Before the time of Alexander the Great, the only eastern…
Read the text aloud.
Before the time of Alexander the Great, the only eastern people who could be compared with the Greeks in the fields of science and philosophy were from the Indian sub-continent. However, because so little is known about Indian chronology, it is difficult to tell how much of their science was original and how much was the result of Greek influence.
Opens question #010253 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
Before the time of Alexander the Great,‖the only eastern people who could be compared with the Greeks|in the fields of science and philosophy‖were from the Indian sub-continent.‖However,|because so little is known about Indian chronology,‖it is difficult to tell|how much of their science was original‖and how much was the result of Greek influence.
| short pause ‖ breathe
Aim for 23–27 seconds.
Words to stress correctly
| philosophy | phi·LOS·o·phy | /fəˈlɑsəfi/ |
| chronology | chro·NOL·o·gy | /krəˈnɑlədʒi/ |
| alexander | al·ex·AN·der | /æləɡˈzændɚ/ |
| original | o·RIG·i·nal | /ɚˈɪdʒənəl/ |
| however | how·EV·er | /haʊˈɛvɚ/ |
| difficult | DIF·fi·cult | /ˈdɪfəkəlt/ |
60 words in 23–27 seconds. No numbers. Breathe after Great,, philosophy, sub-continent., chronology, and original. The first sentence is long—the subject the only eastern people doesn't reach its verb were until much later, so keep the pitch up.
Where marks are usually lost
al·ex·AN·der stresses the third syllable; phi·LOS·o·phy, chro·NOL·o·gy and o·RIG·i·nal the second; DIF·fi·cult the first. Keep the -s in Greeks, fields, was, is. Don't hesitate before chronology.
General tip: how much ... original and how much ... influence are parallel—rise on original, fall on influence.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 在亚历山大大帝之前，唯一能在科学和哲学领域与希腊人相提并论的东方民族来自印度次大陆。然而，由于人们对印度的年代学知之甚少，很难判断他们的科学有多少是原创的，有多少是希腊影响的结果。
हिन्दी: सिकंदर महान के समय से पहले, विज्ञान और दर्शन के क्षेत्रों में यूनानियों से तुलना किए जा सकने वाले एकमात्र पूर्वी लोग भारतीय उपमहाद्वीप से थे। हालाँकि, क्योंकि भारतीय कालक्रम के बारे में बहुत कम जानकारी है, यह बताना कठिन है कि उनका विज्ञान कितना मौलिक था और कितना यूनानी प्रभाव का परिणाम।
नेपाली: अलेक्ज्यान्डर महानको समयअघि, विज्ञान र दर्शनका क्षेत्रमा ग्रीकहरूसँग तुलना गर्न सकिने एक मात्र पूर्वीय जाति भारतीय उपमहाद्वीपका थिए। तर, भारतीय कालक्रमबारे धेरै थोरै थाहा भएकाले, उनीहरूको विज्ञान कति मौलिक थियो र कति ग्रीक प्रभावको परिणाम थियो भन्न कठिन छ।
Tiếng Việt: Trước thời Alexander Đại đế, dân tộc phương Đông duy nhất có thể so với người Hy Lạp trong các lĩnh vực khoa học và triết học đến từ tiểu lục địa Ấn Độ. Tuy nhiên, vì người ta biết rất ít về niên đại học của Ấn Độ, rất khó nói khoa học của họ có bao nhiêu là nguyên bản và bao nhiêu là kết quả của ảnh hưởng Hy Lạp.
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.