Identifying Explicitly Stated Information

The most fundamental skill in UCAT Verbal Reasoning is the ability to locate information that is directly stated in the passage. Many questions — both True/False/Can't Tell and free-text — test whether you can accurately match a statement or question to specific words in the passage. This sounds simple, but under time pressure and with deliberately misleading wording, it is the source of a large proportion of errors.

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What "Explicitly Stated" Means

A piece of information is explicitly stated if you can point to a specific sentence or phrase in the passage that directly says it. No inference, interpretation, or outside knowledge is needed.

Type	Example
Explicitly stated	The passage says "The study involved 500 participants" → The statement "The study involved 500 participants" is True
Paraphrased	The passage says "The study involved 500 participants" → The statement "Five hundred people took part in the research" is also True (same meaning, different words)
Inferred	The passage says "The study involved 500 participants from three hospitals" → The statement "At least one hospital contributed more than 100 participants" is an inference (it may or may not be true)
Not stated	The passage says "The study involved 500 participants" → The statement "Most participants were female" is Can't Tell (no information about gender)

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The Three-Step Method for Locating Explicit Information

Step 1: Identify the Key Claim in the Statement

Before searching the passage, be precise about what the statement is actually claiming.

Example statement: "The government's policy on renewable energy was introduced in response to the 2015 Paris Agreement."

Key claims to verify:

1. There was a government policy on renewable energy
2. It was introduced in response to a specific event
3. That event was the 2015 Paris Agreement

All three claims must be supported by the passage for the statement to be True. If any one is contradicted, the statement is False. If any one cannot be confirmed, the answer may be Can't Tell.

Step 2: Scan the Passage for Matching Content

Use keyword scanning (covered in Lesson 2) to locate the relevant section. Look for:

• The same words as in the statement
• Synonyms of the key words
• Related concepts that address the same claim

Step 3: Compare the Statement to the Passage Precisely

This is where errors are most common. You must compare the statement to the passage word by word for:

• Numerical accuracy (does "500" match "500" or has it been changed to "5,000"?)
• Scope accuracy (does "all" match "all" or does the passage say "most"?)
• Temporal accuracy (does "2015" match "2015" or does the passage say "2016"?)
• Causal accuracy (does the passage say "in response to" or merely "after"?)

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Common Matching Challenges

Challenge 1: Numerical Precision

Passages often contain precise numbers. Questions test whether you notice small numerical changes.

Passage: "The charity raised £3.2 million in 2021, a 15% increase on the previous year."

Statement	Answer	Reasoning
"The charity raised £3.2 million in 2021"	True	Exact match
"The charity raised over £3 million in 2021"	True	£3.2 million is indeed over £3 million
"The charity raised £3.2 million in 2020"	False	The passage says 2021, not 2020
"The charity raised £2.8 million in 2020"	Can't Tell	Although you could calculate this from the 15% figure, the exact 2020 figure is not stated — and the calculation would give approximately £2.78 million, not exactly £2.8 million

Key Principle: Be cautious with calculations. The UCAT generally tests reading comprehension, not arithmetic. If a statement requires you to calculate a number that the passage does not explicitly state, the answer is often "Can't Tell" — unless the calculation is very straightforward and the statement matches exactly.

Challenge 2: Scope and Quantifiers

The scope of a claim — whether it applies to all cases, some cases, or a specific case — is frequently tested.

Passage: "Several European countries have introduced sugar taxes, including France, the United Kingdom, and Hungary."

Statement	Answer	Reasoning
"France has a sugar tax"	True	Explicitly listed
"All European countries have sugar taxes"	False	The passage says "several", not "all"
"Germany has a sugar tax"	Can't Tell	Germany is not mentioned — we cannot determine this from the passage
"Most European countries have sugar taxes"	Can't Tell	"Several" does not tell us whether it is "most"

Challenge 3: Temporal Precision

When passages discuss events, the timing and sequence are often tested.