As a historian, if you really want to understand the…
Read the text aloud.
As a historian, if you really want to understand the sensibilities of those who lived in the past, you must be like a novelist and get into the skins of your characters and think and feel as they do. You are asked to imagine what it's like to be a peasant in medieval times, asking the sort of questions a peasant might ask. What the writer is saying is that a historian needs imaginative sympathy with ordinary people in the past.
Opens question #010058 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
As a historian,|if you really want to understand the sensibilities of those who lived in the past,‖you must be like a novelist|and get into the skins of your characters|and think and feel as they do.‖You are asked to imagine what it's like to be a peasant in medieval times,‖asking the sort of questions a peasant might ask.‖What the writer is saying|is that a historian needs imaginative sympathy|with ordinary people in the past.
| short pause ‖ breathe
Words to stress correctly
| sensibilities | sen·si·BIL·i·ties | /sɛnsɪˈbɪlɪtiz/ |
| imaginative | i·MAG·i·na·tive | /ɪˈmædʒənətɪv/ |
| historian | his·TO·ri·an | /hɪˈstɔriən/ |
| understand | un·der·STAND | /ʌndɚˈstænd/ |
| medieval | me·DIE·val | /mɪˈdivəl/ |
| ordinary | OR·di·nar·y | /ˈɔrdənɛri/ |
81 words, aim for 31–37 seconds — long, so pace evenly. No numbers. Breathe after past (first time), do, times and ask; the last sentence has two short pauses and no breath.
Where marks are usually lost
Stress his·TO·ri·an, i·MAG·i·na·tive, me·DIE·val on the second syllable, sen·si·BIL·i·ties and un·der·STAND on the third, OR·di·nar·y on the first. Don't slow down before sensibilities or imaginative. Keep -s on skins, characters, times, questions, needs and -ed on lived, asked.
General tip: peasant appears twice and rhymes with "pleasant" — a short /e/, not "pea-sant". Read it's as one syllable.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 作为历史学家，如果你真想理解过去的人的感受，就必须像小说家一样，钻进你笔下人物的皮囊里，像他们那样思考和感受。你被要求去想象做一个中世纪农民是什么样子，去问农民可能会问的那类问题。作者的意思是，历史学家需要对过去的普通人怀有富于想象力的同理心。
हिन्दी: एक इतिहासकार के रूप में, अगर आप वाकई अतीत में जीने वाले लोगों की संवेदनाओं को समझना चाहते हैं, तो आपको उपन्यासकार की तरह अपने पात्रों की खाल में घुसकर उनकी तरह सोचना और महसूस करना होगा। आपसे कहा जाता है कि कल्पना करें मध्ययुगीन काल में किसान होना कैसा था, और वैसे सवाल पूछें जो एक किसान पूछ सकता है। लेखक का कहना है कि इतिहासकार को अतीत के साधारण लोगों के प्रति कल्पनाशील सहानुभूति चाहिए।
नेपाली: इतिहासकारका रूपमा, यदि तपाईं साँच्चै विगतमा बाँचेका मानिसहरूको संवेदना बुझ्न चाहनुहुन्छ भने, उपन्यासकार जस्तै आफ्ना पात्रहरूको छालाभित्र पसेर उनीहरूले जस्तै सोच्नु र महसुस गर्नुपर्छ। मध्ययुगमा किसान हुनु कस्तो थियो भनी कल्पना गर्न र किसानले सोध्ने जस्ता प्रश्न सोध्न तपाईंलाई भनिन्छ। लेखकको भनाइ, इतिहासकारलाई विगतका साधारण मानिसहरूप्रति कल्पनाशील सहानुभूति चाहिन्छ।
Tiếng Việt: Là một sử gia, nếu bạn thật sự muốn hiểu cảm nhận của những người sống trong quá khứ, bạn phải giống như một tiểu thuyết gia, chui vào da thịt các nhân vật của mình và suy nghĩ, cảm nhận như họ. Bạn được yêu cầu tưởng tượng làm một nông dân thời trung cổ là thế nào, đặt những câu hỏi mà một nông dân có thể hỏi. Điều tác giả muốn nói là sử gia cần có sự đồng cảm giàu tưởng tượng với những người bình thường trong quá khứ.
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.