New Info questions

New Info questions introduce new information that doesn’t appear in the original passage. Your task is to evaluate how the new information relates to the passage.

New Info questions make up approximately 7% of questions in Section I. They are most common in Opinion, Data, Poetry and Rules sets, but on rare occasions, you can also find them in Non-fiction sets.

In Opinion, Data, Poetry and Non-fiction sets, the new information will be new text. It could be:

• a statement.
• a definition.
• a quotation.
• a contextual detail.

In Rules sets, you might be presented with new information in visual formats. These can include:

• a diagram.
• an illustration of a new scenario.

In both cases, you need to assess the new information in the context provided by the original passage.

Don’t assume every question with extended text is a New Info question. Verify whether the stem:

• introduces new information, or
• quotes the passage directly.

If you spot the exact text in the passage, treat it as a standard Detail or Inference question.

In these cases, the quote functions as a reference point. It is not new information, so follow the standard approach for a Detail or Inference question. Answer based on what the passage says or implies about this quoted text.

Whatever new information the question provides, treat the statement as if it is true. Some questions make this explicit, but this applies universally to New Info questions.

For example, an answer choice might state that leukaemia is the most common type of childhood cancer. Don’t question the validity of the new information. Accept it at face value and focus on how it relates to the original passage.

Use the new information alongside the passage to find the correct answer without evaluating whether the information itself is accurate. Time spent doubting the new information is time wasted.

New Info questions in Data sets ask which statement ‘could explain’ a trend, difference or pattern in the data. This format appears frequently because it tests your ability to connect external factors to data points, which is a core reasoning skill.

Take a moment to identify which parts of the data each answer choice addresses. Correct answers may explain different aspects:

• why certain categories show increases or decreases.
• what causes differences between groups.
• how changes develop over time.
• why specific relationships exist.

Incorrect answers will usually either:

• fail to explain the data in a way that answers the question since they will focus on irrelevant or tangential details.
• complicate the matter in the question rather than explaining it – they might make a trend in the data more confusing, or they could deepen an apparent paradox in the data instead of resolving it.

Weigh whether each answer choice fits with the data and works logically and in a real-world sense to answer the question.

Once you understand the patterns and notes, evaluate each answer. Ask yourself: ‘Does this detail, if true, explain or resolve things?’ Consider the effect (decreasing, increasing, simplifies, complicates) and its scope.

Eliminate out-of-scope answers as soon as you identify that they are incorrect. Disregard answers that are:

• too broad: Nationwide processes cannot explain single-region anomalies.
• too narrow: Factors impacting a specific group cannot explain patterns for all groups.
• off-target: The groups described by the answer choice need to show the relevant pattern.
• conflicting: Answer choices might describe factors that would produce opposite trends to those shown.

Use visual data strategically to preserve time. The question will guide you to relevant areas, so you can:

• focus on relevant categories.
• compare individual cells, data points or trends as needed.
• use row and column headers to navigate efficiently.

Compare the new information to the original passage and diagrams step by step.

If you need to relate a new example to a system described by the passage, check the defining features of each option methodically. Look for matches or mismatches with specific, testable criteria rather than relying on general impressions.

Some questions introduce new information by adding a diagram or a new passage. Focus on what changes and what remains consistent. The question often hinges on understanding how the new element relates to the established pattern. You must identify any repetitions, variations or violations of the original structure.

Start by identifying the core claim in the new statement:

• What position does it take?
• What issue does it address?

Once you’ve pinpointed the core claim, find which comment relates to it in exactly the way the question stem specifies.

Wrong answers often:

• agree with the new statement when you need disagreement (or the other way round).
• engage with different issues entirely.
• relate too broadly or vaguely to match the specific relationship requested.

Occasionally, each answer choice includes two comments, and the question asks which combination of comments would support a new viewpoint.

Check if one comment appears in multiple answer choices. If you determine this comment doesn’t support the new view, you can eliminate several answers at once.

Conversely, if you find a comment that clearly supports the view, eliminate any answers that don’t include it. Often, you’ll narrow down to the correct answer by checking just two or three comments.

