PTE Vocabulary & Grammar 2

Question 1

Which sentence correctly uses an article before a countable noun?

Accepted Answer

He made an important discovery.

Answer

"An important discovery" correctly uses "an" before a vowel sound. "Discovery" is a countable noun (one discovery). "Research" and "knowledge" are uncountable nouns and do not take "a/an" in standard academic usage.

Question 2

What is the noun form of the verb "investigate"?

Accepted Answer

investigation

Answer

"Investigation" is the correct noun form of "investigate," using the suffix "-ation." "Investigatory" and "investigative" are adjective forms. Word form transformation is a core skill tested in PTE Academic Fill in the Blanks tasks.

Question 3

Choose the sentence with correct use of a comparative adjective:

Accepted Answer

This study is more significant than the previous one.

Answer

"More significant" correctly forms the comparative of multi-syllable adjectives using "more + adjective." "Significanter" is incorrect — never add "-er" to adjectives of three or more syllables. Option D is a superlative, not a comparative.

Question 4

Which sentence uses a conditional correctly in an academic context?

Accepted Answer

If the temperature rises, the glacier will melt.

Answer

First conditional (real/likely): "If + present simple, will + base verb." "If the temperature rises, the glacier will melt" is a correct first conditional expressing a realistic future outcome. Mixing "would" in the if-clause is a common error.

Question 5

The word "mitigate" in academic texts most closely means:

Accepted Answer

To lessen or reduce the severity of

Answer

"Mitigate" means to make something less severe, serious, or painful. Academic texts use it in contexts like "mitigate the effects of climate change" or "mitigation strategies." It is an important Academic Word List (AWL) term.

PTE Practice Test

PTE Practice Test

PTE Vocabulary & Grammar 2