All 19 Question Types with Answers

There are 19 question types on the Duolingo English Test. In this article, we are going to walk through examples of each one and provide answers.

Before we start, I want to mention that a better way to study for the Duolingo English Test than looking at sample questions and answers is by answering practice questions and getting scores and feedback.

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Let’s jump in!

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Table of Contents

1. Read and Complete
2. Fill in the Blanks
3. Read and Select
4. Listen and Type
5. Read Aloud
6. Write About the Photo
7. Speak About the Photo
8. Interactive Writing
9. Read, Then Speak
10. Listen, Then Speak
11. Writing Sample
12. Speaking Sample

Interactive Reading

13. Complete the Sentences
14. Complete the Passage
15. Highlight the Answer
16. Identify the Idea
17. Title the Passage

Interactive Listening

18. Listen and Respond
19. Summarize the Conversation

Read and Complete

This question appears 3 to 6 times on the test.

Answer

The phones 4u Arena seats over 21,000 and is the largest indoor area in Europe. It has been voted International Venue of the Year and for several years was the most popular venue in the world. The sports grounds also host large pop concerts.

👉 “Read and Complete” - Guide to Duolingo English Test Question

Fill in the Blanks

This question appears 6 to 9 times on the test.

Answer

catch

👉 "Fill in the Blanks" - Guide to Duolingo English Test Question

Read and Select

This question appears 15 to 18 times.

Answer

No

👉 "Read and Select" - Guide to Duolingo English Test Question

Listen and Type

This question appears 6 to 9 times.

Answer

The museum has an incredible collection of ancient artifacts.

👉 ”Listen and Type” - Guide to Duolingo English Test Question

Read Aloud

This question appears 3 to 6 times.

👉 “Read Aloud” - Guide to Duolingo English Test Question

Write About the Photo

This question appears 3 times.

Answer

In this photo, I see two people walking along the sidewalk, a man and a boy. They could be father and son. They appear to be having a conversation. Both of them have bags, so perhaps the father is dropping off his son at school on his way to work. There are orange and yellow leaves on the ground and they are wearing sweaters, so it is likely autumn.

👉 “Write About the Photo” - Guide to Duolingo English Test Question

Speak About the Photo

This question appears 1 time.

Answer

In this photo, I see a little boy and a little girl laughing and hugging. The little boy has his hand on the girl’s head, and he is pulling her toward him. They seem to be close to one another, so either they are close friends or relatives like brother and sister. It’s not clear what has made them so happy. Perhaps it was nothing; children are often very happy like this! However, I noticed that the girl’s hair is wet. The boy’s hair is too short to tell. Perhaps they were just in the bath and that put them into a good mood.

👉 "Speak About the Photo" - Guide to Duolingo English Test Question

Interactive Writing

This question appears 1 time.

Answer

Part A:

In my view, the biggest advantage of being a freelance artist is the independence. You do not have a boss and therefore there is no one to tell you what to work on or how to spend your time. You are free to work on what you want, when you want. That freedom allows artists to explore their interests and take their art in new directions and to new levels.

However, an independent, freelance artist is not entirely independent. They still need to make a living by selling their art. This means that they can't make whatever they want. They have to make things that people are willing to pay for. Often, what people are willing to pay for is from what the artists may find find artistically valuable. Vincent Van Gogh is a famous, and tragic, example of this. While he was alive, he struggle to make a living off of his art. Today, however, his art is among the most valuable in the world.

Another disadvantage of being a freelance artist is that you don't have a predictable paycheck. When you work for a company, they will send you money every 2 weeks or 1 month. But as a freelancer, you could earn a lot of money 1 month but then not very much the other month. This can be quite stressful.

Part B:

I believe that freelance artists command more respect from their peers in the art community. This is because it is perceived as more difficult, and therefore those who chose that path are more committed to their art. Working for a company can be seen as "selling out."

However, working for a company likely gives you access to a large network of artists or customers. The company can facilitate introductions to all kinds of people who can help you with producing and selling your art. A company could also provide financial support for things like conferences or art markets, which helps to expose your art to many more people.

👉 "Interactive Writing" - Guide to Duolingo English Test Questions

Read, Then Speak

This question appears 1 time.

Answer

My favorite restaurant is called Nan Zhou Hand Drawn Noodle House. It is in the Chinatown neighborhood of Philadelphia, specifically on Arch Street. They serve American Chinese food of all kinds, but they specialize in hand drawn noodles, which they use in many dishes. My personal favorite are the cold peanut noodles. I go there once a month, on average. If it was closer to my house, I would probably go more often! It’s my favorite because not only is the food really good, it is also really cheap. It is the best value meal in Philadelphia in my opinion. In addition, they have very fast service, so you never have to wait long to get a table and to get your food after ordering.

