PTE Reading: Practice Questions - 6 | Practice Tests for PTE PDF Download

Ans:
Dr. Martin Luther King marked his importance in the civil rights movement by mobilising the Black community during a 382-day bus boycott. He was arrested; his home was bombarded. But the US Supreme Court declared bus segregation unconstitutional and Dr. King became the hero of Negroes. His non-violent methods were put to test in Birmingham, during a mass protest rally protesting against the desegregation of department store facilities. Dr. King was arrested and his followers suffered police brutalities. Dr. King delivered the most passionate address of his career and "Time" magazine nominated him as its "Person of the Year" for 1963. A few months later, he was named the recipient of the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize and the entire story of King's struggle and his crusade to rehabilitate the slums of Chicago was reported nationally and internationally.
The text is about Dr. Martin Luther King and his philosophy of non-violence.
Martin Luther King led the civil rights movement. His non-violent methods were put to test in Birmingham and was arrested. He delivered the most passionate address (speech) of his career. He was given Nobel Peace Prize for that. His entire struggle and crusade to rehabilitate (restore to normal life) the slums of Chicago was reported worldwide.
1. movement - The term 'movement' fits best in the context of civil rights and the collective effort to bring about change.
2. methods - 'Methods' aligns with the context of non-violent approaches being tested.
3. address - 'Address' is the term used for a formal speech or discourse, fitting with the context of delivering a passionate speech.
4. rehabilitate - 'Rehabilitate' fits the context of restoring and improving the slums, as opposed to destructive actions.

Ans: 
Imagine the skyline of a modern city , if the elevator did not exist. Buildings would be limited to five or six stories. Most of the architecture of the 20th and 21st century would be impossible. Office towers, hotels and high-rise apartments would hardly stand in their present form. The need for vertical transport is as old as civilisation. Over the centuries, mankind has employed ingenious forms of lifting. The earliest lifts used man, animal and water power to raise the load. Lifting devices relied on these basic forms of power from the early agricultural societies until the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. From ancient times through the Middle Ages, and into the 13th century, man or animal power was the driving force behind hoisting devices. In ancient Greece, gladiators and wild animals rode crude elevators up to the arena level of the Roman Coliseum. Medieval records contain numerous drawings of hoists lifting men and supplies to isolated locations. Among the most famous is the hoist at the monastery of St. Barlaam in Greece.
The text is about elevators. Infrastructure of the cities would be very different without elevators. Vertical transport has been important since ages. Lifting devices relied on the basic forms of power. Back then man or animal power was the main driving force. Medieval records contain (include) numerous drawings of lifting devices.
1. city - the other options don't create meaning in context.
2. vertical - lifts or elevators are used for 'vertical transport'.
3. forms - it is hinted in the previous sentence - 'ingenious forms of lifting'.
4. force - 'driving force' is a proper collocation.
5. contain - it means 'to comprise or include' (used here for medieval records that include numerous drawings).

Ans: 
On June 8th, 1924, two British climbers — Mallory and Irvine — were spotted from below, clambering over one of the major remaining obstacles of their route. The summit of Mt. Everest was only a few hours away. Swirling mists closed in and they were never seen again. Their disappearance left unanswered a question that has haunted mountaineers ever since: Had they reached the top? Even Sir Edmund Hillary — the first to certainly reach the top (and to return) — looked for signs of any possible predecessors. Early Everesters didn't think so. Subsequent Pre WWII expeditions during better weather and with greater resources were thwarted by the immensity of the challenge. The next expedition, that of 1933, retraced Mallory and Irvine's steps and discovered one of their ice axes some 250 yards from the First Step obstacle. For decades, that was the only other clue as to their fate. In the early 1970's, I studied the best available topographic maps of Mt. Everest, and noticed that the site of the ice axe lay above a large snow terrace. Would a falling climber come to rest on the "8,200 m Snow Terrace"?
The text is about the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Mallory and Irvine while climbing Mt. Everest. The two British climbers, who were spotted back in 1924, were never seen again. Their disappearance has haunted mountaineers ever since. The rest of the expeditions, conducted before World War II, had greater resources and faced better weather conditions to climb. The 1933 expedition discovered something that later raised more questions.
1. spotted - it is correct - 'spotted from below'; the other options don't create meaning in context.
2. disappearance - it is correct as hinted by 'were never seen again'.
3. haunted - leaving the question unanswered has obsessed or worried the mountaineers, so 'haunted' is correct.
4. weather - for blank 4, the words 'during better' suggest that the answer should be 'weather' as it is the short term state of atmosphere of a specific place at a time.
5. discovered - the past form of verb is required; 'retraced...steps' has an element of exploration. So, 'discovered' (one of the axes) fits coherently.

