Cloze Passage and Gap Filling

GENERAL INTRODUCTIONThe cloze passage is a reading

comprehension activity in which words are omitted from a passage and students are required to fill in the blanks. The objective of this type of questions is to test the basic understanding of the students over grammar, vocabulary and sensing ability.

How to crack a Cloze Passage?

In Order to score high marks in cloze passages, the students should have a thorough knowledge on the basic grammar aspects of the language.

1. Subject / Verb agreement.

It simply means that the subject and verb of a sentence must agree in number. In other words, both subject and verb need to be singular or plural.

For example,

● My dog always growls at strangers.● Footballs roll acrose the floor.

Let’s see some basic concepts of grammar

2. Prepositions Preposition is a word

which shows ewlationships among other words in the sentence. The relationship may include direction, place, time, cause, manner and amount.For example:● He went to the store● She came by bus● It is under the table

3. ConjunctionsConjunctions are words

used to connect clauses or sentences or to coordinate words in the same clause. For example:● John, likes neither milk nor

cream cake.● He not only studies hard but

also works well.● I will eat either carrots or peas

for the dinner.

4. Articles An article is a word that is

used with a noun to specify grammatical definiteness of the noun. In English articles can be divided into two; ‘Definite Articles’ (The) and ‘Indefinite Articles’(A,An).For example:● I saw a movie today.● There is an apple in the fridge.● India is the best country.

5. TensesIn grammar, tense is a category

that expresses time reference with reference to the moment of speaking. Tenses can be generally classified into three; Past, Present, Future. These three further can be classified into twelve.They are: ● Present Tense : Simple present, present

continuous, present perfect, present perfect continuous.

● Past Tense: Simple Past, Past Continuous, Past Perfect, Past Perfect Continuous.

● Future Tense: Simple Future, Future Continuous, Future Perfect, Future Perfect Continuous.

Now let’s see some examplesQ. Fill in the blanks choosing the most appropriate options from the one given below. 1. There are four trees in the garden, (a)______( There, Their, Every, An) branches sway in the breeze. The children play (b)_______(Under, Over, Above, In) the trees. Some of the girls(c)_______(Is, Was, Are, Have) sleeping in the shade of the trees.

Answers

(a) (ii) their(b) (i) under(c) (iii) are

2. A school is a place where many students(a)_______ (of, from,on,at) cultures and attitude converge. The first thing they learned in the primary school(b)________ (is, was, had, had been)that there are so many different kinds of people. They experience the pain and pleasure of getting to know(c)________(there, their, them, these)schoolmates. They discover their own strengths(d)______(of, at, and, in)weaknesses. They learn(e)______ (on, of, an, the)meaning of tolerance, team work, friendship, selflessness,etc. Some experiences are uplifting(f)_______ (others, while, during, or)some are depressing.

Answers:

(a) Of(b) Is(c) Their(d) And(e) The(f) while

Q3. Urban governance reforms(a)______ (should, must, have to, ought to)be based on the principle(b)______(to, of, on, is) accountability. It is time to narrow accountability to a single office such as(c)______ (of, on, at, in)elected mayor, as successful cities(d)______ (among, across, along,all of)the world do. The mayor(e)________ (have to, must, should, ought to)be the executive head of a city, equipped(f)______(by, on, of, with)sufficient legal powers and financial resources to get things done.

Answers:

(a) Must(b) Of(c) On(d) Across(e) Should(f) with

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