Practice Cloze Passage Questions and Answers

Cloze Passage Question & Answer

English language skills of the candidates are tested in almost every government and competitive exam like- SBI PO, IBPS PO, IBPS SO, SSC, SEBI Grade A, RBI Grade B, RBI Assistant and many others. The Cloze passage forms an essential part of the English Language syllabus of the aforementioned exams. It is a very scoring topic. Candidates can expect around 5 to 10 questions in competitive exams.

What is a Cloze Passage?

The Cloze passage can be considered as a combination of ‘comprehension’ and ‘fill in the blanks’. The idea behind cloze passage questions is to test the reading, analytical and vocabulary skills of the candidates.

In a Cloze passage Questions, a comprehension/passage is given in which certain words are missing. Therefore, it becomes essential to understand the flow of the passage. Based on that, the candidates are required to choose the most appropriate words from the options given.

Difference between Cloze Passage and Fill in the Blanks

There is a slight difference between Cloze Passage and Fill in the Blanks-

• To answer the questions in Cloze passage accurately, you must read the passage in its entirety to understand the context.
• Whereas, in filling in the blanks questions, the appropriate answer is based purely on the given sentence only.

Types of Cloze Passage Questions

• In the first type, the questions are based on long passages with missing words. Furthermore, each blank in the question will be marked with a number/alphabet. The candidates are required to complete the passage with the help of appropriate words given at the end of the passage.

• In the second type of questions, each blank will be followed by a word in the brackets. The candidates have to figure out whether to replace the word or not with the given options. Moreover, only one of the options will replace the blank appropriately. If not, then you will have to mark the ‘No change required’ option.

How to Approach Questions on Cloze Passage?

Given below are a few tips on how to answer questions on Cloze Passage accurately-

• Read the whole passage properly to understand the flow and tone of the given passage. This will give you a basic idea of what the author is trying to convey.
• Highlight important keywords from the passage to analyse the theme of the passage.
• Sometimes the options given at the end of the passage might be similar in meaning. Therefore, look for an option which suitably fits the context of the passage.
• Generally, in a Cloze Passage Test, the passage is based on a specific topic. So, if you are not able to find the answer, try to link the sentences with each other. This will make your work easier.
• If you are not able to find the appropriate answer, try the elimination method. Eliminate the options which appear to be incorrect. This will help you arrive at the correct option easily.

Sample Questions On the Cloze Passage

Read the passage given below and fill in the blanks with the suitable option:

Earth, our home, is the third planet from the sun. It’s the only _________ (a) known to have an atmosphere containing free oxygen, oceans of water on its surface and, of course, life.

The fifth-largest planet of the Solar system is the Earth. It is smaller ________ (b) the four gas giants — Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune — but larger than the three other rocky planets, Mercury, Mars and Venus.

Earth has a diameter of roughly 8,000 miles and is ________ (c) because gravity pulls matter into a ball. But, it is not perfectly round. Earth is really an “oblate spheroid,” because its spin causes it to be squashed at its poles and swollen at the equator.

71 per cent of the Earth’s surface is covered with water, and most of that is in the oceans. About a fifth of Earth’s atmosphere consists of oxygen, produced by ________ (d). While scientists have been studying our planet for centuries, a lot has been learned in the past few decades by studying pictures of Earth from space.

Q1) (a)

1. Planet
2. Moon
3. Satellite
4. Surface
5. Life

Answer: (1) Planet

Q2) (b)

1. For
2. Then
3. Than
4. There
5. On

Answer: (3) Than

Q3) (c)

1. Oval
2. Round
3. Square
4. Uneven
5. Disrupted

Answer: (2) Round

Q3) (d)

1. Animals
2. Humans
3. Living Beings
4. Plants
5. None of the Above

Answer: (4) Plants

Read the passage given below and fill in the blanks with the suitable option:

The joint family gave way to the ____(1) family. Despite the ___(2) that it offers, children feel ___(3), lonely and frustrated, leading to psychiatrist problems, pressures and ___(4). A cross-section of children was interviewed, and they matter-of-factly ___(5) problems, at the same time ___(6) showing the way to ___(7) solutions. Tell your children about your work. Young as they are, they ___(8) where you have been all day. Explain to them, “Mummy has a teaching job.” She teaches little children to read and write, or Daddy works in a factory. The factory makes scooters. At least now the child ___(9) a mental picture of how you spend the day. There develops a certain ___(10) in that knowledge.

Q1) (1)

1. Lonely 
2. Individual
3. Nuclear
4. Self-centered
5. Separate 

Answer: (c) Nuclear

Q2) (2)

1. Seclusion
2. Privacy
3. Isolation
4. Separation
5. Loneliness

Answer: (b) Privacy

Q3) (3)

1. Neglected
2. Avoided
3. Disregarded
4. Segregated
5. Isolated

Answer: (a) Neglected

Q4) (4)

1. Burdens 
2. Complexities
3. Complications
4. Controversies
5. Disadvantages

Answer: (b) Complexities

Q5) (5)

1. Marked
2. Declared
3. Pin-pointed
4. Designated
5. Stressed

Answer: (c) Designated

Q6) (6)

1. Inadvertently
2. Unknowingly
3. Obviously
4. Painstakingly 
5. Clearly

Answer: (a) Inadvertently

Q7) (7)

1. Reasonable
2. Plausible
3. Remarkable
4. Referred
5. Preferred

Answer: (b) Plausible

Q8) (8)

1. Wonder
2. Amaze
3. Feel
4. Stimate
5. Calculate

Answer: (a) Wonder

Q9) (9)

1. Constructs
2. Inculcates
3. Develops
4. Establishes
5. Makes

Answer: (c) Develops

Q10) (10)

1. Security
2. Assurance
3. Solace
4. Restfulness  
5. Confidence 

Answer: (a) Security

Conclusion

The Cloze Passage is a very scoring topic. Candidates can ace this topic by practicing as many questions as possible. You can expect 5 to 10 questions in the competitive exams.