The PTE exam’s Summarize Written Text task is a critical part of both Speaking and Writing sections. In this task, candidates will be asked to condense a lengthy text into a one-sentence summary. One of the commonly tested topics in recent exams is Drought Management In Agriculture, reflecting the growing importance of sustainable farming practices. This article will provide you with sample practice questions and model answers related to this crucial topic, along with an analysis of how they meet PTE scoring criteria.
Summarize Written Text challenges your ability to extract key details and present them concisely, which is crucial for topics like Water scarcity solutions in agriculture. In the following sections, we will explore practice questions, model band answers, and how they align with the PTE scoring criteria.
Drought Management in Agriculture: Practice Summarize Written Text Questions
Practice Question 1
Climate change has led to an intensification of droughts worldwide, affecting the productivity of agricultural systems. Farmers, particularly in dry regions, are experiencing severe crop losses, which threaten food security. Innovative water management strategies have emerged to combat these challenges, including the adoption of drought-resistant crops, efficient irrigation systems such as drip irrigation, and the use of advanced monitoring tools to predict water shortages. However, successful drought management also requires proper policy-making and community involvement to ensure sustainable water use and equitable distribution of resources.
Summarize the text in one sentence.
Answer: Band-wise Responses:
Band 8+ Answer:
Drought management in agriculture involves using innovative techniques such as drought-resistant crops, efficient irrigation systems, and monitoring tools, along with policymaking and community engagement to ensure sustainable water usage and food security.
Analysis:
- Content: Captures all essential elements of the passage.
- Form: One sentence.
- Grammar: Free of errors with correctly structured clauses.
- Vocabulary: Appropriate use of terms like “drought-resistant crops” and “sustainable.”
- Spelling: Correct.
Band 6-7 Answer:
Drought management includes using water-saving technologies like drip irrigation and drought-resistant crops, along with better policies and community support to prevent agricultural losses.
Analysis:
- Content: Covers most points but misses finer details like “monitoring tools.”
- Form: One sentence.
- Grammar: Mostly correct with minor simplifications.
- Vocabulary: Accurate but slightly less varied.
- Spelling: Correct.
Band 4-5 Answer:
Efficient water use and community action are needed to manage drought in agriculture due to the harmful effects of climate change.
Analysis:
- Content: Misses important aspects such as specific methods like drought-resistant crops and policy-making.
- Form: One sentence.
- Grammar: Clear but basic.
- Vocabulary: Basic vocabulary; lacks specialized terms.
- Spelling: Correct.
Practice Question 2
The global agricultural sector faces increasing challenges due to prolonged droughts. These water shortages reduce crop yields, hurt livestock, and threaten farming communities. Farmers have adopted advanced techniques, including soil moisture sensors and bioengineering crops that can survive low-water conditions, to mitigate the damage caused by drought. Moreover, policy-making has played an important role, with many governments focusing on drought preparedness and improved irrigation infrastructure to support farmers in affected areas.
Summarize the text in one sentence.
Answer: Band-wise Responses:
Band 8+ Answer:
Drought management in agriculture has become critical due to water shortages, prompting the use of soil moisture sensors, bioengineered crops, and government-supported infrastructure and policies for drought resilience.
Analysis:
- Content: Comprehensive and well-rounded.
- Form: One sentence.
- Grammar: Advanced use of compound sentence structure.
- Vocabulary: Use of advanced terms like “bioengineered crops” and “drought resilience.”
- Spelling: Correct.
Band 6-7 Answer:
Farmers combat drought with bioengineered crops and soil moisture sensors, while governments provide better infrastructure and policies for drought control.
Analysis:
- Content: Captures key points but lacks detailed explanation of the same.
- Form: One sentence.
- Grammar: Clear and correct.
- Vocabulary: Mostly appropriate but a bit simplistic.
- Spelling: Correct.
Band 4-5 Answer:
Farmers use technology and governments help with policies to protect farming from drought.
Analysis:
- Content: Very basic and misses critical details like “bioengineering” or “infrastructure.”
- Form: One sentence.
- Grammar: Simple sentence structure.
- Vocabulary: Elementary level, does not use technical terms.
- Spelling: Correct.
Vocabulary & Grammar
The passage contains several challenging words to enhance your vocabulary.
-
Drought-resistant /drɔːt-rɪˈzɪstənt/: Able to survive in conditions of low water availability.
Example: Farmers in dry regions rely on drought-resistant crops to ensure agricultural yields. -
Irrigation /ˌɪrɪˈɡeɪʃən/: The supply of water to land or crops to help growth, typically by means of channels.
Example: Innovations in irrigation, particularly drip systems, ensure efficient water use. -
Bioengineering /ˌbaɪoʊˌɛnʤɪˈnɪərɪŋ/: The use of artificial tools or techniques to alter the environment, particularly in farming.
Example: Bioengineering has created crops that need less water to grow. -
Equitable /ˈɛkwɪtəbl/: Fair and impartial.
Example: Ensuring equitable distribution of water resources is key in drought management strategies. -
Mitigate /ˈmɪtɪɡeɪt/: To make less severe or serious.
Example: Farmers are using soil moisture sensors to mitigate the impact of drought. -
Infrastructure /ˈɪnfrəˌstrʌktʃə/: The basic physical structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise.
Example: Governments are investing in better water infrastructure to support farmers. -
Policymaking /ˈpɒlɪsɪˌmeɪkɪŋ/: The process of formulating policies and regulations.
Example: Effective policymaking is vital in addressing agricultural challenges caused by drought. -
Sustainable /səˈsteɪnəbl/: Capable of being maintained over the long term without depleting resources.
Example: Sustainable water usage practices are being promoted to fight prolonged droughts. -
Productivity /ˌprɒdʌkˈtɪvɪti/: The effectiveness of productive effort, especially in agriculture.
Example: Crop productivity has decreased significantly due to ongoing droughts in several regions. -
Community involvement /kəˈmjuːnɪti ɪnˈvɒlvʌmənt/: Engagement of local communities in decision-making or problem-solving at the local level.
Example: Community involvement is essential to ensure the success of drought mitigation strategies.
Conclusion
The Summarize Written Text in the PTE test requires a concise yet accurate understanding of complex topics like Drought Management in Agriculture. As highlighted in this article, practicing sample exercises can help you be more prepared for this section of the test. Always focus on key content points, grammar accuracy, and effective vocabulary usage. To further improve your skills, check out related topics, including Water resource management in drought regions, and don’t forget to leave a comment below if you have any questions!
