Cloze Test

ENGLISH

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Cloze Test
A Cloze Test or Cloze Reading Test is an exercise where the students are provided
with a passage which has certain words missing from it. The motive of the Examiner
behind this type of question is to check the student’s comprehension skills. It follows
logically that to ace such an assessment, you must have a strong command over
English Language, Grammar and Good Vocabulary. More importantly, it is important to
understand the flow and context of the passage.

Background: Since the 1950s, this learning tool has been used in the classroom.
The educational background of this test is from the theory of ‘closure’ in the Gestalt
school of psychology, which says that the brain sees things as a whole unit and will
naturally and easily fill in missing elements (Walter 1974). In other words, when
information is missing, a person will use their past experiences or background
knowledge in combination with critical thinking and reasoning skills to fill in the gaps.

Benefits for a Learner

Cloze test exercises are beneficial for students in many ways, but the most important
applications are given below:

1) It has real-world application.

2) It provides learners with natural-like settings.

3) It can be flexibly and personally modulated to meet learning needs in order to make
the learning more effective.

The effectiveness of close deletion tests can and has been studied by applied linguistic
researchers in a number of ways.

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Types of Cloze Test

As per the examination point of view, we can broadly classify the cloze test into two
categories:

Old Pattern : Conventional

You will be given a passage where there will be 5-10 blanks, and below the passage
there would be four-five options will be given for each blank. We have to choose the
word that fits each blank appropriately in the context of the passage, and mark the
corresponding answer.

Directions: Below, a passage is given with five blanks labelled (A)-(E). Below the
passage, five options are given for each blank. Choose the word that fits each
blank appropriately in the context of the passage, and mark the corresponding
answer.
The origin of the caste system in India is ___(A)___ to the functional division of labour.
The population was divided into classes on the basis of functions or occupations of
particular families and groups. However, in the course of time, these divisions between
various sections of the society became very ___(B)___. It seems that, in the former
times, caste system gave ___(C)___ for specialization and distributed the work in a
way that promoted professional skill and expertise. It helped the various art and
industries to ___(D)___. Even the least talented person had the opportunity ___(E)___
his living.

Q. Which word comes in the blank labelled A?

A. Opulent
B. Attributed
C. Effusive
D. Yearning
E. Derived

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A. The blank should be filled with a verb. The appropriate word is 'attributed’ which
means ‘regarded something as being caused by.’ The rest of the words are
irrelevant as they mean:
Opulent: ostentatiously costly and luxurious.
Effusive: showing or expressing gratitude, pleasure, or approval in an
unrestrained or heartfelt manner.
Yearning: a feeling of intense longing for something.
Derived: being, possessing, or marked by a character
Hence the correct answer is option B.

Q. Which word comes in the blank labelled B?

A. Rigid
B. Untenable
C. Attest
D. Abrasion
E. Defiance
A. The blank should be filled with an adjective. The appropriate word is 'rigid’ which
means ‘unable to bend or be forced out of shape; not flexible.’ The rest of the
words are irrelevant as they mean:
Untenable: not able to be maintained or defended against attack or objection
Attest: provide or serve as clear evidence of
Abrasion: the process of scraping or wearing something away
Defiance: the act or an instance of defying or challenging.
Hence the correct answer is option A.

Q. Which word comes in the blank labelled C?

A. Articulate
B. Arcane
C. Earnest
D. Scope
E. Idea
A. The blank should be filled with a noun. The appropriate word is 'scope’ which means
‘the opportunity or possibility to do or deal with something.’ The rest of the
words are irrelevant as they mean:
Articulate: having or showing the ability to speak fl uently and coherently.

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Arcane: understood by few; mysterious or secret.

Earnest: resulting from or showing sincere and intense conviction.
Hence the correct answer is option D.