Ans:
Culture has been a part of our society, and way of life, forever. It is almost impossible to come up with an idea that isn't influenced by culture. Picture our lives without cars, television, and computers. This would be an example of everyday life without technology. People could function happily in that type of atmosphere, but technology has changed our lives forever. Technology has changed our pace and perspective on education. Students would have to go to libraries and spend a lot of time researching to find out information for class assignments, but with technology students can find almost anything on their home computers and by accessing the internet. Technology has definitely become the authoritative factor in our lives, but culture has shaped technology. Technology is made and used in such a variety of ways because many people who use the technology of today come from all walks of life and have different necessities, so to compensate for that technology must adapt to all different cultures.
The text talks about change being an inevitable part of our life.
It is given that culture has always been a part of our society. So, it is impossible not to get influenced by it. Technology has changed our pace and perspective on education. Culture has shaped technology according to needs of people.
1. impossible - 'impossible to come up' is the correct phrasal usage.
2. Influenced - it means 'impacted'; it is suggested by 'technology has changed our lives', in the third sentence.
3. pace - it justifies the phrase 'with technology students can find almost anything on their home computers and by accessing the internet'.
4. shaped - the other options don't create meaning in context; 'opposed' and 'debased' suggest a negative meaning, which is opposite to what is stated in the text.

Ans:
The "Roaring Twenties" was a period when American economy flourished tremendously. The nation's total realised income rose from $75 billion in 1923 to $90 billion in 1929. During the economic boom of the "Roaring Twenties", Jazz age challenged the traditional values of rural America, symbolised by women smoking, drinking and wearing short skirts. Fashion clubs, kitty parties, late night ballet dances were the common life styles of the rich classes and the middle classes were envying the rich to maintain the false respect in the society. The average Americans were busy buying household appliances, automobiles and investing money in the stock market to make huge profits. The American youth were anxious to get rich overnight and the success mania boosted trade and commerce. The banks were liberal in granting loans and the easy liquidity propelled the bullish phase of the American stock market. The rewards of the 1920s "Coolidge Prosperity" were not equally shared among all Americans. Henry Ford and other business magnates were aware of the inequitable distribution of income between the rich and the poor. The flat point of the economy was visible but nobody dared to calculate the repercussions of the fallout.
The text is about economic boom during the "Roaring Twenties". The traditional and cultural values of people changed during the Jazz Age. The American youth were eager (anxious) to "get rich overnight". But there also was inequitable distribution of income between the rich and the poor. Although people were able to see the weaknesses prevailing in the economy and its flat point, still nobody dared to predict the consequences.
1. boom - suggested by 'economy flourished tremendously'.
2. traditional - 'challenged the traditional values' is in sync with liberation of women from the set conventions as inferred from the text.
3. anxious - it implies that the youth were eager to get rich.
4. flat - 'flat point' implies an unexciting or dull phase of the economy as it connotes with 'repercussions of the fallout'.

Ans: (3, 4)
Option 1 is incorrect as the assemblage of cultural objects need not necessarily highlight 'culture's achievements'.
Option 2 is incorrect as such a comparison has not been made in the text.
The line 'Museums have come to be accepted and recognised as the best equipped institutions devised by man for the assemblage of cultural objects...' makes option 3 correct.
The phrases 'preservation for the present and future generations' and 'the importance of museums as cultural institutions and an agency for transmitting culture' make option 4 correct.
Option 5 is incorrect; museums have not been stated as "agents of change" in the text.

Ans: 
4. Retreating glaciers and snowpack loss threaten high-altitude communities that rely upon seasonal melt for domestic water resources.
1. But the extent to which such communities are vulnerable is not yet understood, largely because melt contribution to water supplies is rarely quantified at the catchment scale.
3. High-elevation communities are some of the most susceptible to the effects of climate change, and a recent report concluded that more than half of the glaciers in the eastern Himalaya will likely be lost by the end of this century.
2. Yet significant questions remain regarding the contribution of melt from glaciers and snow to water resources in mountain regions.
The theme statement is about the threat of retreating glaciers in sentence 4. 'Such communities are vulnerable' in sentence 1 links directly with 'threaten high-altitude communities' in sentence 4, giving us the 4-1 connection. 'Yet significant questions remain' in sentence 2 should logically follow 'a recent report concluded' in sentence 3, giving us the 3-2 connection and 4132 as the answer.

