PTE Reading Comprehension 3

Question 1

In PTE's 'Re-order Paragraphs' task, which sentence most likely belongs at the beginning of a paragraph about urban heat islands?

Accepted Answer

Urban heat islands occur when cities absorb and re-emit more heat than surrounding rural areas.

Answer

The defining sentence that explains what urban heat islands are provides the foundational context needed before discussing causes, consequences, or examples.

Question 2

A passage uses the phrase 'a double-edged sword' to describe social media. This figurative language suggests that social media:

Accepted Answer

Has both significant benefits and significant drawbacks

Answer

A 'double-edged sword' is an idiom meaning something that has both positive and negative consequences simultaneously.

Question 3

Which sentence from a passage about climate policy represents a fact rather than an opinion?

Accepted Answer

The 2015 Paris Agreement was signed by 196 parties and aims to limit warming to 1.5°C.

Answer

The statement about the Paris Agreement's signatories and temperature targets is a verifiable factual claim, while the others express subjective judgments or moral positions.

Question 4

A PTE passage reads: 'The author's tone shifts perceptibly from optimism in the first half to cautious skepticism in the second.' Which reading comprehension skill does this question type primarily assess?

Accepted Answer

Recognizing changes in the author's attitude or perspective across a passage

Answer

Identifying a shift in tone requires tracking the author's emotional or evaluative stance throughout the passage, a higher-order comprehension skill.

Question 5

In the sentence 'The findings were unequivocal: further delay would be catastrophic,' what does 'unequivocal' mean?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely clear and leaving no room for doubt

Answer

'Unequivocal' means leaving no doubt or ambiguity; the colon introducing a definitive consequence reinforces this sense of absolute certainty.

PTE Practice Test

PTE Practice Test

PTE Reading Comprehension 3