essay for pet exam

Breakout English

Preliminary (PET) Writing Sample Tests

Writing can be a scary thing for B1 learners, but with some training the Preliminary (PET) writing doesn’t have to make you run and hide. The important thing at B1 is to be clear, consistent and organised. You don’t need to write the next Charles Dickens novel, you just have to complete the task with good basic grammar, vocabulary, organisation and a little touch of style.

Here we’ve got some top tips for the Preliminary (PET) writing paper and two sample tests for you to use as practice at home or in the classroom. Each one could be used for PET for schools or for the regular adult exam.

What are the different types of writing for B1 Cambridge?

The first part of the Cambridge B1 writing exam is an email. You will read an email that received from an English friend or family member. Next to this email, there are notes to include in your answer. You must answer the email in 100 words, including all the information from the notes. For more about how to write the perfect B1 PET Writing Part 1, take a look at our post about emails .

The second part of the writing exam has two choices, an article or a story. Each one should be 100 words, but you only write one of them, not both. Some people prefer to practise one type of writing a lot to make it perfect, but it’s always a good idea to be comfortable with both. Sometimes the topic of one writing is strange, so you may prefer the other one. If you only know how to write one type, this becomes a problem.

Top tips for Preliminary (PET) writing

These tips will help you maximise the opportunity for points in the Cambridge writing criteria. Each writing is given a mark out of 5 in Content, Communicative Achievement, Organisation and Language.

• Answer the question (Content) – You wouldn’t believe how many people don’t include all the necessary content in their answers. Part 1 is very controlled and has four notes along the side of each input text. In order to score points in the Content mark, you must clearly include answers to all four notes. For example, if the note say “suggest” , pointing at a comment about what restaurant you’d like to go to, suggest a restaurant. It seems obvious, but it’s the easiest way to both lose and gain points. In Part 2, you’ll have a couple of content points in the article and less in the story, but you still need to stick to the topic. For example, if the story is about a day at the beach, don’t write about a birthday party.
• Use paragraphs (Organisation) – Another easy fix, but one that can seriously affect the Organisation mark. Even though the text is only 100 words, there should generally be 2-3 paragraphs, clearly separated using a line gap or indentation.
• Write the correct writing (Content, Communicative Achievement) – If it’s an email, it needs to look like an email with a simple “Hi” and “See you soon!” at the beginning and end. If it’s an article, it should have a title. If it’s a story, it should have a beginning, middle and end. The tone and style of each writing is slightly different too. Look at examples and consider what style is used.
• Punctuate (Organisation, Language) – Sometimes something as seemingly insignificant as a comma can completely change a writing. Be careful with sentences that are long, confusing and connected together with commas. Make sure you are finishing sentences when they are grammatically complete and not using incorrect punctuation.
• Use the past (Language) – To show you know B1 grammar, it’s important to use the past. In almost every writing, you will have the opportunity to use the past to talk about something that happened to you. Don’t forget to study the irregular verbs!
• Use some modal verbs (Language) – Another area of B1 language is modal verbs. Make a recommendation with “should” or talk about possibility with “can” or “can’t” . It’s not advanced language, but it’s something that shows you know B1 level English.
• Use a relative clause (Language) – If you want to score top points in Language, you have to attempt some complex grammar. Using subordinate clauses like relative clauses is a good way to do this. A sentence like “My brother, who lives in Miami, is going to visit me in Spain this summer” is a great way to include more complex grammar in your writing.
• Use basic linking words (Organisation, Language) – At B1, you don’t need to use a huge variety of linking words, but you should use “and” , “so” , “but” , “because” and possibly a few other more advanced ones like “however” , “although” and “also” . These should be used throughout all the writings.
• Make it interesting (Communicative Achievement) – You don’t need to be an expert writer to write an interesting text. For example, there’s a big difference between a story where the school closes because of a flood (interesting) and a day you went to school and did an exam (not interesting). The same applies to articles, if you write an article about travel and you talk about going on an adventure in Hawaii, it’s more interesting than going to the local swimming pool every day.
• Keep it simple (Everything) – Remember that it’s a B1 writing and in order to pass or even get high marks, you don’t need to make it complicated. Use the language you know to write the best possible writing within the expectations of the task. Don’t be afraid to attempt some complex things, but also make sure you do the basics well.

The materials

Here are two full Preliminary (PET) writing sample tests. These have been designed in the same format as official exams to practise and improve in preparation for the B1 writing exam. Remember that the time limit to complete both parts of the Preliminary (PET) Writing exam is 45 minutes.

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Cambridge English: Preliminary

Practice tests for the Cambridge PET exam

Writing Practice Tests

Cambridge english preliminary: writing practice tests.

Writing is tested in Paper 1 of the Cambridge English Preliminary Test. There are 3 writing tasks and we've included practice tests for each part below. We will be adding more tests soon.

Part 1: Email Part 2: Article Part 2: Story

More help with the Preliminary English Test Writing Paper

Get higher scores in your PET Writing practice tests with these quizzes to help you improve your writing skills.

Paraphrasing 1 Paraphrasing 2 Paraphrasing 3 Paraphrasing 4

Contractions in Informal Emails It is very important to write your Part 1 email in the correct style. One way of achieving an informal style is to remember to use contractions.

Phrases for informal emails Use these words and expressions to help you write your email in an informal style.

Paragraphs in informal emails Organising your email into clear paragraphs will help you to structure your email and will make it easier for the examiner to see your organisation.

We all have our own strengths and weaknesses when we are learning a language. In writing this includes our use or grammar, vocabulary and punctuation. Get to know which areas of English you need to improve by keeping a record of your most common mistakes. Then the next time you do any writing check for these mistakes before you finish.

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In the writing section of the Preliminary English test there are two parts. In part 2 you have to write an article or a story.. In this practice test you are going to write an article .

PET Writing part 2 (article)

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Writing the Perfect Email for B1 Preliminary (PET)

Luis @ kse academy.

• noviembre 14, 2019

As we’ve already seen in the B1 Writing Guide (in Spanish), updated for the 2020 changes , the Writing component consists of 2 parts. The first one is an email whereas the second one is a story or an article, as you can choose which to do. For this reason, in this post I’m going to teach you how to write an email at B1 level for your Preliminary (PET) exam .

Email structure

Saying goodbye.

Este artículo también está disponible en castellano.

