In his landmark account, first published over twenty years ago…
Read the text aloud.
In his landmark account, first published over twenty years ago, the author argues that the ignorance and lethargy of the poor are direct results of the whole situation of economic, social and political domination. By being kept in a situation in which critical awareness and response are practically impossible, the disadvantaged are kept ‘submerged’.
Opens question #010169 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
In his landmark account,|first published over twenty years ago,‖the author argues|that the ignorance and lethargy of the poor|are direct results of the whole situation|of economic, social and political domination.‖By being kept in a situation|in which critical awareness and response are practically impossible,‖the disadvantaged are kept ‘submerged’.
| short pause ‖ breathe
Aim for 21–25 seconds.
Words to stress correctly
| disadvantaged | dis·ad·VAN·taged | /dɪsədˈvæntɪdʒd/ |
| domination | dom·i·NA·tion | /dɑməˈneɪʃən/ |
| impossible | im·POS·si·ble | /ɪmˈpɑsəbəl/ |
| situation | sit·u·A·tion | /sɪtʃuˈeɪʃən/ |
| political | po·LIT·i·cal | /pəˈlɪtəkəl/ |
| economic | ec·o·NOM·ic | /ɛkəˈnɑmɪk/ |
54 words in 21–25 seconds. No digits; "twenty years" is already in words. Breathe after ago, domination and impossible. Short pauses around the commas in economic, social and political.
Where marks are usually lost
Third-syllable stress on dis·ad·VAN·taged, dom·i·NA·tion, sit·u·A·tion, ec·o·NOM·ic; second on im·POS·si·ble, po·LIT·i·cal. Hesitating before lethargy. Dropping the -ed in published, disadvantaged, submerged and the -s in argues, results.
General tip: disadvantaged ends in -taged /tɪdʒd/; say the d after the j, do not stop at disadvantage.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 在他二十多年前首次出版的里程碑式著作中，作者指出，穷人的无知与麻木是经济、社会和政治全面支配状况的直接结果。由于被置于一种几乎不可能产生批判意识和回应的处境中，弱势群体始终被“淹没”在底层。
हिन्दी: बीस साल से भी पहले प्रकाशित अपनी ऐतिहासिक पुस्तक में लेखक तर्क देता है कि गरीबों की अज्ञानता और सुस्ती आर्थिक, सामाजिक और राजनीतिक प्रभुत्व की समग्र स्थिति के सीधे परिणाम हैं। ऐसी स्थिति में रखे जाने से, जहाँ आलोचनात्मक जागरूकता और प्रतिक्रिया व्यावहारिक रूप से असंभव हैं, वंचित लोग ‘डूबे हुए’ रखे जाते हैं।
नेपाली: बीस वर्षभन्दा अघि पहिलो पटक प्रकाशित आफ्नो युगान्तकारी कृतिमा लेखकले तर्क गर्छन् कि गरिबहरूको अज्ञानता र सुस्तता आर्थिक, सामाजिक र राजनीतिक प्रभुत्वको समग्र अवस्थाका प्रत्यक्ष परिणाम हुन्। आलोचनात्मक चेतना र प्रतिक्रिया व्यावहारिक रूपमा असम्भव हुने अवस्थामा राखिएकाले, वञ्चितहरू ‘डुबेका’ अवस्थामै राखिन्छन्।
Tiếng Việt: Trong công trình mang tính bước ngoặt, xuất bản lần đầu hơn hai mươi năm trước, tác giả lập luận rằng sự thiếu hiểu biết và trì trệ của người nghèo là kết quả trực tiếp của toàn bộ tình trạng bị thống trị về kinh tế, xã hội và chính trị. Khi bị giữ trong một tình thế mà ý thức phê phán và phản ứng gần như không thể có, những người thiệt thòi bị giữ ở trạng thái ‘chìm nghỉm’.
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.