Lincoln’s apparently radical change of mind about his war power…
Read the text aloud.
Lincoln’s apparently radical change of mind about his war power to emancipate slaves was caused by the escalating scope of war, which convinced him that any measure to weaken the Confederacy and strengthen the Union war effort was justifiable as a military necessity.
Opens question #010027 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
Lincoln’s apparently radical change of mind|about his war power to emancipate slaves‖was caused by the escalating scope of war,‖which convinced him that any measure to weaken the Confederacy|and strengthen the Union war effort‖was justifiable as a military necessity.
| short pause ‖ breathe
Aim for 17–20 seconds.
Words to stress correctly
| confederacy | con·FE·de·ra·cy | /kənˈfɛdɚəsi/ |
| justifiable | JUS·ti·fi·a·ble | /ˈdʒʌstəfaɪəbəl/ |
| apparently | ap·PA·rent·ly | /əˈpɛrəntli/ |
| emancipate | e·MAN·ci·pate | /ɪˈmænsəpeɪt/ |
| necessity | ne·CES·si·ty | /nəˈsɛsəti/ |
| escalating | ES·ca·la·ting | /ˈɛskəleɪtɪŋ/ |
43 words, aim 17–20 seconds, all one sentence. No figures. Breathe after slaves, war and effort; use the commas for short pauses so you don't run out of air before necessity.
Where marks are usually lost
Stress JUS·ti·fi·a·ble and ES·ca·la·ting on the first syllable, con·FE·de·ra·cy, ap·PA·rent·ly, e·MAN·ci·pate, ne·CES·si·ty on the second. Don't hesitate before emancipate or Confederacy. Keep the endings in slaves, caused, convinced.
General tip: With no sentence break, plan your breaths in advance; a steady pace through 'which convinced him that any measure…' beats speeding up and gasping.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 林肯在解放奴隶的战争权力问题上看似激进的态度转变，是由战争规模不断升级造成的。这使他确信，任何削弱南方邦联、增强联邦战争力量的措施，作为军事必要都是正当的。
हिन्दी: दासों को मुक्त करने की अपनी युद्धकालीन शक्ति के बारे में लिंकन का प्रत्यक्षतः आमूल मत-परिवर्तन युद्ध के बढ़ते दायरे के कारण हुआ, जिसने उन्हें यह विश्वास दिलाया कि कॉन्फ़ेडरेसी को कमज़ोर और यूनियन के युद्ध-प्रयास को मज़बूत करने वाला कोई भी कदम सैन्य आवश्यकता के रूप में उचित है।
नेपाली: दासहरूलाई मुक्त गर्ने आफ्नो युद्धकालीन अधिकारबारे लिंकनको देखिने गरी आमूल मत-परिवर्तन युद्धको बढ्दो दायराका कारण भयो, जसले उनलाई कन्फेडेरेसीलाई कमजोर पार्ने र युनियनको युद्ध-प्रयासलाई बलियो बनाउने जुनसुकै कदम सैन्य आवश्यकताका रूपमा उचित छ भन्ने विश्वास दिलायो।
Tiếng Việt: Sự thay đổi tư tưởng có vẻ triệt để của Lincoln về quyền thời chiến để giải phóng nô lệ bắt nguồn từ quy mô chiến tranh ngày càng leo thang, điều khiến ông tin rằng mọi biện pháp làm suy yếu Liên minh miền Nam và tăng cường nỗ lực chiến tranh của Liên bang đều chính đáng như một sự cần thiết quân sự.
More Read Aloud questions
Read Aloud format (Pearson)
| Prompt | Text up to 60 words |
|---|---|
| Preparation | 30–40 seconds |
| Time to answer | Depends on the length of the text |
| Skills assessed | Speaking |
| Scored on | Content; Pronunciation; Oral fluency |
How it is scored
- Content is scored by counting the correct words in your response.
- If you stay silent for more than 3 seconds, the recording stops.
- You can record your response only once.
Source: Pearson, PTE Academic & UKVI test format, Part 1: Speaking & Writing, checked 9 October 2026.