A Cloze Test or Cloze Reading Test is an exercise where students are given a passage with missing words that they need to fill in using the correct choices provided. This type of test assesses vocabulary, grammar, and comprehension skills. Cloze Tests are commonly included in U.S. competitive exams such as the SAT, ACT, and other standardized assessments. Performing well in this section demonstrates strong language proficiency, significantly boosting a student’s chances of achieving a high score.

Why Do Exams Have Cloze Tests?

Cloze test is a blend of vocabulary, grammar and logical reasoning. The motive of the Examiner behind this type of question is to check the student’s comprehension skills. It follows logically that to ace such an assessment, you must have a strong command of the English Language, Grammar and Good Vocabulary. More importantly, it is important to understand the flow and context of the passage.

Tips to Do Well in Cloze Test in English

1. Read Thoroughly:

The candidates need to read the entire text to understand the context, tone, theme and meaning of the text.

Common mistake: Candidates often skip reading the entire text to save time.

2. 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?

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’ when we are talking about general facts and ‘the’ is filled while 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 suggests something strenuous like ‘exercising’ or ‘running’.

3. Analyse the words:

It is not enough to find a meaningful match. The words must fit in the context and theme of the content.

Example: He had managed to reach in time. She ________ (see) at him astonishment.

1. Stared.
2. Gazed.
3. Shot.
4. Looked.

The answer is B. Gazed. Despite having a similar meaning, Gazed is the best choice as it fits the context of the text.

4. Link the Sentences Together

• Remember that it is a passage with sentences that are connected. Do not make the mistake of treating each sentence as an individual and fill in the blanks accordingly.
• Try to come up with logical connections that link up the sentences together which will make the question easy to solve.

5. Stay aware of the general terms:

A candidate must have good knowledge of the general terms used in different sectors. Newspapers are the best to gain this knowledge.

Example: The court ruled that the Indian Navy should grant Permanent __________ (job) to women.

1. Service.
2. Tenure
3. Commission.
4. Position.

Here, the answer is C. This is the common term used in any Defense Service.

6. Maintain the tone:

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. If the sentence is in a positive tone, keep the tone positive. If the sentence is negative keep it in a negative tone. It is easy to understand the tone of the sentence by understanding the subject. Topics that showcase feelings of happiness, pride, admiration, achievement, success will have a positive tone. While topics showcasing loss, disgrace, failure, sadness, anger, will have negative tones. There are some topics with a neutral tone such as reports. The candidate should maintain a neutral tone in such cases.

Example: His father ___________ (touch) him on his back in admiration as he told him about his promotion

1. Slapped.
2. Patted
3. Touched
4. Hit

Here the answer is B. Patted as it goes with the positive tone of the sentence.

7. Eliminate the wrong ones:

• You will often come across a blank that has more than one correct option. List out all these options and try them one by one.
• Use the one option that seems most fitting.
• Instead of getting confused, think of words that are appropriate not only to the given sentence but also fit the context of the entire passage.

8. Build up Your Language Skills

•  In terms of general preparation, you can read and read as much as you can.
• The more you read, the better sense you will have of what word goes where.
• It will also help build up your vocabulary. Both these things will go a long way in helping you ace the Cloze Test.

9. Understand the jargons:

Jargons are words that have a particular meaning in a particular field.

Example: Left-Wing is political jargon for being progressive-minded and liberal.

10. Reread After Solving:

Once candidates are done finalizing the answer, they should reread it to check that it fits perfectly with the sentence and its context.

11. Practice Well

• 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.

Background of Cloze Test:

Since the 1950s, this learning tool has been used in the classroom. The educational background of this test is from the theory of ‘closure’ in the Gestalt school of psychology, which says that the brain sees things as a whole unit and will naturally and easily fill in missing elements (Walter 1974). In other words, when information is missing, a person will use their past experiences or background knowledge in combination with critical thinking and reasoning skills to fill in the gaps.

What are the Benefits for a Learner?

