Free PTE Academic Reading Questions and Answers 1 ā Questions and Answers
Question 1: Even himself must have marveled at his incredible ascent to fame when he was given an honorary degree by the University of Newcastle. <br> <br> In 1910, the gathering was to hear about his humanitarian efforts in southern Africa, where he was ahead of his time in enhancing the working conditions of local mine workers, as well as his generosity to the University, which allowed it to participate in the groundbreaking research into tropical diseases being conducted at the time. <br> <br> Hearing about John's achievement will not have come as a surprise to anyone who knew him in his childhood. He was now reaping the benefits of the young man's remarkable capacity for knowledge acquisition, coupled with his tremendous determination and desire to achieve. <br> <br> What is revealed about John Doe to the reader of this text?
- His abilities were evident at a young age
- He was born in Africa
- He completed his degree in 1910
- He studied medicine
- He achieved success rapidly (Correct answer)
Correct answer: He achieved success rapidly
The first sentence states, 'Even himself must have marveled at his incredible ascent to fame,' which directly implies a quick and remarkable rise to prominence. The text also mentions his 'remarkable capacity for knowledge acquisition, coupled with his tremendous determination and desire to achieve,' suggesting that these qualities led to his rapid success.
Question 2: Situated roughly 550 miles southeast of Florida, the Turks and Caicos Islands are a multi-island archipelago at the southernmost point of the Bahamas group. Despite having a great deal of local political autonomy, the islands are a British foreign territory. The islands' economy is primarily based on tourism, while offshore banking and fisheries also play a role. <br> <br> Eight grades make constitute a primary education, with the majority of students starting at age four and finishing at age twelve. Following two years of kindergarten, students in Grades 1-6 follow a graded curriculum that gets harder as they get older in arithmetic, language, and science. Pupils are supposed to advance through primary school in their age cohorts with minimal repetition. Students take an exam to determine their placement in a secondary school at the conclusion of their primary education. Enrollment in elementary and secondary education is almost universal. <br> <br> On the islands, there are 10 government primary schools. Seven of these have enough space to accommodate students in classrooms for a single grade. These schools typically divide their student body into mixed-ability classes based on age. Due to their tiny student populations, the remaining three schools use multigrade groups. They assist low-population communities whose kids are unable to get to a larger primary school nearby. Pupils in these classes span up to three grade and age groups. <br> <br> Regarding classroom layout, there are similarities between multigrade and monograde classrooms in terms of the total number of students and the standard configuration of rows facing the whiteboard. There is no proof that the Turks and Caicos Islands' multigrade teachers work in an especially resource-poor setting. This aligns with research undertaken in other emerging nations. <br> <br> Which of the following conclusions regarding Turks and Caicos Islands elementary schools may be drawn from the text?
- Most primary pupils are in multigrade classes
- Multigrafe classes are mostly found in smaller schools
- Most primary pupils are in mixed-ability classes (Correct answer)
- Parents can choose to send their child to a multigrade school
- Multigrade classes are for the youngest three grades
Correct answer: Most primary pupils are in mixed-ability classes
The text states that 'Seven of these [10 government primary schools] have enough space to accommodate students in classrooms for a single grade. These schools typically divide their student body into mixed-ability classes based on age.' Since 7 out of 10 schools (the majority) use this system, it can be concluded that most primary pupils are in mixed-ability classes, not multigrade ones.
Question 3: There is a section of sun-kissed Andalucia, Spain, that is remarkable because to its caverns in addition to its pristine landscape and traditional Spanish customs. These aren't gloomy, wet places with dripping water and foul odors. These are homesāancient Bronze Age dwellings that are being renovated for hundreds of Spanish people in the twenty-first century. It is thought that there are at least 1,000 such habitations carved into the hillsides of Galera, the most significant hamlet in the region. The office manager of renowned developer Galera enterprises, Rob Oakley, explains, "We take old caves, renovate them, and then sell them on." "Our company was founded by someone who saw the potential in the Galera area 15 years ago when it was just a tourist attraction." The ancient homes are converted from rough caves into relatively luxurious homes with running hot water, phone lines, electricity, and sewage systems. Even internet connections are included. <br> <br> Which of the following words in the passages have the same meaning at residences?
- habitations (Correct answer)
- abodes
- dwellings
- connections
- amenities
Correct answer: habitations
The passage explicitly states, 'These are homesāancient Bronze Age dwellings that are being renovated...' and then later refers to 'at least 1,000 such habitations carved into the hillsides.' Both 'dwellings' and 'habitations' are used in context to refer to places where people live, which is the definition of residences. Given the options, 'habitations' is a direct synonym used in the text.
