PTE Listening for Detail 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In PTE Academic, what is the purpose of the "Select Missing Word" task?
- Identify a word that was mispronounced by the speaker
- Choose the word or phrase that logically completes a recording when the ending is replaced by a beep (Correct answer)
- Write the exact final sentence of the audio
- Select which paragraph best summarizes the audio
Correct answer: Choose the word or phrase that logically completes a recording when the ending is replaced by a beep
In Select Missing Word, the final word or phrase of an audio is replaced by a beep sound. Test takers choose from several options the word or phrase that best completes the audio logically and contextually.
Question 2: A PTE Academic audio states: "Contrary to the earlier study, the 2019 research found no correlation." What detail confirms this is a contrasting finding?
- The word "correlation"
- The phrase "Contrary to the earlier study" (Correct answer)
- The year 2019
- The word "research"
Correct answer: The phrase "Contrary to the earlier study"
"Contrary to the earlier study" is the discourse marker signaling contrast. Recognizing such markers helps in detail comprehension — the key detail is that the 2019 finding contradicts rather than confirms the earlier result.
Question 3: When listening to an academic monologue in PTE Academic, which listening skill involves understanding cause-and-effect relationships?
- Listening for gist
- Listening for attitude
- Listening for specific detail (Correct answer)
- Listening for organization
Correct answer: Listening for specific detail
Cause-and-effect relationships are specific details in academic discourse. While organization involves structure and gist involves the main point, understanding why something happened (cause) and what resulted (effect) is a listening-for-detail skill.
Question 4: In PTE Listening Fill in the Blanks, test takers:
- Listen and type the missing words into gaps in a transcript (Correct answer)
- Choose from a drop-down list while listening
- Drag words from a box to fill gaps
- Predict missing words before the audio plays
Correct answer: Listen and type the missing words into gaps in a transcript
In the Listening Fill in the Blanks task, test takers read a transcription while listening to a recording, then type the missing words directly into the gaps. It tests both listening comprehension and spelling accuracy.
Question 5: A speaker emphasizes: "I want to stress that the deadline is Thursday, not Friday." What is the specific detail being corrected?
- The project must be submitted on Friday
- The deadline is Thursday, correcting a presumed Friday deadline (Correct answer)
- There is no deadline for the project
- The speaker is unsure of the deadline
Correct answer: The deadline is Thursday, correcting a presumed Friday deadline
The speaker uses "I want to stress" as an emphasis signal and "not Friday" as a correction. The specific detail is that Thursday — not Friday — is the correct deadline. Recognizing corrections and emphasis is a key listening-for-detail skill.
Question 6: In PTE Academic, which enables skill does Write from Dictation primarily contribute to?
- Oral Fluency
- Spelling (Correct answer)
- Written Discourse
- Pronunciation
Correct answer: Spelling
Write from Dictation directly contributes to the Spelling enabling skill score because each correctly spelled word earns a point. It also contributes to the Listening communicative skill score since hearing the words accurately is necessary.
PTE Listening for Detail 3
In PTE Academic, what is the purpose of the "Select Missing Word" task?