Read Aloud · Part 1: Speaking & Writing

Before the discovery of Australia, people in the old world…

122 students marked "I sat this"Added 28 Aug 2021Question #010228
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Read the text aloud.

Before the discovery of Australia, people in the old world were convinced that all swans were white, an unassailable belief as it seemed completely confirmed by empirical evidence. The sighting of the first black swan might have been an interesting surprise for a few ornithologists (and others extremely concerned with the coloring of birds), but that is not where the significance of the story lies.

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How to read it

Before the discovery of Australia,|people in the old world were convinced that all swans were white,‖an unassailable belief|as it seemed completely confirmed by empirical evidence.‖The sighting of the first black swan|might have been an interesting surprise for a few ornithologists‖(and others extremely concerned with the coloring of birds),‖but that is not where the significance of the story lies.

| short pause   ‖ breathe

Aim for 25–30 seconds.

Words to stress correctly

unassailableun·as·SAIL·a·ble/ʌnəˈseɪləbəl/
significancesig·NIF·i·cance/səɡˈnɪfɪkəns/
discoverydis·COV·er·y/dɪˈskʌvɚi/
empiricalem·PIR·i·cal/ɛmˈpɪrɪkəl/
completelycom·PLETE·ly/kəmˈplitli/
australiaaus·TRA·lia/ɔsˈtreɪljə/

65 words, aim 25–30 seconds. No numbers. Breathe after white, evidence, ornithologists and birds); read the bracketed part slightly lower and faster, then come back up for but that is not.

Where marks are usually lost

Stress: un·as·SAIL·a·ble, sig·NIF·i·cance, em·PIR·i·cal, dis·COV·er·y. Stalling before ornithologists or unassailable is the main risk — rehearse them in their phrases. Keep -ed on convinced, seemed, confirmed, concerned and -s on swans, ornithologists, others, birds, lies.

General tip: ornithologists has the beat on -THOL- and ends in /dʒɪsts/; say the ending as one quick cluster, not 'jists-es'.

What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt

中文: 在发现澳大利亚之前,旧世界的人们深信所有天鹅都是白的——这是一个看似无可辩驳的信念,因为它似乎完全得到了经验证据的证实。第一只黑天鹅的出现,对少数鸟类学家(以及其他极其关心鸟类颜色的人)来说也许是个有趣的意外,但这个故事的意义并不在此。

हिन्दी: ऑस्ट्रेलिया की खोज से पहले पुरानी दुनिया के लोग मानते थे कि सभी हंस सफ़ेद होते हैं—एक ऐसा अटल विश्वास जो अनुभवजन्य प्रमाणों से पूरी तरह पुष्ट लगता था। पहले काले हंस का दिखना कुछ पक्षी-विज्ञानियों (और पक्षियों के रंग में अत्यधिक रुचि रखने वालों) के लिए रोचक आश्चर्य रहा होगा, लेकिन कहानी का महत्व वहाँ नहीं है।

नेपाली: अस्ट्रेलियाको खोज हुनुअघि पुरानो संसारका मानिसहरू सबै हाँस सेता हुन्छन् भन्नेमा ढुक्क थिए—एउटा अकाट्य विश्वास, किनकि अनुभवजन्य प्रमाणले पूर्ण रूपमा पुष्टि गरेजस्तो देखिन्थ्यो। पहिलो कालो हाँस देखिनु केही पक्षीविद्हरू (र चराको रङबारे अत्यन्त चासो राख्नेहरू) का लागि रोचक आश्चर्य भएको हुन सक्छ, तर कथाको महत्त्व त्यहाँ छैन।

Tiếng Việt: Trước khi phát hiện ra nước Úc, người ở Cựu Thế giới tin chắc rằng mọi con thiên nga đều trắng — một niềm tin tưởng như không thể bác bỏ vì có vẻ được bằng chứng thực nghiệm xác nhận hoàn toàn. Việc nhìn thấy con thiên nga đen đầu tiên có thể là bất ngờ thú vị với vài nhà điểu học (và những ai cực kỳ quan tâm đến màu lông chim), nhưng ý nghĩa của câu chuyện không nằm ở đó.

More Read Aloud questions

Read Aloud format (Pearson)

PromptText up to 60 words
Preparation30–40 seconds
Time to answerDepends on the length of the text
Skills assessedSpeaking
Scored onContent; 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.