The elephant is the largest living land mammal. During evolution…
Read the text aloud.
The elephant is the largest living land mammal. During evolution, its skeleton has greatly altered from the usual mammal, design for two main reasons. One is to cope with the great weight of huge grinding cheek teeth and elongated tusk teeth, making the skull particularly massive. The other is to support the enormous bulk of such a huge body.
Opens question #010189 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
The elephant is the largest living land mammal.‖During evolution,|its skeleton has greatly altered from the usual mammal design|for two main reasons.‖One is to cope with the great weight of huge grinding cheek teeth|and elongated tusk teeth,‖making the skull particularly massive.‖The other is to support the enormous bulk|of such a huge body.
| short pause ‖ breathe
Aim for 23–27 seconds.
Words to stress correctly
| particularly | par·TIC·u·lar·ly | /pɑrˈtɪkjəlɚli/ |
| evolution | ev·o·LU·tion | /ɛvəˈluʃən/ |
| enormous | e·NOR·mous | /ɪˈnɔrməs/ |
| elephant | EL·e·phant | /ˈɛləfənt/ |
| skeleton | SKEL·e·ton | /ˈskɛlətən/ |
59 words in 23–27 seconds. No digits; the only number is written as two. Breathe after mammal, reasons, the second teeth and massive; short pauses after evolution, design and bulk.
Where marks are usually lost
Wrong stress on par·TIC·u·lar·ly, ev·o·LU·tion or e·NOR·mous. Hesitating before huge grinding cheek teeth. Dropping endings in altered, reasons, grinding, making.
General tip: mark the contrast: a little extra weight on One and on other so the two reasons sound like a pair.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 大象是现存最大的陆地哺乳动物。在进化过程中，其骨骼因两个主要原因与通常的哺乳动物构造大不相同。一是为了承受巨大的研磨颊齿和加长的象牙齿的重量，使头骨特别巨大。二是为了支撑如此庞大身躯的巨大体量。
हिन्दी: हाथी सबसे बड़ा जीवित स्थलीय स्तनधारी है। विकास के दौरान, दो मुख्य कारणों से इसका कंकाल सामान्य स्तनधारी बनावट से बहुत बदल गया है। एक, विशाल पीसने वाले गाल के दाँतों और लंबे दंत (टस्क) के भारी वज़न को सँभालना, जिससे खोपड़ी विशेष रूप से भारी हो गई। दूसरा, इतने विशाल शरीर के भारी भार को सहारा देना।
नेपाली: हात्ती जीवित स्थलीय स्तनधारीमध्ये सबैभन्दा ठूलो हो। विकासक्रममा, दुई मुख्य कारणले यसको कंकाल सामान्य स्तनधारी बनावटबाट धेरै फेरिएको छ। एउटा, विशाल पिस्ने गालाका दाँत र लामा दाह्राका दाँतको ठूलो भार थेग्नु, जसले खप्पर विशेष रूपले ठूलो बनाउँछ। अर्को, यति ठूलो शरीरको विशाल भार थाम्नु।
Tiếng Việt: Voi là loài động vật có vú trên cạn lớn nhất còn sống. Trong quá trình tiến hóa, bộ xương của nó đã thay đổi nhiều so với cấu trúc thông thường của động vật có vú vì hai lý do chính. Một là để chịu được trọng lượng lớn của những chiếc răng má nghiền khổng lồ và răng ngà kéo dài, khiến hộp sọ đặc biệt đồ sộ. Hai là để nâng đỡ khối lượng khổng lồ của một cơ thể to lớn như vậy.
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.