General English Cloze Test

A passage will be given, with some five to ten blank spaces in it. For each of these blanks, some alternatives will be given. First you have to read the passage carefully and try to understand what the passage is about. Then choose the most appropriate word in the context of the passage, from the given alternatives. Cloze test is intended to judge a candidates knowledge of grammar usage and vocabulary. While filling blanks if you find it difficult to find the appropriate choice, the best method is elimination. Eliminate the words which you find are the least possibilities one by one. Thus you can come to the correct choice. In some passages two sentences will be closely connected. In such a situation, say to fill blank (2) sometimes you will have to fill the 3rd one. Then you will have to come back to the second one. Solved Passage : I Like unemployment, pollution is (1) in Agra. The Supreme Court (2) the closure of polluting industrial units in Agra until they (3) with the environmental standard. But this hasnt ended Agras (4) 1. (1) epidemic (2) endemic (3) geographic (4) physical (5) natural 2. (1) summoned (2) demanded (3) ordered (4) compelled (5) forced 3. (1) abided (2) agreed (3) co-operation (4) complied (5) obedience 4. (1) woes (2) threats (3) ravages (4)compulsion (5) destruction Answers and Explanations 1. (2) The right option is endemic. Endemic is a condition or illness that is found in a particular place. As Agra a particular place is mentioned all other choices can be eliminated. 2. Supreme Court orders somebody to do some thing. So answer is (3). 3. As it is an order by the Supreme Court they have to act according to that command. So (4) is the answer. Comply means to obey. 4. Pollution is not a sorrow or distress to the place. Here woes is more apt than threats So (1) is the answer. Solved Passage : II Without water (1) animal can survive. In desert regions the greatest (2) to life is drying up. But many creatures are able to make use of (3) little water that exists in arid areas. One of natures masterpieces (4) creatures equipped to (5) with desert life is the hardy camels. Stories range from the desert lands far and wide about (6) endurance feats by camels. It is said that camels can (7) a distance of about 800 miles in eight days through continuous travel (8) an intake of a single drop of water. The popular (9) that camels store water in their hump is (10) in a way; water is indeed stored there but in the form of fat. 1. (1) every (2) no (3) any (4) desert (5) exceptional 2. (1) need (2) worry (3) threat (4)requirement (5) inadequacy 3. (1) what (2) the (3) very (4) that (5) extremely 4. (1) for (2) about (3) among (4) with (5) of 5. (1) live (2) resist (3) bear (4) cope (5) mix 6. (1) remarkable (2) little (3) tolerable (4) popular (5) obvious 7. (1) measure (2) reduce (3) lead (4) reach (5) cover 8. (1) for (2) without (3) accepting (4) receiving (5) except 9. (1) proverb (2) guess (3) belief (4) version (5) statement 10. (1) baseless (2) wrong (3) misleading (4) correct

(5) untruthful. Answers and Explanations 1. Without any doubt, we can say that the most suitable word to fill the blank is no. So the answer is (2) 2. In desert regions drying up is not the need or requirement. Worry and inadequacy are not worthy even to consider. So threat is the correct word. The answer is (3). In this way try to eliminate the words which are not at all appropriate. 3. Here the sentence has a positive meaning. So definite article the is used. (2) is the answer. 4. According to the passage, camel is a masterpiece amidst all creatures. Appropriate word is among. The answer is (3) 5. The camel can cope with adverse circumstances. Cope is the suitable word. The answer is (4) 6. Stories about a creature becomes popular, only when it has something unusual or remarkable. Thus the answer is (1). 7. Distance is usually covered by one while travelling. So answer is (5) 8. (2) Without is the apt word 9. Here belief is the word which is suitable (3) is the answer. 10. Baseless, wrong, untruthful - cant be used as camels do store water, but it is in a different form ie. fat. So misleading is the word. The answer is (3) SOLVED PASSAGE : III Long before Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru became free India's first Prime Minister, he was the Municipal Chairman of Alahabad. One day the tax superintendent of water works department called on him, (1) a sheet of paper before him, the official said , "Sir, here is a list of people who (2) paid the water tax before the due date. According to the rules, their water supply had to be disconnected. Shall we go (3)" "Why do you (4) to ask me?" remarked Pandit. "The rule is clear. You may go (5) it ". "But, sir, some of them are very (6) citizens. Sir, your father's name is also there in the list", said the superintendent (7). "So what ?" Pandit almost shouted, The rules are for (8) and they have to be (9) without, any (10)" he , added firmly. 1. (1) tearing (2) concealing (3) folding (4) placing (5) writing 2. (1) often (2) always (3) haven't (4) had (5) have 3. (1) ahead (2) there (3) home (4) back (5) out 4. (1) like (2) hesitate (3) hurry (4) fail (5) have 5. (1) with (2) by (3) without (4) towards (5) to 6. (1) respectable (2) intelligent (3) quarrelsome (4) ambitious (5) poor 7. (1) impolitely (2) admirably (3) furiously (4) quietly (5) hesitantly 8. (1) exceptionals (2) observers (3) everyone (4) others (5) breaking 9. (1) formulated (2) made (3) broken (4) imposed (5) accepted 10.(1) interest (2) discrimination (3) awakening (4) notice (5) problem Answers And Explanation 1 2 When a paper is presented before somebody to see, the paper is placed. So (4) is the answer. To get the answer you have to read the next sentence also. Then we can understand that the list is of

