Reading: Fill in the Blanks (Dropdown) · Part 2: Reading

Uniquely stable, they seemed to participate in no chemical reactions.…

19 students marked "I sat this"Added 27 Aug 2020Question #120285
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Choose the word for each blank.

Uniquely stable, they seemed to participate in no chemical reactions. But by understanding the stability of the noble gases, physicists discovered the key to chemical bonding 1. Dmitri Mendeleev added the noble gases to his periodic table in 1902, where he arranged the elements in rows and columns 2 to their atomic weight. Mendeleev was able to see repeating (or periodic) patterns in their properties. The noble gases appeared 3 in the periodic table, occurring in every eighth position, at least amongst the lighter elements.

Options for each gap (alphabetical)

  • 1 away · himself · itself · themselves
  • 2 according · bond · contributing · need
  • 3 abruptly · enormously · regularly · vividly
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Reading: Fill in the Blanks (Dropdown) format (Pearson)

Formerly called Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks.

PromptText up to 200 words
Time to answerNot set per question (Part 2 lasts 23–30 minutes)
Skills assessedReading

How it is scored

  • Partial credit applies: a partly correct response still scores.

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