Vocabulary Cloze

In this article, we will be learning about vocabulary cloze exercises. You will be provided with some questions (excerpts of full passages) and some words that are labelled with letters. You will be expected to fill in the blanks with the correct letter, and you are supposed to use each word only ONCE. So, let's start with vocabulary cloze practice questions.

Practice Questions

Read the following passage carefully. Choose from the words given in the box and fill in each blank with the most suitable answer. Write its letter (A to H) in each blank. You are only required to answer the blank given at the bottom of the passage.

1. wave
2. shady
3. dismay
4. wished
5. growling
6. far
7. earlier
8. splashed

Jenet woke up (1) __________ than usual that Saturday. She was going to the beach with her friends, Sofia and Macy. At the beach, they opened their picnic mat under a (2) __________ tree. Then they ran to the sea for a swim. They (3) __________ water at one another. After a while, they got hungry and went back to their picnic mat. To Jenet’s (4) __________, the sandwiches were filled with ants. They could not be eaten. Her stomach was (5) __________ but she had no food to eat. The friends decided to look for a nearby shop to get some snacks instead.

Question 1:

Fill in the (1) blank.

Answer:

The correct answer to this question is (G) - earlier. As it is about waking up at a different time than usual, it can be either “later” or “earlier”. As “later” is not given in options, the correct answer is “earlier”.

Question 2:

Fill in the (2) blank.

Answer:

There is only one word in the options provided which can describe a tree. So, the correct answer to this question is (B) - "shady". 

Question 3:

Fill in the (3) blank.

Answer:

There are 2 options which can describe water. One is "wave", and the other one is "splashed". But, if you look at the sentence, you cannot "wave" water at one another. So, the correct answer to this question is (H) - "splashed".

Question 4:

Fill in the (4) blank.

Answer:

The correct answer to this question is (C) - “dismay”. Dismay means to feel upset and disappointed.

Question 5:

Fill in the (5) blank.

Answer:

The correct answer to this question is (E) - "growling". "Growling" means the type of sound that your stomach makes when you are very hungry.

Points To Remember

1. Let’s pause and think for a moment: once we have used a word, a good habit will be to __________.

   1. think of all the words that have a similar meaning to it
   2. highlight it so that it looks bright and eye-catching
   3. cross it off from the list, so we don't accidentally use it again/ so we have fewer options to choose from for the next blank
   4. write its definition along the border of the page for easy reference
      • Once you have a word to use in the passage, a good habit will be to cross it off from the list, so you don't accidentally use it again and have fewer options to choose from for the next blank.

2. Wait, but what if I cannot figure out the answer to a blank? What should I do?

   1. Skip it first, and work on the other blanks. Later on, come back to it.
   2. Don’t stop trying. Stay at the question until you get it, no matter how long it takes.
   3. Check the other pages of the paper for clues.
   4. Just skip the question and don’t come back to it.
      • So, a piece of advice for attempting any exam paper is to read a question, and if you cannot figure out the answer, skip it first and go to other blanks and come back later. If you are able to fill in other blanks, then you might be able to fill in the blank of the question left by way of elimination of options available.

3. Read the entire passage first before you begin answering.

4. Once you have answered all the questions, reread the passage to make sure your answers make sense.

5. Hmm. What if, as I'm doing the passage, I can't decide between two answers? What should I do then? You should use your pencil, write both letters in the blank and move on to the next one.

Practice Questions

Question 1: 

Luqe and Leya had been walking for an hour in the jungle. They were about to give up their search when Luqe spotted something under a pile of leaves. They dug it up, and it was a treasure chest! But it was locked, so with a rock, Luqe hit it __________ as hard as he could.

1. carefully
2. hesitantly
3. barely
4. continuously

Answer: 

The correct answer to this question is option (4) - continuously.

Question 2:

They finally got the chest open and stared in amazement at all the treasure inside it. Being very generous people, they __________ most of it to charity.

1. gave
2. traded
3. stunned
4. sold

Answer:

The correct answer to this question is option (1) - gave. As it is mentioned that people gave most of the treasure to charity, we can't use the words 'trade' and 'sold'. Stunned is a feeling which doesn't make sense in the sentence provided.

Question 3:

Read the passage carefully. Choose words given in the box and fill in each blank with the most suitable answer. Write its letter (A to H) in each blank.

