PTE Highlight Correct Summary: Mastering the Task with Tips & Listening Practice

Select the paragraph that best relates to the recording.

(a) The speaker talks about the use of memory in Proust’s novel In Search of Lost Time and how memories are usually brought about by the taste or smell of something, in this case, a biscuit dipped in tea. So, it is the senses that provoke memories that can take us back to our childhood. 

(b) Using the writer Proust as an example, the speaker tells us how long-term memory works before going on to talk about short-term memory. Distant memories are usually involuntary and are brought to mind by something that stimulates one of the senses. Short-term memory also requires sensory input, but it lasts only a fraction of a second. 

(c) What we experience is processed by the brain into memories in three stages. First, there is the sensory input, which is momentary. This is then stored in the short-term memory. If this experience is important or meaningful to us, we will reinforce the memory, possibly by repetition, and it will then be stored in the long-term memory.

Answer

Select the paragraph that best relates to the recording.

(a) The speaker reminisces about his views of the English Revolution when he was a student and how it seemed quite clear which side he was on – the aristocrats’, not the puritans’. Later he realized there was more to it than that and there were several ways of interpreting the Revolution: as a struggle between the king and parliament, as a class war or as an unpredictable situation without the clear sides.

(b) The English Revolution has been interpreted in several ways by historians: as a fight between the aristocratic Cavaliers, who were open to the life, and the serious Puritans; as a battle for power between the parliament and the monarchy over the rights of Englishmen that had been going on for centuries; and as a class war similar to the French Revolution, of which it was a forerunner.

(c) There are three main interpretations of English Revolution. The longest lasting interpretation was that the Revolution was almost inevitable outcome of an age-old power struggle between parliament and crown. The second sees it as a class struggle, and a lead-up to the French and the other revolutions. Finally, the third interpretation sees other two as too fixed, not allowing for unpredictability and that the outcome could have gone either way.

Answer

Select the paragraph that best relates to the recording.

(a) The speaker is a trained marine biologist who became an anthropologist after hearing about an ancient people who lived on beaches and got their food from the sea. Because he was a keen fisherman, he identified with these people and began to study anthropology. They lived in a very simple way, catching fish with their hands and gathering shells, such as oysters. 

(b) The speaker is a marine biologist who became interested in the Strandlopers, an ancient people who lived on the coastline, because of their and his connection to the sea. Their way of life intrigued him – as a child he had spent a lot of time by the sea, exploring and collecting things – so he began to study them, and discovered some interesting information about their way of life, how they hunted, what tools they used, and so on. 

(c) The speaker is a marine biologist who became an archaeologist when he heard about a mythical people called the Strandlopers, or beach-walkers. He was interested in them because as a child he had lived by the sea and so he identified with them. His aim was to prove they were not a myth and set about finding evidence to prove they really existed, and in this he was successful.

Answer

Select the paragraph that best relates to the recording.

(a) To understand the past you have to be able, as far as possible, to think as the people in the period you are studying thought. The example of what it must have been like to be a peasant in the Middle Ages is used. However, sensibilities change over time and we can't completely throw off the mentality of the present. Therefore, every age will have a slightly different perspective on the same period of the past, no matter what the facts are.

(b) The text explains how, in order to understand people in the historical period they are studying, a historian must have the same ability the novelist has to get into the minds of characters. This is due to the fact that the world was different then, and the ways of thinking have changed, for example, between the Middle Ages and the 2151 century. He explains this by saying historian's sensibilities change over time.

 

(c) As a historian, if you really want to understand the sensibilities of those who lived in the past, you must be like a novelist and get into the skins of your characters and think and feel as they do. You are asked to imagine what it's like to be a peasant in medieval times, asking the sort of questions a peasant might ask. What the writer is saying is that a historian needs imaginative sympathy with ordinary people in the past.

Answer

Select the paragraph that best relates to the recording.

(a) Research into family history by ordinary people only started to become far more widespread in the early nineteenth century. Prior to that time, it was chiefly rich, important and powerful families who had an interest and involvement in this type of activity. 

(b) The study of family history began hundreds of years ago in North Africa in order to establish such things as ownership of property. It rapidly became a common practice in many cultures because inheritance played such an important role in society and government. 

(c) Originally, tracing family history was only used in order to establish the origins of prosperous and powerful families. However, by the middle of the twentieth century, ordinary people were also starting to show an interest in researching their family background too. 

(d) All social classes of the general population have always been interested in recording their family history, but genealogy became really popular in the early nineteenth century due to the publication of a book concerned with methodology of determining family history.

Answer

Select the paragraph that best relates to the recording.

(a) Anthropologists have disagreed for some time regarding when and how fire was first used in prehistoric times. Recent findings have now managed to finally persuade them that it was used before they thought and the principle use of fire was for cooking rather than any other purpose.

