Reading
Multiple Choice, Single Answer (Reading)
You read a short text of up to about 110 words and choose the one option that answers the question.
- Reading
- Items on a test
- About 2–3
- Passage
- Up to about 110 words
- Correct options
- Exactly one
- Scoring
- Correct or incorrect
Item counts vary slightly by test form. The ranges follow Pearson’s PTE Academic test-taker score guide.
What this task asks
Several options are shown and only one is correct. Click to select it. Click again, or click another option, to change your mind. The selected option is highlighted.
This item does not use the negative marking that applies to Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers. A wrong choice scores 0. It does not deduct points from other items.
How scoring works
The response is correct or incorrect. No credit is given for no response or an incorrect response. The item contributes to Reading.
Because only one option is right, you should leave the item with an answer selected. A blank is the same score as a wrong guess, unlike the multiple-answer item.
Timings and scoring follow Pearson’s published format for Reading.
Tips that match the task
- 1
Read the question first and mark the words that tell you what to find: a purpose, a cause, a result, or the writer’s view.
- 2
Eliminate options that add a claim the text never makes, even if the topic words match.
- 3
When two options look close, find the phrase in the text that one of them contradicts.
- 4
If the text will not yield after a careful read, choose the option you can best support and move on. Guessing on a single-answer item does not create a negative score.
- 5
Do not import the multiple-answer habit of selecting several options. Only one stays selected, and only one is correct.
- 6
Keep this item short relative to Reorder Paragraphs and the blanks, which can return several partial-credit points.
Common mistakes
- Selecting an option because it copies a sentence, when the question asked for an inference the sentence does not state.
- Leaving the item blank. Unlike the multiple-answer item, a considered guess cannot reduce your score below zero.
- Applying negative-marking caution so strictly that you refuse to choose.
- Answering from general knowledge when the text says something more specific.
- Spending several minutes re-reading a 110-word passage while the section timer runs.
Frequently asked questions
Is there negative marking on single-answer reading questions?
No. The item is correct or incorrect. Negative marking applies to Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers, where each wrong selection deducts a point, and to Highlight Incorrect Words.
How long is the passage?
Up to about 110 words. A test form includes about 2–3 single-answer reading items, inside the shared 23–30 minute reading section.
What if I am not sure?
Choose the option the text best supports. An incorrect response scores 0, which is the same as no response, and it does not deduct points elsewhere.
Practise Multiple Choice, Single Answer (Reading) on a real question
Open a free practice question in the LearnPTE app and try this task with instant feedback.