Complete Guide on PTE Short Answer Questions & 100+ Examples
Pearson Test of English or PTE is a globally recognized and accepted language proficiency test for candidates who want to move to any English-speaking country for study or work purposes. It has 3 main parts-
- Part 1 - Speaking and Writing: 54-67 Minutes
- Part 2 - Reading: 29-30 minutes
- Part 3 - Listening: 30-43 minutes
Again, each segment has multiple types of questions, and in this blog, we will examine the "PTE short answer questions" from the Part 1 - Speaking and Writing section.

Table of Contents
An Insight Into PTE Short Answer Questions
If you are here, you might be planning to appear for the most renowned language proficiency test - the Pearson Test of English or PTE exam, right? So, let's take a quick insight into an important part of this test- PTE short answer questions.
This is a type of question from the "Speaking and Writing" section of the test. In this segment, you will be hearing a question and have to answer that in a single or few words. The prompt duration is usually 3-9 seconds, and you get 10 seconds to answer it. This question has 3 phases:
Questioning Phase - An audio or an image is displayed in the form of PTE short questions
Recording Phase - After the audio, the microphone opens, the recording starts, and the "Recording" status is displayed on the screen
Submission Phase - The recording stops automatically within 10 seconds, and the "Completed" status is shown on the screen
If you enrol in online PTE coaching or take up offline classes with experts like gradding, you might already know about the PTE exam pattern and the importance of this question type. If not, you can check it out after reading this blog. For now, let's learn more about how to answer this.
How to Answer Short Questions in the PTE Test?
Now, let's take a quick look at some important facts about the PTE and answer short questions that every candidate must know before appearing for the test. These will help you answer them in the right way:
- Audio plays automatically; you don't have to do anything but just wait for a few seconds.
- You cannot replay the audio, so listen to the question carefully.
- The time duration for short answer questions PTE is enough to say a few words, so, don't rush.
- Make sure to answer the question promptly, as, after 3 seconds of waiting, the status changes to "completed" if you don't answer anything.
- Also, your wait period between the answers should not be more than a second for the PTE short answer questions.
- Speak clearly and answer thoughtfully, as you cannot re-record your answer after it's done.
- The answer must be accurate, short, and relevant; remember, there are no extra marks for long answers.
- Finish speaking before the "recording" status changes to "completed" to avoid missing out on the opportunity.
- There is no negative marking or any credits for incorrect answers, so try to answer all of the questions.
Keep these things in mind when you answer short questions in PTE. Also, this impacts your listening, speaking, and vocabulary sections of the test, so focus on these well. Now, let's take a quick look at a few sample questions with answers for a better understanding!

List of 100+ PTE Short Questions with Answers
Here is a list of 50+ short questions and answers to give you an insight into the type of audio or images you come across in the PTE speaking and writing section of the exam:
- In which article of Indian constitution, right to live with dignity defines? Art. 21
- What do we call the political ideology where private individuals or companies own the means of productions? Capitalism
- A set of fundamentals principles that draws basic structures, powers and duties for the citizens and government called as? Constitution
- What do we call a system where power is shared between a president and a prime minister, responsible to the legislature? Semi-presidential republic
- Which power is used by the president to reject or hold a bill? Veto
- How many countries in Asia are land locked? 12
- Which country has the maximum active volcanoes in the world? Indonesia
- Which continent is known as the “Dark Continent”? Africa
- What do you call a narrow strip of land connecting two larger landmasses? Isthmus
- Where is the Great Barrier Reef located? Off the coast of Queensland, Australia
- What is the capital of Egypt? Cairo
- Which mountain range separates Europe and Asia? The Ural Mountains
- Which river flows through the city of Paris? The Seine River
- Who is considered the founder of microeconomics? Adam Smith
- Goods produced to produce yet other goods are known as? Capital
- Which form the following economics resources cannot be converted into commodity? Labour
- Subsidies are used to encourage? Production
- Which economic term is used to measure the overall performance of an economy? GDP
- Which part of the brain controls balance and coordination? Cerebellum
- Which gas do plant take during photosynthesis? Carbon dioxide
- What is the Ph level of pure water? 7
- What force opposes motion between two surface in contact? Friction
- What type of wave requires a medium to travel through? Mechanical wave.
