The word radical from the Latin word for roots means…
Read the text aloud.
The word radical from the Latin word for roots means anyone who advocates fundamental change in the political system. Literally, a radical is one who proposes to attack some political or social problem by going deep into the social or economic fabric to get at the root cause and alter this basic weakness.
Opens question #010452 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
The word radical|from the Latin word for roots|means anyone who advocates fundamental change|in the political system.‖Literally,|a radical is one who proposes to attack|some political or social problem‖by going deep into the social or economic fabric|to get at the root cause|and alter this basic weakness.
| short pause ‖ breathe
Aim for 20–24 seconds.
Words to stress correctly
| fundamental | fun·da·MEN·tal | /fʌndəˈmɛntəl/ |
| political | po·LIT·i·cal | /pəˈlɪtəkəl/ |
| economic | ec·o·NOM·ic | /ɛkəˈnɑmɪk/ |
| literally | LIT·er·al·ly | /ˈlɪtɚəli/ |
| proposes | pro·PO·ses | /prəˈpoʊzɪz/ |
| advocates | AD·vo·cates | /ˈædvəkəts/ |
53 words in 20–24 seconds, no numbers. Breathe after system (the full stop) and after problem; the final 19 words run as one clause with short pauses only.
Where marks are usually lost
fun·da·MEN·tal and ec·o·NOM·ic stress the third syllable, po·LIT·i·cal and pro·PO·ses the second, LIT·er·al·ly and AD·vo·cates the first. Don't pause before fundamental or economic. Keep the -s on roots, means, advocates, proposes.
General tip: political appears twice and radical twice—say them identically each time; consistency is what the scorer hears.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: “radical”（激进者）一词源自拉丁语中表示“根”的词，指任何主张对政治制度进行根本性变革的人。从字面意义上说，激进者是提议通过深入社会或经济结构、找到根本原因并改变这一基本弱点来解决某个政治或社会问题的人。
हिन्दी: 'radical' शब्द, जो जड़ के लिए लातिन शब्द से आया है, ऐसे किसी भी व्यक्ति को कहता है जो राजनीतिक व्यवस्था में मूलभूत परिवर्तन की वकालत करता है। शब्दशः, रेडिकल वह है जो किसी राजनीतिक या सामाजिक समस्या पर सामाजिक या आर्थिक संरचना की गहराई में जाकर, मूल कारण तक पहुँचकर और इस बुनियादी कमज़ोरी को बदलकर प्रहार करने का प्रस्ताव रखता है।
नेपाली: 'radical' शब्द, जरोका लागि ल्याटिन शब्दबाट आएको, राजनीतिक प्रणालीमा आधारभूत परिवर्तनको वकालत गर्ने जोसुकैलाई जनाउँछ। शब्दशः, र्याडिकल त्यो हो जसले कुनै राजनीतिक वा सामाजिक समस्यालाई सामाजिक वा आर्थिक संरचनाभित्र गहिरो गएर, मूल कारणसम्म पुगेर र यो आधारभूत कमजोरी बदलेर आक्रमण गर्ने प्रस्ताव राख्छ।
Tiếng Việt: Từ 'radical', bắt nguồn từ chữ Latin nghĩa là gốc rễ, chỉ bất kỳ ai chủ trương thay đổi căn bản hệ thống chính trị. Theo nghĩa đen, người cấp tiến là người đề xuất giải quyết một vấn đề chính trị hoặc xã hội bằng cách đi sâu vào cấu trúc xã hội hoặc kinh tế để tìm ra nguyên nhân gốc và thay đổi điểm yếu cơ bản này.
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.