PTE Academic — Pearson Test of English

PTE Listening — Select Missing Word and Multiple Choice, Set 1

Take the PTE Listening — Select Missing Word and Multiple Choice, Set 1: 20 multiple-choice questions (30 minutes) with instant scoring and a full answer…

What this test covers

20 PTE Listening

Sample questions with answers

The first 5 questions of this test, with the correct answer and explanation.

Q1. Listen to the recording about a failed experiment. The last word or phrase has been replaced by a beep. Which option best completes it?
Transcript
Speaker: The first results were promising, but a fault in the equipment meant that the readings could not be trusted. In the end, the team had no choice but to repeat the whole experiment from the [beep]
- A. library
- B. weather
- C. audience
- D. beginning ✓
Answer: D. beginning
Explanation: Repeating an experiment "from the beginning" is the only logical ending.
Q2. Listen to the recording about the benefits of exercise. The last word or phrase has been replaced by a beep. Which option best completes it?
Transcript
Speaker: Exercise strengthens the heart and lungs, improves mood and helps people sleep better. For these reasons, doctors recommend at least one hundred and fifty minutes of moderate activity every [beep]
- A. second
- B. century
- C. week ✓
- D. decade
Answer: C. week
Explanation: The standard guideline is 150 minutes of moderate activity per week.
Q3. Listen to the recording about photosynthesis. The last word or phrase has been replaced by a beep. Which option best completes it?
Transcript
Speaker: Plants take in carbon dioxide and water and, using energy from sunlight, turn them into sugars. As a by-product of this process, they release [beep]
- A. nitrogen fertiliser
- B. oxygen ✓
- C. electricity
- D. salt
Answer: B. oxygen
Explanation: Photosynthesis releases oxygen.
Q4. Listen to the recording about a company in difficulty. The last word or phrase has been replaced by a beep. Which option best completes it?
Transcript
Speaker: The company's sales fell for three years in a row. To reduce costs, the board decided to close two factories and cut the number of [beep]
- A. competitors
- B. holidays
- C. customers
- D. employees ✓
Answer: D. employees
Explanation: Cutting the number of employees reduces costs.
Q5. Listen to the recording about checking an essay. The last word or phrase has been replaced by a beep. Which option best completes it?
Transcript
Speaker: Before you submit your essay, read it through carefully. Even strong writers make small mistakes, so it is always worth checking your spelling and [beep]
- A. address
- B. grammar ✓
- C. shopping
- D. savings
Answer: B. grammar
Explanation: "Spelling and grammar" is the natural pairing when checking an essay.

The other 15 questions

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Q6. Listen to the recording about earthquake-resistant buildings. The last word or phrase has been replaced by a beep. Which option best completes it?
- A. collapse
- B. float
- C. expand
- D. shine
Q7. Listen to the recording about managing time at university. The last word or phrase has been replaced by a beep. Which option best completes it?
- A. buildings
- B. meals
- C. tasks
- D. holidays
Q8. Listen to the recording about growing rice. The last word or phrase has been replaced by a beep. Which option best completes it?
- A. snow
- B. sand
- C. water
- D. wind
Q9. Listen to the recording about modern libraries. The last word or phrase has been replaced by a beep. Which option best completes it?
- A. factories
- B. workshops
- C. hospitals
- D. airports
Q10. Listen to the recording about rising sea levels. The last word or phrase has been replaced by a beep. Which option best completes it?
- A. snowfall
- B. drought
- C. flooding
- D. earthquakes
Q11. In the recording about coffee, where is coffee believed to have first been used?
- A. London
- B. Ethiopia
- C. Yemen
- D. Venice
Q12. According to the recording about coffee, what role did coffee houses play?
- A. They were only for goat herders
- B. They were banned in the Middle East
- C. They were meeting places for discussing news, politics and business
- D. They were places to grow coffee plants
Q13. In the recording about recycling, what can happen when the wrong items go into recycling bins?
- A. Whole loads may be contaminated and sent to landfill
- B. Bins are collected more often
- C. Nothing, because machines remove the wrong items
- D. Recycling becomes cheaper
Q14. According to the recording about recycling, what do experts say is even more effective than recycling?
- A. Reducing the amount of packaging in the first place
- B. Burning waste for energy
- C. Using bigger bins
- D. Collecting bins every day
Q15. In the recording about language apps, what is their main limitation?
- A. They offer few chances for real conversation
- B. They are difficult to use
- C. They are too expensive
- D. They cannot teach vocabulary
Q16. In the recording about language apps, what do teachers recommend?
- A. Using several apps at the same time
- B. Using apps alongside speaking practice with other people
- C. Using apps instead of classes
- D. Avoiding apps completely
Q17. In the recording about space debris, why can even a small fragment be dangerous?
- A. It travels at very high speed
- B. It is very heavy
- C. It attracts other satellites
- D. It is radioactive
Q18. According to the recording about space debris, why does each collision increase the risk of further collisions?
- A. It damages ground stations
- B. It changes the Earth's gravity
- C. It slows satellites down
- D. It creates more debris
Q19. In the recording about sleep, how much sleep do most adults need?
- A. Up to seventeen hours
- B. Between four and six hours
- C. Between ten and twelve hours
- D. Between seven and nine hours
Q20. According to the recording about sleep, why do many teenagers get too little sleep?
- A. They need less sleep than adults
- B. They are given too much homework by law
- C. They sleep too much during the day
- D. Their natural sleep times shift later, but school still starts early