But on May 3rd a couple of weeks later, Lincoln…
Read the text aloud.
But on May 3rd a couple of weeks later, Lincoln issued an executive order calling for 43,000 3-year volunteers for the army and also increasing the size of the regular army and navy by 40,000 men. Both these actions were in apparent violation of the constitution.
Opens question #010407 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
But on May 3rd|a couple of weeks later,‖Lincoln issued an executive order|calling for 43,000 3-year volunteers for the army‖and also increasing the size of the regular army and navy|by 40,000 men.‖Both these actions were in apparent violation of the constitution.
| short pause ‖ breathe
Aim for 18–21 seconds.
Words to stress correctly
| constitution | con·sti·TU·tion | /kɑnstəˈtuʃən/ |
| executive | ex·EC·u·tive | /ɪɡˈzɛkjətɪv/ |
| violation | vi·o·LA·tion | /vaɪəˈleɪʃən/ |
| volunteers | vol·un·TEERS | /vɑlənˈtɪrz/ |
| increasing | in·CREAS·ing | /ɪnˈkrisɪŋ/ |
| apparent | ap·PAR·ent | /əˈpɛrənt/ |
46 words, aim 18–21 seconds. Say May 3rd as "May the third", 43,000 as "forty-three thousand", 3-year as "three-year" and 40,000 as "forty thousand". Breathe after later, army and men.
Where marks are usually lost
Stress vol·un·TEERS on the last syllable, ex·EC·u·tive, in·CREAS·ing, ap·PAR·ent on the second, vi·o·LA·tion and con·sti·TU·tion on the third. Read the numbers without a pause before them. Keep the -ed in issued and the -s in weeks, volunteers, actions.
General tip: practise "forty-three thousand three-year volunteers" as one phrase so the two numbers flow without a stumble.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 但在几周后的5月3日，林肯发布了一项行政命令，征召43,000名服役三年的志愿兵加入陆军，并将正规陆军和海军的规模扩大40,000人。这两项行动都明显违反了宪法。
हिन्दी: लेकिन कुछ सप्ताह बाद, 3 मई को, लिंकन ने एक कार्यकारी आदेश जारी किया जिसमें सेना के लिए 43,000 तीन-वर्षीय स्वयंसेवकों की माँग की गई और नियमित सेना तथा नौसेना का आकार भी 40,000 पुरुषों से बढ़ाया गया। ये दोनों कार्रवाइयाँ संविधान का स्पष्ट उल्लंघन थीं।
नेपाली: तर केही हप्तापछि, मे ३ तारिखमा, लिंकनले एउटा कार्यकारी आदेश जारी गरे जसमा सेनाका लागि ४३,००० तीन-वर्षे स्वयंसेवक माग गरियो र नियमित सेना तथा जलसेनाको आकार पनि ४०,००० जनाले बढाइयो। यी दुवै कार्य संविधानको स्पष्ट उल्लङ्घन थिए।
Tiếng Việt: Nhưng vào ngày 3 tháng 5, vài tuần sau đó, Lincoln ban hành một sắc lệnh hành pháp kêu gọi 43.000 tình nguyện viên phục vụ ba năm cho lục quân, đồng thời tăng quy mô lục quân và hải quân chính quy thêm 40.000 người. Cả hai hành động này rõ ràng đều vi phạm hiến pháp.
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.