PTE Reading

Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers

1 questions. Answer them all, then submit once for your section score.

Pearson Test of English — TestDayTwin Practice

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Read the passage and select ALL correct options. Wrong selections lose points.

Before the pendulum clock, mechanical timekeeping relied on the verge-and-foliot escapement, a device notorious for its irregular rate. Early clockmakers had no way to measure error precisely, so clocks were adjusted by comparing them to sundials, an imperfect reference at best. The invention of the pendulum in the seventeenth century did not simply add a component; it introduced a natural oscillator with a near-constant period, which the escapement could now regulate against rather than merely drive. Guild clockmakers initially resisted the change, since it demanded new case designs to accommodate the swinging weight. Within decades, however, accuracy improved from roughly fifteen minutes a day to under ten seconds, reshaping expectations for punctuality in trade, navigation, and daily life across European cities.

According to the passage, which statements are true? (select all that apply)

The verge-and-foliot escapement kept highly accurate time.Sundials were an imperfect standard for checking early mechanical clocks.The pendulum provided a natural oscillator with a nearly constant period.Clockmaking guilds immediately embraced pendulum-based designs.Pendulum clocks eventually reduced daily error to under ten seconds.