How to Write an Email for B1 Preliminary (PET)

In order to know the steps to write an email for this B1 exam , the first thing we need to do is to find out what the instructions are like and know what you’re expected to do. And even though we saw this in the B1 Writing guide (in Spanish), we will now go over it again and dive in even deeper.

Instructions for Writing B1 Preliminary Part 1: Email

In this part of the test, you are given an email from an English friend or relative, and you are asked to respond to it in about 100 words . This email contains annotations which help you identify exactly what you need to respond to.

As regards the topics, they’re usually not very difficult, as you’re expected to write at an intermediate level, about topics you are familiar with: sports, hobbies, TV programmes, the weather, your town/city, etc. Here’s an example taken from Cambridge English sample papers :

As you can see in the example above, taken from Cambridge’s official website, we have received an email from a person so-called Sandy , who is a friend of ours. In addition, we have made some annotations, which are the points we need to address in your email:

• Say which I prefer
• No, because…
• Ask Sandy…

In this sense, Cambridge is making this task easier, as we definitely won’t go blank and they are pointing out the structure that our email should have , which we will see in the following section.

The first thing you need to know is the different parts of an email , and these are:

• Greetings:  we greet  the other person (i.e. say «hi» or «hello»).
• Opening paragraph:  we react to the other person’s news and ask them how they are feeling and whatever else you feel is appropriate.
• Main paragraph 1:  in this paragraph we deal with the first important point, which we can identify in the instructions.
• Main paragraph 2: if there is a different point to deal with, this paragraph will do so.
• (We might have more main paragraphs, depending on the task.)
• Closing paragraph: in this paragraph we «start» to say goodbye by wishing the other person well and asking them to reply to your email.
• Goodbye: we use a short expression to say goodbye.
• Signature:  we sign the email with our name.

In general, all emails must follow the same structure, and also, I recommend you following these two pieces of advice::

• Don’t write From: y To: , as it is completely unnecessary and Cambridge won’t penalise you. Also, you’re saving words which you can use in the body of your email.
• Don’t write a subject , for the same reason as before.

Now that we know the different parts of an email, we should see an example.

Example Email for PET Writing Part 1

Let’s take a look at the following example of a Preliminary (PET) task answer for Writing Part 1 , where we can see an answer to the sample task we saw above:

In the example above, you can see the different parts of an email well defined. It’s important that your writing is visually appealing , apart from having good grammar and vocabulary. This means that the paragraphs should be well defined , with a space in between, and that you should know when to break lines. This is specially important after greetings, after opening and closing paragraphs, and after saying goodbye. This will make your text visually appealing, as it will look like a real email.

Expressions to use in your email

In this section, we are going to focus on different expressions you can use in the different parts of the email . While the main paragraphs will vary completely depending on the topic of your writing, most of the other parts in the email can be practised and memorised almost completely. Let’s take a look:

In order to start your email in Writing Part 1 for Cambridge English: Preliminary (PET) , you can use different expressions, which are really typical and easy to remember. We have 3 basic ways to greet in this kind of writing, which is usually for a friend or family member:

• Hi John, 
• Hello John,

Notice how «hi» is less formal than «hello» or «dear». Also, don’t forget to write a comma (,) right after greeting your friend or relative. After greeting the addressee (i.e. the person who will read the email), you must start the opening paragraph in a new line .

Opening paragraph

The opening paragraph is the place to react to your friend’s or relative’s email . In order to do so, you can use a number of different expressions. Here we have some examples:

• It’s nice / great / good to hear from you. 
• It’s nice / great / good  to read your email. 
• I’m glad to hear your news. 
• I’m excited about…  (your news.)
• It’s great to hear that…
• I’m sorry to hear that…
• I’m really sorry to read your news. 
• Thanks a lot for writing!
• It was good to receive your email. 
• Thank you very much for your email. 

And many more. Also, it’s a good idea to ask your friend or relative how they are feeling , which you can do like this:

• Hope you are doing well. 
• How’s it going? 
• How are you (doing)?
• How are things (going)?

You can also add some information that you think is relevant or necessary, but don’t expand this paragraph very much, because the important information must go in the main paragraphs .

Main paragraphs

For the main paragraphs, there aren’t any fixed expressions which you must use, as it depends mostly on what you have to write about. However, you should try to make use of connectors and appropriate punctuation . So let’s take a look at  common useful connectors and the punctuation we use them with:

• … and… :  to connect two similar things or ideas.

I love reading and listening to music. My favourite meal is fish and chips.

• …, but… : to connect two contrasting ideas.

I love watching Tv , but I don’t have a favourite show. I am reading a book, but I don’t remember the title.

• . However, … : to connect contrasting ideas.

Last month, I went to the cinema . However, I didn’t enjoy the movie. I am a very big fan of this author . However, I haven’t read his last novel.

• Moreover, … : to add more information about something.
• … because… : to justify an opinion or idea.

My mum is the perfect cook because she knows a lot of recipes and has plenty of experience. Moreover, she experiments with different ingredients all the time.

• . Because of that, … : to justify an opinion, fact or idea.

My mum likes to cook using new ingredients all the time. Because of that, she creates original dishes every month.

• . As for…/ Regarding…  : to switch to a new topic. For instance, you can use this connector to start the second main paragraph.

As for/Regarding why I like this cookery show, I think it’s because it’s a great way to see new recipes.

• Time linkers: then, after that, yesterday, this morning, last summer, etc. 

Last night, I watched a very good action film.

With many connectors, we typically use a comma (,) after it when we start a sentence (e.g.: However, Last night, Moreover, etc. ).

Closing paragraph

As we mentioned earlier, a closing paragraph in this Writing part 3 is used to start saying goodbye to the addressee and to ask for a response to your email. So we can use the following expressions:

• Well, it’s time to say goodbye. 
• Anyway, I have to go now. 
• Well, it’s time to go. 
• Anyway, gotta go. 
• I really hope to hear from you soon. 
• I’m looking forward to hearing from you. 
• I hope you write back soon. 
• Make sure you write back soon. 

Also, if you still have to write more words, you can add a question for a subsequent email. This question should be related to the topic of your piece of writing.

There are many ways in English to close an informal email. The most frequently used ones are the following:

• Best wishes,
• Sincerely, 
• Take care, 
• All my love, 
• Lots of love, 
• See you soon, 
• Regards, 

Notice how there is a comma (,) after each of the phrases . Also, after writing any of these sentences, make sure you write your name on a different line . And write your name without a full stop!

