PTE Academic Reading Practice Test 19 (with Answers)

Type 1 · Fill in the Blanks (Dropdown)

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

The Zip Fastener

The zip fastener that we use today the result of several decades of experiments. An early version, patented in 1893 as a "clasp locker" for shoes, was unreliable and often came apart. The Swedish-American engineer Gideon Sundback a far more dependable design in 1913, using rows of interlocking teeth that were pulled together by a slider. At first, zips were used mainly on boots and tobacco pouches, clothing manufacturers were slow to adopt them. It was only in the 1930s, when fashion designers began promoting zips on trousers and children's clothing, they became widespread. Today, billions of zips each year.

📖 বাংলা অনুবাদ · Bangla translation

আজকের জিপার কয়েক দশকের পরীক্ষার ফল। ১৮৯৩ সালের প্রথম সংস্করণ অনির্ভরযোগ্য ছিল। ১৯১৩ সালে গিডিয়ন সানব্যাক একটি নির্ভরযোগ্য নকশা তৈরি করেন। ১৯৩০-এর দশকে পোশাকে ব্যবহারের পর এটি সর্বত্র ছড়িয়ে পড়ে।

Type 2 · Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers

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

The Monarch Butterfly's Long Journey

Each autumn, millions of monarch butterflies in North America travel up to four thousand kilometres to spend the winter in the mountain forests of central Mexico. What makes this migration extraordinary is that no single butterfly completes the round trip. The monarchs that fly south in autumn belong to a special long-lived generation that survives for up to eight months, while the return journey north in spring is completed over three or four shorter-lived generations. Butterflies making the journey for the first time therefore have no experienced guide; scientists believe they navigate using a "sun compass" in their brains combined with an internal clock. Monarch numbers have fallen in recent decades, partly because of the loss of milkweed, the only plant on which their caterpillars feed.

According to the passage, which TWO statements are true?

Monarch numbers have increased sharply in recent decades. The return journey north is completed over several generations. Young monarchs are guided south by older butterflies. Monarch caterpillars depend entirely on milkweed plants for food. Each butterfly completes the round trip several times.

The Endowment Effect

Behavioural economists have found that people tend to value an object more highly simply because they own it, a tendency known as the endowment effect. In one well-known experiment, some participants were given a coffee mug and asked how much they would sell it for, while others were asked how much they would pay to buy the same mug. On average, owners demanded roughly twice as much as buyers were willing to pay. Researchers link the effect to loss aversion, the idea that giving something up feels more painful than gaining something of equal value feels pleasant. The effect helps explain why people often hold on to investments that are losing value, and why free trial periods can be such an effective sales technique.

According to the passage, which TWO statements are true?

Owners in the mug experiment asked about twice what buyers would pay. The effect only applies to expensive investments. Losing something tends to feel worse than gaining something of equal value. Free trials rarely persuade customers to buy. People value objects less once they own them.

Type 3 · Reorder Paragraphs

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

The Grand Trunk Road

The Grand Trunk Road is one of Asia's oldest and longest major roads, linking Bangladesh in the east with Afghanistan in the west.

Later, under British rule, the road was paved and extended, becoming a vital artery for trade, troops and mail across northern India.

Today, sections of the old road form parts of modern national highways, and it remains a powerful symbol of connection across South Asia.

Although routes along this path existed earlier, the road was greatly improved in the sixteenth century by Sher Shah Suri, who built rest houses and planted shade trees along its length.

How a Rechargeable Battery Works

When a device is switched on, the process reverses: the ions flow back, and electrons travel through the device's circuit, providing power.

Over hundreds of cycles, small chemical changes reduce the number of ions that can move, which is why a battery gradually holds less charge as it ages.

A lithium-ion battery contains two electrodes separated by a liquid or gel called an electrolyte.

When the battery is being charged, an external power source pushes lithium ions through the electrolyte from one electrode to the other, where they are stored.

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.

temperature habitats rainwater painted plants loudness strengthened

Green Roofs in Hot Cities

A green roof is a roof partly or completely covered with _____ growing in a thin layer of soil over a waterproof membrane. In hot cities, green roofs can lower the _____ of the rooms below, reducing the need for air conditioning. They also absorb _____, which reduces pressure on drains during heavy storms. Green roofs provide _____ for insects and birds and can make dense urban areas more pleasant. However, older buildings may need to be _____ before a green roof can be installed, because wet soil is surprisingly heavy.

📖 বাংলা অনুবাদ · Bangla translation

সবুজ ছাদ হলো পানিরোধী স্তরের ওপর মাটিতে গাছ লাগানো ছাদ। এটি নিচের ঘরের তাপমাত্রা কমায়, বৃষ্টির পানি শোষণ করে এবং পোকামাকড় ও পাখির আবাস দেয়। তবে পুরোনো ভবন আগে মজবুত করতে হতে পারে।

Type 5 · Multiple Choice, Single Answer

Read each passage and select the single best answer.

Why Onions Make Us Cry

When an onion is cut, its damaged cells release enzymes that react with sulphur-containing compounds in the onion, producing a volatile gas. When this gas reaches the eyes, it irritates nerve endings on their surface, and the eyes respond by producing tears to wash the irritant away. Chilling the onion before cutting slows the chemical reaction and reduces the amount of gas released, while a very sharp knife damages fewer cells than a blunt one. Interestingly, plant scientists in New Zealand have developed a "tearless" onion variety that produces far less of the irritating compound while keeping much of the familiar flavour.

Why does chilling an onion before cutting it help?

It removes the sulphur compounds from the onion. It slows the chemical reaction that releases the irritating gas. It makes the knife sharper. It increases the amount of flavour in the onion.

The Value of Mother-Tongue Education

In many multilingual countries, children begin school in a language they rarely hear at home. Research across Africa and Asia has found that pupils who learn to read first in their mother tongue generally develop literacy faster and understand lessons better than those taught from the start in an unfamiliar language. Once they have mastered reading in a language they understand, children can transfer many of these skills to a second language. Despite this evidence, mother-tongue programmes can be difficult to implement because they require trained teachers and textbooks in many different languages, and some parents fear their children will fall behind in the national or international language.

According to the passage, what is a key advantage of learning to read first in the mother tongue?

It removes the need for trained teachers. Children develop literacy faster and can later transfer these skills to another language. It guarantees success in international examinations. It prevents children from ever learning a second language.

PTE Reading Practice Test 19