Cloze Test

The voice of a verb indicates whether the subject of the sentence performs the action or receives the action. There are two main voices in English: active and passive.

📙 Rules for Cloze Test

Read Thoroughly

• Read the passage provided very thoroughly to form an idea about the topic.
• Read slowly and gain 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 described and proceed to filling in the blanks.

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 an individual one and filling in the blanks accordingly.
• Try to come up with logical connections that link up the sentences together and your job will automatically become easier

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?

For 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’ where talking about general facts and ‘the’ when 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 connotes something strenuous like ‘exercising’ or ‘running’. In this way, think of the appropriate word to fill in.

Eliminate Options

• We can easily identify most unfit/illogical words in answer options.
• We should quickly eliminate these words. Only after that we should try to most fit word.

Elimination will enhance accuracy and hence score.

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 is frequently used with the words around the blank, then pick that option.

For example

Check Tone of Passage

• 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.

For example:

Practice More 💪

• 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

Helpful Hints 💡

#1 You must ensure that the word you have inserted in the blank enables you to read the sentence smoothly and correctly

#2 Apply grammar rules (grammar rules – prepositions, noun, pronoun, adj, verb etc)

• Preposition following a noun, adjective or verb. (Example: look at images)
• A prepositional phrase. (Example: in spite of )
• An adverb. (Example: they vacated the house two years ago)
• A connector. (Example: it is raining, therefore ground is wet.)
• A conjunction. (Example: although he is seven, he can speak eight languages)
• A auxiliary verb, an article, a pronoun , either subject or object. (example : it is easier to know)
• A comparative or superlative involved? (Example: she’s taller than me)

Previous Year Questions 🙋‍♂️

Practice Set 1 🧠

Actually every day we all are engaged in this business of reading people. We do it (1). We want to figure others out. So, we (2) make guesses about what others think, value, want and feel and we do so based on our (3) beliefs and understandings about human nature. We do so because if we can figure out (4) and intentions of others the possibility of them (5) or hurting us, (6) and this will help us to (7) a lot of unnecessary pain and trouble. We also make second guesses about what they will do in future, how they will (8) if we make this or that response. We do all this second guessing based upon our (9) of what we believe about the persons inner nature 10) his or her roles and, manners. We mind read their fill (11) their motives. Also, every day we mis-guess and misread. Why? Because of the complexity, (12), and multidimensional functioning of people. After all how well do you read your own thoughts, aims, values, motives, beliefs etc.? How well do you know your own structuring process your own thinking and (13) styles?

Correct Answer: 1 – d; 2 – b; 3 – e; 4 – c; 5 – b; 6 – a; 7 – c; 8 – e; 9 – d; 10 – a; 11 – c; 12 – d; 13 - e

Practice Set II 🧠

Directions: 💡 In the following passage there are blanks, each of which has been numbered. Against each number, five words are suggested, one of which fits the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate word in each case.

After ten years of (14) inflation, prices have spiked 7.5% in the third week of July. This looks scary after all, Indians had got used to prices crawling up by 2% in the last two years, and a 10y ear average inflation rate of about 5% but you shouldn’t worry. This burst of inflation is the result of three factors that have come together unexpectedly, are unlikely to (15) for long and are unlikely to (16) up together again. A (17) rise in global oil prices, a monsoon that arrived late and a spike in global metal prices. North Sea crude has crossed $42 per barrel, driven up by low petroleum (18) and soaring demand In the US as war production heats up. Oil markets are also spooked by the (19) of Russian oil supplies falling on the back of the Yukos Sibneft probe. There’s little that the government can do to (20) users from soaring oil prices indeed, it shouldn’t, if it wants to (21) efficiency. Higher transport costs have pushed up rates of vegetables and fruits farm produce could also get affected by rains that arrived too late for kharif sowing. China is (22) up steel and other metals from all over the world to (23) a construction boom ahead of the 2008 Olympics, making metal prices soar all over the world, and sparking inflation in India.

Correct Answer: 14 – b; 15 – c; 16 – e; 17 – c; 18 – b; 19 – a; 20 – e; 21 – b; 22 – d; 23 - b