Since the beginning of the financial crisis, there have been…
Choose the word for each blank.
Since the beginning of the financial crisis, there have been two principal 1 for why so many banks made such disastrous decisions. The first is structural. Regulators did not regulate. Institutions failed to 2 as they should. Rules and guidelines were either inadequate or ignored. The second explanation is that Wall Street was 3 , that the traders and investors didn't know enough, that they made extravagant bets without 4 the consequences.
Options for each gap (alphabetical)
- 1 debates · examples · excuses · explanations
- 2 function · maintain · stabilize · use
- 3 incompetent · irresponsible · rampant · rough
- 4 correcting · counting · understanding · valuing
Answers
| Gap | Answer | In the text |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | explanations | …have been two principal explanations for why so… Not: debates, examples, excuses |
| 2 | function | …regulate. Institutions failed to function as they should.… Not: use, maintain, stabilize |
| 3 | incompetent | …that Wall Street was incompetent , that the… Not: rampant, rough, irresponsible |
| 4 | understanding | …made extravagant bets without understanding the consequences.… Not: valuing, correcting, counting |
For each gap, read the words on both sides: the right option fits the grammar (word form, preposition, tense) and the meaning of the sentence.
Questions about this question
What is the answer to PTE Reading FIB (Dropdown) #825015?
The answers in order are: explanations, function, incompetent, understanding.
How do I get full marks on this Reading FIB (Dropdown) question?
Choose the option that fits both the grammar and the meaning of the sentence. Each correct gap scores one point.
Can I practise #825015 with scoring?
Yes. The practice button on this page opens question #825015 in the RealPTE practice screen, where your answer is scored when you finish.
Opens question #825015 in the RealPTE practice screen.
Reading: Fill in the Blanks (Dropdown) format (Pearson)
| Prompt | Text up to 200 words |
|---|---|
| Time to answer | Not set per question (Part 2 lasts 23–30 minutes) |
| Skills assessed | Reading |
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.