PTE Academic Reading Practice Test 5 (with Answers)

Type 1 · Fill in the Blanks (Dropdown)

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

The Domestication of Rice

Rice was first domesticated from wild grasses in the region of the Yangtze River valley in China, with archaeological evidence cultivation began at least nine thousand years ago. Early farmers gradually plants with traits useful for cultivation, such as seeds that remained attached to the plant rather than scattering naturally. its origins in a single region, rice cultivation eventually spread across most of Asia, adapting to a wide range of climates. Wet-rice cultivation, which floods fields to control weeds, substantial water management infrastructure, including irrigation channels and terracing. Today, rice the primary staple food for more than half of the world's population.

📖 বাংলা অনুবাদ · Bangla translation

চীনের ইয়াংসি নদী উপত্যকায় বন্য ঘাস থেকে ধান প্রথম গৃহপালিত হয়েছিল, প্রায় নয় হাজার বছর আগে। কৃষকরা ধীরে ধীরে চাষের উপযোগী বৈশিষ্ট্যযুক্ত গাছ নির্বাচন করেছিলেন। একক অঞ্চল থেকে উৎপত্তি হলেও, ধান চাষ এশিয়া জুড়ে ছড়িয়ে পড়ে। আজ ধান বিশ্বের অর্ধেকেরও বেশি মানুষের প্রধান খাদ্য।

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 Physics of Boomerangs

A returning boomerang, unlike a simple thrown stick, is carefully shaped with two or more curved, aerofoil-shaped wings similar in cross-section to an aeroplane wing. As the boomerang spins rapidly through the air after being thrown, the wing moving in the same direction as the boomerang's forward flight generates more lift than the wing moving in the opposite direction, creating an imbalance of force that causes the boomerang to gradually curve rather than travel in a straight line. Combined with gyroscopic precession, a phenomenon in which a spinning object's axis shifts in a direction perpendicular to an applied force, this imbalance causes the boomerang to trace a wide circular path and, if thrown correctly, return close to its starting point. Contrary to popular belief, boomerangs were not used primarily as hunting weapons in most Aboriginal Australian cultures; non-returning boomerangs, which fly in straight lines, were far more commonly used for hunting, while returning boomerangs served largely recreational or ceremonial purposes.

According to the passage, which TWO statements are true?

A returning boomerang's curved wings generate uneven lift as it spins, causing it to curve. Gyroscopic precession contributes to a boomerang's circular flight path. Returning boomerangs were the primary hunting weapon in most Aboriginal Australian cultures. Non-returning boomerangs were rarely used by Aboriginal Australian cultures. Boomerangs generate lift using exactly the same principle as a simple straight stick.

Benefits of Cover Cropping in Agriculture

Cover cropping, the practice of planting a secondary crop such as clover or rye between main harvest cycles rather than leaving farmland bare, has become an increasingly recommended soil management practice among agricultural researchers. Bare soil left exposed between growing seasons is vulnerable to erosion from wind and rain, gradually washing away the nutrient-rich topsoil that crops depend on. Cover crops help anchor soil in place with their root systems while also, in the case of certain species such as clover, adding nitrogen back into the soil through a natural process involving bacteria living in their roots. Farmers who adopt cover cropping often report needing to apply less synthetic fertiliser over time, since the practice can gradually improve overall soil fertility and structure. The practice does require an additional investment of time and seed cost, however, which some farmers operating on tight margins find difficult to justify despite the long-term soil health benefits.

According to the passage, which TWO statements are true?

Cover crops help prevent topsoil erosion by anchoring the soil with their roots. Certain cover crops, such as clover, can add nitrogen back into the soil. Cover cropping has been found to have no effect on soil fertility whatsoever. All farmers have universally adopted cover cropping regardless of its cost. Cover cropping requires no additional investment of time or seed cost.

Type 3 · Reorder Paragraphs

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

The Origins of the Internet

Over the following decade, additional universities and research centres joined the network, and researchers developed key technical standards, including protocols that would later allow entirely separate networks to communicate with one another.

In the late 1960s, the United States Department of Defense funded a research project to develop a computer network capable of allowing multiple research institutions to share computing resources and communicate directly.