Question 4: These resolutions, which effectively demanded that slavery be protected to the point of bringing it into the free states, actually predicted the Democratic platform of 1860, which in turn caused the party to split, the Republicans to win under Lincoln, the more radical southern states to secede, and ultimately the Civil War. This was because it was inevitable that the North, once aroused, would fiercely oppose such pro-slavery demands. <br> <br> Which of the following sums up this text's primary idea the best?
- The North expected and demanded Civil War
- Differing opinions on slavery contributed to the Civil War (Correct answer)
- Disputes between political parties had little effect on the Civil War
- The radical southern states instigated the Civil War
Correct answer: Differing opinions on slavery contributed to the Civil War
The text describes how pro-slavery demands led to political divisions (party split, Republican win) and ultimately secession and the Civil War, due to the North's opposition. This clearly illustrates that the fundamental disagreement over slavery and its protection was a direct cause of the conflict. The passage explicitly links the 'pro-slavery demands' and the North's 'fierce opposition' to the eventual Civil War.
Question 5: The first thing college students learn is that writing in college is not the same as writing in high school. You will undoubtedly find that many of the writing skills your high school writing professors taught you will come in handy when you approach writing in college. You will want to write in an understandable and compelling manner, develop coherent and focused paragraphs, and so on. Nevertheless, a lot of students rely on writing techniques that worked well for them in high school but would not work well in college. Conventional templates, like the five-paragraph topic, are too basic and unadaptable to offer a solid framework for a college essay. Many of the outdated strategies, including employing formal language or repeating oneself to satisfy a ten-page minimum, will also no longer work for you. <br> <br> The author claims that a pupil could repeat themselves to _____.
- give a good logic
- be more flexible and sophisticated
- increase the length of essay (Correct answer)
- make the argument clearer
Correct answer: increase the length of essay
The passage explicitly states that 'Many of the outdated strategies, including employing formal language or repeating oneself to satisfy a ten-page minimum, will also no longer work for you.' This sentence directly links repeating oneself to the goal of meeting a minimum page requirement, indicating it was a tactic used to increase essay length.
Question 6: The fact that fossil fuels are still an essential source of energy despite the fact that burning them increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and raises the possibility of possibly catastrophic global climate change is a problem that policymakers must address. The cost of producing electricity may quadruple if technology were developed to absorb carbon dioxide emissions from power stations and store it safely below the surface of the earth or underwater rather than releasing it into the atmosphere. Provided, however, that sequestration has no effect on the cost of transmission and distribution of power, delivered prices will increase by no more than fifty percent. Certainly, more research into more advanced carbon dioxide capture technology will result in cheaper costs. <br> <br> Which of the following regarding the cost of producing power today is implied by the passage?
- It is not fully recovered by the prices charged directly to electricity consumers
- It is higher than it would be if better technologies for capturing carbon dioxide were available
- It is somewhat less than the cost of electricity transmission and distribution
- It constitutes at most half of the delivered price of electricity (Correct answer)
- It is dwelt on by policymakers to the exclusion of other costs associated with electricity delivery
Correct answer: It constitutes at most half of the delivered price of electricity
The passage states that if carbon capture technology were implemented, the 'cost of producing electricity may quadruple,' but 'delivered prices will increase by no more than fifty percent.' If quadrupling the production cost only increases the total delivered price by 50%, it implies that the current production cost is a relatively small portion of the total delivered price, specifically at most half.
Question 7: The only way to turn in a paper is to go into the "classroom" of the course you are registered for. Click on the name of the class in your class portfolio to enter the classroom. Your assignment list is on the left, and your portfolio is on the right, making up the two main components of your classroom page. You will notice a document icon beneath the submit column in your assignment list, to the right of the assignment that needs to be turned in. Click this to submit an assignment. You will now be asked to attach your assignment. Before you submit your assignment, you will need to copy the following declaration and paste at the top of your title page: l declare that this assignment is original and has not been submitted for assessment elsewhere, and acknowledge that the assessor of this assignment may, for the purpose of assessing this assignment: 1. reproduce this assignment and provide a copy to another member of faculty; and(or) 2.communicate a copy of this assignment to a plagiarism checking service (which may then retain a copy of this assignment on its database for the purpose of future plagiarism checking). <br> <br> What issue is addressed by the proper submission format for a paper?
- Students copying othersā work (Correct answer)
- Students forgetting to submit their work
- Students missing the declaration
- The retaining of assignment in the faculty
Correct answer: Students copying othersā work
The declaration explicitly states, 'I declare that this assignment is original and has not been submitted for assessment elsewhere,' and mentions a 'plagiarism checking service.' This directly addresses the issue of academic dishonesty, specifically students submitting unoriginal work or copying from others. The proper submission format, by requiring this declaration, aims to deter and detect plagiarism.