Q. Which word comes in the blank labelled D?

A. Generic
B. Brisk
C. Flourish
D. Draught
E. Dearth
A. The blank should be filled with a verb. The appropriate word is 'flourish’ which means
‘grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way.’ The rest of the words are
irrelevant as they mean:
Generic: characteristic of or relating to a class or group of things; not specifi c.
Brisk: active and energetic.
Draught: a current of cool air in a room or other confi ned space.
Dearth: an inadequate supply: Lack
Hence the correct answer is option C.

Q. Which word comes in the blank labelled E?

A. Earn
B. Iota
C. Tardy
D. Petty
E. Gaudy
A. The blank should be filled with a verb. The appropriate word is 'earn’ which means
‘obtain (money) in return for labour or services.’ The rest of the words are irrelevant
as they mean:
Iota: an extremely small amount.
Tardy: delaying or delayed beyond the right or expected time; late.
Petty: of little importance; trivial.
Gaudy: ostentatiously or tastelessly ornamented
Hence the correct answer is option A.

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New Pattern
When it comes to the new pattern there is a slight change that along with each blank in
the passage, a word is given in brackets. We need to find the correct form of the given
word that fits into the passage. Sometimes the provided word itself is the correct form of
the word for the passage.

Directions: Provide the appropriate tense form of the verbs in brackets.

Joe was very unhappy with her standard of living. Her dad went bankrupt a few years
ago and hence her family was poor. All her clothes were shabby and old and they
_______ (look) like they would _______ (tear) any moment. She _______ (envy)
the girls who wore pretty frocks to school. They would also bring tasty snacks to
_______ (eat) during the break while she always had to make do with plain bread
and butter. One day she _______ (bawl) her eyes out in her room because she couldn't
take it anymore when suddenly her mother entered.

Q. Which is the correct form of the verb that should come in blank 1?
A. looked
B. had looked
C. looks
D. will look
E. will be looking

A. We have to use the simple past tense of the verb 'look' which is 'looked'. The story is
written in the past tense. Notice that verbs like 'was' and 'were' are used before. For a
story written in the past tense, most of the verbs will be in the simple past tense
(verbs can also take other versions of the past tense).
The simple past tense shows that you are talking about something that has already
happened. Unlike the past continuous tense, which is used to talk about past events
that happened over a period of time, the simple past tense emphasizes that the
action is finished. The other options are wrong as they make the sentence
grammatically incorrect.

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Q. Which is the correct form of the verb that should come in blank 2?
A. tore
B. had torn
C. tear
D. tears
E. will tore
A. We have to use the base form of the verb 'tear' which is 'tear' itself. Notice that the
modal/auxiliary verb 'would' is used before the blank. 'Would' is followed by the main
verb. The main verb stays in its base form. The main verb that is used with 'would'
does not change form according to the subject.

Q. Which is the correct form of the verb that should come in blank 3?
A. envies
B. envied
C. had been envied
D. Envy
E. will envy

A. We have to use the simple past tense of the verb 'envy' which is 'envied'. The story is
written in the past tense. Notice that verbs like 'was' and 'were' are used before. For a
story written in the past tense, most of the verbs will be in simple past (verbs can also
take other versions of the past tense).
The simple past tense shows that you are talking about something that has already
happened.
Unlike the past continuous tense, which is used to talk about past events that
happened over a period of time, the simple past tense emphasizes that the action is
finished.
The other options are wrong as they make the sentence grammatically incorrect.

Q. Which is the correct form of the verb that should come in blank 4?
A. had eaten
B. was eating
C. eats
D. eat
E. will eat

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A. We have to use the base form of the verb 'eat' which is 'eat' itself. Notice that there is
'to' before the blank. The base form of a verb appears in the infi nitive form. The
infinitive form of a verb is the verb in its basic form. It is the version of the verb which
will appear in the dictionary.
The infinitive form of a verb is usually preceded by to (e.g., to run, to dance, to think).
The other options are wrong as they make the sentence grammatically incorrect.

