Fill in the blanks
34
PART 2
FURTHER PRACTICE AND GUIDANCE
FILL IN THE BLANKS
WHAT'S TESTED
The purpose of this task is to assess your ability to analyze contextual cues to correctly complete
incomplete sentences in an academic reading text. The texts are up to 300 words long and cover a variety
of academic topics. Each text has up to six blanks; each blank can have up to five options. For each
blank, you have to choose the option that best completes the sentence. You will read either five or six
texts. The individual texts are not timed; you will have a fixed amount of time of between 32 and 41
minutes to complete the entire Reading part, depending on which form of the PTE Academic you receive.
TIPS
⚫ Skim the text, skipping over the blanks, to get an idea of its general content and the main idea. You
should be able to answer the question "What is the passage mainly about?" in your own words.
• Read the first sentence containing a blank carefully. Using vocabulary and grammatical cues from
the words surrounding the blank, determine what kind of word is needed - that is, what part
of speech is required (e.g., adjective, adverb, plural noun, preposition). Check the options and
eliminate any that are clearly the wrong part of speech. Choose from among what remains.
• Look for any obvious clues to the logical order or chronology of events, such as first, second, lastly,
finally, next, then, after, and so on, and eliminate any answer options that are illogical. Choose from
among what remains.
• Some items test your knowledge of idioms and collocations. Check whether any of the options form
a common expression, and if so, whether this makes sense in the given context.
• If you do not know the answer, and are unable to eliminate any options, guess. Never leave the
question unanswered. If you leave the question unanswered, it will be marked as incorrect. By
guessing, you have the possibility of answering correctly.
Keep track of your time using the on-screen timer.
A DETAILED STUDY
The exercise below will help you to understand all of the answer options for Text D on page 32. For each
group of sentences, select the appropriate word from the box for each blank. If you are unsure about
which word to choose, refer to the text before and after the blank for clues.
1 The authorities said the
fact
threat
chemicals didn't pose a
to life.
2 We have to take into account the
3 I know that what you say is true in
reality
theory
of the situation.
but will it work in practice?
4 Sadly, it seems that crime is just a
..... of life these days.
211
PART 2
FURTHER PRACTICE AND GUIDANCE
FILL IN THE BLANKS
WHAT'S TESTED
The purpose of this task is to assess your ability to analyze contextual cues to correctly complete
incomplete sentences in an academic reading text. The texts are up to 300 words long and cover a variety
of academic topics. Each text has up to six blanks; each blank can have up to five options. For each
blank, you have to choose the option that best completes the sentence. You will read either five or six
texts. The individual texts are not timed; you will have a fixed amount of time of between 32 and 41
minutes to complete the entire Reading part, depending on which form of the PTE Academic you receive.
TIPS
⚫ Skim the text, skipping over the blanks, to get an idea of its general content and the main idea. You
should be able to answer the question "What is the passage mainly about?" in your own words.
• Read the first sentence containing a blank carefully. Using vocabulary and grammatical cues from
the words surrounding the blank, determine what kind of word is needed - that is, what part
of speech is required (e.g., adjective, adverb, plural noun, preposition). Check the options and
eliminate any that are clearly the wrong part of speech. Choose from among what remains.
• Look for any obvious clues to the logical order or chronology of events, such as first, second, lastly,
finally, next, then, after, and so on, and eliminate any answer options that are illogical. Choose from
among what remains.
• Some items test your knowledge of idioms and collocations. Check whether any of the options form
a common expression, and if so, whether this makes sense in the given context.
• If you do not know the answer, and are unable to eliminate any options, guess. Never leave the
question unanswered. If you leave the question unanswered, it will be marked as incorrect. By
guessing, you have the possibility of answering correctly.
Keep track of your time using the on-screen timer.
A DETAILED STUDY
The exercise below will help you to understand all of the answer options for Text D on page 32. For each
group of sentences, select the appropriate word from the box for each blank. If you are unsure about
which word to choose, refer to the text before and after the blank for clues.
1 The authorities said the
fact
threat
chemicals didn't pose a
to life.
2 We have to take into account the
3 I know that what you say is true in
reality
theory
of the situation.
but will it work in practice?
4 Sadly, it seems that crime is just a
..... of life these days.
211