Traditional divisions of domestic work are understood to persist because…
Read the text aloud.
Traditional divisions of domestic work are understood to persist because of the strong association of the home with femininity and paid work with masculinity - to challenge who does what in the home is arguably tantamount to challenging what it is to be a woman or a man.
Opens question #010204 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
Traditional divisions of domestic work|are understood to persist‖because of the strong association of the home with femininity|and paid work with masculinity -‖to challenge who does what in the home|is arguably tantamount‖to challenging what it is to be a woman or a man.
| short pause ‖ breathe
Words to stress correctly
| association | as·so·ci·A·tion | /əsoʊsiˈeɪʃən/ |
| masculinity | mas·cu·LIN·i·ty | /mæskjəˈlɪnəti/ |
| femininity | fem·i·NIN·i·ty | /fɛməˈnɪnəti/ |
| traditional | tra·DI·tion·al | /trəˈdɪʃənəl/ |
| understood | un·der·STOOD | /ʌndɚˈstʊd/ |
| divisions | di·VI·sions | /dɪˈvɪʒənz/ |
48 words, aim for 18–22 seconds; no numbers. Breathe after persist, after the dash following masculinity, and after tantamount; a short pause after work and femininity.
Where marks are usually lost
fem·i·NIN·i·ty and mas·cu·LIN·i·ty both stress the third syllable – don't let the second one lose shape. as·so·ci·A·tion is fourth-syllable, tra·DI·tion·al and di·VI·sions second, un·der·STOOD last. Keep the -s in divisions, does and the endings of paid, understood.
General tip: the dash is a real pause, not a stop; drop your pitch slightly after masculinity, then restart to challenge with fresh energy.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 人们认为，传统的家务分工之所以延续，是因为家庭与女性气质、有偿工作与男性气质之间存在强烈关联——挑战家里谁做什么，可以说等同于挑战何为女人、何为男人。
हिन्दी: घरेलू काम के पारंपरिक बँटवारे के बने रहने का कारण यह माना जाता है कि घर का स्त्रीत्व से और वेतन वाले काम का पुरुषत्व से गहरा जुड़ाव है – घर में कौन क्या करता है, इसे चुनौती देना तर्कतः इसके बराबर है कि औरत या मर्द होने का मतलब क्या है, इसे चुनौती दी जाए।
नेपाली: घरायसी कामको परम्परागत बाँडफाँड कायम रहनुको कारण घरलाई नारीत्वसँग र तलबी कामलाई पुरुषत्वसँग बलियो रूपमा जोडिनु हो भन्ने बुझिन्छ – घरमा कसले के गर्छ भन्ने कुरालाई चुनौती दिनु भनेको महिला वा पुरुष हुनु के हो भन्ने कुरालाई नै चुनौती दिनु बराबर हो भन्न सकिन्छ।
Tiếng Việt: Sự phân chia truyền thống trong công việc nhà được cho là vẫn tồn tại vì nhà cửa gắn chặt với nữ tính còn việc làm có lương gắn với nam tính – thách thức việc ai làm gì trong nhà có thể nói là tương đương với thách thức ý nghĩa của việc là phụ nữ hay đàn 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.