IELTS Reading: no or not given?

A student asked me about the 'yes, no, not given' question below.

Question statement:
Thirty per cent of deaths in the United States are caused by smoking-related diseases.

Relevant part of the passage:
Smoking, it is believed, is responsible for 30 per cent of all deaths from cancer and clearly represents the most important preventable cause of cancer in countries like the United States today.

(Click here to see the full passage and exercise)

The official correct answer to this question is 'no'. However, the student who asked me about this question believes that we should answer 'not given'. His reason for this is that we have no information about deaths that aren't caused by cancer. Maybe smoking does cause 30% of all deaths.

What do you think? Is this student 'overthinking'? How can we explain why 'no' is the correct answer?

Comments

[kLwT]

The proportion of all cancer cause in America is 30%, and smoking is on top of it amongst other causes.

The question ask 30% is due to smoking, so the answer is NO.

[Quang]

if smoking accounts for 30% of deaths from cancer, then it is responsible for less than 30% of total deaths from all diseases.

[Shaon Zibran]

As the cancer related deaths constitute a certain percentage of total death(which is presumably less than 100%) and 30% of the cancer deaths are from smoking related cause, we can say smoking related causes account for less than 30% of total death. So, the answer is NO.

[Dang Khoa]

30% deaths from cancer are caused by smoking.
30% all deaths( from cancer+...) are caused by smoking.

[UMER]

Sir,

We write No as an answer when the statement in the question contradicts with the statement in the paragraph.

So here in question it's saying that death due to smoking is 30 % of overall deaths while in Passage it's given that the deaths due to cancer caused by smoking contributes to 30 % of deaths cause by cancer

So the answer should be 'NO'

[Nam Anh]

In a logical sense, I think that if smoking accounts for 30% of deaths from cancer, then smoking accounts for less than 30% of all kinds of death. It is easier to imagine that there is a big pie called all kinds of death, deaths from cancer is a small segment in that pie, and smoking is a smaller part in that segment (30%).

However, I think that IELTS is a language test, it tests our language (English), not maths, so we just need to care our the words, and the meaning. We don't need to think too deeply or do any maths, because it would take time and it would be quite unfair for some students quite slow in maths like me. So yes, I think that the student is over-thinking.
The question says that:
"Thirty per cent of deaths are caused by smoking"
but in the passage:
"Smoking is responsible for 30 per cent of all deaths from cancer"
It's deaths from cancer, not deaths in general, so the answer is No.

[Hai Anh]

From my opinion, the student's point can be accepted in a discussion, and he has a reason. However, as this is a reading test, and in a test like this, they test your comprehension of information in the test ONLY. You are not required to make assumption nor logical argument based on the given information. So, when doing a test, remember that you are doing the reading test (not IQ one), and because of that, the correct answer should be "no".

[TündeL]

Question statement:
Thirty per cent of deaths in the United States are caused by smoking-related diseases.

Smoking-related diseases are taken by less than 30% of cancer and another percentage that comes from another part of this certain smoking caused diseases(its sum is not known but even added to the less than 30%) so the sum-total surely will be more or at least 30% of deaths.

[annraj]

If smoking does cause 30% of all deaths, it would mean all deaths in the US are due to cancer.

[Hessam]

Dear Simon,
I was wondering what the difference between ON and ABOUT is.
Topics on. Topics about
Speech on. Speech about.
Information
And...

[alex]

Question statement:
Thirty per cent of deaths in the United States are caused by smoking-related diseases.

Relevant part of the passage:
Smoking, it is believed, is responsible for 30 per cent of all deaths from cancer and clearly represents the most important preventable cause of cancer in countries like the United States today.

Answer NO
smoking related illnesses are cancer, fetal medical conditions etc.Therefore cancer has various causes which may cause death be it smoking-related cancers, natural cancers, Aids related cancers etc, but 30% of these (cancer) deaths are due to smoking type of cancer compared to other cancers, this is what the passage is saying and it is in direct contrast with the statement given.The passage has zeroed into smoking cancer-specific deaths percentage but the statement is looking at smoking effects in general.