These interconnection standards eventually formed the technical foundation of what became the modern internet, expanding far beyond its original research purpose to connect billions of devices worldwide.

This network, known as ARPANET, successfully transmitted its first message between two university computers in 1969, though the connection famously crashed after only the first two letters had been sent.

Formation of Sinkholes

Because collapse can occur with little or no warning, regions known for sinkhole activity often require careful geological surveying before new construction projects are approved.

Sinkholes form in regions with a particular type of underlying rock, such as limestone, that is gradually dissolved over time by slightly acidic groundwater seeping through cracks and fissures.

When the rock or soil layer above such a cavity becomes too thin or weak to support its own weight, it can suddenly collapse, forming a visible depression or hole at the surface.

As dissolution continues over many years, this process can create extensive underground cavities and channels, sometimes forming voids large enough to be considered caves.

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.

adoption battery infrastructure subsidies range emissions charging

The Rise of Electric Vehicles

Electric vehicle _____ has accelerated rapidly over the past decade, driven by falling _____ costs, expanding charging _____, and government _____ designed to encourage consumers to switch away from petrol and diesel vehicles. Early concerns about limited driving _____ between charges have eased somewhat as manufacturers have improved battery technology, though charging times remain considerably longer than refuelling a conventional vehicle at a petrol station.

📖 বাংলা অনুবাদ · Bangla translation

গত দশকে ব্যাটারির দাম কমা, চার্জিং অবকাঠামোর সম্প্রসারণ এবং সরকারি ভর্তুকির কারণে ইলেকট্রিক গাড়ি গ্রহণ দ্রুত বৃদ্ধি পেয়েছে। প্রাথমিক উদ্বেগ (চার্জ প্রতি সীমিত পরিসীমা) কিছুটা কমেছে, যদিও চার্জিং সময় এখনও পেট্রোল ভরার চেয়ে দীর্ঘ।

Type 5 · Multiple Choice, Single Answer

Read each passage and select the single best answer.

The Invention of Velcro

In 1941, Swiss engineer George de Mestral returned from a walk in the countryside and noticed that burdock burrs had attached themselves persistently to his clothing and his dog's fur. Examining a burr under a microscope, he discovered that it was covered in tiny hooks that caught easily onto the small loops found in fabric and animal hair. Inspired by this natural mechanism, de Mestral spent years developing a synthetic fastening system consisting of two fabric strips, one covered in tiny hooks and the other in soft loops, which would grip firmly together when pressed but could be pulled apart easily when needed. He patented the invention in 1955, naming it Velcro, a combination of the French words "velours" (velvet) and "crochet" (hook). Although initially met with limited commercial interest, Velcro eventually found widespread use across the fashion, aerospace and medical industries.

What inspired de Mestral to invent Velcro, according to the passage?

A scientific paper he read about synthetic fastening mechanisms. Burdock burrs sticking to his clothing and his dog's fur during a countryside walk. A commercial request from the fashion industry for a new fastening system. An accident in his laboratory involving fabric loops and hooks.

Why Cats Purr

While cats are commonly understood to purr when content, researchers have found that cats also purr in situations involving pain, stress, or even while giving birth, suggesting purring serves a function beyond simply expressing contentment. One leading theory holds that the specific frequency range of a cat's purr, typically between twenty and fifty hertz, falls within a range that has been shown in some studies to promote bone density and accelerate tissue healing, potentially explaining why injured or stressed cats might purr as a form of self-soothing or self-healing mechanism. This theory remains difficult to test definitively, since researchers cannot directly ask a cat why it is purring, and multiple explanations may be true simultaneously depending on context. Regardless of its underlying biological purpose, purring is also understood to serve a communicative role between a mother cat and her kittens, particularly in the earliest days after birth when kittens are both blind and deaf.

According to the passage, why do researchers believe purring may serve a function beyond expressing contentment?

Cats have been observed purring only when they are completely calm and relaxed. Cats also purr during pain, stress, or childbirth, suggesting an additional function. Purring has been proven to have no biological function of any kind. Only kittens are capable of purring, never adult cats.

PTE Reading Practice Test 5