Unless you're at a Chaucer convention, speaking middle…
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Unless you're at a Chaucer convention, speaking middle English is not going to impress a potential 1 partner in 2013. Similarly, male Savanna sparrows have to make sure their vocalizations are up to date. Researchers 2 three decades of 3 of male Savanna sparrows.And birds that changed their tune over the years did better with the ladies. The research is in the journal Animal Behaviour. While introductory notes of the sparrow's song stayed the same, the middle and end parts changed over time. In the 1980's, songs 4 with longer, high-pitched trills. More recent songs 5 a series of clicks in the middle and a shorter, low-pitched trill at the end. Researchers found that the male sparrows that 6 the newer songs had higher rates of sexual reproduction. Because you don't want to be seen as behind the times. Indeed, Chaucer might have had his pick of the ladies in the 14th 7 . But few today can make heads or tails of his tales.
Opens question #151006 in the RealPTE practice screen.
More Listening: Fill in the Blanks questions
Listening: Fill in the Blanks format (Pearson)
Pearson's name: Fill in the Blanks (Type In)
| Prompt | Recording of 30–60 seconds |
|---|---|
| Time to answer | Not set per question (Part 3 lasts 31–39 minutes) |
| Skills assessed | Listening |
How it is scored
- Each correct word, spelled correctly, scores 1 point.
- The recording plays only once.
Source: Pearson, PTE Academic & UKVI test format, Part 3: Listening, checked 9 October 2026.