[May]

The question says
100 general deaths - 30 cancer deaths(30 percent)
The answer would be yes ONLY IF all general deaths are cause of cancer, But the pasage in some how says this is not true. It is therefore NO. I must say that I would have answer NG. To me It´s tricky.

[May]

By the way, the third question is also confusing.

The text says: It has been calculated that 17 per cent of cases of lung cancer can be attributed to high levels of exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke during childhood and adolescence.

The question says: Teenagers whose parents smoke are at risk of getting lung cancer at some time during their lives.

It is not False. The corrfect answer is Yes, but nothing is mention about parents, and parents has very little to do with ¨second-hand tobacco smoke ¨ I think is NG.

[Gireesh]

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[Gireesh]

---Smoking, it is believed, is responsible for 30 percent of all deaths from cancer and clearly represents the most important preventable cause of cancer in countries like the United States today.---

Thirty percent of deaths in the United States is caused by smoking-related diseases.

The information in a passage just a belief, whereas the statement is a fact type, so it's clearly NO.

It can not be NOT GIVEN after having similar information related question statement

[tony2811]

Q:Thirty per cent of deaths in the United States are caused by smoking-related diseases.

My viewpoint:30% of deaths are caused by soming related diseases. >>> the description is a fact.

Relevant part of the passage:
Smoking, it is believed, is responsible for 30 per cent of all deaths from cancer and clearly represents
the most important preventable cause of cancer in countries like the United States today.

My viewpoints:
A.Smoking is believed, and it might be not a fact.
B.In passage, 30 of all deaths from cancer >>> it does not show which country is.

[Chaiane]

We can have plenty of points of view and "no" or "not given" Will always trick us because they have a similarity to not have the information.

I have never found a teacher who clearly explains the difference that IELTS is waiting from all of us.

Please Simon, save our lives!!! When are you coming to London to do the reading workshop? I have to request day off for that, once I work in a hospital.

[Dina Shcherbakova]

I believe that there are several issues for this question.

Firstly, a fact vs an opinion issue.
Question statement: It is a fact ("30% of deaths are caused by smoking-related diseases.").
Relevant part of the passage: It is an opinion ("it is believed").

Secondly, let's say, "venues" issue.
Question statement: the US ("in the United States").
Relevant part of the passage: not given ("Smoking clearly represents the most important preventable cause of cancer in countries like the United States today." This part of the passage is not relevant to the question.).

Thirdly, per cent issues.
Question statement: "30% of deaths are caused by smoking-related diseases."
Relevant part of the passage: "Smoking is responsible for 30% of all deaths from cancer." Let's rephrase this sentence. 30% of deaths from cancer are caused by smoking.
So,
30% of deaths are caused by smoking-related diseases. vs
30% of deaths FROM CANCER are caused by smoking.

That is why the answer is "NO".

[Simon]

FROM SIMON:

Thanks to those of you who shared such useful ideas above!

Here's the main lesson that I think we should learn:

Don't 'overthink' the answer. Look at the basic message of the words on the page - if you start to think too deeply, you'll probably convince yourself to choose the wrong answer.

It seems to me that the writers of IELTS reading questions don't think too deeply. So, the writer of the question above was simply thinking this:

Does the passage say that smoking caused 30% of ALL deaths in the US? No, it says that smoking caused 30% of cancer deaths.

That's it. Don't think about anything deeper!

I hope this helps.

[Simon]

Hi Chaiane,

We've confirmed the date for my next visit to London - it will be Sunday 23rd April. See you then!

[Dina Shcherbakova]

Simon, thank you for the explanation!

So, a fact vs an opinion ("it is believed") cannot be the reason for making a True, False, Not Given decision. Am I right?

[fuad hasan]

the question and the given statement of the passage are clearly opposite. so answer must be NO

[Maria]

I would answer "Not Given", because cancer is not the only smoking-related decease.

[Simon]

Dina,

Be careful with that. The difference between "it is believed" (we think it's a fact) and "are" (expressing something as a fact) will never be the thing that determines what the answer should be in an IELTS reading test. You might end up "overthinking" if you're looking at that level of detail.

