10 PTE Reading Multiple Choice, Single Answer Practice Questions
Question 1
Passage:
The concept of zero originated in ancient India around the 5th century CE.
Indian mathematicians used zero as both a placeholder and a number in its own
right. This innovation later traveled to the Islamic world and eventually to
Europe, where it revolutionized arithmetic and enabled the development of
calculus centuries later.
Question:
What is the main idea of the passage?
Options:
A) Calculus was invented in India.
B) Zero was only a placeholder in ancient India.
C) The concept of zero originated in India and influenced later mathematics.
D) Islamic scholars rejected the concept of zero.
Correct
answer: C
Reason:
The passage states zero originated in India, then spread to the Islamic world
and Europe, where it enabled calculus. Option C accurately captures this origin
+ influence.
A is wrong
(calculus developed later in Europe, not India).
B contradicts the passage (zero was both a placeholder and a number).
D is opposite to the passage (Islamic world received it).
Question 2
Passage:
Despite the popularity of e-books, print book sales have remained surprisingly
stable over the past five years. Many readers report that they prefer physical
books for their tactile experience, absence of screen fatigue, and ease of
sharing. However, younger readers aged 18–24 are increasingly turning to
audiobooks, which now represent the fastest-growing segment of the publishing
industry.
Question:
According to the passage, which group is driving growth in audiobooks?
Options:
A) Elderly readers
B) Readers who prefer physical books
C) Readers aged 18–24
D) E-book enthusiasts
correct
answer: C
Reason:
The passage explicitly states: "younger readers aged 18–24 are
increasingly turning to audiobooks" and audiobooks are the
"fastest-growing segment."
A, B, and D are
not mentioned as driving audiobook growth.
Question 3
Passage:
The Great Barrier Reef has lost more than half of its coral cover since 1985
due to a combination of cyclones, crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks, and coral
bleaching caused by rising sea temperatures. While local efforts to improve
water quality have helped in some areas, scientists agree that global climate
action is essential for the reef's long-term survival.
Question:
What does the passage suggest about local conservation efforts?
Options:
A) They have been completely ineffective.
B) They are more important than global climate action.
C) They have helped in some areas but are insufficient alone.
D) They are the only way to save the reef.
Correct
answer: C
Reason:
The passage states local efforts "have helped in some areas" but
global climate action is "essential" for long-term survival. This
means local efforts help but are not enough alone.
A, B, and D
contradict the passage.
Question 4
Passage:
In a 2019 study, researchers found that people who regularly ate dark chocolate
had lower rates of depression than those who ate no chocolate at all. However,
the study's authors caution that correlation does not imply causation. It is
possible that other lifestyle factors, such as exercise or social connection,
explain the difference.
Question:
What is the main caution given by the study's authors?
Options:
A) Dark chocolate causes depression.
B) Only milk chocolate should be studied further.
C) The link between dark chocolate and depression may not be causal.
D) Exercise has no effect on depression.
Correct
answer: C
Reason:
The authors explicitly caution that "correlation does not imply
causation," meaning the link may not be causal — other factors like
exercise could explain it.
A is the
opposite.
B and D are not mentioned.
Question 5
Passage:
Urban beekeeping has grown in popularity in cities like London, Paris, and New
York. Proponents argue that bees are essential for pollination and that city
bees often have access to diverse, pesticide-free flowers. Critics, however,
note that adding more honeybees to cities can outcompete native wild bee
species, which are already in decline.
Question:
What concern about urban beekeeping is mentioned in the passage?
Options:
A) Bees in cities have no flowers to pollinate.
B) Honeybees may harm native wild bee populations.
C) Urban beekeeping is illegal in most cities.
D) Honeybees do not produce honey in cities.
Correct
answer: B
Reason:
The passage states critics note that honeybees "can outcompete native wild
bee species."
A is opposite
(the passage says diverse flowers exist).
C and D are not mentioned.