Q. Which is the correct form of the verb that should come in blank 5?
A. was bawling
B. bawls
C. had bawled
D. is bawling
E. will be bawling

A. We have to use the past continuous tense of the verb 'bawl' which is 'was bawling'.
The past continuous tense refers to a continuing action or state that was happening
at some point in the
Past. It is formed by combining the past tense of to be (i.e., was/were) with the verb’s
present participle (-ing word). It can also be used to describe something that was
happening continuously in the past when another action interrupted it. Eg: I was
talking to Jessica when he suddenly showed up.
The other options are wrong as they make the sentence grammatically incorrect.

How to Approach a Cloze Test Question

Read Thoroughly
 Read the passage provided very thoroughly to form an idea about the topic.
 Try to read slowly to get an understanding of the text. Once the theme of the text is
somewhat clear, your job becomes easier.
 You can then go on to think of the appropriate words that suit the situation being de-
scribed and proceed to fill in the blanks.

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Link the Sentences Together

 Remember that it is a passage with sentences that are connected to each other. Do
not make the mistake of treating each sentence like as individual and fill in the
blanks accordingly.
 Try to come up with logical connections that link up the sentences together which
will make the question easy to solve.

The Type of Word to Fill In

Now look at the blanks carefully and assess the kind of words you have to fill in. Which
part of speech would it be? Would it be a noun, a pronoun, a verb, a preposition, a
conjunction or an article?

Example:
 A noun: I forgot to carry my ____ to school. I, therefore, had to share with my
friend.
The logical answer here would be a book or tiffin.
 An article: He ate ____ papaya and threw ___ seeds away.
Articles are usually the easiest to answer. Fill in ‘a’ and ‘an’ when we are talking
about general facts and ‘the’ is filled while using it before something specific. Here,
the answer is ‘the’ or ‘his’ in the first case and ‘the’ or ‘its’ in the second.
 A verb: _____ for half an hour left me breathless.
The idea of being breathless suggests something strenuous like ‘exercising’ or
‘running’.

Eliminate Options
 You will often come across a blank that has more than one correct option. List out all
these options and try them one by one.
 Use the one option that seems most fitting.
 Instead of getting confused, think of words that are appropriate not only to the given
sentence but also fit the context of the entire passage.

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Go with Frequently Used Words

Sometimes, you may not be able to decide between two words. In this case, if you see
a word in the options that are frequently used with the words around the blank, then
pick that option.

Example: Can I have a ____ word with you?

A. swift B. quick C. prompt
You can see that the three options nearly mean the same thing. How do you decide
which one fits the blank?
Sometimes in English, some words are used more frequently with some others. Like
‘bad habit’, ‘hardly ever’, ‘happy ending’, ‘take a seat’, ‘make room’ etc. In the same
way, the words ‘quick’ and ‘word’ are used together frequently. So ‘quick’ should be
your answer in this case.

Check Tone
The passage is usually written in a certain tone; sometimes narrative, sometimes
critical, sometimes humorous. Pick words that fit in with the tone of the passage.

Example: Jonah ____ down the stairs, bumping along like a quarter in a tumbling
dryer.
A). Tumbled B). Fell C). Dropped D). Hurried E). rushed
Clearly, you can use either ‘tumbled’ or ‘fell’ in this blank. But the rest of the sentence is
written in a humorous vein. So we try to maintain the tone of the sentence. This is best
accomplished by the use of the word ‘tumbled’ as it brings to mind images of people
falling funnily.

Build up Your Language Skills

 In terms of the general preparation, you can read and read as much as you can.
 The more you read, the better sense you will have of what word goes where.
 It will also help build up your vocabulary. Both these things will go a long way in
helping you ace the Cloze Test.

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Practice
 In the end, there is no substitute for hard work and practice.
 Try to complete three to four passages each day while preparing and get an insight
into your problem areas.
 Work on them and go deliver your best.

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