PTE Academic Reading Practice Test 6 (with Answers)

Type 1 · Fill in the Blanks (Dropdown)

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

The Formation of Hailstones

Hailstones form inside powerful thunderstorm clouds when strong upward air currents, known as updrafts, carry small ice particles repeatedly upward and downward through layers of the cloud that varying amounts of supercooled water droplets. Each time a particle passes through a layer, additional layers of ice freeze onto its surface, gradually its size much like layers forming around a pearl. Eventually, the hailstone becomes too heavy for the storm's updraft to , and it falls to the ground. The size of a hailstone largely on the strength of the storm's updrafts and how many times the particle is cycled through the cloud before falling.

📖 বাংলা অনুবাদ · Bangla translation

শক্তিশালী বজ্রঝড়ের মেঘের ভেতরে শক্তিশালী ঊর্ধ্বমুখী বায়ুপ্রবাহ (আপড্রাফট) বরফের কণাকে বারবার উপরে-নিচে নিয়ে যায়, যা মেঘের বিভিন্ন স্তরের মধ্য দিয়ে যায়। প্রতিবার ঠান্ডা স্তর অতিক্রম করার সময় বরফের নতুন স্তর জমা হয়ে আকার বৃদ্ধি পায়। শেষ পর্যন্ত শিলাখণ্ড খুব ভারী হয়ে পড়ে যায়।

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 Debate Over Universal Design in Architecture

Universal design refers to the practice of designing buildings, products and environments to be usable by the widest possible range of people, including those with disabilities, older adults, and young children, without requiring specialised adaptation. Unlike accessibility retrofits, which are often added to a building after construction specifically for identified needs, universal design principles are incorporated from the earliest stages of a project, frequently resulting in features that benefit far more users than originally intended; a curb cut installed for wheelchair access, for example, also assists parents pushing strollers and travellers pulling wheeled luggage. Critics note that universal design can sometimes increase initial construction costs, though proponents argue these costs are frequently offset over time by reduced need for later, more expensive retrofits and by expanding a building's usability to a broader population.

According to the passage, which TWO statements are true?

Universal design features like curb cuts often benefit users beyond their original target group. Universal design is incorporated from a project's earliest stages, unlike typical retrofits. Universal design has been shown to always reduce construction costs immediately. Accessibility retrofits are always cheaper than incorporating universal design from the start. Universal design exclusively benefits wheelchair users and no other group.

How Compound Interest Works

Compound interest, unlike simple interest, is calculated not only on an initial sum of money but also on the accumulated interest from previous periods, causing savings or debt to grow at an accelerating rate over time. This effect becomes particularly significant over long periods, since even a relatively modest interest rate can produce substantial growth if given enough years to compound, a phenomenon often illustrated using the "rule of seventy-two," a rough shortcut for estimating how many years it takes an investment to double at a given interest rate. While compound interest can work powerfully in an investor's favour over time, it works equally powerfully against borrowers, meaning credit card debt carrying a high interest rate can grow substantially if only minimum payments are made over an extended period. Financial advisors frequently emphasise starting to save early specifically to take maximum advantage of the additional years available for compounding to take effect.

According to the passage, which TWO statements are true?

Compound interest is calculated on both the initial sum and previously accumulated interest. Compound interest can cause debt to grow substantially if only minimum payments are made. Compound interest benefits only borrowers, never savers or investors. The "rule of seventy-two" calculates exact interest rates with complete precision. Starting to save later in life provides the exact same compounding benefit as starting early.

Type 3 · Reorder Paragraphs

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

The Invention of the Sewing Machine

Isaac Singer, a rival inventor, later improved upon this basic mechanism and, crucially, developed a more effective sales and manufacturing strategy, including instalment payment plans that made the machines affordable to ordinary households.

Although inventors in several countries had experimented with mechanical stitching devices since the late eighteenth century, most early attempts proved impractical or produced unreliable seams.

The resulting decline in home sewing time and the rise of ready-made clothing manufacturing transformed the textile and fashion industries throughout the following decades.

In 1846, American inventor Elias Howe patented a design using a distinctive lockstitch mechanism, in which thread from two separate sources interlocked to form a strong, reliable seam.