Another example of an email at B1 level

Now that we know what expressions we should be using in our writing, we are going to take a look at another task and a sample answer. In this case, this is an example of an old task, but the email follows the same rules. Pay close attention to how it’s structured and how its paragraphs are well defined and separated:

Notice how the expressions in bold  are used. Whenever you write an email, you should think about this type of expressions and make sure you use them appropriately .

Top 5 Tips for writing an Email for B1 Preliminary (PET)

• Learn and memorise a set of expressions . Make sure you already know a set of expressions to use in your greetings, opening and closing paragraphs, and to say goodbye. This will save you a lot of time while doing a task, and you will avoid making silly mistakes as you will already know the expressions by heart.
• Write a well-structured and visually-appealing email . One of the things Cambridge English examiners pay attention to is the organisation of your piece writing, so make sure not to write a messy email. Also, remember that  punctuation matters , so be sure to separate your sentences with stops and commas and don’t write excessively long sentences.
• Brainstorm, write, read and edit . Before starting to write your email, brainstorm a couple of things and write down some ideas. This can include vocabulary related to the topic. For example, if you have to write about TV shows, you can write down thinks like «contestants», «cookery show», «prize», etc. Then, write out your email. After that, read it and look for possible mistakes or opportunities for improvement (e.g.: adding descriptive adjectives, rephrasing sentences, etc.).
• Read carefully and identify the task . Don’t start writing right away. Make sure you read the task carefully and that you identify exactly what you are being asked. Sometimes, we don’t pay attention to the instructions and we end up writing about something different. This will mean losing points, in a very silly way, I must say.
• Experiment at home, be conservative in the exam . Homework is the best chance to be creative and experiment different ways to express yourself. So make sure you try your hardest to keep improving when you write at home. On the other hand, when you’re doing an exam, don’t risk trying out new words or expressions, as you may be making a terrible mistake. So be safe in your exam and stick to what you already know works .

Did you find this post useful? Did you? Well, don’t forget to comment and share. And if you love the English language, follow KSE Academy on Facebook, Twitter & YouTube! And don’t forget to subscribe to the blog!

Oh, and don’t forget to keep smiling!

44 comentarios en “Writing the Perfect Email for B1 Preliminary (PET)”

EXCELLENT HELP FOR THE NEW 2020 PET FORMAT. THANKS A LOT

Hi Liliana! Thanks a lot for your comment! Take care!

Grazie mille di tutto, saluti dall’ Italia

you are great Luis. Thanks a lot for your good work. Paqui Muñoz Mendoza

Thank you very much, Paqui. It’s great to receive comments like this from time to time.

Thanks Luis

Your help was so useful. Thanks.

Thanks for your comment, Rocío. Take care!

Thank you so much!

Thank you so much for sharing. It’s very useful and helpful.

Thank you! 🙂

Nice work, Luis! I’m continuing my classes online during the coronavirus, and this post provides a great, visually-appealing review of this part of the new test. I will be sending my students here next week to help with their homework!

Thank you very much for your comment. Hope your students find it useful. Take care!

The best email. that I found. Thanks.

Thank you, Angelines! 🙂

Super clear!!!! Thank you very much. Claudia

Thank you, Claudia! 🙂

EXCELLENT GUIDE!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING IT

Thank you for your comment, Paola. 🙂

You’re welcome! 🙂

Thank you soo much, im 12 and doing the test, this is the day before the test and your info was soo usfull, have a good evening

Hi, Cameron. Thanks a lot for your comment. Sorry for taking so long to reply. I hope you passed your test! 😀

Absolutely clear guidelines for Writing Part 1 Email Thanks a lot for sharing it!!!

Thank you so much for your comment! 🙂

Great work! Thank you for sharing

Thank you for reading, Susana! 🙂

Happy New Year! Useful tips, good job. Thanks!

Thank you so much for your feedback. Take care and Happy New Year to you too!

THANK YOU VERY MUCH MY DEARRRRRR. I’m having the Cambridge PET exam tomorrow and I’m really nervous… Wish me luck!

Hey, Camila! Hope your exam was fine! Don’t forget to come back here and let us know your score! 🙂

I love you Luis

Haha, thank you, Carlos! Love u too!

Precious guide and helpful insight, thank you.

Thank you very much! 🙂

Great post, thanks!

Thank you, Juliana! 🙂

As an exam coach myself, I really want to congratulate you for this wonderful and useful site. It’s great to see an updated B1 Preliminary writing guide; I’m using it right now with the candidates I teach. Keep up the great work!

Hey, Lenin. Thanks a lot for such a nice comment. I hope your students find it useful. If you ever have any feedback, let me know. Thanks again!

Extremely detailed and useful guidance for those who is taking the PET exams! Thanks a lot.

OLIVIA 15/1/2023 A LAS 11:49 Hello, happy new year.

As an exam preparation teacher myself, I would like to thank you for all your hard work. Yours is the best site I have found online with important tips and useful samples for our students. Keep up the great work! I really appreciate it!

Thank you very much for your comment, Tulia. 🙂

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11 Writing examples – Email/Story/Article | B1 Preliminary (PET)

Writing examples for the B1 Preliminary (PET) Cambridge exam along with sample examiners’ comments and suggested grades .

B1 (PET) Email Writing Example: End of year party

Write your email to Mrs Lake using all the notes.

PET Email: Example Answer (Grade: 3-4)

I’m very nervous for this party, to celebrate the end of the school year.

I think that the best place to do the party is the class, because in this way we can be all together. In the class we can do a lot of activities like play with the blackboard, or watch a film, or listen to music.

About the food, we can have pizza, fries and for the sweet people chocolate, sweets or something like this.

I’m sure the party is going to be very well, and we are going to have a very good time.

See you soon!

Would you pass B1 Preliminary (PET)?

Pet email: example answer (grade: 4-5).

Dear Mrs Lake,

I think it’s a great idea to have a party to celebrate the end of the school year. I prefer to do the party at school, in the classroom, because we’ve spend a lot of time there, and I think it would be better, so that we can remember all the good things that have made this year so special. I think we could bring some games like domino, or one of us can bring his Play Station and we can play together. If you want, I will buy some pizza, and also something to drink like coca-cola or water. The other students will bring some potatoes, and the girls will make a cake. Do you like the idea?

Submit your B1 Email/Story/Article for evaluation!