Question 6
Passage:
Marie Curie remains the only person to have won Nobel Prizes in two different
scientific fields: physics (1903) and chemistry (1911). Her first prize was
shared with her husband Pierre and Henri Becquerel for research on radiation.
Despite facing significant gender-based discrimination, she persisted and
established the Curie Institutes in Paris and Warsaw, which remain major
medical research centers today.
Question:
What makes Marie Curie unique according to the passage?
Options:
A) She discovered radiation.
B) She won two Nobel Prizes in different scientific fields.
C) She was the first female professor in Paris.
D) Her husband shared her first prize.
Correct
answer: B
Reason:
The first sentence explicitly states: "Marie Curie remains the only person
to have won Nobel Prizes in two different scientific fields."
A is incorrect
(radiation was known before).
C is not mentioned.
D is true but not what makes her unique.
Question 7
Passage:
The term "gaslighting" comes from a 1938 play called Gas Light,
in which a husband manipulates his wife into believing she is going insane by
dimming the gas lights and denying that they have changed. Today, gaslighting
refers broadly to a form of psychological manipulation where someone makes a
victim doubt their own perception, memory, or reality.
Question:
What is the origin of the term "gaslighting" as described in the
passage?
Options:
A) A scientific experiment on gas lamps
B) A 1938 play called Gas Light
C) A medical diagnosis from the 1930s
D) A political speech from the 20th century
Correct
answer: B
Reason:
The passage states explicitly: "The term 'gaslighting' comes from a 1938
play called Gas Light."
A, C, and D are
not mentioned in the passage.
Question 8
Passage:
In the early 20th century, the U.S. government began requiring food
manufacturers to list ingredients on product labels. This change was driven by
public outrage over unsanitary conditions in meatpacking plants, famously
exposed by Upton Sinclair's 1906 novel The Jungle. However, it would
take another 80 years before nutrition facts panels became mandatory in 1990.
Question:
What event triggered the initial requirement for ingredient labels?
Options:
A) The publication of The Jungle
B) The 1990 Nutrition Labeling Act
C) A meat shortage in the early 1900s
D) Consumer demand for organic food
Correct
answer: A
Reason:
The passage states the change "was driven by public outrage... exposed by
Upton Sinclair's 1906 novel The Jungle."
B is too late
(1990 was for nutrition facts, not initial labels).
C and D are not mentioned.
Question 9
Passage:
Studies on bilingualism have shown mixed results. Some research suggests
bilingual children perform better on tasks requiring executive function, such
as problem-solving and switching attention. Other studies, however, find no
significant cognitive advantage once socioeconomic factors are controlled for.
What is clear is that bilingualism does not harm cognitive development.
Question:
What can be concluded from the passage about bilingualism?
Options:
A) It definitively improves executive function.
B) It damages cognitive development in children.
C) Its cognitive benefits are debated in research.
D) Only rich children benefit from bilingualism.
Correct
answer: C
Reason:
The passage presents two contradictory findings (some studies show advantage,
others show no advantage), concluding only that it doesn't harm. This indicates
the benefits are debated.
A is wrong (not
definitive).
B is wrong (passage says it does NOT harm).
D is not mentioned.
Question 10
Passage:
The Fibonacci sequence — 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21 — appears frequently in
nature. The number of petals on many flowers is a Fibonacci number; for
example, lilies have 3 petals, buttercups 5, and daisies often 34 or 55. The
spiral patterns of pinecones, sunflowers, and nautilus shells also follow
Fibonacci ratios.
Question:
What does the passage mainly illustrate?
Options:
A) Fibonacci numbers are only found in flowers.
B) The Fibonacci sequence appears in various natural forms.
C) Fibonacci was a famous botanist.
D) All plants have Fibonacci-numbered petals.
Correct
answer: B
Reason:
The passage shows Fibonacci numbers in flower petals, pinecones, sunflowers,
and nautilus shells — multiple natural forms.
A is wrong (more
than flowers).
C is wrong (Fibonacci was a mathematician, not botanist).
D is wrong (not all plants; examples given but not all).
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