The life of a hunter-gatherer is indeed, as Thomas Hobbes…
Read the text aloud.
The life of a hunter-gatherer is indeed, as Thomas Hobbes said of the state of nature, 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short'. In some respects, to be sure, wandering through the jungle bagging monkeys may be preferable to the hard slog of subsistence agriculture.
Opens question #010382 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
The life of a hunter-gatherer is indeed,|as Thomas Hobbes said of the state of nature,‖'solitary,|poor,|nasty,|brutish,|and short'.‖In some respects,|to be sure,|wandering through the jungle bagging monkeys‖may be preferable to the hard slog|of subsistence agriculture.
| short pause ‖ breathe
Words to stress correctly
| subsistence | sub·SIS·tence | /səbˈsɪstəns/ |
| agriculture | AG·ri·cul·ture | /ˈæɡrɪkʌltʃɚ/ |
| preferable | PREF·er·a·ble | /ˈprɛfɚəbəl/ |
| solitary | SOL·i·tar·y | /ˈsɑlətɛri/ |
| wandering | WAN·der·ing | /ˈwɑndɚɪŋ/ |
| respects | re·SPECTS | /rɪˈspɛkts/ |
44 words, aim for 17–20 seconds. No numbers. Breathe after nature,, after short'. and after monkeys. Read the five quoted adjectives as a list with a short pause after each.
Where marks are usually lost
Stress PREF·er·a·ble and AG·ri·cul·ture on the first syllable, sub·SIS·tence on the second. Keep the final -s in respects and monkeys. Do not hesitate before brutish or subsistence.
General tip: the quoted list 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short' needs a rising tone on each item and a falling tone on short.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 狩猎采集者的生活确实如托马斯·霍布斯描述自然状态时所说的那样:“孤独、贫穷、肮脏、野蛮而短暂”。诚然,在某些方面,在丛林中游荡捕猎猴子,可能比辛苦劳作的自给农业更可取。
हिन्दी: शिकारी-संग्राहक का जीवन वास्तव में वैसा ही है जैसा थॉमस हॉब्स ने प्रकृति की अवस्था के बारे में कहा था: 'एकाकी, गरीब, गंदा, क्रूर और छोटा'। निश्चित रूप से, कुछ मामलों में जंगल में घूमते हुए बंदर पकड़ना, निर्वाह खेती की कठिन मेहनत से बेहतर हो सकता है।
नेपाली: शिकारी-सङ्कलकको जीवन साँच्चै त्यस्तै छ जस्तो थोमस होब्सले प्रकृतिको अवस्थाबारे भनेका थिए: 'एक्लो, गरिब, फोहोर, क्रूर र छोटो'। पक्कै पनि, केही हिसाबले जङ्गलमा घुम्दै बाँदर समात्नु जीविकोपार्जन खेतीको कठिन परिश्रमभन्दा राम्रो हुन सक्छ।
Tiếng Việt: Cuộc sống của người săn bắt hái lượm quả thật đúng như Thomas Hobbes nói về trạng thái tự nhiên: 'cô độc, nghèo khổ, bẩn thỉu, tàn bạo và ngắn ngủi'. Dĩ nhiên, ở một số khía cạnh, lang thang trong rừng bắt khỉ có thể dễ chịu hơn công việc nặng nhọc của nông nghiệp tự cung tự cấp.
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.