B1 (pet) email writing example: new film club.

Write your email to Mrs Rose using all the notes.

PET Email: Example Answer (Grade: 3)

Hey! Thats great!

I’m doesn’t prefer Monday afternoon is doesn’t possible to me, because I have tennis classes after school, and next. I am going with Laura houses, and Friday is perfect. For me, I don’t have nothing, do you like this day?

My favorite types of the films is comedi and romantic film, and in the film club was another, and you like, we can see, I don’t have any prolem to the film. Yes, is a very good idea, I am buying some pop corn and a botle water or and sweets I don’t know, were you buy in

Kises WRite me soon and see you soon Clara!

Good afternoon Mrs Rose

I just got your email and I think it’s really great idea becase I think lots of people like watching films.

I personally would prefer Mondays because on Fridays I often have other plans with my family.

I would really love to see some detective or some action films but I relly do’t mind watching something different.

I think it’s good idea to have some food or drink during the film because lots of people are used to it because in cinemas they always eat something so i think it would be great

Have a nice day

Get Your (PET) Email Checked!

Fce, cae, pet, practice, write & improve, b1 (pet) article writing example: what makes you laugh.

You see this announcement in your school English-language magazine.

Write your article .

PET Article: Example Answer (Grade: 5)

I love to watch comedies a lot because it makes me laugh. The comedy I love the most is the Chinese Running Man. I enjoy watching and laughing it with my family. In the show, famous actors and actresses must overcome some challenging quests, such as trading a coffee bean with someone else for something more expensive and racing in the mud to capture the flag. The storylines are very interesting and they always tickles my funny bone. Laughing out loud is great! Laughing can help us to release stress and make us feel better. It may also make us more attractive too!

PET Article: Example Answer (Grade: 3-4)

So, I laugh always and for nothing.

I find very funny when someone fall down and I laugh for bad jokes. I like to watch funnys videos to laugh.

I enjoy laughing with my family and my friend but I really enjoy laughing with my best friend.

I think it’s good to laugh a lot and have humour to have a funny and good. I find important laugh with our friends to be better and have a good life.

It’s for this I laugh for anything and I enjoy life like it is

PET Article: Example Answer (Grade: 5-4)

What makes me laugh? Pretty much everthing. I can start laughing simply from watching my cat trying to catch a laser dot on the wall, or a fly. And I laugh even more with my friends and family. It is practically the only way we are spending with ourselfs ourselves. We are making jokes, laughing at something or telling funny stories about our trips, days at school or our pets.

I think it is important to laugh a lot, because it makes everyday stress easier to handle or it simply wears off! And it makes you look happy, optimistic and ready for a challenge.

PET Article: Example Answer (Grade: 3)

I have got many friends who can make me laugh. I am a big optimist, so I love laugh. I laugh every time when I am at school, at home, in the park, simply everywhere. My dad always makes my laugh, because he is very funny adnd his funny stories are the best of the best. If I am alone, I usually watch comedies. But the best comedy serial The Simpsons. The yellow family is the funniest family which I know. My favourite type of joke is black joke.It is bad, but funny. When I am surfing on the Internet I’m always searching videos called “Try not to laugh”. I can’t accept it because it is too funny.

B1 (PET) Story Writing Example: Classroom

Write your story.

PET Story: Example Answer (Grade: 3-4)

The teacher couldn’t believe what she saw when she opened the door of the class room! There was a Runway, with models, bloggers and every person fashionist in the world. The teacher at the beggining was mad, but later she started so happy and she fun, like everyone. The runway and party later have a lot of entertainment, good music, the food was very delicious. I was fun so much, I meet amaizing people, I dance. It was an incredible day, but I have my punishment with the teacher to the end

B1 (PET) Story Writing Example: Jo and map

Pet story: example answer (grade: 3).

Jo looked at the map and decided to go left. He wanted to go to the Karpats on foot. Jo liked to go to the rivers, forests and mountains on foot. He always took map with he. But one day he lost! Jo was very worried and scared. He was in the forest one week. He was could at night, he was very hot in the afternoon. He ate mushroomes and berries. But he found a way from the forest. And from that day he never came to the forest on foot. He always go to the rivers, forests and mountains on ships, by trains, by plantes. But he never go to the unknows places on foot.

PET Story: Example Answer (Grade: 2-3)

Jo looked at the map and decided to go left. Jo were in car with he friend, Lucy and go from city in car. Jo decide go in your car and nice day. They leave soon and take map but Jo looked at map and decided to go left so went in bad way and Lucy cry. They don’t came in good way and go to the your home. When they came house nobody home so they watch tv and see film and enjoy

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• My Pet Dog Essay in English for Students

Essay on My Pet Dog for Students

Essay writing is a crucial part of language studies. Not just that, it is also a mandatory question in the school exam. Essay writing is included in the exam to check students’ imagination and how well they can weave their thoughts into words. It also evaluates someone’s understanding of language and grammar. Many people love to have dogs as their pets as they are friendly, loyal and a great stress reliever. Students can get a free essay on My Pet Dog at Vedantu’s site.

An Introduction On My Pet Dog

The relationship between humans and dogs can’t be expressed in words. Dogs are loyal and friendly and their love is unconditional. Make friends with dogs and you will never feel lonely. A dog is a domestic animal. Dogs are harmless unless someone attacks them.

On the way back from school, I found a helpless hungry puppy lying on the roadside. I brought it home. It was obvious, my mother burst with anger on seeing this. But with time, my mother accepted him and allowed him to stay with us. He has sparkles in his eyes which attracted us. My sister called him Sheru and that’s how he got a new name. Sheru does not demand much but good food, frequent conversation, exercise and a little fun activity. 

Sheru is a member of our family. He loves to play and jumps all around the house. Everyone in the family loves him dearly as he is a stress buster for us. He is loyal and is a protractor of our family. There are a lot of lessons for why everyone must have dogs at home. Life becomes easy when you have an anytime available mate like them. They provide sympathy in our bad times, behave like a bodyguard in times of crises and a loving sibling at the time when we are lonely. 

