A Day at the Beach
Welcome to Part 4 of the PET Reading Paper! In this part of the exam, you read a text with five missing sentences. Your task is to choose the correct sentence for each gap from the eight options available.
Don't worry! We'll take this step by step. I’ll explain exactly how to approach this type of question, and by the end, you'll feel confident doing it on your own.
When you study these tips it is important that you take your time and work through them carefully and thoroughly. Take your time now so that in the exam you can go quickly!
step one: read the entire text first
In PET Reading Part 4, first read all the text before reading the sentences.
Like this you will learn about the main idea and how the text is organized. This makes it easier to see where each missing sentence goes.
If you go first to the sentences, you will waste time. You will have to check the text many times without really understanding it.
So save time by first reading the text.
put the story in the correct order
Make brief notes to summarize each paragraph, like this:
step two: match all the sentences to their possible paragraphs
Now that we understand the general structure of the text and we have given each paragraph a brief summary, let's match every sentence below to the two most likely paragraphs. This will stop you from reading the entire text over and over again, saving you valuable time. For example, "Helen told the children to come out of the water and dry off" clearly is not from Paragraph 1 (Family Arrives) because the family has just arrived, and it is not from Paragraph 2 (Set up/Play) because the children have not yet got into the water. So the sentence is either from Paragraph 3 or 4. By doing this exercise, this part of the exam will be less confusing. You can number the possible paragraphs like this:
Notice how option F has only one possible paragraph: 4. If option F is 4, it means that A & D must be from paragraph 3 and that C must be from paragraph 1. This helps us reduce the number of options, like this:
step three: match the sentence options to the correct gaps
Let’s look at option C: "There was no better way to spend a sunny day."
Does it fit after "enjoying the sunshine"? Yes! This sentence explains why they love the beach so much. It adds information to the previous sentence.
Answer: C
Let’s look at option B: "The children, of course, were most excited about swimming in the sea."
This fits well, but in the text, the kids are gathering tools for building sandcastles. So, maybe we need something about playing on the sand?
Let’s check option G: "Some families had even brought kites to fly."
While it is okay to change focus, in this case the change would be too big. The text is talking about what the family is doing not what other families had brought with them, even if it does reference alternative activities. In addition, it would contradict the beginning of the paragraph which states that the beach was quiet and peaceful.
How about option H? "The temperature started to rise, and everyone was ready to cool off in the sea."
This seems like it could fit a bit later, after noon. So, it’s not for this gap. In addition, it would interrupt the natural flow of the text here.
Let's go back to option B. The phrase "most excited about swimming" doesn’t contradict "gathering tools for sandcastles"; it just shifts focus to what the children were most looking forward to. Even if they are preparing to build sandcastles now, they could still be excited about swimming later. Also, it is not a big shift in focus to go from what the family is doing to what the children want to do.
In conclusion:option B works well, as it conveys the excitement of the children at the beach, even if they aren’t swimming just yet. The story can naturally transition from the excitement of playing on the beach to swimming in the sea.
Answer: B
Option A: "Helen told the children to come out of the water and dry off."
Yes! They are talking about taking a break and eating lunch, so the children need to come out of the water and dry themselves in order to have lunch.
Answer: A
Look at option D: "Helen picked up some seashells and admired their beautiful shapes and colors."
Perfect match! This sentence fits well with Helen walking along the beach, enjoying the natural beauty around her.
Answer: D
Let’s try option F: "The day had been full of fun, and everyone felt satisfied."
Yes! This is a nice way to end the story, summarizing the day's events and the family's satisfaction.
Answer: F
step four: check
Once you've placed all the sentences, quickly read through the entire text again to make sure everything flows well. If the text sounds natural, you’ve likely got the correct answers.
review
Remember, the most important thing is to read the entire text first. Once you understand the general meaning, you can make much better decisions when placing the sentences. Don’t worry if it takes time to practise. The more you do it, the faster and more confident you’ll become.
Good luck with your PET exam practice! Keep going, and soon you’ll be able to answer these questions like a pro!