Ans: 
1. Charles Robert Darwin transformed the way we understand the natural world with ideas that, in his day, were nothing short of revolutionary.
3. He and his fellow pioneers in the field of biology gave us insight into the fantastic diversity of life on Earth and its origins, including our own as a species.
5. In his time his radical theories brought him into conflict with members of the Church of England.
4. Although Darwin's theory of evolution has been modified over time, it remains fundamental to the study of the natural world.
2. The theory changed not only the way we see all organisms, but also the way we see ourselves.
Sentence 1 opens the discussion by introducing Darwin with his full name. Sentence 3 follows by explaining the revolutionary contribution of Darwin and his fellow pioneers. Sentence 5 continues with discussion on Darwin's contribution, which though was very controversial in his time. Sentence 4 shifts discussion from Darwin to his theory. 'The theory' in sentence 2 can be easily linked with 'Darwin's theory' in sentence 4. Thus 1- 3-5-4-2 is the answer.

Ans:
Since the dawn of human civilisation, human beings have consistently been interpreting their dream faculty. In the Aryan society too, the dreams mystified the human beings. The coming of Christianity itself was a great event in the history of mankind. The crucifixion of Jesus was seen in the dreams of the chosen and blessed who had fathomless faith in Jesus. They had been informed in the dream that there would be resurrection of Jesus and his sacrifice for the sins of humanity would not go wasted.
People have been consistently trying to interpret their dreams. Aryans were puzzled or mystified as they were unable to understand or interpret dreams. The killing of Jesus Christ was seen in the dreams of the chosen and blessed people (by Jesus). They had been informed in their dreams that there would be resurrection of Jesus, and his sacrifice for the sins of humanity would not go wasted.
1. interpreting - dreams are "interpreted".
2. mystified - it means "confused"; the other options don't create meaning in context.
3. blessed - it goes with "the chosen".
4. wasted - a verb in the past tense is required; the only option that fits is "wasted".

Options: (way / rapid / human / impressed / concept / stagnated / transformed)
Ans:
human history is replete with instances of how diffusion of general purpose technologies transformed commonality and society. Take the US, where electricity metamorphosed the way factories were organised in the 19th century, while assembly lines transformed manufacturing. In communications and logistics, the telegraph enabled rapid conveyance of goods in stock and instructions to employees.
1: With 'history' only 'human' fits.
2: Diffusion of technology would change society and commonality. So only 'transformed' fits.
3: Electricity would change the structure or the way the factories were organised.
4: The use of 'enabled' indicates a positive connotation. So, with 'conveyance of goods' only 'rapid' fits.

Ans: 
It's no secret that battlefield trauma can leave veterans with deep emotional scars that impact their ability to function in civilian life. But, new research led by Washington University in St. Louis suggests that military service, even without combat, has a subtle lingering effect on a man's personality, making it potentially more difficult for veterans to get along with friends, family and co-workers.
The text is about the impact that military life has on those who have served in armed forces.
As battlefield trauma leaves veterans with deep emotional scars; it impacts their ability to function in civilian life. However, they are affected even without fighting (combat) in a battle as war leaves a subtle lingering effect on their personality.
1. veterans - the text is about the difficulties that the people, who retire from the military, face. The last line of the text states "more difficult for veterans".
2. Impact - a verb is required; 'scars' affect their ability to function normally.
3. Combat - 'even without combat' means 'even without battle'.
4. lingering - it means 'long lasting' (effect) and is the only option that fits.

Ans: 
Brain concussion is a brain dysfunction which does not have any macroscopic structural damage, but is caused by mechanical force. Post-traumatic amnesia is a condition to diagnose the brain concussion. Patients with brains concussion always have amnesia with normal neurological status. One form of memory left intact in patients is the ability to learn skills called procedural memory.
The text is about a brain dysfunctional disorder called brain concussion, which can be diagnosed through post-traumatic amnesia. Patients with brains concussion always have amnesia with normal neurological status. One form of memory left, which is left as such in patients, is procedural memory.
1. dysfunction - it is the word required for a 'condition' (disorder).
2. diagnose - dysfunction can be diagnosed (determined) through post-traumatic amnesia.
3. neurological - it is related to the functions of brain.
4. memory - 'one form of memory' is called 'procedural memory'.

Ans: (1)
Option 1 is correct as the author's main point is expressed in the last few lines: "Despite such ... levels of pollution are relatively low in the developed economies. Why? ...the relocation of the most polluting activities to the emerging economies."
Option 2 is incorrect as there is no mention in the text about offsetting of environmental gains in the developing countries.
Option 3 makes 'emerging nations' the culprit, which in fact are the developed nations.
Option 4 has been corrupted by the phrase 'by far the biggest', which cannot be derived from the text.