The Process of Vaccine Development and Approval

Only after regulatory agencies have carefully reviewed data from all these phases will a vaccine typically receive formal approval for widespread public distribution.

Before a new vaccine can be approved for public use, it typically passes through several distinct phases of clinical trials, beginning with a small group of healthy volunteers to assess basic safety.

A final, even larger trial phase, sometimes involving tens of thousands of participants across multiple countries, is required to confirm the vaccine's real-world effectiveness at preventing the target disease.

If this initial phase raises no serious safety concerns, the vaccine progresses to larger trials involving hundreds or thousands of participants, testing both safety and its ability to generate an effective immune response.

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.

borrowers collateral entrepreneurs guarantee repayment interest informal

Microfinance and Small Business Growth

Microfinance institutions provide small loans to low-income _____, often in developing countries, who typically lack the _____ required by traditional banks to qualify for a conventional loan. Many microfinance recipients are small-scale _____ seeking modest capital to start or expand a business, such as a market stall or small workshop. To manage risk without requiring traditional collateral, many microfinance programmes rely on group lending models, in which a small group of borrowers collectively _____ one another's loans, creating social pressure to maintain reliable _____.

📖 বাংলা অনুবাদ · Bangla translation

ক্ষুদ্রঋণ প্রতিষ্ঠানগুলো স্বল্প আয়ের ঋণগ্রহীতাদের ছোট ঋণ দেয়, যাদের সাধারণ ব্যাংকের জন্য প্রয়োজনীয় জামানত থাকে না। অনেকেই ছোট ব্যবসায়ী যারা ব্যবসা শুরু বা সম্প্রসারণ করতে চান। ঝুঁকি পরিচালনার জন্য গ্রুপ ঋণদান পদ্ধতি ব্যবহার করা হয়, যেখানে একটি ছোট দল যৌথভাবে একে অপরের ঋণের নিশ্চয়তা দেয়।

Type 5 · Multiple Choice, Single Answer

Read each passage and select the single best answer.

The Discovery of Neptune

Unlike every other planet in the solar system, which had been observed directly through a telescope before being confirmed as a planet, Neptune was discovered largely through mathematical prediction. In the mid-1800s, astronomers had noticed that the planet Uranus's orbit deviated slightly from what gravitational calculations predicted, suggesting the gravitational pull of an additional, undiscovered planet further out. French mathematician Urbain Le Verrier calculated the likely position of this hypothetical planet using these orbital irregularities, and in 1846, based on his calculations, German astronomer Johann Galle pointed his telescope to the predicted location and found Neptune within just one degree of where Le Verrier had predicted it would be. This achievement was celebrated at the time as a remarkable triumph of mathematical physics.

How was Neptune's existence first predicted, according to the passage?

Random telescope observation across the entire night sky by multiple astronomers. Mathematical calculations based on irregularities in Uranus's observed orbit. A theoretical model with no connection to any other planet's observed behaviour. Ancient astronomical records that had never previously been carefully examined.

The Function of Mangrove Forests

Mangrove forests, which grow in the intertidal zones of tropical and subtropical coastlines, provide a range of ecological and economic benefits that have only been fully appreciated by researchers and policymakers in recent decades. Their dense, tangled root systems help stabilise coastal sediment and significantly reduce the impact of storm surges and tsunami waves on nearby communities, acting as a natural buffer that can be more cost-effective than engineered sea walls in many contexts. Mangrove ecosystems also serve as crucial nursery habitats for numerous commercially important fish and shellfish species, which spend their juvenile stages sheltering among the roots before moving to open water as adults. Despite these benefits, mangrove forests have been cleared at alarming rates in many regions to make way for shrimp farming, coastal development and agriculture, prompting growing international conservation and restoration efforts.

According to the passage, how do mangrove root systems help protect coastal communities?

By stabilising sediment and reducing the impact of storm surges and tsunami waves. By completely eliminating the possibility of any coastal flooding whatsoever. By providing a direct source of income solely through shrimp farming operations. By preventing all forms of coastal development from ever taking place.

PTE Reading Practice Test 6