PTE Academic Reading Practice Test 3 (with Answers)

Type 1 · Fill in the Blanks (Dropdown)

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

The Spread of Invasive Species via Ballast Water

Large cargo ships take on seawater, known as ballast water, to maintain stability when carrying loads, then discharge this water when loading cargo at their destination port. Unfortunately, ballast water frequently contains living organisms — including fish larvae, crustaceans and algae — that transported across oceans far beyond their natural range. When discharged into a new port, these organisms can themselves in an unfamiliar ecosystem, sometimes outcompeting native species that lack any natural defence against them. , controlling this problem is complicated by the sheer volume of shipping traffic and the difficulty of treating ballast water effectively before discharge. International regulations now many vessels to install ballast water treatment systems to reduce the risk of further invasions.

📖 বাংলা অনুবাদ · Bangla translation

বড় কার্গো জাহাজ স্থিতিশীলতা বজায় রাখতে সমুদ্রের পানি (ব্যালাস্ট ওয়াটার) নেয়, তারপর গন্তব্য বন্দরে কার্গো লোড করার সময় এই পানি ছেড়ে দেয়। দুর্ভাগ্যবশত, ব্যালাস্ট পানিতে প্রায়ই জীবন্ত প্রাণী থাকে যা মহাসাগর জুড়ে বহন করা হয়। নতুন বন্দরে ছাড়া হলে, এই প্রাণীরা নিজেদের প্রতিষ্ঠিত করতে পারে, যা স্থানীয় প্রজাতির জন্য ক্ষতিকর হতে পারে। আন্তর্জাতিক নিয়মকানুন এখন অনেক জাহাজে ব্যালাস্ট পানি শোধন ব্যবস্থা স্থাপন বাধ্যতামূলক করেছে।

Type 2 · Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers

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

Community-Supported Agriculture

Community-supported agriculture, commonly known as CSA, is a system in which consumers pay a local farm in advance for a share of its harvest, typically received as a weekly box of seasonal produce throughout the growing season. This arrangement gives farmers reliable income and working capital at the start of the season, before crops have been harvested or sold, reducing some of the financial uncertainty associated with unpredictable weather and market prices. Members, in turn, often gain access to fresher produce and a closer connection to how their food is grown, sometimes including invitations to visit the farm itself. Because members receive whatever the farm actually produces that week, a CSA share can also mean occasionally receiving unfamiliar vegetables or smaller quantities during a poor growing season, a trade-off some members embrace and others find inconvenient.

According to the passage, which TWO statements are true?

CSA gives farmers reliable income before the harvest is sold. CSA members receive a fixed, identical box every week regardless of season. CSA members may occasionally receive smaller quantities during a poor growing season. CSA farms guarantee identical produce quantities regardless of weather conditions. CSA eliminates all financial risk for farmers entirely.

The Science of Muscle Memory

What is commonly called "muscle memory" does not actually involve memory stored within muscle tissue itself, but rather refers to changes in the brain and nervous system that make a well-practised physical movement, such as playing a musical scale or riding a bicycle, increasingly automatic over time. Repeated practice strengthens specific neural pathways involved in a movement, allowing the brain to execute it with less conscious effort and greater consistency than when the skill was first being learned. This is why a skill such as typing or playing a musical instrument, once thoroughly learned, can often be performed accurately even after years without practice. Researchers note, however, that these neural pathways can weaken somewhat without any practice at all, meaning some initial adjustment period is typical even for a well-learned skill after a very long break.

According to the passage, which TWO statements are true?

Muscle memory involves changes in the brain and nervous system, not memory stored in muscles. Well-practised movements can become more automatic with less conscious effort over time. Skills learned this way are always performed perfectly after any length of break. Muscle tissue itself stores detailed memories of specific movements. Neural pathways never weaken under any circumstances once established.

Type 3 · Reorder Paragraphs

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

The Development of the Modern Refrigerator

This widespread adoption transformed food storage and shopping habits, allowing households to buy perishable groceries less frequently and reducing reliance on daily trips to local markets.

Before mechanical refrigeration became widely available, households relied on ice boxes, insulated cabinets cooled by large blocks of ice delivered regularly by an ice seller.

Mass production techniques developed over subsequent decades steadily reduced manufacturing costs, and by the 1940s and 1950s, refrigerators had become a standard household appliance across much of the developed world.

The first practical household refrigerators using mechanical compression, rather than ice, began appearing in the 1910s and 1920s, though they remained expensive luxury items for wealthier families.