Cloze test exercises are beneficial for students in many ways, but the most important applications are given below:

1. It has real-world applications.
2. It provides learners with natural-like settings.
3. It can be flexibly and personally modulated to meet learning needs in order to make the learning more effective.

The effectiveness of cloze deletion tests can and has been studied by applied linguistic researchers in a number of ways.

Types of Cloze Test in English

As per the examination point of view, we can broadly classify the cloze test into two categories:

Old Pattern of Cloze Test: Conventional

You will be given a passage where there will be 5-10 blanks, and below the passage, there will be four-five options will be given for each blank. We have to choose the word that fits each blank appropriately in the context of the passage, and mark the corresponding answer.

Q. Directions: Below, a passage is given with five blanks labelled (A)-(E). Below the passage, five options are given for each blank. Choose the word that fits each blank appropriately in the context of the passage, and mark the corresponding answer.

The origin of the caste system in India is ___(A)___ to the functional division of labour. The population was divided into classes on the basis of functions or occupations of particular families and groups. However, in the course of time, these divisions between various sections of the society became very ___(B)___. It seems that, in the former times, the caste system gave ___(C)___ for specialization and distributed the work in a way that promoted professional skill and expertise. It helped the various art and industries to ___(D)___. Even the least talented person had the opportunity ___(E)___ his living.

Q. Which word comes in the blank labelled A?

1. Opulent
2. Attributed
3. Effusive
4. Yearning
5. Derived

Ans. The blank should be filled with a verb. The appropriate word is ‘attributed’ which means ‘regarded something as being caused by.’ The rest of the words are irrelevant as they mean:

• Opulent: ostentatiously costly and luxurious.
• Effusive: showing or expressing gratitude, pleasure, or approval in an unrestrained or heartfelt manner.
• Yearning: a feeling of intense longing for something.
• Derived: being, possessing, or marked by a character

Hence the correct answer is option B.

For details on the Cloze Test, refer to the linked article.

Q. Which word comes in the blank labelled B?

1. Rigid
2. Untenable
3. Attest
4. Abrasion
5. Defiance

Ans. The blank should be filled with an adjective. The appropriate word is ‘rigid’ which means ‘unable to bend or be forced out of shape; not flexible.’ The rest of the words are irrelevant as they mean:

• Untenable: not able to be maintained or defended against attack or objection
• Attest: provide or serve as clear evidence of
• Abrasion: the process of scraping or wearing something away
• Defiance: the act or an instance of defying or challenging.

Hence the correct answer is option A.

Q. Which word comes in the blank labelled C?

1. Articulate
2. Arcane
3. Earnest
4. Scope
5. Idea

Ans. The blank should be filled with a noun. The appropriate word is ‘scope’ which means ‘the opportunity or possibility to do or deal with something.’ The rest of the words are irrelevant as they mean:

• Articulate: having or showing the ability to speak fluently and coherently.
• Arcane: understood by few; mysterious or secret.
• Earnest: resulting from or showing sincere and intense conviction.

Hence the correct answer is option D.

Q. Which word comes in the blank labelled D?

1. Generic
2. Brisk
3. Flourish
4. Draught
5. Dearth

Ans. The blank should be filled with a verb. The appropriate word is ‘flourish’ which means ‘grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way.’ The rest of the words are irrelevant as they mean:

• Generic: characteristic of or relating to a class or group of things; not specific.
• Brisk: active and energetic.
• Draught: a current of cool air in a room or other confined space.
• Dearth: an inadequate supply:Lack

Hence the correct answer is option C.

Q. Which word comes in the blank labelled E?

1. Earn
2. Iota
3. Tardy
4. Petty
5. Gaudy

Ans. The blank should be filled with a verb. The appropriate word is ‘earn’ which means ‘obtain (money) in return for labour or services.’ The rest of the words are irrelevant as they mean:

• Iota: an extremely small amount.
• Tardy: delaying or delayed beyond the right or expected time; late.
• Petty: of little importance; trivial.
• Gaudy: ostentatiously or tastelessly ornamented

Hence the correct answer is option A.

