Selective reading: find the sentence that contradicts the claim

Quick Answer

Say the claim in your own words, then turn it into its opposite. Look for the sentence in the passage that says that opposite most directly. A sentence that only limits the claim, by showing where it is true or for whom, is weaker than one that cannot be true at the same time as the claim.

Who is this practice for?

Children in Years 5 and 6 who are preparing for the NSW Selective High School Placement Test, and the parent who sits beside them. It needs a pencil and no calculator.

This is a practice format of our own. This page does not claim that the Selective test uses a question type called "find the contradicting sentence", or say how often one appears. The skill it trains is reading closely enough to point at the exact sentence that decides a question. For the published Reading format, see the NSW Department of Education page on Selective High School practice tests: NSW Department of Education Selective High School practice tests

How do I look for evidence against a claim?

1. Say the claim in your own words.
2. Write its opposite. If the claim is "few children ride", the opposite is "many children ride".
3. Read the passage once, marking sentences that are about the same thing as the claim.
4. Pick the sentence that says the opposite most directly. Test it: could this sentence and the claim both be true together? If they cannot, it contradicts the claim.
5. If they can both be true, the sentence only limits the claim, supports it, or is about something else.

Each question gives the claim and four sentences copied from the passage. Every option is a quotation, so the question cannot be answered without reading the passage.

A worked model

Passage (short). The pool opens at six in the morning. It is true that the water is cold before eight. However, the lifeguard counted 90 swimmers before seven on Monday.

Claim. Nobody swims before seven.

Option	What it does
The pool opens at six in the morning.	Neutral: about opening, not about swimmers.
It is true that the water is cold before eight.	Limits: it explains why few might swim, and it can sit beside the claim.
However, the lifeguard counted 90 swimmers before seven on Monday.	Contradicts: 90 swimmers before seven cannot be true if nobody swims before seven.

Passage 1 and questions

Sunday opening at the town library

The library opened in 1962 and has served three generations of local families. The town council wants to close the library on Sundays to save money. Opening the library on a Sunday costs about $400 in wages and electricity. Supporters of the change say that most other council services are already closed on weekends. It is true that the library is quiet in the early morning. However, the librarian counted 310 visitors across the last four Sundays, and most of them arrived after midday. Nine out of ten of those visitors were school students working on assignments. The council says that students can use the library on weekdays instead. Yet the weekday library closes at 5 pm, which is before most students finish sport and travel home. The library has twelve computers, and every one of them is in use by one o'clock on Sundays. A volunteer group has offered to run the library on Sundays at no cost to the council. The council will vote on the proposal at the end of the month.

Question 1. Claim: The library is rarely busy on Sundays. Which sentence contradicts the claim?

• A. Opening the library on a Sunday costs about $400 in wages and electricity.
• B. The library has twelve computers, and every one of them is in use by one o'clock on Sundays.
• C. It is true that the library is quiet in the early morning.
• D. Supporters of the change say that most other council services are already closed on weekends.

Question 2. Claim: Students can easily use the library on weekdays instead. Which sentence contradicts the claim?

• A. The council says that students can use the library on weekdays instead.
• B. The town council wants to close the library on Sundays to save money.
• C. Nine out of ten of those visitors were school students working on assignments.
• D. Yet the weekday library closes at 5 pm, which is before most students finish sport and travel home.

Question 3. Claim: Keeping the library open on Sundays must cost the council money. Which sentence contradicts the claim?

• A. A volunteer group has offered to run the library on Sundays at no cost to the council.
• B. However, the librarian counted 310 visitors across the last four Sundays, and most of them arrived after midday.
• C. Opening the library on a Sunday costs about $400 in wages and electricity.
• D. The library opened in 1962 and has served three generations of local families.

Passage 2 and questions

A bike path on Marsh Road

The council has proposed a bike path along Marsh Road, and the neighbourhood is divided about it. Supporters say the path would make the ride to school safer for children. Marsh Road carries about 4,000 cars a day, and the speed limit is 60 kilometres an hour. Opponents say the path will take away parking, and it is true that eleven spaces outside the shops would be lost. They also say that few children ride to school. A survey by the school found that 410 of its 600 students ride to school on most days. Another opponent argues that the path would cost too much for a small town. The council's engineer estimates that the path would cost $90,000, which is less than one per cent of this year's roads budget. Opponents add that cyclists will ignore the path and keep riding on the road. A traffic count on a nearby street with a similar path found that nine out of ten cyclists used it. It is true that a small number of cyclists still rode on the road. The shopkeepers have asked the council to build the path on Elm Street instead. Elm Street is two blocks away and does not lead to the school.

Question 4. Claim: Few children ride to school. Which sentence contradicts the claim?

• A. They also say that few children ride to school.
• B. Marsh Road carries about 4,000 cars a day, and the speed limit is 60 kilometres an hour.
• C. A survey by the school found that 410 of its 600 students ride to school on most days.
• D. The shopkeepers have asked the council to build the path on Elm Street instead.

Question 5. Claim: The path would cost too much for a small town. Which sentence contradicts the claim?

• A. The council's engineer estimates that the path would cost $90,000, which is less than one per cent of this year's roads budget.
• B. Elm Street is two blocks away and does not lead to the school.
• C. Another opponent argues that the path would cost too much for a small town.
• D. Opponents say the path will take away parking, and it is true that eleven spaces outside the shops would be lost.

