# PTE RW FIB #37: Variations in Earth's Rotational...

Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks #37 - Level 3 - Feeds Reading

> Below is a text with blanks. Click on each blank, a list of choice will appear. Select the appropriate answer choice for each blank.

Our planet usually takes 24 hours to rotate on its ____ but not anymore. On July 29, Earth's full spin was 1.50 milliseconds shorter than 24 hours, which means Earth experienced its shortest day ever. However, this wasn't just a one-time fluke. Earth has been in a hurry in recent years. As per International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems (IERS), in 2020, Earth recorded 28 shortest days. Earth's faster rotation could affect our clocks. The time that you and your mobile phone live by is ____ by Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). It is responsible for setting your time zone. This time, also known as astronomical time, is ____ on how long it takes for Earth to complete one rotation. As the rotation speed picks up, people who watch the Earth's rotation and world's clock for a living, will have to introduce a leap second to keep up with Earth's pace and synchronize clocks with it.

## Answer

Our planet usually takes 24 hours to rotate on its **axis** but not anymore. On July 29, Earth's full spin was 1.50 milliseconds shorter than 24 hours, which means Earth experienced its shortest day ever. However, this wasn't just a one-time fluke. Earth has been in a hurry in recent years. As per International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems (IERS), in 2020, Earth recorded 28 shortest days. Earth's faster rotation could affect our clocks. The time that you and your mobile phone live by is **dictated** by Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). It is responsible for setting your time zone. This time, also known as astronomical time, is **dependent** on how long it takes for Earth to complete one rotation. As the rotation speed picks up, people who watch the Earth's rotation and world's clock for a living, will have to introduce a leap second to keep up with Earth's pace and synchronize clocks with it.

## Explanation

Blank 2 is a passive verb after "is" and before "by." UTC controls the time your phone shows, so "dictated by" fits. "Delegated" and "addicted" look similar but mean something else. In blank 3, the "on" after the gap points to "dependent on." "Born on" and "available on" make no sense here.

## Hints

- Look at the words immediately preceding and following the blank to determine the grammatical role.
- Consider the scientific context of the passage; the text discusses how physical movement influences human-made time standards.

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