Long Essay on Pet Dogs

Around the world, people keep various animals as their pets. Some are fond of cats, while others prefer fish aquariums, some love to play with cows in the cattle field. But by far, the most adored animal on the planet is a dog. It is called a man’s best friend for the same reason. The loyalty of a dog is unmatched and unbeatable. The best instinct in dogs is to protect their owner. In a world that is constantly changing and there is a rush in every aspect of life, pets provide a sense of security and peace for their owners. When the owner returns home, he/she finds a dog waiting and jumps towards them with a sense of joy and excitement. Dogs are an excellent company. A loyal confidante and undeniably cute. There are various instances in which dogs have shown their bravery, saved the lives of their owners. Some dogs, even though they aren't physically savage, still manage to rescue their owners from danger. The dogs can sense something wrong before it even happens. Animals are gifted with a sixth sense. 

For introverted people, dogs tend to be the perfect companions. The company of a dog is what a person needs when he/she is sad or upset. Dogs provide love and support, and they accurately detect when their owner is sad or crying. 

Studies have shown that being in company with a dog can result in less anxiety. For someone battling with anxiety disorder, I can vouch for it, that dogs are the greatest stress busters, and sometimes even replace therapy sessions. A long walk with a dog can do the trick.

Types of Dogs

Dogs come in a variety of breeds. The most famous dog breeds are Labrador retrievers, bulldogs, german shepherds and pugs. 

Although all the dogs are extremely friendly, nothing can beat a labrador when it comes to friendliness. They are loving and understand when their owner is upset or happy. The German shepherds, Dobermann and the bulldogs are quite protective, they serve well if the owner is living alone. The smaller breeds like pug and chihuahua are cute and are not that hard to tame. Pomeranians with their long hair are a little hard to maintain, but still can be done. 

In a real-life incident that happened in 2013, a mountain dog called Bella saved her owner out of a burning house. That's how protective and caring the dogs are. 

The reason dogs are so protective when it comes to their owners is that they consider them a family. But for a dog to act right when it's being protective it needs to be trained. Most dogs act aggressively when they are protective.

Short Essay On My Pet Dog

Owning a dog is also a huge responsibility and commitment. Owning a dog means taking care of it like a family member. It is like having a younger sibling or a small child in the home that constantly needs care and attention. 

Before owning a pet, one also needs to know how to train a dog as it is quite important.

The dogs also need timely health checkups and they need to be taken to the vet constantly. The diet should also be taken care of since most dogs are allergic to some things.

How Do Dogs Positively Affect Human Health?

Research has shown that, in the company of dogs, humans are more cheerful and happy. It is also known to reduce anxiety in humans as well as lower blood pressure. In severe cases, being in the company of dogs has cured depression and other mental health issues. 

Health Around Dogs

Any scratches or bites from dogs can be painful and may even be infectious, especially when dogs don't feel safe around something or are scared. The dog injuries can be prevented by training them and also taking a handful of precautions. Regular visits to the vet clinic can be helpful to keep any dog's infections or mites on the bay.

When petting the dog make sure the hands are washed before and after. This will reduce the risk of infections if any. 

The dogs also need hygienic surroundings. The food supplies and the dog utensils should be kept clean.

It is a human need to be loved and appreciated, and dogs do that pretty well. With the company of a dog, a human can seldom feel alone. Humans are more likely to recover from illnesses when they are in the company of a dog. The interesting fact is that owning a dog will increase one's physical activity and well-being, as you need to consistently take them out for a walk outdoors, it is a win-win for both the owner and the dog.

FAQs on My Pet Dog Essay in English for Students

1. Are dogs really a loyal animal?

Yes, dogs are really loyal and a faithful companion to have as a pet. However, if experts are to be believed, loyalty is just natural behaviour of dogs. Dogs are social creatures who prefer the company of other animals. This behaviour is a survival mechanism in dogs. Many animal experts believe this causes dogs to be loyal to their masters. 

2. Why are dogs considered one of the most loved pets?

Dogs are considered one of the most preferred and loved pets because of their friendly and loyal nature. They love to interact with humans and are believed to understand basic human emotions. Dogs are generally the most responsive animals to humans and provide excellent companionship when nurtured and taken care of. Presence of dogs at home reduces stress and makes everyone cheerful. 

3. Why is writing an essay on My Pet Dog a favourite topic for many students?

Kids love to write about their pet or animal companions, especially dogs. Love for pets is seen in most young children as they enjoy playing with them. Writing an essay on the topic My Pet Dog is really a fun task for kids as they get to express their feelings about their pet dog. In this essay, they can write about how they spend their time with their dogs, what their favourite pet loves to eat, etc. 

4. Which site provides simple essays for kids on My Pet Dog?

An essay on My Pet Dog can be found on educational websites like Vedantu. Vedantu is a premier learning platform known to cater to quality learning materials and solutions. On Vedantu’s site, students can find essays on many common topics such as My Pet Dog. These are written by experts to make students understand what to write when such topics are asked in exams. 

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A Teacher’s Guide To The Cambridge PET Reading And Writing Exam

A few times in my teaching career so far, I have seen teachers who think that Preliminary (PET) and the B1 level is easy to teach. No planned lessons, no care when it came to continuity, and no real understanding of the requirements, nor the skills that the students need. In reality, teaching PET will set you up for teaching the more advanced levels, if that’s what you want. The grammar you have to explain here serves as the foundation for everything you have to teach later on and in other classes. So here is my guide to the PET reading and writing paper, including what students should focus on when preparing for each part.

The reading exam consists of 5 parts and combined with the writing, makes up 50% of the overall score.

• 5 questions with notice style announcements. Students must read the notice and chose the most appropriate meaning from a choice of 3.

Preparation

• Throughout the course, show them similar signs and announcements with no multiple choice questions. Have them answer questions like ‘Where might you see it?’, ‘What does it mean?’ and ‘Who is it for?’.
• Focus on the use of the passive voice, which is common in these questions.
• Remind students that the principle themes of the notes are, Information, Prohibition, and Advice. Make sure that they know the markers for each.
• 5 questions in which the student should read the preferences of 5 people and match them to the description of the most appropriate place or experience.
• Encourage students not to ‘word spot’ or try to look for the same words used in both the bio and the texts.
• Practice paraphrasing and synonyms.
• Have them take on the role of the person in the question and look for what they like don’t like about each offer, justifying their answers at the same time.
• 10 questions where the student must read a text and decide if a given statement is true or false.
• Practice skim reading and scanning texts for answers
• Underline key words
• Read the statements first
• For homework one day, perhaps give them an article and have them make a true or false activity of their own from it.
• 5 questions about a given text.
• Teach vocabulary consistently throughout the course
• Revise ways or expressing opinion and attitude
• Answer questions 2,3, and 4 first (more factual information) and then questions 1 and 5 (more about the overall meaning of the text and in some cases, the opinion of the writer)
• Multiple choice cloze exercise with 10 gaps and 4 options for very answer.
• Read the text through first
• Look at the words before and after each gap
• Read whole text back with answers after finishing to make sure that it makes sense.
• Before the exam, students should be confident with verb patterns, dependant prepositions, phrasal verbs, auxiliary verbs and synonyms of words that they learn in class.

