Reading: Multiple Choice, Single Answer is the most direct PTE Core reading task: read a short passage of up to 110 words, then pick the one correct option from several choices. There is no partial credit here, you either choose the right option or you do not, so accuracy on a short passage matters more than speed.
Multiple Choice, Single Answer — PTE Core Practice Questions
Read the passage and choose one answer. Practise with answers and explanations for PTE Core. Review your mistakes and repeat each question to build confidence.
PTE Academic version of this page262 questions · PTE Core
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What this task tests
This task gives a passage, up to 110 words in PTE Core, followed by a question with several options, only one of which is correct.
PTE Core includes just 1-2 items of this type, fewer than the 2-3 on PTE Academic, and Core passages are considerably shorter than the up to 300-word passages Academic uses for the same task type, so each Core item leans more on precise reading of a short text than on managing a long one.
PTE Core is accepted by IRCC for Express Entry alongside CELPIP-General and IELTS General Training. Your Score Report, and the Reading result this task contributes to, must be less than two years old when you submit your Express Entry profile and again when you submit the permanent residence application.
Format and timing
There is no separate timer for this task; it shares the Reading section clock, 27 to 37 minutes across all five Core reading task types.
Because passages are short and only one answer is required, many candidates find this one of the faster reading tasks per item, which is worth remembering when you divide your own section time budget.
How it is scored
Scoring is correct or incorrect: one point for the right option, zero for anything else, including no answer at all. There is no credit for a close or partially reasonable choice.
Step-by-step approach
This is a suggested routine rather than an official procedure. With a passage this short, the risk is not running out of text to read but answering from a first impression, so each step slows the final choice down slightly.
- Read the question stem before the passage, so you know exactly what to look for while reading.
- Read the whole short passage once; at up to 110 words this takes very little time.
- Check each option against the passage individually and rule out any option the passage contradicts or does not mention.
- Choose the option that is most directly supported by the text, not the one that sounds most reasonable in general.
- Always select an option: an unanswered item scores 0, the same as a wrong choice, so a guess costs nothing extra.
Example (written by LexiPTE)
Example (written by LexiPTE), not a real exam item. Passage: 'The city's recycling collection will move from weekly to fortnightly starting next month, following a review of collection routes. Residents can still request an extra collection for a small fee.'
Question: 'According to the passage, what is changing about recycling collection?' Options: (A) It will stop completely; (B) It will happen less often; (C) It will now cost a fee every time; (D) It will move to a different day of the week.
B is correct because the passage states collection moves from weekly to fortnightly, which is less frequent. A is wrong because collection continues, just less often. C is wrong because the fee only applies to an extra, optional collection, not every collection. D is wrong because no day change is mentioned.
Strategies
Because a single point rides on one choice, these strategies are about confirming evidence rather than reading faster.
- Match options to specific sentences in the passage rather than to your overall impression of the topic.
- Eliminate options that introduce information the passage never states, even if it sounds plausible.
- Watch for one option that is almost right but changes a scope word, such as a fee for one extra service versus every service.
- Because there is no partial credit, spend a few extra seconds confirming your choice against the exact wording rather than moving on the instant one option looks likely.
Common mistakes
These are the errors that most often turn a short, readable Core passage into a lost point.
- Choosing an option based on general knowledge of the topic rather than what the short passage actually says.
- Overlooking a scope or frequency word, such as 'some', 'every' or 'weekly', that changes whether an option is fully correct.
- Treating a partially true option as correct instead of finding the one the passage fully supports.
- Leaving the item unanswered under time pressure, losing a point that a guess would not have cost more for.
Practice plan
Because PTE Core passages here are much shorter than PTE Academic's, timed 110-word practice passages drawn from workplace notices, community announcements or short articles mirror the real task better than long academic extracts.
Track wrong answers by cause, such as a misread scope word, invented information or a general-knowledge assumption, so your practice targets the specific habit causing errors.
This task feeds only your PTE Core Reading score. IRCC's conversion puts CLB 7 at 60-68, CLB 6 at 51-59 and CLB 5 at 42-50 on the Reading scale. Federal Skilled Worker and Canadian Experience Class (TEER 0 or 1) applicants need CLB 7 in Reading; Canadian Experience Class (TEER 2 or 3) applicants need CLB 5. Because this task is correct-or-incorrect with only 1-2 items on the test, treat it as a small but unforgiving slice of your Reading result: there is no partial credit to fall back on if you misread the passage.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
No. The item is correct or incorrect only: one point for the right option, zero otherwise, including for no answer.
Up to 110 words, considerably shorter than the up to 300-word passages used for the same task type in PTE Academic.
1 to 2, fewer than the 2 to 3 on PTE Academic.
No more than leaving it blank. An unanswered item scores 0, exactly like a wrong choice, so always select an option.
Reading only.
Because scoring is correct or incorrect with no partial credit, a misread passage costs the full point for that item, unlike tasks such as Reorder Paragraph where a near-miss still earns some credit.
Multiple Choice, Single Answer FAQ
Multiple Choice, Single Answer gives you a passage and a question with only one correct option. The question may test the main idea, a stated detail, the writer's purpose or an inference — eliminate options that contradict the passage or go beyond its evidence.
Exam: PTE Academic and PTE Core. Scoring: One correct option; no partial credit.
Read the question first to identify what you need to find. Read the passage and locate specific evidence for the answer. Compare every option and eliminate statements that contradict the passage or answer a different question.
Selecting an option that repeats words from the passage but distorts their relationship. Using outside knowledge to fill a gap the passage does not actually support.
Choose a published question, follow its reading instruction, and submit your own response.
Objective questions show the result returned by the server. Speaking and writing feedback appears only when an evaluator is available; the site does not invent a score.
Yes. Use the PTE Academic/Core picker. If this task is unavailable for the selected exam, the page asks you to choose a supported exam.
Academic focuses on English used in study and academic contexts. Core uses everyday and workplace English. Choose your exam in the header so your practice bank follows the appropriate exam.
No. PTE Reading uses a shared section timer. Individual LexiPTE practice is untimed: review the passage at your own pace and submit when you are ready.
Fill-in-the-blanks tasks earn a point for each correct gap. Single-answer questions earn one point for the correct option. Multiple-answer questions deduct a point for each incorrect selection, with a minimum item score of zero. Reorder Paragraphs awards points for correct adjacent pairs.
Yes. Submit an answer, inspect the feedback, then use Show answer for the key and explanation. Try again starts a fresh attempt. Opening an older attempt preserves your current answer; use Back to my answer in the banner at the top of the answer column to return.
Sign in to save submitted attempts to your account. Practice history is kept separately for each question and exam. Guest answers can be checked, but are not added to account history.
No. The points shown help you review an individual exercise. They are not a conversion to the official 10–90 scale, an official score report or a CLB result.
No. The item is correct or incorrect only: one point for the right option, zero otherwise, including for no answer.
Up to 110 words, considerably shorter than the up to 300-word passages used for the same task type in PTE Academic.
1 to 2, fewer than the 2 to 3 on PTE Academic.
No more than leaving it blank. An unanswered item scores 0, exactly like a wrong choice, so always select an option.
Reading only.
Because scoring is correct or incorrect with no partial credit, a misread passage costs the full point for that item, unlike tasks such as Reorder Paragraph where a near-miss still earns some credit.