New Pattern of Cloze Test

When it comes to the new pattern there is a slight change that along with each blank in the passage, a word is given in brackets. We need to find the correct form of the given word that fits into the passage. Sometimes the provided word itself is the correct form of the word for the passage.

Q. Directions: Provide the appropriate tense form of the verbs in brackets. Joe was very unhappy with her standard of living. Her dad went bankrupt a few years ago and hence her family was poor. All her clothes were shabby and old and they _______ (look) like they would _______ (tear) any moment. She _______ (envy) the girls who wore pretty frocks to school. They would also bring tasty snacks to _______ (eat) during the break while she always had to make do with plain bread and butter. One day she _______ (bawl) her eyes out in her room because she couldn’t take it anymore when suddenly her mother entered.

Q. Which is the correct form of the verb that should come in blank 1?

1. looked
2. had looked
3. looks
4. will look
5. will be looking

Ans. We have to use the simple past tense of the verb ‘look’ which is ‘looked’. The story is written in the past tense. Notice that verbs like ‘was’ and ‘were’ are used before. For a story written in the past tense, most of the verbs will be in the simple past tense (verbs can also take other versions of the past tense). The simple past tense shows that you are talking about something that has already happened. Unlike the past continuous tense, which is used to talk about past events that happened over a period of time, the simple past tense emphasizes that the action is finished. The other options are wrong as they make the sentence grammatically incorrect.

Q. Which is the correct form of the verb that should come in blank 2?

1. tore
2. had torn
3. tear
4. tears
5. will tore

Ans. We have to use the base form of the verb ‘tear’ which is ‘tear’ itself. Notice that the modal/auxiliary verb ‘would’ is used before the blank. ‘Would’ is followed by the main verb. The main verb stays in its base form. The main verb that is used with ‘would’ does not change form according to the subject.

Q. Which is the correct form of the verb that should come in blank 3?

1. envies
2. envied
3. had been envied
4. Envy
5. will envy

Ans. We have to use the simple past tense of the verb ‘envy’ which is ‘envied’. The story is written in the past tense. Notice that verbs like ‘was’ and ‘were’ are used before. For a story written in the past tense, most of the verbs will be in simple past (verbs can also take other versions of the past tense). The simple past tense shows that you are talking about something that has already happened. Unlike the past continuous tense, which is used to talk about past events that happened over a period of time, the simple past tense emphasizes that the action is finished. The other options are wrong as they make the sentence grammatically incorrect.

Q. Which is the correct form of the verb that should come in blank 4?

1. had eaten
2. was eating
3. eats
4. eat
5. will eat

Ans. We have to use the base form of the verb ‘eat’ which is ‘eat’ itself. Notice that there is ‘to’ before the blank. The base form of a verb appears in the infinitive form. The infinitive form of a verb is the verb in its basic form. It is the version of the verb which will appear in the dictionary. The infinitive form of a verb is usually preceded by to (e.g., to run, to dance, to think). The other options are wrong as they make the sentence grammatically incorrect.

Q. Which is the correct form of the verb that should come in blank 5?

1. was bawling
2. bawls
3. had bawled
4. is bawling
5. will be bawling

Ans. We have to use the past continuous tense of the verb ‘bawl’ which is ‘was bawling’. The past continuous tense refers to a continuing action or state that was happening at some point in the Past. It is formed by combining the past tense of to be (i.e., was/were) with the verb’s present participle (-ing word). It can also be used to describe something that was happening continuously in the past when another action interrupted it. Eg: I was talking to Jessica when he suddenly showed up.

In summary, a combination of excellent vocabulary, grammar, and understanding is needed to master the Cloze Test. By knowing the context, retaining the tone, and thoroughly scanning the options, the candidates can improve their score considerably. Daily practice, reading extensively, and being well aware of different words and jargons also help increase accuracy. Since this test measures actual-world language skills, acing it can give an edge in competitive exams such as the SAT, ACT, and others.