The writing consists of 3 parts and is, together with the reading, worth 50% of the overall score.

• 5 questions in which students must read an original sentence and replicate the meaning of it filling in the gap of a second, incomplete sentence. For example;

My sister wouldn’t lend me her coat. My sister refused to let me borrow her coat.

To get this part right, the students have to practice all forms of their grammar, the question always tests some form of it. Be it passive voice, relative clauses, comparatives, anything! So the best thing you can do for them is make sure that they understand all of the structures provided.

• Students must write a short note of between 35 and 45 words on a specific topic. For example;

Your friend said that she would meet you yesterday at the cinema, but she didn’t come. In your note you should; Ask your friend if she’s okay Ask why she didn’t come to meet you Suggest another time to meet

• Candidates must include a name for their ‘friend’, so get them to imagine one if it’s not provided with the question.
• They must stick to the word limit.
• It is imperative to include all three points given in the question.
• Grammar and spelling mistakes do not affect the score unless they impede the examiners understanding of the note.
• A letter of around 100 words, responding to a letter from a friend or penpal.

Students should be sure to include the following for top marks;

• Conditional (First or Second)
• Relative pronouns
• Connectors (However, therefore, so, either/or, etc…)
• A range of verb tenses (4 +)
• Expressions such as; “It’s great to hear from you!’, ‘I look forward to seeing you’ and ‘I was glad to get your letter’.
• Phrasal verbs could be included if appropriate.

Part 3 is worth 15 points of the writing exam, while parts 1 and 2 combined are only worth 10. So if there is a lack of time they should always do part 3 first.

Download and view a sample paper here; Preliminary (Pet) Reading and Writing Sample Paper

I hope that this guide has helped with your doubts about the paper. If you have any questions, let me know in the comment section and I’ll be sure to answer it!

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My Pet Essay

500 Words Essay On My Pet

Pets are a blessing that only lucky people get to have. I have been lucky enough to have many pets since my childhood. My pet is a cat whom we call Mingi. It is white and grey in colour. Mingi is 3 years old and has been with me ever since she was born. Through my pet essay, I will make you learn all about Mingi and why it is so dear to me.

How Mingi Became My Pet Essay

Mingi has short hair and also a glossy coat. It is a female and love to have milk and chicken. Sometimes, I treat it with fish as it loves the taste of tuna. Moreover, Mingi is a very loving pet that stays with me at all times.

Ever since I was little, I liked cats. I love how clean and majestic they are. Although, there were no plans to keep a pet cat. My mother did not allow me as she would end up doing all the work for the pet.

However, she used to keep a bowl of fresh water in our garden to ensure no birds or animals remain thirsty during the summer season. A lot of pigeons and sparrows come to my garden to quench their thirst.

One fine day, a cat came to drink the water. It started coming regularly afterwards and gave birth to kittens in our garden. My mother gave them food as well and some milk every day.

However, one day all of them were gone except for a little kitten. I started to feed it regularly and became close to it. As the mother did not return, I decided to keep it as my pet.

After taking permission from my mother, I finally got to keep Mingi by promising to bear its responsibility. Ever since Mingi has been in my life. It was so little but now has grown into a big and beautiful cat.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

A Clean Pet

Cats are one of the cleanest pets that do not require a lot of effort to maintain. I hardly have to worry about Mingi being dirty as it cleans itself regularly. I conduct a bathing session every month with my mother.

It is not easy but Mingi is now used to it. We also comb Mingi’s coat twice a week so no dead hair remains and her hygiene is intact. Moreover, it may sound rare but we also brush Mingi’s teeth every week.

During winters , Mingi gets cold so we have got her a warm coat to protect her from the cold. Mingi remains indoors mostly and never dirties our house. Ever since it was little, she knew where to relieve herself so she’s always been low maintenance and love.

Conclusion Of My Pet Essay

All in all, Mingi has been a blessing that happened by chance. However, she is now an inseparable part of my life. I love spending time with her and she manages to make my saddest days happier.

FAQ on My Pet Essay

Question 1: Why are pets important?

Answer 1: Pets like cats and dogs can reduce the stress and anxiety of a person. Moreover, they also help to ease loneliness and reduce depression. Children become more secure and active when they care for animals .

Question 2: What do pets need?

Answer 2: Pets needs food, water, shelter, exercise, and socializing. It is essential to give your pet all this so they can lead a comfortable and happy life.

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I-Team: How accurate are pet DNA tests? We sent one lab a swab from a human

By Christina Hager

Updated on: September 26, 2023 / 5:51 AM / CBS Boston

BOSTON - What's in a breed? Turns out pet owners are willing to shell out a lot to find out. Market research shows pet DNA testing is a more than $345 million industry on track to jump 85% by 2030.

Michelle Leininger of Salem, NH, got a test kit that retails for about $80 after she adopted Jasmine, a rescue dog that looks like a German Shepherd. "Shepherds have a history of hip issues, so we wanted the DNA testing to know what her history was," said Leininger.

The test came back with results showing not only German Shepherd, but also listed 14 other breeds. "How is she part...Chihuahua? You know, it just didn't make any sense," said Leininger.

So, the WBZ-TV I-Team came with more tests from different companies to compare. All came back with some German Shepherd, but the percentages ranged from 65% to just 29%. Aside from that, the three companies showed a puzzling hodgepodge of other breeds. One included Great Pyrenees, another came back with Siberian Husky, another listed Korean Jindo, and the list goes on.

Here's the biggest surprise: Leininger also collected a sample from her own human cheeks. When the I-Team sent it in, the results listed her as 28% Bulldog, 40% Border Collie, and 32% Cane Corso. "Some people might agree," she joked, but added that she wouldn't bother ever testing one of her pets again. "I wouldn't waste the money," she said.

"I think that is a red flag for sure," said Dr. Lisa Moses, a veterinarian and bioethicist with Harvard Medical School. "A company should know if they've in any basic way analyzed a dog's DNA, that that is not a dog," she said.

