It is difficult to tell whether the speaker approves of…
Read the text aloud.
It is difficult to tell whether the speaker approves of Hemingway's lifestyle or not. He was famously macho and spent a lot of time hunting wild animals, going to wars and getting into fights. All these things got into his books, and the speaker thinks that this is not necessarily a good thing as it means that too many people prefer to read about his life than read his books.
Opens question #010059 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
It is difficult to tell|whether the speaker approves of Hemingway's lifestyle or not.‖He was famously macho|and spent a lot of time hunting wild animals,|going to wars and getting into fights.‖All these things got into his books,|and the speaker thinks that this is not necessarily a good thing‖as it means that too many people prefer to read about his life|than read his books.
| short pause ‖ breathe
Words to stress correctly
| necessarily | nec·es·SAR·i·ly | /nɛsəˈsɛrəli/ |
| hemingway's | HEM·ing·way's | /ˈhɛmɪŋweɪz/ |
| difficult | DIF·fi·cult | /ˈdɪfəkəlt/ |
| approves | ap·PROVES | /əˈpruvz/ |
| famously | FA·mous·ly | /ˈfeɪməsli/ |
| animals | AN·i·mals | /ˈænəməlz/ |
70 words, aim for 27–32 seconds. No numbers. Breathe after not, fights and thing, then finish the last line in one breath.
Where marks are usually lost
Stress ap·PROVES on the second syllable and nec·es·SAR·i·ly on the third; HEM·ing·way's, DIF·fi·cult, FA·mous·ly, AN·i·mals all on the first. Don't stall before necessarily. Keep -s on approves, Hemingway's, animals, wars, fights, things, books, thinks, means.
General tip: the three -ing items hunting, going, getting are a list — rise on the first two, fall on fights.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 很难判断演讲者是否赞同海明威的生活方式。他以硬汉形象闻名，花大量时间猎杀野生动物、奔赴战场、与人打架。这些都写进了他的书里，而演讲者认为这未必是好事，因为这意味着太多人宁愿读他的生平，也不愿读他的作品。
हिन्दी: यह कहना मुश्किल है कि वक्ता हेमिंग्वे की जीवनशैली को पसंद करता है या नहीं। वह अपनी मर्दानगी के लिए मशहूर था और बहुत समय जंगली जानवरों का शिकार करने, युद्धों में जाने और लड़ाई-झगड़े में बिताता था। ये सब बातें उसकी किताबों में आ गईं, और वक्ता का मानना है कि यह ज़रूरी नहीं कि अच्छी बात हो, क्योंकि इसका मतलब है कि बहुत से लोग उसकी किताबें पढ़ने के बजाय उसके जीवन के बारे में पढ़ना पसंद करते हैं।
नेपाली: वक्ताले हेमिङ्वेको जीवनशैली मन पराउँछन् कि पराउँदैनन् भन्न गाह्रो छ। उनी आफ्नो पुरुषत्वका लागि प्रसिद्ध थिए र धेरै समय जङ्गली जनावर सिकार गर्न, युद्धमा जान र झगडा गर्नमा बिताउँथे। यी सबै कुरा उनका किताबमा परे, र वक्ताको विचारमा यो राम्रो कुरा नहुन सक्छ, किनकि यसको अर्थ धेरै मानिस उनका किताब पढ्नुभन्दा उनको जीवनबारे पढ्न रुचाउँछन्।
Tiếng Việt: Khó mà biết người nói có tán thành lối sống của Hemingway hay không. Ông nổi tiếng là nam tính, dành nhiều thời gian săn thú hoang, ra chiến trường và đánh nhau. Tất cả những điều này đi vào sách của ông, và người nói cho rằng đó không hẳn là điều tốt, vì nó có nghĩa là quá nhiều người thích đọc về cuộc đời ông hơn là đọc sách của ông.
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.