(b) Scientists believe they are now nearer to finding an answer to the question of when humans first started to use fire, and it is much earlier than had been thought. Nevertheless, there is still some disagreement among researchers around what early humans actually used the fire for.

(c) There has been much discussion by anthropologists about when humans started to use fires. As a result of a recent discovery it is thought that they started to make fires 300,000 years ago, but the reason they made them is still not clear.

(d) Recent findings have convinced the anthropological community that previous conclusions from research done over many decades was correct in estimating when early humans started to use fire although this research was incorrect in its findings about what fire was used for.

Answer

Select the paragraph that best relates to the recording.

(a) There are fewer Great White sharks in Australian waters than was once believed. This is because tagging has shown that sharks travel considerable distances, and a shark recorded east of Bass Strait one week is often recorded west of Bass Strait the next. However, sharks always return to their place of origin to breed.

(b) A recent research study has shown that Australian Great White shark populations have remained surprisingly distinct as, despite travelling long distances. these sharks do not breed away from their original areas. This means that local shark habitats may have a greater effect on sharks than has been believed up to now.

(c) There is a greater variety in the Great White shark populations in Australian waters than was previously thought to be the case. This means that some types of shark are actually more endangered than was believed. Scientists are therefore developing conservation programs which will help to protect these threatened species.

(d) An investigation of Great White sharks in Australian waters has come up with some unexpected conclusions. as it found that the genetic makeup of sharks in one area was quite distinct from those found elsewhere. This made scientists realize that sharks do not swim as far away from their home areas as used to be thought.

Answer

Select the paragraph that best relates to the recording.

(a) Many existing buildings in city centres, such as Perth are being cleared to make way for modern developments. lthough this is improving the visual impact of the city, it is causing difficulties in areas where there is not enough space to accommodate the expanding population.

(b) Developers in Perth and other parts of Western Australia are suggesting that it would be better to build much-needed homes within the city centre, as this would be more affordable for local people. It would also make transportation to and from jobs and shops cheaper and quicker.

(c) Cities like Perth in Western Australia are experiencing a rapid growth in urban development. and the current trend is to expand into surrounding regions. Although some people think this is more cost effective than building within cities, others believe it 's having a harmful effect on the environment in these areas.

(d) The housing shortage in Perth is being addressed by encouraging people to move to other cities in Western Australia where there is more space to develop new housing and infrastructure. This will benefit people struggling to find accommodation and also avoid having to develop on bushland.

Answer

Select the paragraph that best relates to the recording.

(a) Many existing buildings in city centres, such as Perth are being cleared to make way for modern developments. lthough this is improving the visual impact of the city, it is causing difficulties in areas where there is not enough space to accommodate the expanding population.

(b) Developers in Perth and other parts of Western Australia are suggesting that it would be better to build much-needed homes within the city centre, as this would be more affordable for local people. It would also make transportation to and from jobs and shops cheaper and quicker.

(c) Cities like Perth in Western Australia are experiencing a rapid growth in urban development. and the current trend is to expand into surrounding regions. Although some people think this is more cost effective than building within cities, others believe it 's having a harmful effect on the environment in these areas.

(d) The housing shortage in Perth is being addressed by encouraging people to move to other cities in Western Australia where there is more space to develop new housing and infrastructure. This will benefit people struggling to find accommodation and also avoid having to develop on bushland.

Answer

Select the paragraph that best relates to the recording.

(a) Company leaders have to be careful that they do not have one set of practices for those in the office and another for those who telecommute. Besides needing to be fair at all times, managers will find that a telecommuting arrangement will simply not work if workers feel isolated and excluded from the company culture.

(b) Telecommuting has a lot of advantages but to make it work, company leaders need to plan in advance to ensure that they anticipate issues for example training, security and communication. They also need to ensure that they hire workers who are suited to working remotely and ensure equal access to resources and advancement.

(c) When workers ask if they can work from home, companies should consider a telecommuting arrangement, as it has several advantages for businesses as well as workers. There is money to be saved on overheads and training but for telecommuting to function properly. only independent staff should be allowed to work in this way.

(d) Managers should not rush into letting their employees telecommute. It may sound good because businesses can save money on things like office space, but if workers' needs and ambitions are not well catered for in the arrangement. the company culture will ultimately be damaged and they may even be sued.

Answer

Managing time well also helps prevent unnecessary delays in reviewing options, allowing you to make a confident choice before moving to the next question. By developing a structured approach, you can improve accuracy while staying within the time limits of the Listening section.

Use these strategies to stay on track:

• Pre-Listening Prep: Before the task begins, skim through the summary options to mentally prepare.
• Efficient Note-Taking: Write down only the most important points during the task.
• Stick to a Time Limit: After the audio plays, spend no more than a minute reviewing the options in the task.

Feeling confident about the listening section? Move on to PTE Reading.