The company that ran the test, called DNA My Dog, sent the I-Team a response clarifying that it only found canine DNA on one of Michelle's two cheek swabs. "The second sample did in fact yield canine DNA...The results provided would not be possible on a human sample," wrote DNA My Dog Service Director Jessica Barnett.

Dr. Moses believes the science is fuzzy because there are no official definitions for breeds, and she says there are no exact genetic codes to match them. "There isn't necessarily a gold standard answer for what your dog is... A breed is something that we've decided, which is based upon essentially the way a dog looks," said Dr. Moses. "But that doesn't necessarily mean that we're going to know what their genes look like."

We asked all the companies for an explanation for the dog Jasmine's varied results. Only Wisdom Panel responded. " ...each pet DNA testing company uses its own reference populations," wrote Becca Chodroff Foran, PHD, who's Head of R&D at Wisdom Panel, Mars Petcare Science & Diagnostics. "...our breed detection system consistently outperforms other approaches," she wrote.

"I worry about people making medical decisions...based on one of these tests," said Dr. Moses. She and some of her colleagues have called on lawmakers to set standards and regulations for pet DNA labs, and to require them to share their databases with each other, for more consistent results.  

Christina Hager is an Emmy Award-winning investigative reporter with the I-Team at WBZ-TV News. She has spent more than two decades covering major breaking news events across the country, including extensive daily coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.

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Guest Essay

The SATs Will Be Different Next Year, and That Could Be a Game-Changer

By Adam Grant

Dr. Grant, a contributing Opinion writer, is an organizational psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. He is the author of “ Hidden Potential ” and “ Think Again ,” and the host of the TED podcast “ Re: Thinking .”

A few years ago, I started asking lecture halls filled with students to raise their hands if they had run out of time on the SAT. In each room, nearly every hand went up. I was surprised, but I shouldn’t have been.

For decades, educators have seen speed as a marker of aptitude or mastery, forcing students to scramble to finish tests. But a race against the clock doesn’t measure knowledge or intelligence. It assesses the much narrower skill of how well students reason under stress. As a result, timed tests underestimate the capabilities of countless students.

New evidence shows that although smarter people are faster at solving easy problems, they’re actually slower to finish difficult ones. They’re well aware that haste makes waste, and they don’t want to sacrifice accuracy for speed. You wouldn’t want a surgeon who rushes through a craniectomy, or an accountant who dashes through your taxes. Even for the many jobs in which people are judged on speed, there’s no evidence that doing algebra under time pressure is useful preparation. Although it pays to be quick, it also pays to be determined, disciplined and dependable.

Strangely, though, the tests that define students’ grades and help determine their educational and professional fates are rarely designed for deliberation. They evaluate students as if they’re applying to join a bomb squad or appear on “Jeopardy.” Time pressure rewards students who think fast and shallow — and punishes those who think slow and deep.

One fall, one of our daughters was pleasantly surprised by her grade on a math midterm. Despite being the longest and hardest test of the semester, it was her highest score. At first we were puzzled: She hadn’t changed her study habits or made a quantum leap in understanding. Then we learned that it was the first test where she didn’t feel pressed for time. Her teacher had allowed more time per question than usual.

On math tests , one of the few skills in which boys consistently outperform girls is mental rotation — turning 3-D shapes in their minds. But gender differences vary dramatically based on time pressure. Across several dozen studies , the more time students had to finish tests, the smaller the female disadvantage became. Shifting from short time limits to no time limits — or even just allowing more than 30 seconds per question — was enough to cut the gender gap in half.

It’s well known that the “girls can’t do math” stereotype can cause female students to underperform on math tests. The fear of confirming the stereotype can lead to test anxiety , draining working memory and disrupting cognitive processing. What we’ve overlooked is that time pressure can exacerbate these effects. When girls are distracted by doubts about their abilities, it takes them longer to finish problems. Having to rush leaves them more prone to choosing suboptimal strategies — and to possibly making mistakes. Even if they’re not anxious, female students tend to work more methodically than male students. When they have more time, they can rethink their approaches and double-check their answers. They also become more comfortable making educated guesses.

I tried this out with our daughter on practice tests at home. She’s an honors math student, but when she was under time pressure, she made distracted mistakes like plugging in the wrong formula on relatively easy algebra problems. It was the math version of a typo, and we ended up coining a term for it: a matho. But when there was no time limit, she excelled on difficult algebra problems — and mental rotation, too.

Time pressure doesn’t just underrate the math abilities of girls and young women. Having to hurry can obscure the abilities of anyone who has reason to worry. That might include boys who are expected to underperform in reading , immigrants who are doubted on verbal aptitude and Black students who face a host of questions about their intellect. It also includes students with learning difficulties such as dyslexia and ADHD — or mental health conditions, physical disabilities and sensory impairments.

A common solution to this problem is for schools to offer extended time to accommodate students with disabilities. But lately, this has created an accommodations arms race as parents and students try to game the system to get diagnosed with a learning difficulty or health condition. Why not give everyone enough time to complete the test?

I heard from one counselor in the Northeast whose high school experimented with extended time for final exams. After allotting four hours instead of two, they were bombarded with complaints. Students who had previously met the requirements for special accommodations — and their parents — said they ran out of time. Why? The teachers wrote longer exams to fill the space.

This madness has to end. If a significant portion of the students run out of time, it means the test is too long or the time period is too short. That’s why, as soon as I read about this evidence, I started writing two-hour exams for the three-hour exam period allocated to my class. But many other educators still cling to the fraternity hazing excuse: I had to walk five miles barefoot up a snow-covered hill, so you should suffer too! Most teachers, though, say they’re preparing their students for the pressure they’ll face in standardized tests.

It’s a delicious twist of irony, then, that the lifeboat to rescue us from the tyranny of time pressure is being piloted by the folks behind the mother of all standardized tests. I learned recently that the College Board has redesigned the SAT to minimize time pressure.

Historically, the SAT gave students “too much to cover and not enough time to do it,” the College Board’s chief executive officer, David Coleman, told me. But developing a digital version gave them the opportunity to experiment. And the results were so impressive they decided to stick with them. Starting next year, the test is shorter overall, and most importantly, “on average, 97 percent of students complete all questions in a section with up to seven minutes to spare on each section,” Mr. Coleman said. “It’s time we stop confusing quick with smart.”

