# PTE Reading Multiple Choice, Single Answer: scoring and examples

A text of up to 300 words with one correct option. Scored right or wrong with no partial credit and no penalty, so never leave it blank.

## The short answer

Reading: Multiple Choice, Single Answer gives you a text of up to 300 words and a question with exactly one correct option. There are 2 to 3 in a test. It is scored as correct or incorrect, with no partial credit and no deduction, so an answer you are unsure of is always better than no answer.

## Key facts

- **Items per test:** 2-3
- **Prompt length:** Text up to 300 words
- **Skills scored:** Reading
- **Scoring:** Correct or incorrect, no penalty for a wrong answer

Timings and scoring rules come from Pearson's task pages and the July 2025 Score Guide, checked 28 September 2026.

## How it's scored

Since nothing is deducted, the only wrong move is running out of time with the question unanswered. That is worth remembering when an item sits between two harder tasks in the same section.

Questions usually ask for the writer's purpose, the main idea, or what can be inferred. All three are answered from the text, not from what you know about the topic, and the wrong options are typically true statements that do not answer the question asked.

> Read the question before the text. It turns a 300-word read into a targeted search.

## Reading: Multiple Choice, Single Answer examples

Worked examples written for this page. Answer each one before you open the model response: memorizing a response is scored as an irrelevant answer in the real test.

**Example 1 -- purpose, not content**

> Electric buses cost roughly twice as much to buy as diesel ones, and few city treasurers have the capital to replace a fleet at once.
> 
> Yet a bus runs for fifteen years. Across that life the electric bus is cheaper to fuel and cheaper to maintain, and most operators recover the extra purchase price within seven years.

Prompt: What is the writer's main purpose in the second paragraph?

- A. To answer the objection raised in the first paragraph
- B. To explain how electric buses are built
- C. To list the maintenance costs of diesel buses
- D. To argue that cities should raise fares
Answer: A.

Model response: A. The paragraph exists to answer the cost objection in the first one: same subject, opposite conclusion, signaled by "Yet".

Why it scores: Purpose questions are answered by the paragraph's role in the argument, not by what it mentions. Options that summarize its content are the usual distractors.

**Example 2 -- true, but not the answer**

> Nepal's first cable car opened in 1998 and carried pilgrims to a hilltop temple.
> 
> Twenty years later, operators began proposing cable cars as commuter links rather than attractions, arguing that a cable car costs less to build than a road in steep terrain.
> 
> That claim is contested. Engineers point out that a cable car cannot carry freight, so the road has to be built anyway for everything except people.

Prompt: According to the third paragraph, why is the commuter argument contested?

- A. Because a cable car cannot carry freight
- B. Because the first cable car opened in 1998
- C. Because cable cars were built for pilgrims
- D. Because roads are cheaper in steep terrain
Answer: A.

Model response: A. B is true and useless: it comes from the first paragraph and answers nothing. D reverses what the text says.

Why it scores: Distractors here are often accurate statements from the wrong place. Check that the option answers the question that was asked, not just that it matches the passage.

**Example 3 -- the item you cannot settle**

> Historians of the printing press disagree about what it changed first. One tradition holds that cheap books spread literacy, and that literacy spread dissent. Another holds that dissenting networks already existed, and that print only made them faster. A third treats the question as unanswerable, since literacy before 1500 is estimated from signatures on legal documents.

Prompt: Which statement best summarizes the third position?

- A. The evidence is too weak to settle the question
- B. Print had no effect on literacy
- C. Dissent spread faster because of print
- D. Literacy rates before 1500 were high
Answer: A.

Model response: A. If it does not jump out, cut B and D, which the passage contradicts, then choose between A and C and move on.

Why it scores: Nothing is deducted for a wrong answer here, so a one-in-two guess after elimination is free. Leaving it blank is a guaranteed zero, and the seconds are worth more on the tasks that do deduct.

**Three questions is a warm-up, not practice** 20,000+ PTE practice questions across all 22 task types, 20+ full mocks and 20+ sectional tests, with instant AI scoring on speaking and writing. One full PTE mock and one sectional test per skill are free, with question-bank practice and 100 AI scoring coins a month. No card required. [Start practicing free](https://app.testmigo.com/register)

## Common mistakes

| What costs marks | Do this instead |
| --- | --- |
| Leaving it unanswered when time runs short. | There is no penalty. Always select something. |
| Answering from background knowledge. | Every answer is in the text. An option can be true in the world and still be wrong here. |
| Reading the full text before reading the question. | Question first, then scan for the part that answers it. |
| Choosing the option with the most familiar words. | Word overlap is how distractors are built. Check the claim, not the vocabulary. |

**Know the score you are aiming at** Put a target into the PTE score calculator to see the visa band it reaches, the points it is worth, and how far off you are. [Open the PTE score calculator](/pte/score-calculator)

## How to practice

1. Practice question-first reading until it is automatic.
2. For each wrong answer, name why the distractor was wrong: scope, place, or purpose.
3. Work on purpose and inference questions specifically; fact questions are rarely the hard ones.
4. Never leave a practice item blank, so the habit holds on test day.

## Common questions

### Is there a penalty for guessing on PTE reading multiple choice, single answer?

No. It is scored correct or incorrect with no deduction, so always answer. The multiple-answers version is the one with negative marking.

### How many of these are in the test?

2 to 3, with texts up to 300 words.

### What do the questions usually ask?

Most ask for the main idea, the writer's purpose, or an inference. All are answered from the text itself.

**Sources**
- [Pearson: PTE Academic Reading task types (checked 28 September 2026)](https://www.pearsonpte.com/pte-academic/test-format/reading)
- [Pearson: PTE Academic Test Taker Score Guide, July 2025 (PDF)](https://www.pearsonpte.com/ctf-assets/yqwtwibiobs4/WUcBAMkYCC9Dj5vs2HfVA/941d88d07ba7c2a5007f7ce1b18eedbf/Score_Guide__Test_Taker__-_PTE_Academic_-_July_2025__web_.pdf)

[Practice Reading: Multiple Choice, Single Answer free](https://testmigo.com/pte)