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

people who haven't paid the tax. So (3) is the answer. Shall we 'carry on' with the process of disconnection . This is the idea conveyed. So the answer is (1), that is ahead.. No other word conveys the same meaning. As they are asking permission the word suitable is have. (5) is the answer. By is the correct choice. It means you may go by the rule (2) is the answer As the act of disconnecting is humiliating, it affects the respectable people (1) is the correct choice. As Nehru's father's name is in the list the man was alittle bit worried. He hesitantly asks Nehru about it. (5) is the answer. Rules are always made for all the people. So everyone is the word. (3) is the answer. Rules should be imposed on all. Answer is (4) Without any consideration, rules should be imposed. so (2), discrimination is the answer. PRACTICE SET

Directions : In the following passages there are blanks, each of which has been numbered. These numbers are printed below the passage and against each, five words are suggested, one of which fits the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate word in each case The classics of the western tradition, for all their wisdom and relevance, have ....(1).... deficiencies. Written mostly by white males, they ....(2).... the vast majority of human experience. Moreover, the classics have ....(3).... to address certain problems either because they are of recent origin or because they were regarded as ....(4)..... In the latter category, I would ....(5).... the issue of the human role in caring for the natural world. Search as one may ....(6).... Plato, Aristotle and the rest of the authors, ....(7).... is said of this ....(8).... a few exceptions, the ....(9).... from western sources begins with Thoreau and Marsh. The classic literature of western culture has not offered much ....(10).... on the appropriate relationship between humanity and its habitat. 1. (1) certain (2) needless (3) little (4) no (5) improve 2. (1) introduce (2) include (3) exclude (4) encompass (5) failed 3. (1) trampled (2) tried (3) started (4) struggled (5) failed 4. (1) stagnant (2) avoidable (3) important (4) unusual (5) unimportant 5. (1) stake (2) include (3) avoid (4) clarify (5) count 6. (1) with 7. (1) little 8. (1) considering 9. (1) allegory 10. (1) improvement (5) approval (2) through (2) less (2) making (3) as (3) much (3) with (4) about (4) more (4) not withstanding (5) for (5) most (5) without

(2) inference (3) reaction (4) insight (5) trouble (2) enlightenment (3)embellishment (4) encouragement

2 Recent ....(11).... in science and technology have made it possible ....(12).... geneticists to find out abnormalities in the unborn foetus and take ....(13).... action to ....(14).... some defects which would otherwise prove to be fatal to the child. Though genetic engineering is still in its infancy, scientists can now predict with ....(15).... accuracy a genetic disorder. It is not yet an exact science ....(16).... they are not in a position to predict when exactly a genetic disorder will ....(17).... . While they have not ....(18).... been able to change the genetic order of the gene ....(19).... germs, they are optimistic and are holding out that in the near future they might be successful ....(20).... achieving this feat. They have however, acquired the ability to manipulate tissue cells. 11. (1) advances (2) advancement (3) advancing (4) findings (5) invention 12. (1) to (2) for (3) in (4) on (5) at 13. (1) remedy (2) quick (3) immediate(4) remedial (5) cure 14. (1) correct (2) rectify (3) twist (4) neglect (5) avoid 15. (1) great (2) greater (3) greatest (4) more (5) most 16. (1) since (2) as (3) because (4) for (5) so 17. (1) come in (2) grow in (3) find in (4) give in (5) set in 18. (1) yet (2) till (3) still (4) until (5) just 19. (1) to (2) for (3) against (4) in (5) on 20. (1) at (2) on (3) i n (4) to (5) for