Stan and Barry had been walking for over three hours in the forest. They were about to give up their search when Stan (1) __________ something under a pile of leaves. It was the treasure chest! The boys were delighted. They raced to the chest and brushed the leaves away. Stan found a piece of rock and used it to hit the lock on the cover. He hit it (2) __________ as hard as he could. After a while, the lock finally (3) __________ way. Stan was thrilled. He opened the cover hurriedly. To the boys’ (4) __________, there were plenty of figurines and (5) __________ cards inside. They were old ones that could not be found in the shops anymore. They were worth a lot of money.

Question 3.1:

Fill in the (1) blank.

Answer:

The correct answer to this question is option (B) - “spotted”.

Question 3.2:

Fill in the (2) blank.

Answer:

Here, we need to add the adverb of manner. We always add adverbs to a verb to describe the way in which something was carried out. So, here we had to look for a relevant adverb that describes the verb "hit". So, the correct answer to this question is option (D) - “continuously”.

Question 3.3:

Fill in the (3) blank.

Answer:

The correct answer to this question is option (E) - "gave". "Give way" means when something collapses or becomes weakened or destroyed. It also means to allow someone space ahead of you.

Question 3.4:

Fill in the (4) blank.

Answer:

The correct answer to this question is option (H) - “amazement”. 

Question 3.5:

Fill in the (5) blank.

Answer:

The correct answer to this question is option (F) - “trading”.

Question 3.6:

Fill in the blank for (1) __________.

1. Discovered
2. Looked

Answer: 

The correct answer to this question is option (1) - “discovered”.

Question 3.7: 

Fill in the blank for (2) __________

1. Relentlessly
2. Gently

Answer:

The correct answer to this question is option (1) - “relentlessly”. Relentlessly means without ceasing or stopping. Option (2) is incorrect as the passage states that he hit as hard as he could.

Question 3.8:

Fill in the blank for (3) __________

1. Broke
2. Gave

Answer:

The correct answer to this question is option (2) - “gave”.

Question 3.9:

Fill in the blank for (4) __________

1. Astonishment
2. Horror

Answer:

The correct answer to this question is option (1) - “astonishment”. Astonished means shocked or surprised.

Question 3.10:

What is the noun form of the word “miserable”?

1. Miserably
2. Misery

Answer:

Miserable is an adjective, and miserably is an adverb. For instance: "She cried miserably". Here, "cried" is a verb and "miserably" is an adverb. "Misery" is a noun. So, the correct answer to this question is option (2) - misery.

Test Your Concepts

Answer the following questions based on the concepts we have covered in this article. If you get stuck, revisit the relevant section to revise the concepts.

Question 1:

Luqe and Leya had been walking for an hour in the jungle. They were about to give up their search when Luqe __________ something under a pile of leaves.

Image Credit: unsplash - Isaac Quesada

1. lifted
2. spotted
3. suspected
4. placed

Question 2:

They finally got the chest open, and stared in __________ at all the treasure inside it.

Image Credit: unsplash - János Venczák

1. disappointment
2. annoyance
3. horror
4. amazement

Question 3:

After a long and fun trip, we decided it was finally time to __________.

1. retreat
2. celebrate
3. evacuate
4. leave

Question 4: 

Read the passage carefully. Choose words given in the box and fill in each blank with the most suitable answer. Write its letter (A to H) in each blank.

Last Friday was International Friendship Day. Alice and her friends had an (1) __________ time learning about people from different cultures. On that day, Alice wore a Japanese (2) __________. It was called a kimono. Her friends were dressed in costumes from many different cultures. Everyone stood in front of the class to tell them about his costume. Alice learnt a lot about the costumes from the (3) __________ countries. Her teacher was dressed in a traditional Indian costume. She also told the class about her costume. There was a special concert that day. One of the performances was by a group of Korean students in the school. They sang Korean songs much to the (4) __________ of the rest of the students and teachers. There was (5) __________ applause for them.

Question 4.1: 

Fill in the (1) blank.

Question 4.2: 

Fill in the (2) blank.

Question 4.3: 

Fill in the (3) blank.

Question 4.4: 

Fill in the (4) blank.

Question 4.5: 

Fill in the (5) blank.

Question 4.6: 

Fill in the blank for (1) __________

1. Exciting
2. Fascinating

Question 4.7: 

Fill in the blank for (2) __________

1. Attire
2. Outfit