- Which is the rarest blood group? AB negative
- Which type of sugar is found in honey? Fructose
- How many chromosomes are in the human gene? 46
- The longest and largest bone in the human body is? Femur
- What is the chemical name of washing soda? Sodium carbonate
- How many biodiversity hotspots exist in the world? 36
- When is World Environment Day celebrated? 5th June
- Name the sea that is commonly referred to as an oceanic desert- Sargasso Sea
- Who discovered the term "ecosystem'? Arthur G Tansley
- Which is the following is the largest ecosystem in the world? Ocean Ecosystem
- Which ecosystem constitutes a link between terrestrial and marine ecosystems- Mangrove forest
- What is the smallest unit of data in a computer? Bit
- What type of software is used to surf the web? Web browser
- What does SSD stand for? Solid-state drive
- Which key is used to refresh a webpage? F5
- What does FTP stand for? File Transfer Protocol
- How many years are there in one Millennium? 1000 Years
- Name a bird that lays the largest eggs? Ostrich
- Who gave the theory of relativity? Albert Einstein
- In which year did the Titanic sink? 1912
- What is the boiling point of water? 100 degrees Celsius
- Who painted the Mona Lisa? Leonardo da Vinci
- Which animal is known for its intelligence and ability to use tools? Chimpanzee
- At which place on earth are there days and nights of equal length always? Equator
- Which ancient civilization is known for its pyramids? Egyptian Civilization
- Who wrote the famous book " Harry Potter”? J.K. Rowling
- Who is known as the 'father of modern Indian art’? Raja Ravi Verma
- The Hundred Years’ War was fought between which two countries? England and France
- Hitler was the dictator of which country? Germany
- Which is the largest river island in the world? Majuli Island
- Which country is called the ‘Coffee Bowl of the World’? Brazil
- In which year was the paper currency first introduced in India? 1861
- Who was the first woman to head a democratic government in Pakistan? Benazir Bhutto
- Where is the Cape of Good Hope located? South Africa
- Most of the Amazon River flows through which country? Brazil
- Which strait divides Europe from Africa? Gibraltar
- Which mountain is located between India and Nepal? Kanchenjunga
- Where is Mount St. Helens located? USA
- What is the name of the first Indian missile? Prithvi
- Which country has decided to leave the International Space Station in 2024? Russia
- Which location was declared the Eighth Wonder of the World in November 2023? Angkor Wat
- Which organisation releases the Human Development Index (HDI)? UNDP
- The last remaining habitat of the Asiatic Lion is? Gir National Park
- Which plant hormone helps in cell division? Cytokinin
- Which of the following kingdoms consists of prokaryotic cells? Monera
- In how many groups are plants divided? 5
- The essential organs in a flower for reproduction are The stamen and pistil.
- A person with high blood pressure is advised to reduce the intake of - Sodium.
- Which cells of our body cannot respire anaerobically? Mature RBC.
- Which blood group is known as the universal donor? O negative
- One can save the lives of twelve people by donating blood how many times a year? Four
- Calcium deficiency in old age leads to which disease? Osteoporosis
- Which vaccines are 85% effective against monkeypox? Jynneos
- Colour blindness and Haemophilia disease in humans are due to - Recessive genes present on the X chromosome.
- The BCG vaccine for tuberculosis immunization was developed by? Albert Calmette and Camile Guerin
- Which of the following is called the first line of Immunity? Innate Immunity
- Which food component helps in protecting the body from infections? Vitamins and minerals
- Which semi-essential amino acid plays an important role in your body’s immune function, digestion, sleep and sexual function? Histidine
- What is the chemical name for Vitamin B7? Biotin
- Napoleon Bonaparte is known by the nickname? Man of Destiny
- Bhupen Hazarika, Bharat Ratna winner, is related to which field? Art
- In the first cabinet of independent India, who held the portfolio of commerce? C.H. Bhabha
- Who has become the first woman officer, hailing from Rajasthan, to be posted at the world’s highest battlefield, the Siachen Glacier? Capt. Shiva Chauhan
- The race of my life is the autobiography of a famous Indian athlete. - Milkha Singh
- Which famous cricketer authored the book ‘Straight from the Heart’? Kapil Dev
- Individuals who are the founders of the business and conceptualise a business plan by putting effort into making the plan a success are known as? Pure Entrepreneurs
- Which country, as represented by the Global Entrepreneurship Index, has the highest level of entrepreneurial activity? The USA
- In which year was the communication in 2G launched in the market? 1988
- Which of the following protocols enables access to the internet from a mobile device? Wireless Application Protocol (WAP)
- A 4G communication supports the data rates of? 1024
- In the context of mobile communication, what is the full form of LTE? Long Term Evolution
- What company does Sundar Pichai serve as CEO of? Alphabet (Google)
- George Kurian, who is an Indian- American business executive, serves as the CEO of which organization? Net App
- The inspirational leader behind the founding of the All India Women’s Conference was? Margaret Cousins
- Who has written the book named ‘Gulamgiri’? Jyotirao Phule
- Which space agencies use a spacecraft named Hayabusa? Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
- 100.Which woman astronaut has set the world record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman? Christine Koch
Now that you've checked out the sample questions, you can either practice these or appear for a free PTE mock test to check your progress. When you turn to professionals, they can help you prepare for all question types like Table chart PTE, long paragraph answers, and more. Moving back to short questions and answers, you can check out the tips shared by experts in the section below!
