Reading: Multiple Choice, Single Answer · Part 2: Reading

The railroad was not the first institution to…

11 students marked "I sat this"Question #081024

Choose the one correct answer.

The railroad was not the first institution to impose regularity on society, or to draw attention to the importance of precise timekeeping. For as long as merchants have set out their wares at Line daybreak and communal festivities have been celebrated, people have been in rough agreement with their neighbors as to the time of day. The value of this tradition is today more apparent than ever. Were it not for public acceptance of a single yardstick of time, social life would be unbearably chaotic: the massive daily transfers of goods, services, and information would proceed in fits and starts; the very fabric of modern society would begin to unravel.

What is the main idea of the passage?

  1. ASociety judges people by the times at which they conduct certain activities.
  2. BThe traditions of society are timeless.
  3. CIn modern society we must make more time for our neighbors.
  4. DAn accepted way of measuring time is essential for the smooth functioning of society.
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Reading: Multiple Choice, Single Answer format (Pearson)

Pearson's name: Multiple Choice, Single Answer

PromptText up to 110 words
Time to answerNot set per question (Part 2 lasts 23–30 minutes)
Skills assessedReading

How it is scored

  • Scored as either correct or incorrect.

Source: Pearson, PTE Academic & UKVI test format, Part 2: Reading, checked 9 October 2026.