Question 6. Claim: Cyclists will ignore the path and keep riding on the road. Which sentence contradicts the claim?

• A. Opponents add that cyclists will ignore the path and keep riding on the road.
• B. It is true that a small number of cyclists still rode on the road.
• C. Supporters say the path would make the ride to school safer for children.
• D. A traffic count on a nearby street with a similar path found that nine out of ten cyclists used it.

Passage 3 and questions

Does stopping homework help?

Some schools have stopped setting homework for students in Years 3 to 6, and one principal says the change has helped. She argues that homework makes children tired and takes time away from family meals. It is true that some children do more homework than others, and a few spend over an hour each night. Her school's records show that average reading scores in Year 5 rose by eight points after homework stopped. She also claims that students are now reading more books for pleasure. The library's loan records show that books borrowed by Year 5 and 6 students fell by a third in the same period. Critics say that children who stop having homework find it harder to work on their own. The school's teachers report that most students now finish their independent class tasks without asking for help. In a survey, 70 of 100 parents said that evenings at home were calmer. The principal admits that the survey was sent only to families who attended a parent night. A second survey, sent to every family, found that only 38 of 100 parents said evenings were calmer.

Question 7. Claim: Students are now reading more books for pleasure. Which sentence contradicts the claim?

• A. The library's loan records show that books borrowed by Year 5 and 6 students fell by a third in the same period.
• B. She also claims that students are now reading more books for pleasure.
• C. Her school's records show that average reading scores in Year 5 rose by eight points after homework stopped.
• D. She argues that homework makes children tired and takes time away from family meals.

Question 8. Claim: Most parents say that evenings at home are calmer. Which sentence contradicts the claim?

• A. In a survey, 70 of 100 parents said that evenings at home were calmer.
• B. It is true that some children do more homework than others, and a few spend over an hour each night.
• C. The principal admits that the survey was sent only to families who attended a parent night.
• D. A second survey, sent to every family, found that only 38 of 100 parents said evenings were calmer.

Question 9. Claim: Children who stop having homework find it harder to work on their own. Which sentence contradicts the claim?

• A. Critics say that children who stop having homework find it harder to work on their own.
• B. Her school's records show that average reading scores in Year 5 rose by eight points after homework stopped.
• C. The school's teachers report that most students now finish their independent class tasks without asking for help.
• D. Some schools have stopped setting homework for students in Years 3 to 6, and one principal says the change has helped.

Answers with the sentences quoted

Question	Key	Contradicting sentence (quoted)	Limiting option (tagged)
1	B	The library has twelve computers, and every one of them is in use by one o'clock on Sundays.	C: "It is true that the library is quiet in the early morning." Limits: it says when the claim is true and can sit beside it.
2	D	Yet the weekday library closes at 5 pm, which is before most students finish sport and travel home.	none in this question
3	A	A volunteer group has offered to run the library on Sundays at no cost to the council.	none in this question. Option C supports the claim and options B and D are about other things.
4	C	A survey by the school found that 410 of its 600 students ride to school on most days.	none in this question
5	A	The council's engineer estimates that the path would cost $90,000, which is less than one per cent of this year's roads budget.	none in this question
6	D	A traffic count on a nearby street with a similar path found that nine out of ten cyclists used it.	B: "It is true that a small number of cyclists still rode on the road." Limits: the claim holds for a few cyclists, so it can sit beside the claim.
7	A	The library's loan records show that books borrowed by Year 5 and 6 students fell by a third in the same period.	none in this question
8	D	A second survey, sent to every family, found that only 38 of 100 parents said evenings were calmer.	C: "The principal admits that the survey was sent only to families who attended a parent night." Limits: it weakens the first survey but does not say what other parents think.
9	C	The school's teachers report that most students now finish their independent class tasks without asking for help.	none in this question

Key count: A 3, B 1, C 2, D 3. Each passage has exactly one limiting option (Q1, Q6, Q8). The other wrong options are: restates the claim (supports it), neutral background, or a sentence about a different claim.

What is the difference between limiting and contradicting?

Use the library passage. The claim is "The library is rarely busy on Sundays."

• "It is true that the library is quiet in the early morning." can be true at the same time as the claim, so it only limits it. It says where the claim holds, not where it fails.
• "The library has twelve computers, and every one of them is in use by one o'clock on Sundays." cannot be true if the library is rarely busy, so it contradicts the claim.

A limiting sentence changes how far a claim reaches. A contradicting sentence says the claim is wrong.

Can my child write a contradicting sentence?

Take this claim about Passage 3: Teachers have found that most students work well on their own without homework. Ask your child to write one new sentence that would contradict it, and then to say whether their sentence could be true at the same time as the claim. If it could, it is a limiting sentence and needs to be stronger. Example answer: "The teachers report that most students now ask for help before they start an independent task."

Next steps

• Official format: the NSW Department of Education Selective practice tests page.
• NSW Selective practice tests and resources
• NSW Selective test format guide
• Free mock test pack

Sources and review

Official source (checked 2026-10-15): NSW Department of Education, Selective High School practice tests, for the published test format.

Where the questions came from: all three passages and nine questions are original Braintree Coaching Australia material written for this page. None is taken from an official or third-party paper. Every option was checked against its passage by script.

Author: James Rush, content writer, Braintree Coaching Australia.

Answer check: every answer was solved a second time before publication. A named teacher review has not yet been recorded for this set. If you find an error, please tell us.

Last updated: 2026-10-15.