Since Plato, philosophers have described the decision-making process as either…
Read the text aloud.
Since Plato, philosophers have described the decision-making process as either rational or emotional: we carefully deliberate or we “blink” and go with our gut. But as scientists break open the mind’s black box with the latest tools of neuroscience, they’re discovering that this is not how the mind works. Our best decisions are a finely tuned blend of both feeling and reason - and the precise mix depends on the situation.
Opens question #010038 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
Since Plato,|philosophers have described the decision-making process as either rational or emotional:‖we carefully deliberate|or we “blink” and go with our gut.‖But as scientists break open the mind’s black box|with the latest tools of neuroscience,‖they’re discovering that this is not how the mind works.‖Our best decisions are a finely tuned blend of both feeling and reason -‖and the precise mix depends on the situation.
| short pause ‖ breathe
Words to stress correctly
| decision-making | de·CI·sion-·mak·ing | /dɪˈsɪʒənmeɪkɪŋ/ |
| philosophers | phi·LOS·o·phers | /fəˈlɑsəfɚz/ |
| discovering | dis·COV·er·ing | /dɪˈskʌvɚɪŋ/ |
| deliberate | de·LIB·er·ate | /dɪˈlɪbɚət/ |
| emotional | e·MO·tion·al | /ɪˈmoʊʃənəl/ |
| situation | sit·u·A·tion | /sɪtʃuˈeɪʃən/ |
71 words, aim for 27–32 seconds—keep moving. No numbers. Breathe after emotional:, after gut., after neuroscience,, after works., and at the dash after reason -. The colon and the quoted “blink” are short pauses only.
Where marks are usually lost
Stress the second syllable in phi·LOS·o·phers, de·LIB·er·ate, dis·COV·er·ing and e·MO·tion·al, but the third in sit·u·A·tion. Keep the -s on philosophers, scientists, tools, decisions, depends, and the -ed on described, tuned.
General tip: With 71 words, don't restart a sentence; if a word slips, keep going—self-correction costs more than one small mispronunciation.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 自柏拉图以来，哲学家一直把决策过程描述为要么理性要么感性：我们或是仔细斟酌，或是“眨眼之间”凭直觉行事。但随着科学家用最新的神经科学工具打开大脑这个黑箱，他们发现大脑并不是这样运作的。我们最好的决定是情感与理性经过精细调配的混合，而确切的比例取决于具体情境。
हिन्दी: प्लेटो के समय से दार्शनिकों ने निर्णय लेने की प्रक्रिया को या तो तर्कसंगत या भावनात्मक बताया है: हम या तो सावधानी से विचार करते हैं या “पलक झपकते” अपनी अंतरात्मा की सुनते हैं। पर जैसे-जैसे वैज्ञानिक न्यूरोसाइंस के नवीनतम उपकरणों से मन के ब्लैक बॉक्स को खोल रहे हैं, वे पा रहे हैं कि मन ऐसे काम नहीं करता। हमारे सर्वोत्तम निर्णय भावना और तर्क का सुसंतुलित मिश्रण होते हैं—और सटीक अनुपात परिस्थिति पर निर्भर करता है।
नेपाली: प्लेटोदेखि नै दार्शनिकहरूले निर्णय प्रक्रियालाई या त तार्किक या भावनात्मक भनी वर्णन गरेका छन्: हामी या त होसियारीपूर्वक विचार गर्छौं, या “आँखा झिम्क्याउँदै” आफ्नो अन्तर्ज्ञानअनुसार चल्छौं। तर वैज्ञानिकहरूले न्युरोसाइन्सका नवीनतम उपकरणहरूले मस्तिष्कको ब्ल्याक बक्स खोल्दै जाँदा, मस्तिष्कले यसरी काम गर्दैन भन्ने उनीहरूले पत्ता लगाउँदैछन्। हाम्रा उत्कृष्ट निर्णयहरू भावना र तर्कको सूक्ष्म रूपमा मिलाइएको मिश्रण हुन्—र त्यसको सटीक अनुपात परिस्थितिमा भर पर्छ।
Tiếng Việt: Từ thời Plato, các triết gia đã mô tả quá trình ra quyết định là hoặc lý trí hoặc cảm xúc: chúng ta cân nhắc kỹ lưỡng hoặc “trong chớp mắt” làm theo trực giác. Nhưng khi các nhà khoa học mở chiếc hộp đen của tâm trí bằng những công cụ mới nhất của khoa học thần kinh, họ phát hiện rằng tâm trí không hoạt động như vậy. Những quyết định tốt nhất của chúng ta là sự pha trộn tinh tế giữa cảm xúc và lý trí—và tỷ lệ chính xác tùy thuộc vào tình huống.
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.