Most peasants remained self-sufficient and skeptical about money - and…
Read the text aloud.
Most peasants remained self-sufficient and skeptical about money - and with good reason: the triumph of capitalism probably made them worse off. They now had to deal with a centralized imperial state that was collecting tax more efficiently, giving more power to landlords, and slowly reducing customary peasant rights to land and produce.
Opens question #010244 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
Most peasants remained self-sufficient and skeptical about money -|and with good reason:|the triumph of capitalism probably made them worse off.‖They now had to deal with a centralized imperial state|that was collecting tax more efficiently,‖giving more power to landlords,|and slowly reducing customary peasant rights|to land and produce.
| short pause ‖ breathe
Aim for 20–24 seconds.
Words to stress correctly
| self-sufficient | self-·suf·FI·cient | /sɛlfsəˈfɪʃənt/ |
| efficiently | ef·FI·cient·ly | /ɪˈfɪʃəntli/ |
| capitalism | CAP·i·tal·i·sm | /ˈkæpɪtəlɪzəm/ |
| imperial | im·PE·ri·al | /ɪmˈpɪriəl/ |
| collecting | col·LECT·ing | /kəˈlɛktɪŋ/ |
| customary | CUS·tom·a·ry | /ˈkʌstəmɛri/ |
53 words, aim 20–24 seconds. No numbers. Breathe after worse off and efficiently.
Where marks are usually lost
Stress CAP·i·tal·i·sm and CUS·tom·a·ry on the first syllable; ef·FI·cient·ly, im·PE·ri·al, col·LECT·ing on the second; self-·suf·FI·cient on the third. The dash and colon are pauses, not full stops—keep the sentence moving. Keep -ed on remained, centralized and -s on peasants, landlords, rights.
General tip: produce at the end is a noun (farm goods), so say 'prod-yoos' with an 'o' as in 'prod', not the verb's 'pruh-'.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 大多数农民仍然自给自足，并对货币持怀疑态度——而且理由充分：资本主义的胜利很可能让他们的处境更糟。他们现在不得不面对一个中央集权的帝国国家，它更高效地征税，赋予地主更多权力，并逐步削减农民在土地和农产品方面的习惯权利。
हिन्दी: अधिकांश किसान आत्मनिर्भर बने रहे और पैसे को लेकर संशय में रहे—और इसका अच्छा कारण था: पूँजीवाद की जीत ने संभवतः उनकी स्थिति और खराब कर दी। अब उन्हें एक केंद्रीकृत साम्राज्यवादी राज्य से निपटना पड़ता था जो अधिक कुशलता से कर वसूल रहा था, ज़मींदारों को अधिक शक्ति दे रहा था, और ज़मीन व उपज पर किसानों के परंपरागत अधिकारों को धीरे-धीरे घटा रहा था।
नेपाली: अधिकांश किसानहरू आत्मनिर्भर रहे र पैसाप्रति शंकालु थिए—र त्यसको राम्रो कारण थियो: पुँजीवादको विजयले सम्भवतः उनीहरूको अवस्था झन् खराब बनायो। अब उनीहरूले केन्द्रीकृत साम्राज्यवादी राज्यसँग व्यवहार गर्नुपर्थ्यो, जसले बढी कुशलतापूर्वक कर उठाइरहेको थियो, जमिनदारहरूलाई बढी शक्ति दिइरहेको थियो, र जमिन तथा उपजमाथिको किसानहरूको परम्परागत अधिकार बिस्तारै घटाइरहेको थियो।
Tiếng Việt: Hầu hết nông dân vẫn tự cung tự cấp và hoài nghi về tiền bạc—và có lý do chính đáng: thắng lợi của chủ nghĩa tư bản có lẽ đã khiến họ khốn khó hơn. Giờ đây họ phải đối phó với một nhà nước đế quốc tập quyền thu thuế hiệu quả hơn, trao nhiều quyền lực hơn cho địa chủ, và dần dần cắt giảm các quyền theo tập quán của nông dân đối với đất đai và nông sản.
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.