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General English · Comprehension · Topic 02 · Worksheet

Cloze Test

Twenty-one multiple choice questions across three cloze passages, the second topic in the Comprehension track. Two previous year questions from the real AAI ATC papers are built into Passage A, with an answer key at the end.

30questions
35 minsuggested time
3verified PYQs
MCQformat throughout
Score 0 correct · 0 of 30 attempted
Before you begin

Formulas you will need

Key formulas Read the whole passage once before filling any blank — the sense of the passage narrows every choice
A missing verb's tense is fixed by the tense already used nearby in the passage
Missing prepositions are usually part of a fixed expression — give a reason for, considerate towards
When grammar allows two options, meaning makes the final choice
How to use this worksheet. Solve a cloze passage in two passes: first read it straight through to catch the sense, then go back and fill each blank using the tense and vocabulary already established around it. Filling blanks on a first read, one at a time, is what causes most of the errors here.
Passage A · Kindness

Fill in each numbered blank

Passage A — from a real AAI ATC comprehension passage. Kindness (1)_______ as the ability to be (2)__________ everyone including one's enemies. It does not (3)_______ weakness; in fact it (4)_______ a kind of strength, since it is far (5)_______ to lash out in anger than to remain gentle under provocation. A society that (6)_______ kindness in its children builds habits that (7)_______ well into adult life.

Q1PYQ 2021 · Shift 2
Fill in blank (1).
The real AAI question tests this pair of blanks together: can be defined gives the standard definitional pattern (compare ‘water can be defined as H₂O’). ‘Is defined’ is not wrong in isolation, but the second blank only works grammatically alongside ‘can be defined’ in the original four-option pairing.
Q2PYQ 2021 · Shift 2
Fill in blank (2).
Considerate towards is the standard collocation, and it is the second half of the actual AAI question. The trap option is ‘consideration towards’, a noun where the sentence needs an adjective after be — a part-of-speech check rules it out before meaning is even considered.
Q3
Fill in blank (3).
The subject is it, referring to kindness, and the sentence needs the base form after does not: mean.
Q4
Fill in blank (4).
The subject it is singular and the sentence is in the simple present, so represents.
Q5
Fill in blank (5).
A two-way comparison takes the comparative form, and easy forms it as easier, not more easy.
Q6
Fill in blank (6).
The subject a society is singular and the verb is in the simple present, so instils.
Q7
Fill in blank (7).
The subject is now the plural habits, so the verb returns to the base form carry.
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Passage B · The lottery player

Fill in each numbered blank

Passage B — from a real AAI ATC comprehension passage. When a man has a mind to venture his money in a lottery, every figure of the wheel (1)_______ him to imagine that some number will be more (2)_______ to him than another, and he therefore (3)_______ his fortune upon it, although he can give himself no reason (4)_______ his choice. Believing that bad men are the most fortunate in this world, he will (5)_______ two to one on the number 666 against any other number, as being the number of the beast in the Book of Revelation.

Q8
Fill in blank (1).
The subject every figure is singular, so tempts.
Q9
Fill in blank (2).
An adjective is needed after more and before to him, so fortunate.
Q10
Fill in blank (3).
The subject he is singular and the tense is present, matching tempts earlier in the sentence, so ventures.
Q11
Fill in blank (4).
The fixed expression is give a reason for something.
Q12PYQ 2023 · Morning
Fill in blank (5).
The subject is he, but the modal will just before the blank forces the base form: lay. This whole passage, including the phrase lay two to one, is drawn from a real AAI comprehension passage about lottery players and superstition.
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Passage C · The refugee camp

Fill in each numbered blank

Passage C. The lack of food among the refugees was (1)_______ when one looked closely in the faces of these people. Many had walked for days with (2)_______ nothing to eat, and their eyes (3)_______ a weariness no words could describe. Aid workers who (4)_______ at the camp each morning distributed what little they had, knowing it would not be (5)_______ for everyone.

Q13
Fill in blank (1).
The main clause is in the simple past (was), so the second verb must match: confirmed.
Q14
Fill in blank (2).
Almost nothing means close to nothing at all, which fits the description of severe hunger. Hardly would need a different construction.
Q15
Fill in blank (3).
The subject is the plural eyes, and the passage is in the past tense throughout, so showed.
Q16
Fill in blank (4).
The relative clause describes a habitual past action, so arrived matches the surrounding past tense.
Q17
Fill in blank (5).
Enough is the natural word before for everyone. Adequate would need to be followed by for in a different structure, and plenty would need of.
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Section D · Cloze test technique

How to attack a cloze passage

Four questions on method rather than content.

Q18
The best first step in solving a cloze passage is to:
A first full reading establishes the topic and tone, which narrows every blank before you commit to an answer.
Q19
In a cloze test, the tense of a missing verb is usually fixed by:
Look at the verbs already given in nearby sentences; the missing verb almost always matches their tense.
Q20
If a blank needs a preposition, the safest approach is to:
Prepositions in cloze tests are usually part of a fixed collocation such as give a reason for, not a free choice.
Q21
When two options seem grammatically possible for the same blank, choose the one that:
Grammar narrows the field, but meaning makes the final choice in a well-set cloze passage.
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Answer key

Answers

Check only after you have attempted every question. Tap any question above to see the full explanation.

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↓ Free download — Cloze Test PDF

All thirty questions with the formula sheet printed on the front page and ruled working space for your circuit reductions. Print it, solve it, keep it.

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