Cloze (Sentence Completion)

In this lesson, you will learn how to tackle cloze questions, also known as sentence completion or fill-in-the-gap questions. These test your vocabulary, grammar, and understanding of how sentences work.

---

What Is a Cloze Question?

A cloze question gives you a sentence (or passage) with one or more missing words. You must choose the best word to fill the gap from the options given, or work it out yourself.

Example:

The cat sat on the ______ and purred contentedly.

A) table B) mat C) sky D) river

Answer: B) mat — this makes the most sense in context.

---

Why Are Cloze Questions Important?

Cloze questions test several skills at once:

1. Vocabulary — do you know what words mean?
2. Grammar — does the word fit grammatically?
3. Comprehension — do you understand the overall meaning of the sentence?
4. Context clues — can you use the surrounding words to work out the answer?

---

Strategy: 5 Steps to Solve Cloze Questions

Step 1: Read the whole sentence first

Do not look at the options immediately. Read the entire sentence and try to guess what type of word is missing.

Step 2: Identify the type of word needed

Is the missing word a noun (thing), verb (action), adjective (describing word), or adverb (how something is done)?

Word type	Example
Noun	The ______ barked loudly. (dog)
Verb	She ______ to school every day. (walks)
Adjective	The ______ castle stood on the hill. (ancient)
Adverb	He ran ______. (quickly)

Step 3: Look for context clues

The other words in the sentence often hint at the answer:

The explorer crossed the ______ desert under the blazing sun.

The words "explorer", "blazing sun" suggest a harsh or vast desert. Good answers might be: scorching, vast, endless.

Step 4: Try each option in the gap

Read the sentence with each option. Which one sounds best and makes the most sense?

Step 5: Check your answer

Make sure your chosen word:

• Fits grammatically (correct tense, singular/plural, etc.)
• Makes sense in the context
• Is the best option, not just a possible one

---

Worked Example 1: Vocabulary Focus

Question: Choose the best word to complete the sentence.

"The knight showed great ______ in the face of danger."

A) fear B) courage C) anger D) confusion

Step-by-step:

1. Read the sentence: the knight did something positive "in the face of danger".
2. "Showed great ______" suggests a positive quality.
3. Check options:
   • A) fear — negative, and "great fear" would not be presented admiringly.
   • B) courage — positive, means bravery. This fits perfectly.
   • C) anger — getting angry is not necessarily admirable.
   • D) confusion — this would be negative.
4. Answer: B) courage

---

Worked Example 2: Grammar Focus

Question: Choose the best word to complete the sentence.

"The children ______ playing in the park when it started to rain."

A) is B) was C) were D) are

Step-by-step:

1. "The children" is plural and the sentence is in the past tense ("started to rain").
2. We need a past tense, plural verb: were.
3. Check:
   • A) is — present tense, singular. Wrong.
   • B) was — past tense, but singular. Wrong (children is plural).
   • C) were — past tense, plural. Correct!
   • D) are — present tense, plural. Wrong tense.
4. Answer: C) were

---

Worked Example 3: Context Clues

Question: Choose the best word to complete the sentence.

"Despite the ______ weather, the hikers decided to continue their journey."

A) beautiful B) mild C) treacherous D) warm