Question 8: The 'linguistic turn' in history and the 'historical turn' in literary studies in recent years have strengthened the integration of these two fields more than before. Literary artifacts are contextualized by historical knowledge, and historical document analysis requires the forensic literary abilities of linguists. Linguists must recognize the social and political issues weaved across literary works, while historians must be aware of genre, plot, and rhetorical devices in the construction of their sources and own arguments. These two skill sets are combined in this degree. <br> <br> What is the author's intention?
- To introduce a new academic subject to us (Correct answer)
- To differentiate between history and literary studies
- To explain reasons to choose history over literary
- To list the skills needed for historians and linguists
Correct answer: To introduce a new academic subject to us
The passage describes how history and literary studies are integrating their methodologies and skill sets, highlighting the benefits of this interdisciplinary approach. It culminates in the statement that 'These two skill sets are combined in this degree,' strongly suggesting the author is introducing a new, integrated academic subject or program. The intention is to present this novel combination of fields as a distinct area of study.
Question 9: A lot of people claim that art is indefinable. There are various ways we may approach this. A common definition of art is the act or result of purposefully arranging components to evoke strong feelings or perceptions. It includes a wide variety of human endeavors, works of art, and modes of expression, such as writing, music, film, sculpture, and painting. Aesthetics is a field of philosophy that focuses on the meaning of art. Wikipedia, at least, makes that assertion. <br> <br> What does the passage's core theme mean?
- Art is a process of intentionally arranging factors
- Art is a difficult and complex form to explain (Correct answer)
- Art is a broad and comprehensive field
- Art is similar to philosophy according to Wikipedia
Correct answer: Art is a difficult and complex form to explain
The passage begins by stating that 'A lot of people claim that art is indefinable,' immediately setting up the idea of its inherent complexity. While it offers a common definition, it quickly qualifies this by attributing it to Wikipedia, implying that even this definition isn't universally accepted or fully comprehensive. This emphasizes the inherent difficulty in precisely defining or explaining art, making its complex nature the core theme.
Question 10: Essays are employed as an evaluation tool to gauge your knowledge of the subject matter as well as your capacity for topic research and argument construction. This does not imply that essays should be a "regurgitation" of all the material covered in your course lecture. Essays provide you the chance to delve further into course material, including texts, theories, and issues. In certain situations, you can even connect these topics to a specific setting. This is your chance to express your thoughts, but you must do so in a proper academic manner. <br> <br> Which of the following statements regarding essays is NOT true, according to the text?
- It provides better insights into many aspects of the course
- Essays are a means of assessment of the ability to research
- Essays are basically what your lecture has said throughout the course (Correct answer)
- You can express your thought through a formal manner
Correct answer: Essays are basically what your lecture has said throughout the course
The passage explicitly states, 'This does not imply that essays should be a 'regurgitation' of all the material covered in your course lecture.' This directly contradicts the idea that essays are merely a repetition of lecture content. Instead, the text encourages students to 'delve further into course material' and 'express your thoughts,' indicating a deeper engagement than simple regurgitation.
Question 11: Millions of lights and computers are left on every day in abandoned homes, flats, and workplaces. According to environmental advocates, turning them off might reduce Sydney's greenhouse gas emissions by 5% in the upcoming year. Australia is one of the world's top producers of carbon dioxide and other gases per person, which many experts believe contribute to Earth's atmosphere warming and disrupting the climate. Australia's severe water constraints and protracted drought have drawn a lot of attention to climate change. A few experts caution that increased temperatures may expose this 20 million-person country to more intense droughts and destructive tropical storms. <br> <br> What does this paragraph predict Australia's experience with climate change?
- Storms
- Greenhouse gas emissions
- No clean water
- Drought (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Drought
The passage explicitly states, 'A few experts caution that increased temperatures may expose this 20 million-person country to more intense droughts and destructive tropical storms.' While storms are also mentioned, the text highlights 'Australia's severe water constraints and protracted drought' as already drawing attention to climate change. This reinforces drought as a significant and predicted experience for Australia due to climate change.
Free PTE Academic Reading Questions and Answers 1
Even himself must have marveled at his incredible ascent to fame when he was given an honorary degree by the University of Newcastle.
In 1910, the gathering was to hear about his humanitarian efforts in southern Africa, where he was ahead of his time in enhancing the working conditions of local mine workers, as well as his generosity to the University, which allowed it to participate in the groundbreaking research into tropical diseases being conducted at the time.
Hearing about John's achievement will not have come as a surprise to anyone who knew him in his childhood.
He was now reaping the benefits of the young man's remarkable capacity for knowledge acquisition, coupled with his tremendous determination and desire to achieve.
What is revealed about John Doe to the reader of this text?