This could be game-changing for teachers as well as students. If the dominant standardized test no longer creates time pressure, there’s less need to use a ticking clock on classroom quizzes and exams. I don’t expect students to start looking forward to tests, but they should be less likely to dread them. That will give them a better chance at putting their best foot forward. It will also give them a more realistic preview of what it takes to excel in the future.

In school, timed tests teach kids that success is a sprint. But in life, success is a marathon. Wisdom is less about the speed of thought than the complexity of thinking. The students with the greatest potential aren’t always the ones who can rapidly spit out the right answers. They’re often the ones who take the time to ask the right questions.

Adam Grant, a contributing Opinion writer, is an organizational psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. He is the author of “ Hidden Potential ” and “ Think Again ,” and the host of the TED podcast “ Re: Thinking .”

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook , Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram .

Gravity test: Antimatter falls down, but where did it all go?

From Star Trek to PET scans, antimatter has thrilled and worried humankind. Now, scientists have resolved a key mystery.

One of the great mysteries of physics has been solved: How does antimatter … fall?

It’s not a question that keeps most people awake at night, but some physicists have been waiting for its answer for years.

Keep reading

Us national security agency unveils artificial intelligence security centre, japanese scientists find microplastics are present in clouds, asteroid ‘dust, debris’ likely found as returned nasa space capsule opened, us trade commission files anti-trust lawsuit against online retailer amazon.

Scientists at CERN, the world’s largest particle accelerator in Switzerland , announced Wednesday that a pathbreaking experiment had confirmed that antimatter falls down with gravity — just like everything else. But that only leaves scientists asking more questions about this curious material.

What is antimatter?

In Star Trek, antimatter powered the warp drive of the Starship Enterprise into the 23rd century (and was used in a few of its torpedoes). It’s a tantalising premise, based on a real phenomenon.

In 1928, British mathematician Paul Dirac saw antimatter in a math equation. He was working out parts of quantum mechanics when he realised that an electron – one of the fundamental particles of the universe – could be its own opposite.

In other words, there could be negative electrons (matter) and positive electrons – or positrons (antimatter). In fact, it wasn’t just the possibility: Dirac concluded that antimatter had to be there. The math was clear, even if the particle had not yet been observed. (The Dirac equation is engraved on his tomb)

Until it was, just two years later, when antimatter was discovered in nature in the trails of cosmic rays sensed during a balloon mission. It’s been studied ever since.

Today, doctors use antiparticles in medicine: in PET-scan machines that look through our skin for cancers or heart function. These produce a part of antimatter – the P stands for Positron – but not the whole anti-atom.

It’s not a bad thing that whole anti-atoms can’t be found, because when antimatter meets normal matter – the stuff that makes us and the world around us – the two explode with the most powerful energy release scientists know of. The explosion is so packed with energy that NASA studied using antimatter and matter explosions to power starships to cover enormous distances (the designs remain purely theoretical).

Missing in nature

But it’s the lack of antimatter that remains one of the great unresolved mysteries in physics: If the standard model of physics is correct, the same amount of antimatter as matter should have appeared in those first hot moments after the Big Bang.

The two opposites, if created in equal measure, would have collided, annihilating one another almost instantly, leaving nothing but a white sky full of bristling energy, and no leftover matter at all.

Yet here we are, 14 billion years later, made of matter. Since Dirac, physicists have been scratching their heads, wondering where the antimatter went, or had it ever been there to begin with?

But there is some antimatter right here on Earth: It’s been made, in infinitesimally tiny samples at incredible expense, at CERN. For over a decade, scientists there have been assembling antimatter “atoms” piece by piece and trapping them in hi-tech magnetic bottles.

They want to know how they work, why they aren’t found in nature, and why the universe seems to have “chosen” the matter we’re familiar with.

But mostly, they wanted to drop it, to see if it fell upwards. Because if it did, it would have thrown physics into a total crisis. Gravity would have had a loophole.

The gravity test

Knowing how objects fall has always fascinated scientists because it’s how humans can see a fundamental and invisible law of nature at play.

The ALPHA  experiment at CERN has made just a tiny amount, a hundred-millionths of a gram of antihydrogen, so physicists could perform basic experiments on it. They used CERN’s famous particle accelerator to generate antiprotons. They used radioactive isotopes to produce positrons, similar to how they are made for PET scans.

Then, they learned how to combine them into antimatter “atoms”, trap those in magnetic fields, slow them down, hold them so they wouldn’t annihilate at the edges of their containers, and finally stand those containers upright, rather than horizontally, to test how they react to gravity. Each of these steps took years, new calculations, steady funding, and ingenious engineering solutions.

“We want to test that every property that we know that matter has, antimatter has, or maybe not,” Rebecca Suarez, an experimental physicist at Uppsala University in Sweden who was not involved in the project, explained. “Because any small details there could explain what happened with antimatter.”

Most physicists assumed antimatter would not ‘fall’ upward, but they couldn’t say so until it was proven.

Patrice Perez, spokesperson of an antimatter experiment at CERN called GBAR, tried to summarise the problem in an interview with Al Jazeera in July. If antimatter fell upwards, opposite to gravity, he said, “one of the cornerstones of [Albert Einstein’s theory of] general relativity would be wrong, the equivalence principle [which says] if you drop any object on earth, it should fall at the same rate.”

“If we would find something different, it would be a complete revolution. We would not know what to do… It would mean we don’t understand physics, we don’t understand nature at all.”

Perez has worked on experiments to capture and stabilise antimatter for decades in staid and serious physics labs, but the question of whether it could fall upward, or whether it could be fuel for spaceships, made him laugh.

In short, he said about antigravity falling up, “nobody believes this”.

After almost two decades of work, the scientists leading the experiment tipped a few dozen antimatter “atoms” into a hi-tech vertical tube to test the question.

The result?  It fell, downward towards the centre of the earth, just like a ball.

Jeffrey Hangst is a physicist and spokesperson for the ALPHA experiment.  Announcing the result , he held two apples, one red for matter, the other black for antimatter, as a visual aid (the black apple was not made of antimatter; if it were, the explosion in his hand would have destroyed part of Switzerland and France).

“So far as we can tell, they fall in the same way as regular matter,” he said happily.

Physics has been saved from crisis — for now. Physicists can get back to the drawing boards, to plumb the mysteries of the universe and keep asking why it didn’t make any antimatter.