu le festival?"
Extract: "The festival takes place every year in July, except in 2020 when it was cancelled because of the pandemic." Question: "When does the festival take place?" The clue sentence contains two facts: (1) every year in July, (2) cancelled in 2020. The correct answer to "Quand a lieu le festival?" is "En juillet" (In July). An option saying "Le festival n'a pas lieu en été" would be wrong despite mentioning 2020. An option saying "Le festival est annuel" would be only partially relevant.
Recognising three types of wrong options
TEFAQ distractors fall into recognisable patterns. Learning to spot these patterns quickly saves time and reduces second-guessing.
- Partial truth: the option is true for part of what the text says but misses or ignores a key condition. For example, the text says "disponible sur réservation uniquement" and the option says "disponible pour tous".
- Over-generalisation: the text describes a specific case and the option turns it into a universal rule. For example, the text describes one neighbourhood and the option says "dans toute la ville".
- Invented plausible detail: the option sounds like a natural extension of the text but is not stated anywhere. For example, a text about a new library says nothing about its opening hours and an option says "ouvert sept jours sur sept".
Plausible is not the same as evidenced
- An option that seems likely or logical based on your general knowledge is not automatically correct.
- You are being tested on what this specific French text says, not on what is generally true about the world.
- Before confirming an answer, ask: "Where exactly in the text does it say this?"
When the evidence is implicit
Some TEFAQ questions at B1 level ask about implied meaning rather than directly stated facts. Even here, the answer must be anchored in specific language. The difference is that you are reading the implication of a sentence rather than its literal surface meaning.
"Malgré les protestations des habitants, la mairie a décidé de construire un nouveau parking à cet endroit."
Despite protests from residents, the town hall decided to build a new car park in that location. A question asking "Quelle est l'attitude des habitants?" (What is the attitude of the residents?) has implicit evidence here: "protestations" tells you they oppose the project. You do not need a sentence saying "les habitants sont contre" explicitly.
Even with implied meaning, stay close to the text. If a word or phrase in the text directly implies an attitude, an outcome, or a relationship, that is enough evidence. But do not chain together two or three inferences to reach a conclusion the text never approaches.
Handling difficult questions
When you are stuck between two options
- Go back to the text and find the sentence that is relevant to both options.
- Read that sentence word by word and ask which option it supports more completely.
- If one option is a direct paraphrase of the sentence and the other adds or removes a detail, choose the direct paraphrase.
- If you genuinely cannot decide after 90 seconds, choose the more specific option (the one with more exact detail) and move on.
Spending more than two minutes on a single TEFAQ reading item is rarely productive. The extra time seldom produces a better answer and always costs you time elsewhere. Practise making a decision at the 90-second mark.
How to practise this
Evidence-spotting is a habit that builds with deliberate practice. The key is to practise verifying answers, not just choosing them. After every practice session, re-read the text and physically underline or mark the supporting sentence for each correct answer.
Practice routine
- Work through DELF B1 reading exercises and TEFAQ preparation materials.
- After completing each exercise, underline the exact supporting sentence for every correct answer.
- For every wrong answer you gave, find the distractor type: partial truth, over-generalisation, or invented detail.
- Create a short log of the distractor patterns you fall for most often, and check for them consciously in the next practice session.
Key takeaways
- Treat every question as a verification task: find the supporting sentence before choosing an answer.
- The correct option must be fully supported by the text, not just approximately.
- Wrong options are typically partial truths, over-generalisations, or plausible but unstated details.
- Even implied meaning must be anchored in specific language in the text.
- Practise locating and marking supporting sentences to build the evidence-checking habit.
