Cloze Test questions with solutions

1. Question 1Easy
   Trees are very important for our planet. They give us fresh air to (1) and shade on a hot day. Many animals (2) their homes in tall trees. Cutting down forests can (3) the balance of nature, so we should (4) more trees and (5) the ones we have. A single tree can (6) for many years and help the whole neighbourhood.

   In the passage above, choose the most appropriate word for blank (5).

   • A.protectCorrect
   • B.prevent
   • C.purchase
   • D.produce
   • E.propose
   Show solution

   We should "protect" the trees we already have.

2. Question 2Easy
   Regular exercise is essential for good health. It not only strengthens the body __(1)__ also improves mental well-being. People who exercise daily are generally more __(2)__ than those who lead a sedentary life.

   Choose the best word for blank (1).

   • A.butCorrect
   • B.and
   • C.or
   • D.so
   Show solution

   The correlative pair is 'not only ... but also', so blank (1) takes 'but'.

3. Question 3Easy
   Regular exercise is essential for good health. It not only strengthens the body __(1)__ also improves mental well-being. People who exercise daily are generally more __(2)__ than those who lead a sedentary life.

   Choose the best word for blank (2).

   • A.activeCorrect
   • B.lazy
   • C.tired
   • D.idle
   Show solution

   The sentence contrasts daily exercisers with a sedentary life, so the positive word 'active' fits. Lazy, tired and idle all contradict the sense.

4. Question 4Easy
   Read the passage and choose the word that best fits each numbered blank. Financial literacy programmes are often __(1)__ on the assumption that households save too little because they do not understand compound interest. The evidence is more __(2)__. Families who can explain compounding perfectly well still fail to save, because their incomes arrive __(3)__ while their obligations do not. A programme that teaches arithmetic to someone whose difficulty is timing will __(4)__ little. What does appear to help is a product that moves money aside at the moment income arrives, rather than asking a household to __(5)__ that decision every month.

   Choose the most appropriate word for blank (4).

   • A.achieveCorrect
   • B.prevent
   • C.demand
   • D.resemble
   • E.deserve
   Show solution

   The sentence describes a programme aimed at the wrong problem, teaching arithmetic to someone whose difficulty is timing, so the point is that it will accomplish very little. 'Achieve little' is the natural completion. Option B would need an object naming what is prevented. Option C reverses the direction, describing what the programme asks rather than what it produces. Options D and E do not combine with 'little' in this sense.

5. Question 5Moderate
   Access to a bank account is often the first (12)______ towards financial security. Yet millions remain (13)______ from the formal system, relying on cash and informal lenders. Governments have (14)______ large campaigns to open accounts for the unbanked, but an account that is never used delivers little (15)______. The real challenge, therefore, is not opening accounts but making them (16)______ enough to be used regularly.

   Choose the word that best fits blank (13).

   • A.included
   • B.excludedCorrect
   • C.benefited
   • D.protected
   • E.welcomed
   Show solution

   Millions relying on cash and informal lenders are outside the formal system, so they remain 'excluded' from it. Included, benefited, protected and welcomed all reverse the intended meaning.

6. Question 6Moderate
   Cities are, on average, several degrees warmer than the countryside that (1)____ them, a difference that widens on still summer nights. Much of this extra heat is (2)____ by concrete and asphalt during the day and released slowly after dark. Trees offer a cheap (3)____: their canopies block sunlight before it reaches the pavement, and the water they give off cools the surrounding air. Yet tree cover in many fast-growing cities is (4)____, cleared for roads and buildings faster than it can be replanted. Planners who once treated greenery as mere decoration are now coming to (5)____ it as basic infrastructure.

   Choose the word that best fits blank (4) in the passage.

   • A.shrinkingCorrect
   • B.expanding
   • C.stable
   • D.protected
   • E.flourishing
   Show solution

   The cover is cleared faster than it can be replanted, so it is 'shrinking'. Expanding, stable, protected and flourishing all contradict the idea of being cleared away.

These are 6 of 32 cloze test questions in the bank. Attempt the rest with instant feedback in the practice drills, or under a clock in the mock tests.