PTE Academic Reading Skills 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In PTE Academic Reading, what is the primary purpose of the 'Re-order Paragraphs' task?
- To test your ability to identify the main idea
- To assess your understanding of logical and coherent text structure (Correct answer)
- To evaluate your vocabulary knowledge
- To measure your reading speed
Correct answer: To assess your understanding of logical and coherent text structure
Re-order Paragraphs tests whether you can recognize how sentences and ideas flow logically and coherently within a text.
Question 2: A passage states: 'Although renewable energy sources are becoming more affordable, their intermittent nature poses challenges for grid stability.' The word 'intermittent' most likely means:
- Expensive and unreliable
- Occurring at irregular intervals (Correct answer)
- Continuously available
- Environmentally harmful
Correct answer: Occurring at irregular intervals
Intermittent means not continuous or steady, occurring at irregular intervals — fitting the context of inconsistent power generation.
Question 3: When reading an academic text, a 'topic sentence' typically appears:
- At the very end of the passage
- In the middle of the paragraph to provide evidence
- At the beginning of a paragraph to introduce the main idea (Correct answer)
- Only in the introduction and conclusion
Correct answer: At the beginning of a paragraph to introduce the main idea
A topic sentence usually opens a paragraph, stating the central idea that the rest of the paragraph will develop or support.
Question 4: In PTE Reading, which strategy best helps you answer 'Multiple-choice, Choose Multiple Answers' questions accurately?
- Select all options that sound academic or formal
- Eliminate clearly incorrect options and verify each remaining choice against the text (Correct answer)
- Always choose exactly two answers since that is the most common pattern
- Focus only on the first and last sentences of the passage
Correct answer: Eliminate clearly incorrect options and verify each remaining choice against the text
Systematically eliminating wrong answers and verifying each remaining option against textual evidence is the most reliable approach.
Question 5: A passage argues that 'urban farming can reduce food miles and lower carbon emissions.' Which of the following would be the strongest supporting evidence for this claim?
- A study showing urban farms are popular among millennials
- Data showing that locally grown produce travels 50 times fewer miles than imported goods (Correct answer)
- An interview with a chef who prefers local ingredients
- Statistics on the global increase in urban populations
Correct answer: Data showing that locally grown produce travels 50 times fewer miles than imported goods
Quantitative data directly comparing travel distances provides concrete evidence that urban farming reduces food miles and therefore emissions.
Question 6: What does it mean when an academic author uses 'hedging' language such as 'it appears that' or 'may suggest'?
- The author is being deceptive or unclear
- The author is expressing caution about the certainty of claims (Correct answer)
- The author lacks knowledge of the subject
- The author is summarizing another researcher's error
Correct answer: The author is expressing caution about the certainty of claims
Hedging in academic writing signals that the author is acknowledging uncertainty or presenting findings as probable rather than definitive.
Question 7: When scanning a passage for specific information in PTE Reading, the best approach is to:
- Read the entire text word-for-word before looking for the answer
- Move your eyes quickly over the text searching for key words or numbers related to the question (Correct answer)
- Skip the question if the answer is not in the first paragraph
- Rely on background knowledge rather than reading the passage
Correct answer: Move your eyes quickly over the text searching for key words or numbers related to the question
Scanning involves rapid eye movement across text to locate specific keywords, dates, or figures without reading every word.
PTE Academic Reading Skills 2
In PTE Academic Reading, what is the primary purpose of the 'Re-order Paragraphs' task?