3 Our independence in 1947 was born against the ....(21).... of the great Bengal famine of 1942-43. Speaking at Noakhali in 1946, Gandhi ....(22).... that the first and ....(23).... duty of independent India is to ....(24).... an environment which ....(25).... every Indian to earn his or her daily ....(26).... . Gandhiji was against making people beggars and that is why he stressed the need for ....(27).... to earn rather than give ....(28).... food on ....(29).... of charity and ....(30)..... 21. (1) milieu (2) border (3) backdrop (4) barrenness (5) familiarity 22. (1) witnessed (2) deliberated (3) acceded (4) pulverised (5) emphasised 23. (1) last (2) second (3)foremost (4) free (5) final 24. (1) create (2) sustain (3) conserve (4) pollute (5) avoid 25. (1) helps (2) enables (3) protects (4) subsidises (5) allies 26. (1) meal (2) living (3) livelihood (4) existence (5) bread 27. (1) methods (2) policies (3)opportunities (4) activities (5) strategies 28. (1) up (2) in (3) off (4) away (5) back 29. (1) grounds (2) ruler (3) systems (4) considerations (5) effects 30. (1) generation (2) nutrition (3) deficiency (4) patronage (5) competition 4 For one hundred years the ....(31).... princes and the ....(32).... people had been suffering the effects of foreign rule. Their ....(33).... came to an end when in May, 1857, the Indian army at Meerut ....(34).... . The three infantry regiments at that ....(35).... shot their officers, broke open the jail, and after releasing the ....(36).... set out with their arms along the road to Delhi. The greased cartridges ....(37).... the sepoys and ....(38).... them to rise and drive away foreigners who, they thought, were ....(39).... on ....(40).... their race and religion. 31. (1) comfortable (2) dispossessed (3) royal (4) deadly (5) beggarly 32. (1) downtrodden (2) egalitarian (3) rightful (4) benign (5) extravagance 33. (1) energy (2) silence (3) patience (4) aptitude (5) tethers 34. (1) enveloped (2) stampeded (3) mutinied (4) overthrew (5) escaped 35. (1) battalion (2) station (3) site (4) askance (5) level 36. (1) brakes (2) inmates (3) flags (4) offices (5) news 37. (1) exasperated (2) humbled (3) perorated (4) excluded (5) periolated 38. (1) goaded (2) asked (3) shot (4) jerked (5) amputated 39. (1) adamant (2) funny (3) excited (4) bent (5) based 40. (1) conquering (2) abjuring (3) flourishing (4) reviving (5) destroying 5 The keeper, Lord Shiva himself, is known to be the greatest hunter of them all, as he sits on a tiger skin and covers his ....(41).... body with animal fur. But to ....(42).... in ....(43).... killing of animals is against the ....(44).... law, as one may kill only that which one can ....(45).... . However, man being the only ....(46).... who kills for sport, knowing it to be sport, thereby ....(47).... all norms of ....(48).... behaviour. The Americans ....(49).... out the bison from the face of North America, as the Indian Maharajas and British Sahibs did the cheetah and almost the lion and tiger from India animals which you do not eat, but ....(50).... the walls of your house with. 41. (1) beautiful (2) bare (3) vacant (4) uncovered (5) deformed 42. (1) involve (2) include (3) indulge (4) interfere (5) incline 43. (1) wanton (2) unreasonable (3) rash (4) disregarded (5) cruel 44. (1) spiritual (2) cosmic (3) supernatural (4) manly (5) humane 45. (1) consume (2) devour (3) gobble (4) grab (5) swallow 46. (1) beast (2) brute (3) creature (4) animal (5) human 47. (1) transferring (2) desecrating (3) transgressing (4) decorating (5) overcoming 48. (1) contingent (2) civilised (3) complementary (4) crude (5) cruel 49. (1) eradicated (2) erased (3) wiped (4) removed (5) swept 50. (1) garnish (2) tarnish (3) decorate (4) grandeur (5) elegant

ANSWERS TO SET
1. (1)

2. (3) 7. (1) 12. (2) 17. (5) 22. (5) 27. (3) 32. (1) 37. (1) 42. (3) 47. (3)

3. (5) 8. (3) 13. (4) 18. (1) 23. (3) 28. (4) 33. (3) 38. (1) 43. (1) 48. (2)

4. (5) 9. (4) 14. (2) 19. (4) 24. (1) 29. (4) 34. (3) 39. (4) 44. (2) 49. (3)

5. (2) 10. (2) 15. (2) 20. (3) 25. (2) 30. (4) 35. (2) 40. (5) 45. (1) 50. (3)

6. (2) 11. (1) 16. (1) 21. (3) 26. (5) 31. (2) 36. (2) 41. (2) 46. (4)