Less often in an Opinion set, a paragraph of new information appears above the question stem. If the question and answers address only this paragraph, treat it as a standalone text.

If neither the question nor the answers mentions the original passage, you don’t need to refer back to the original passage at all.

This variation is quite rare and generally straightforward: you simply select the answer that matches or logically follows from the new information.

In some questions, the question stem refers to an original comment, while the answer choices are new statements. You must decide which new statement best supports, extends or counters the original comment’s argument.

Focus on matching the reasoning, not just the topic:

• A statement that supports the comment will build logically on the comment’s core argument and will strengthen its points.
• A statement that counters the comment will directly challenge the comment’s reasoning or conclusions and will weaken its points.

Both supporting and countering answers must engage with the comment’s specific logic, even if they use different terminology or contexts.

Wrong answers often discuss related topics without actually engaging the comment’s core reasoning – they seem topically relevant but fail to support or challenge the actual argument.

Some New Info questions focus on the consequence or a logical extension of a claim. Identify what the comment implies or what must follow from its reasoning. The correct answer restates this implication in different words, while wrong answers may:

• reverse the logic.
• address different issues.
• overgeneralise beyond what the comment actually argues.

New Info questions in Poetry sets provide additional context, such as:

• critical comments about the poet’s work.
• biographical information about the poet.
• definitions of key words or concepts.

Your need to apply the new detail to your understanding of the poem’s themes to select the correct answer.

If the new info is in the question stem, use it in combination with your analysis of the poem to find the correct answer. Wrong answers will contradict the poem’s meaning or themes in some way, or they will have no basis in the poem’s meaning or themes.

If the new info is in the answer choices, use your knowledge of the poem from previous questions to find the answer that fits with the poem’s meaning and themes. Wrong answers will contradict or misdescribe the poem – for example, they could describe other poems by the same poet instead of the passage.

Most New Info questions in Poetry sets have answer choices that characterise the poet’s work. Each answer is a quote describing their poems in general terms.

The correct answer will fit the particular poem in the passage. Wrong answers describe other poems by the same poet, so their claims will be misaligned or inaccurate.

Save these New Info questions for last in the set. Use your knowledge of the poem’s distinctive qualities – that you have explored in the other questions – to assess the answer choices. Pay attention to:

• the structure.
• the language (whether it’s sensuous, spare, fragmented, flowing).
• the emotional register.
• the key themes.

This helps you identify which characterisation genuinely fits. Remember that three wrong answers will not describe the poem in the passage. Be ready to eliminate ruthlessly as soon as you spot an answer that does not match the poem you’ve been reading.

Less commonly in Poetry sets, New Info questions introduce specific details:

• biographical information.
• definitions of key terms.

These are classic cases of New Info questions since the new info is not in the passage – it’s only in a single question.

As always, look for the answer that links the new info to the poem’s overall themes and emotional register.

Use your understanding of the poem from earlier questions to power through the new info. The correct answer must explain the poem’s meaning in a way that connects logically to the new info.

Watch out for answers that try to make shallow points without resonating with the poem’s themes. Superficial links are likely to be wrong answer traps.

Draw on your understanding from other questions in the set. The correct answer integrates the new information with the poem’s totality, including its tone, themes and distinctive qualities, rather than latching onto superficial connections.

Check each answer choice against your understanding of the poem. Look for mismatched tone, focus or approach. An answer might seem appealing or plausible, but it:

• describes concerns the poem doesn’t address.
• focuses on a complexity that is not present in the poem.
• includes themes or techniques you cannot observe in the poem.
• misdescribes the poem’s structure or the poetic devices it uses.

The correct answer will capture something essential about how the poem works – not just what it’s about – and reflect the poem’s techniques, voice or approach to a subject.

Take care to distinguish the poem from the new info. The correct answer reflects how they connect to create meaning.

When in doubt, go back to the passage and look for evidence in the poem. Wrong answers will often misdescribe the poem, so you can use the disconnects to eliminate them.

Trust your close reading and stay close to the poem’s words and meaning. The poem lights your path to the correct answer. Wrong answers try to mislead you away from that path and away from the poem.