PTE Academic Reading Skills 2

Question 1

What is "skimming" as a reading strategy in PTE Academic?

Accepted Answer

Moving eyes quickly over text to grasp the main idea

Answer

Skimming involves reading rapidly to get the general idea of a text without reading every word. It is useful for Multiple Choice and Re-order Paragraphs tasks where understanding the overall structure matters most.

Question 2

Which suffix correctly turns the adjective "persistent" into a noun?

Accepted Answer

-ence → persistence

Answer

"Persistence" is the noun form of "persistent," using the suffix "-ence." Word form knowledge (adjective/noun/verb/adverb conversions) is directly tested in PTE Reading Fill in the Blanks tasks.

Question 3

In academic texts, the phrase "in light of" is used to mean:

Accepted Answer

Taking into account or considering

Answer

"In light of" means considering or taking into account new information or evidence. For example: "In light of recent findings, the original hypothesis must be revised." It is a common academic discourse marker.

Question 4

What does "synthesize" mean in the context of academic reading and writing?

Accepted Answer

To combine information from multiple sources into a coherent whole

Answer

Synthesis involves combining ideas and information from multiple sources to create a new, integrated understanding. PTE Academic Summarize Written Text tasks reward candidates who synthesize rather than simply copy.

Question 5

Which option best defines the word "empirical" as used in academic passages?

Accepted Answer

Based on observation and evidence from experiments

Answer

"Empirical" refers to knowledge based on observation, experience, or experimental evidence rather than pure theory. Academic texts frequently describe "empirical research" or "empirical data."

PTE Practice Test

PTE Practice Test

PTE Academic Reading Skills 2