👉 "Read, Then Speak" - Guide to Duolingo English Test Question

Listen, Then Speak

This question appears 2 times.

Topic

Talk about a memorable experience you had in nature. What about this experience made it so enjoyable for you?

Answer

A memorable experience I had in nature was when I hiked Wheeler Peak, the highest point in New Mexico. This experience was so enjoyable because it provided beautiful views. I also did the hike with classmates, and I enjoyed bonding with them during the trip.

We started our ascent in the forest. At one point, we passed through Aspen trees with white bark and bright orange leaves. On the top of the mountain, we could see countless peaks and ridges all around.

The hike was organized through my school. We spent hours and hours hiking, so we had a lot of time to talk and get to know one another. It was a lot of fun learning about everyone and making new friends.

There were also challenging parts of the hike. It was unexpectedly very cold. Some people didn’t bring jackets, so we had to share our clothing among the group. At the time, it was difficult being so cold, but it made the trip more memorable looking back.

👉 "Listen, Then Speak" - Guide to Duolingo English Test Question

Writing Sample

This question appears 1 time.

Answer

I believe that the three most important behaviors for success in school are staying disciplined, persevering through setbacks, and being strategic.

First, success in school does not happen overnight. It's like the old adage, "Rome was not built in a day." In order to acquire new knowledge and gain new skills, you have to learn a little bit each day. This consistency requires discipline. In my personal experience, this principle was most important in my study of mathematics. I never had a big breakthrough with math. Rather, I learned it a little bit at a time.

Second, persevering through setbacks is also important. I did not get top marks on every single assignment. In fact, I often did poorly! But I never gave up. This enabled me to go from a bad mark on an assignment to a good mark on the exam, which, in turn, resulted in a high, final mark in the class.

Finally, you need to be strategic. You need to think about how you can get top marks. Which assignments or exams contribute the most to your overall grade? Which ones don't? Being strategic like this means that you can get maximum results for the efforts that you make.

👉 ”Writing Sample” - Guide to Duolingo English Test Question

Speaking Sample

This question appears 1 time.

Answer

I decide which information is most important to focus on based on my priorities at that point in time. My professional and personal goals and interests change over time, so the information I consume will change.

During the Covid pandemic I was focused on staying healthy and preventing the spread of the virus. I focused on information coming from reliable sources like trustworthy newspapers and government agencies like the Centers for Disease Control. I avoided information that was inaccurate or talked about the politics of the pandemic, since these were not aligned with my goals.

When I started working in a technology company, I knew very little about business, and even less about technology companies. I subscribed to a number of newsletters that helped me understand this sector of the economy. I spent less time reading general news as this was less important to my professional priorities at that time.

Recently, I’ve realized that I have habits that are holding me back. Instead of reading more fun things like science fiction novels, I’ve decided to read some books about habits in order to update mine. Now that I have gained that knowledge and have put into place some changes in my life, I can return to reading more for fun.

As I change, and the world changes, I will continue to change the kinds of information that I focus on so that I can accomplish my goals and grow in the ways I desire.

👉 "Speaking Sample" - Guide to Duolingo English Test Questions

Interactive Reading

The Interactive Reading section consists of 5 questions that all relate to the same passage.

a. Complete the Sentences

This question appears 2 times.

Answer

1. fuse
2. trying
3. few
4. again

👉 "Interactive Reading" - Guide to Duolingo English Test Question

b. Complete the Passage

This question appears 2 times.

Answer

He realized he must have made a mistake, so he went back and checked his work.

👉 "Interactive Reading" - Guide to Duolingo English Test Question

c. Highlight the Answer

This question appears 4 times.

Answer

Fixing a few things around the house himself

👉 "Interactive Reading" - Guide to Duolingo English Test Question

d. Identify the Idea

The question appears 2 times.

Answer

John blew a fuse while rewiring one of the outlets in his house.

👉 "Interactive Reading" - Guide to Duolingo English Test Question

e. Title the Passage

This question appears 2 times.

Answer

John’s Electrical Difficulties

👉 "Interactive Reading" - Guide to Duolingo English Test Question

Interactive Listening

The Interactive Listening section mimics a conversation in an academic setting. It consists of 2 question types.

a. Listen and Respond

This question appears 10 times.

👉 ”Interactive Listening” - Guide to Duolingo English Test Question

b. Summarize the Conversation

This question appears 2 times.

👉 ”Interactive Listening” - Guide to Duolingo English Test Question

Conclusion

You should now be familiar with all the questions on the Duolingo English Test. Next, you should practice these questions.

Arno is the best practice platform. We give you unlimited practice questions for all 19 question types – and instant scoring and feedback on writing and speaking questions. To get started, just click below.