PTE Academic Reading Practice Test 14 (with Answers)

Type 1 · Fill in the Blanks (Dropdown)

Click each blank and choose the correct word from its dropdown menu.

Jute: The Golden Fibre

Jute, a long, soft plant fibre often called the "golden fibre", in the warm, humid river plains of Bengal for centuries. In the nineteenth century, mills in Scotland and later in Kolkata began spinning it into cheap, strong sacking, and demand as global trade in grain, sugar and coffee expanded. For decades, jute was one of the most valuable exports of the region, the arrival of synthetic packaging after the Second World War caused a long decline. Today, interest in jute is growing again consumers and governments look for biodegradable alternatives to plastic bags. Bangladesh, remains one of the world's largest producers, has even required certain goods to be packed in jute.

📖 বাংলা অনুবাদ · Bangla translation

পাট, যাকে "সোনালি আঁশ" বলা হয়, বহু শতাব্দী ধরে বাংলার উর্বর নদী-অববাহিকায় চাষ হয়ে আসছে। উনিশ শতকে বস্তা তৈরিতে এর চাহিদা বেড়ে যায়, কিন্তু কৃত্রিম প্যাকেজিং আসার পর এটি কমে যায়। আজ প্লাস্টিকের বিকল্প হিসেবে পাটের প্রতি আগ্রহ আবার বাড়ছে।

Type 2 · Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers

Read each passage and select all the options that are correct — more than one answer may be right.

What Causes Earthquakes

The Earth's outer shell is broken into large slabs of rock called tectonic plates, which move very slowly, usually only a few centimetres each year. Where two plates meet, their edges often become locked together by friction while the rest of each plate keeps moving, so stress gradually builds up in the surrounding rock. When that stress finally exceeds the strength of the rock, it suddenly breaks and slips along a fault, releasing stored energy as seismic waves that shake the ground. Most earthquakes therefore occur near plate boundaries, although some happen within plates along older faults. Scientists can measure the energy of an earthquake and estimate where large quakes are likely over the long term, but they still cannot predict the exact day or hour on which one will strike.

According to the passage, which TWO statements are true?

Most earthquakes happen close to the boundaries between plates. Scientists can now predict the exact hour of a large earthquake. Stress builds up when plate edges are locked together by friction. Tectonic plates usually move several metres every year. Earthquakes never occur within plates.

The Debate Over Food Miles

The idea of "food miles" — the distance food travels from farm to plate — became popular as a simple way for shoppers to judge the environmental impact of what they buy. However, researchers have pointed out that transport usually accounts for only a small share of a food's total greenhouse gas emissions, with most coming from farming itself, such as fertiliser use and livestock. In some cases, imported food can even have a lower footprint than local food: tomatoes grown outdoors in a sunny country and shipped abroad may produce fewer emissions than tomatoes grown locally in heated greenhouses. The method of transport also matters greatly, since moving goods by sea is far more efficient than flying them. Many experts therefore argue that what we eat matters more than where it comes from.

According to the passage, which TWO statements are true?

Most of a food's emissions usually come from farming rather than transport. Food miles are the most accurate measure of environmental impact. Shipping goods by sea is much more efficient than air transport. Greenhouse-grown tomatoes never produce emissions. Local food always has a lower carbon footprint than imported food.

Type 3 · Reorder Paragraphs

Drag the paragraphs into the correct order, or use the ▲▼ buttons.

The World's First Underground Railway

Electric trains later replaced steam, making deeper tunnels practical, and the network grew into the system that millions of people use every day.

By the middle of the nineteenth century, London's streets were so crowded with horse-drawn traffic that travelling across the city had become painfully slow.

These early trains were pulled by steam locomotives, so the tunnels quickly filled with smoke, but passengers used the line in huge numbers regardless.

In response, engineers proposed building a railway beneath the streets, and the first section of the Metropolitan Railway opened in 1863.

How a Glacier Forms

Once the ice becomes thick enough, gravity causes it to flow slowly downhill, and at that point it is considered a true glacier.

Under this pressure, the buried snow is compacted into dense, granular ice and eventually into solid glacial ice.

A glacier begins in a place where more snow falls each winter than melts during the following summer.

Year after year, the snow accumulates, and the weight of the new layers presses down on the older snow beneath.

Type 4 · Fill in the Blanks (Drag and Drop)

Click a word in the box below to select it, then click the blank where it fits (or drag it directly). Two extra words will not be used.

frozen quality weather energy value melted deposit

Why Aluminium Is Worth Recycling

Producing new aluminium from its ore, bauxite, is extremely _____-intensive, because the metal must be separated from oxygen using powerful electric currents. Recycling, by contrast, requires only about five per cent of that energy, since used cans simply need to be shredded, cleaned and _____ down. Aluminium can be recycled again and again without losing its _____, so a drink can returned today may be back on a shop shelf within weeks. Because recycling is so much cheaper than mining, scrap aluminium has real _____, which encourages collection. Some countries pay a small _____ on each can, which is returned when the empty container is brought back.

📖 বাংলা অনুবাদ · Bangla translation

বক্সাইট থেকে নতুন অ্যালুমিনিয়াম তৈরিতে প্রচুর শক্তি লাগে, কিন্তু পুনর্ব্যবহারে লাগে মাত্র পাঁচ শতাংশ। অ্যালুমিনিয়াম গুণমান না হারিয়ে বারবার পুনর্ব্যবহার করা যায়। কিছু দেশে প্রতিটি ক্যানে ফেরতযোগ্য জামানত রাখা হয়।

Type 5 · Multiple Choice, Single Answer

Read each passage and select the single best answer.

The Benefits of Learning a Musical Instrument

Learning to play a musical instrument involves a complex combination of skills: reading notation, coordinating the movements of both hands, listening carefully and keeping time. Brain-imaging studies have found that adults who trained seriously in music as children often show stronger connections between the two halves of the brain. Some researchers have also reported small improvements in verbal memory and attention among children who take music lessons, although they caution that families who pay for lessons may differ from other families in ways that also affect learning. What seems clearer is that sustained practice teaches children patience and the ability to work steadily towards a long-term goal, skills that are useful far beyond music.

Why do researchers urge caution about the link between music lessons and better memory?

Brain-imaging studies have never examined musicians. Families who pay for lessons may differ in other ways that affect learning. Children cannot learn to read musical notation. Music lessons have been shown to damage verbal memory.

Why Some Cities Plant Street Trees

Street trees are often thought of as decoration, but city planners increasingly treat them as essential infrastructure. A mature tree shades pavements and buildings, lowering surface temperatures by several degrees on hot days and reducing the energy needed for cooling. Trees also intercept rainfall with their leaves and absorb water through their roots, which slows the flow of stormwater into drains. Their leaves trap some airborne dust, and studies have linked tree-lined streets with lower stress levels and more walking among residents. The main challenge is that young trees need watering and protection for several years, and many die before they mature if this care is neglected.

What is the main challenge of planting street trees, according to the passage?

Trees make city streets hotter in summer. Trees increase the amount of stormwater in drains. Residents walk less on tree-lined streets. Young trees need years of care, and many die without it.

PTE Reading Practice Test 14