Free PTE Study Material
10+ Tips from Experts for PTE Answer Short Questions!
The most crucial part of the PTE speaking test is the short questions because they are time-constrained and require a lot of focus. So, if you want to make the best and answer it well, follow these simple yet effective tips shared by the experts for each phase:
Pre-test Phase
This is the phase when the exam has not yet begun, and you are planning to appear for the PTE academic test. It can be any time ranging from a few hours to weeks, and the tips to follow in this tenure for better results in the PTE answer short questions segment are:
- Build Your Vocabulary and Learn New Words Every Day
- Work on Your Pronunciation and View News Channels or Movies
- Practice Grammar and Active Listening with Audio Clips
- Use Different Methods to Remember What You Learn and Practice
- Appear for Mock Tests and Track Your Progress Regularly
Questioning Phase
This is the second segment of the answer short question in the PTE exam. Here, the question is being played in the form of audio, and the candidate must get ready to answer it. So, the tips that one should follow during this stage of the PTE short answer questions are:
- Stay calm and concentrate
- Listen to the audio carefully
- Focus completely on the question
- Understand the main purpose
- Visualize the structure of the answer
Answering Phase
The next phase in the short answer questions PTE is the answering part. Here, the mic is turned on, and the recording starts for the candidate to speak. The tips to be followed here include:
- Answer in a simple and easy way
- Speak clearly and with fluency
- Ensure you answer within the time
- Focus on pronunciation and vocabulary
- Make sure it is relevant and to the point
Now, after learning the tips for answering PTE short answer questions, you can be sure of scoring good grades. What next? Check out the following section to understand it better.
Enroll for the best PTE Coaching classes online and get desire score in your first Attempt
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What to Do After Short Questions and Answers in PTE?
You might be wondering what happens after the PTE short answer questions, right? The next section after this segment is “Summarize spoken test PTE,” where you need to summarise a text in one sentence. Other than this, there are also a few other segments in the speaking and writing segment of this exam, such as:
- Personal Introduction
- Read Aloud the Text on the Screen
- Repeat Sentence in PTE
- Describe the Image on Display
- Re-tell the Lecture After Watching/Hearing
- Essay on Given Topic
These are the other segments of the PTE speaking and writing segments. However, if you look into the listening and reading segments, you might come across other topics too such as process chart, bar graphs, multiple choice, PTE collocations list, True or False questions, and a lot more. So, if you want help with PTE short answer questions or any other, feel free to reach out to our experts for the best assistance.
Conclusion
The most common queries of candidates appearing for PTE answer short questions are now resolved in this blog. However, if there is still something you want to know or learn about, feel free to check our blog section or drop a comment below. Moreover, if you are appearing for the Pearson Test of Language Proficiency and need an expert to help you prepare, our experts would be more than happy to help you. Just let us know, and we guarantee you the top grades!
Frequently Asked Questions:
How Much Time Do I Have to Answer the Question?
You have 10 seconds to record your answer, but you shouldn't be silent for more than three seconds at the beginning or one second at the middle of the answer. Otherwise, the recording will be marked as completed.
How Long Should My Answer Be?
Your answer should be one or a few words. Moreover, it should be completed in 10 seconds.
What If I Don't Know the Answer?
Try to focus on the question and find out if anything sounds familiar. Even if you do not know the right answer, you can attempt the question as there would be no negative marking.
How to Improve My Chances of Scoring Better?
Read books and newspapers regularly. You can also give mock tests to track your progress. This way, you can improve your practice and learning.
What to Do If I Give a Wrong Answer?
You cannot re-record your answer; so, you must do it carefully. However, if you give the wrong answer, then just move on to the next question.
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