Cloze Test

Filter
Theory

“Cloze Test” is simply a “fill in the blanks” problem, where a paragraph is given with multiple blanks and you have to figure out the correct word in that sentence. There are certain confusing options in these problems and you need to have a decent vocabulary in order to solve these problems.

Theory

There are certain points which are required to be kept in mind while solving the problems based on “Cloze Test.”
• Read carefully: In “Cloze test” problems, there are certain answers which are implied in the given paragraph. You have to read the paragraph carefully in order to find the correct answer.

• Build a decent vocabulary: The most essential requirement of solving the cloze test is to build a decent vocabulary so that the meaning of the words appearing in the options can be gauged.

• Look for grammatical hints: Look for the articles just before or after the blank. Also check for the tense used in the paragraph because if it follows a particular tense, then the answer should also follow that same tense. For example, if the article just before the blank is ‘an’, then all the options that take either ‘a’ or ‘the’ get eliminated.

• Tone of the paragraph: Check the tone of the paragraph and choose the option which is consistent with that tone. For eg if the tone of the author is satirical, your answer should be consistent with that tone and if the tone of the author is serious, then the answer should be consistent with the serious tone.

Solved Example

_________ John had been doing well on tests, his lack of attendance in the classroom _______ in him getting suspended from school.

a: Despite, resulting
b: Despite, resulted
c: Although, resulting
d: Although, resulted
Answer:d
Explanation: As the verb is “had been”, “Although” would be more suitable for this sentence. If the answer would have been “despite”, then the correct usage would be “Despite John doing well on test”
To be consistent with the past continuous tense as indicated by “getting suspended”, we should use “resulted” and not “resulting”.
Both the answers can be gauged if we analyze the grammar used in the paragraph carefully.

Solved Example

Ebay finally ___ defeat in its attempt to ___ a Chinese subsidiary, as they were not able to match the requirements of any potential sellers.

a: admitted, offload
b: ratified, dispose
c: announce, collect
d: conceded, acquire
e: admitted, sell
Answer:d
Explanation: After the second blank, it is mentioned that Ebay were not able to match the requirements of any potential sellers. This implies that Ebay is trying to purchase or acquire something. Hence it has to match the requirements of the seller. The correct option is d as it is the only option where acquire is mentioned.

cracku

Boost your Prep!

Download App