Just focus on the main, clear message:

30% of all deaths is not the same as 30% of cancer deaths.

[Dina Scherbakova]

Thank you, Simon! I'll do my best!

[Minh Tan]

Dear Simon,
Can you give me a explantation for your answer key from remainding questions 4-7 ?

[Philip YANG]

Thanks a lot! Simon.

[Hadjer]

Hi simon please can you explaine for me questions number 3

[zain]

30% of the death is due to cigarette-related diseases of which 30 percent is cancer.
thus the correct answer is NO.

[Christoph]

Dear Simon,
being a doctor and having done my thesis in the statistics deparment, I have to disagree with you and the official answer.

We can not say "no" to the statement, as the percentage of deaths in the United States caused by smoking related diseases is not mentioned in the text at all. Therefore, the statement "Thirty percent of deatchs in the United States are caused by smoking-related diseases" does not contradict the claims of the writer - he does not claim anything about this topic.
Hence, the only logically correct answer is that this information is not given in the text. It is impossible to say what he thinks about it, because he does not mention it - at all!

To the guys arguing that smoking causes 30 per cent of cancer deaths, not all deaths are from cancer and therefore less than 30% of all deaths are caused by smoking: You are overlooking something very important. Smoking does not only cause death via cancer but also through various other diseases, especially cardiovascular ones (which is also said in the text). And we simple do not now the percentage of cardiovascular, neurologic, immunologic (and so on) deaths is caused by smoke.

[Simon]

Hi Christoph,

I understand your reasoning, but my aim is to help people understand how IELTS exams work. If the official answer in a real IELTS test is 'no', then we need to understand why.

I've done so many IELTS reading tests over the years, and I've seen quite a few debatable questions like this one. I have learnt to answer these questions without thinking too much - we must remember that this is a language test, nothing more.

So, on a simple, superficial language level we have this answer: 30% of (all) deaths is not the same as 30% of cancer deaths.

[Philip YANG]

Hi Simon and Christoph,

I share the same idea with Christoph.

I think that the key point about our discussion is "30%". I do believe that if the question goes like this
"Twenty per cent of deaths in the United States are caused by smoking-related diseases." , all of us would agree the answer should be Not Given, and I guess that the answer from IELTS authority should also be Not Given.

Simply speaking:
30% of all deaths are related to smoke--- False
20% of all deaths are related to smoke--- Not Given

This is IELTS's logic. just follow it.

Have a nice weekend!

[sujit kumar biswas]

Total death 30% but smoking related death 30% of all death.

answer is no

[VyNgo]

The right answer is: NO
As the statement refers that "30% of all deaths in the US" is caused by smoking.
And in other hands, the essay refers that 30% of all deaths by cancer is caused by smoking.
Obviously, the 30% in the statement is always larger than in essay.

[Mark]

I beg to differ.

If the answer is NO, then you should be able to state the right fact.

For those who said NO is the right answer, could you please tell me then what is the right percentage of deaths in the United States are caused by smoking-related diseases? If you couldn't, why NOT GIVEN isn't the right answer?

From the passage, there's no way to tell the percentage of deaths deaths in the United States are caused by smoking-related diseases, which means, that information is not given.

[Simon]

VyNgo and Mark,

The problem is that the answer "No" comes from a real, official Cambridge IELTS test. So, I'm simply trying to help people to understand the IELTS test writers' mindset.

[R&C]

If the cancer accounts for 30% of all deaths, then what about other diseases? This means all diseases account for more than 30%. And thats why the answer is NO. The keyword is Diseases.

[Xuân Đức]

I think "NO" because,

Smoking is responsible for 30% of all deaths from cancer... means smoking cause cancer less than 30%.

While question statement indicates 30 % death caused by smoking.

So, question statement is wrong compare with the info ==> NO

[Keisuke]

So the incidence of 30 per cent of people's death in countries including America is not = to the question saying that in the US, 30 per cent people die by smoking-related disease. That's why the answer is No.

[Keisuke]

So the incidence of 30 per cent of people's death in countries including America is not = to the question saying that in the US, 30 per cent people die by smoking-related disease. That's why the answer is No.