How Glaciers Carve Valleys

Long after a glacier has retreated or melted entirely, the U-shaped valley it carved often remains as permanent evidence of its former presence.

As a glacier moves slowly downhill under the pressure of its own accumulated weight, it drags embedded rocks and debris along its base, gradually scraping and eroding the underlying bedrock.

Geologists frequently use this distinctive valley shape to identify regions that were covered by glacial ice during past ice ages, even where no ice remains today.

This erosive action carves out a distinctive U-shaped valley profile, quite different from the narrower V-shaped valleys typically formed by flowing rivers.

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.

convenient commute niche advertising subscription engaged declined

The Rise of Podcast Listening

Podcast listening has grown rapidly over the past decade, driven partly by the widespread availability of smartphones and free podcast apps. Many listeners describe podcasts as a _____ way to learn or be entertained during a daily _____, household chores, or exercise, activities that leave the ears free even when the hands and eyes are occupied. Unlike traditional broadcast radio, which must appeal to a broad general audience, podcasts can successfully serve a narrow, _____ audience interested in a very specific topic, since production costs are relatively low. Podcast creators typically earn revenue through _____ read directly by the host, through listener _____ fees for exclusive content, or through a combination of both models.

📖 বাংলা অনুবাদ · Bangla translation

স্মার্টফোন ও ফ্রি পডকাস্ট অ্যাপের কারণে গত এক দশকে পডকাস্ট শোনা দ্রুত বৃদ্ধি পেয়েছে। অনেক শ্রোতা পডকাস্টকে দৈনিক যাতায়াত, গৃহস্থালি কাজ বা ব্যায়ামের সময় শেখা বা বিনোদনের একটি সুবিধাজনক উপায় হিসেবে বর্ণনা করেন। ঐতিহ্যবাহী রেডিওর বিপরীতে, পডকাস্ট একটি সংকীর্ণ, নির্দিষ্ট দর্শকশ্রেণীকে সফলভাবে পরিবেশন করতে পারে। পডকাস্ট নির্মাতারা সাধারণত বিজ্ঞাপন বা সাবস্ক্রিপশন ফি থেকে আয় করেন।

Type 5 · Multiple Choice, Single Answer

Read each passage and select the single best answer.

The Discovery of X-rays

In 1895, German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen was experimenting with a cathode ray tube in his laboratory when he noticed that a nearby screen coated with a fluorescent chemical began to glow, even though the tube was covered with opaque black cardboard that should have blocked any visible light. Investigating further, Röntgen determined that the tube was emitting a previously unknown type of invisible ray, capable of passing through most solid objects and materials, which he named X-rays because their exact nature was still unknown to him at the time. Within weeks, Röntgen had produced the first X-ray photograph of a human body part, an image of his wife's hand clearly showing her bones and a ring she was wearing. His discovery spread rapidly through the scientific community, and Röntgen received the first-ever Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901 in recognition of the achievement.

How did Röntgen first notice the existence of X-rays, according to the passage?

He deliberately designed an experiment specifically intended to discover a new type of ray. A nearby fluorescent screen began to glow despite the cathode ray tube being covered. He read about X-rays in a scientific journal published by a rival researcher. His wife accidentally discovered the effect while cleaning his laboratory equipment.

The Function of Roundabouts in Traffic Engineering

Modern roundabouts, circular intersections in which traffic flows continuously in one direction around a central island, have been shown in numerous traffic studies to reduce both the frequency and severity of collisions compared with traditional intersections controlled by traffic lights or stop signs. Because vehicles entering a roundabout must yield to traffic already circulating, and all vehicles move in the same rotational direction at reduced speed, the number of possible collision points is significantly lower than at a standard four-way intersection, and any collisions that do occur tend to happen at shallower angles and lower speeds, reducing injury severity. Roundabouts also eliminate the need for electricity to power traffic signals, giving them an additional advantage in areas with unreliable power supply. Despite these safety and efficiency benefits, some drivers unfamiliar with roundabouts find them confusing initially, and public education campaigns are often needed when a roundabout is newly installed in a community.

According to the passage, why do roundabouts tend to reduce collision severity compared with standard intersections?

Roundabouts require significantly more electricity to operate safely than traffic lights. Collisions at roundabouts tend to happen at shallower angles and lower speeds. Roundabouts eliminate the possibility of any collisions occurring entirely. All drivers find roundabouts easier to navigate than standard intersections immediately.

PTE Reading Practice Test 3