English Language

Cloze Test

1,087 Questions
All Contextual Vocabulary 597 Confusable Words 121 Tense and Aspect 69 Collocations 62 Determiners and Quantifiers 53 Preposition Usage 51 Conjunctions and Connectors 38 Pronoun Reference 30 Subject-Verb Agreement 24 Phrasal Verbs 16 Modal Verbs 13 Idioms and Phrases 6

Cloze Test Questions

Multiple choice

Fill in the blank (v) with the help of the given alternatives.

Directions: In the given question, some of the words have been left out. First read the passage and answer the given question.

Happy is the man who …(i)… the habit of reading when he is young. He has secured a lifelong source of …(ii)…, instruction and inspiration. So long as he has his beloved books he need …(iii)… feel lonely. He always has a pleasant …(iv)… of leisure moments. He is the …(v)… of wealth more precious than gold. …(vi)… indeed is the man who does not read and …(vii)… is his life. …(viii)… gives the highest kind of pleasure. When we are …(ix)… it is a healthy recreation to lose …(x)… in the company of books.

  1. possessor

  2. loser

  3. master

  4. heir
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The sentence states: 'He is the (v) of wealth more precious than gold.' The word 'possessor' means someone who owns or possesses something. The context suggests that through reading, one acquires ('has secured') something more valuable than gold - knowledge being that wealth. 'Possessor' fits grammatically and semantically.

Multiple choice

Fill in the blank (iv) with the help of the given alternatives.

Directions: In the given question, some of the words have been left out. First read the passage and answer the given question.

Happy is the man who …(i)… the habit of reading when he is young. He has secured a lifelong source of …(ii)…, instruction and inspiration. So long as he has his beloved books he need …(iii)… feel lonely. He always has a pleasant …(iv)… of leisure moments. He is the …(v)… of wealth more precious than gold. …(vi)… indeed is the man who does not read and …(vii)… is his life. …(viii)… gives the highest kind of pleasure. When we are …(ix)… it is a healthy recreation to lose …(x)… in the company of books.

  1. source

  2. occupation

  3. possession

  4. relief
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The passage describes reading as a source of pleasure and inspiration during leisure time. 'Source' means the place from which something comes, and books provide a steady supply of enjoyable leisure moments. The other options don't fit the context - 'occupation' refers to a job, 'possession' means ownership, and 'relief' suggests easing discomfort.

Multiple choice

Fill in the blank (vi) with the help of the given alternatives.

Directions: In the given question, some of the words have been left out. First read the passage and answer the given question.

Happy is the man who …(i)… the habit of reading when he is young. He has secured a lifelong source of …(ii)…, instruction and inspiration. So long as he has his beloved books he need …(iii)… feel lonely. He always has a pleasant …(iv)… of leisure moments. He is the …(v)… of wealth more precious than gold. …(vi)… indeed is the man who does not read and …(vii)… is his life. …(viii)… gives the highest kind of pleasure. When we are …(ix)… it is a healthy recreation to lose …(x)… in the company of books.

  1. rich

  2. lucky

  3. poor

  4. bad
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The sentence contrasts the happy reader with someone who doesn't read. 'Poor' is used here in a qualitative sense, meaning pitiable or lacking, not financially destitute. This is a common literary construction where 'poor' describes someone unfortunate. 'Rich' and 'lucky' are opposites of what the author intends, while 'bad' is too vague.

Multiple choice

Fill in the blank (iii) with the help of the given alternatives.

Directions: In the given question, some of the words have been left out. First read the passage and answer the given question.

Happy is the man who …(i)… the habit of reading when he is young. He has secured a lifelong source of …(ii)…, instruction and inspiration. So long as he has his beloved books he need …(iii)… feel lonely. He always has a pleasant …(iv)… of leisure moments. He is the …(v)… of wealth more precious than gold. …(vi)… indeed is the man who does not read and …(vii)… is his life. …(viii)… gives the highest kind of pleasure. When we are …(ix)… it is a healthy recreation to lose …(x)… in the company of books.

  1. always

  2. ever

  3. sometimes

  4. never
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The phrase 'so long as he has his beloved books he need ___ feel lonely' requires the negative adverb 'never' to make logical sense. The sentence means that having books means you will never experience loneliness. 'Always', 'ever', and 'sometimes' would create contradictory meanings - suggesting books make you lonely rather than preventing it.

Multiple choice

Fill in the blank (x) with the help of the given alternatives.

Directions: In the given question, some of the words have been left out. First read the passage and answer the given question.

Happy is the man who …(i)… the habit of reading when he is young. He has secured a lifelong source of …(ii)…, instruction and inspiration. So long as he has his beloved books he need …(iii)… feel lonely. He always has a pleasant …(iv)… of leisure moments. He is the …(v)… of wealth more precious than gold. …(vi)… indeed is the man who does not read and …(vii)… is his life. …(viii)… gives the highest kind of pleasure. When we are …(ix)… it is a healthy recreation to lose …(x)… in the company of books.

  1. himself

  2. ourselves

  3. yourselves

  4. themselves
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The sentence uses 'we' as the subject ('When we are ___'), so the reflexive pronoun must be 'ourselves' to match. The sentence describes people losing track of time while reading books. 'Himself', 'yourselves', and 'themselves' don't agree with the plural subject 'we'.

Multiple choice

Fill in the blank (vii) with the help of the given alternatives.

Directions: In the given question, some of the words have been left out. First read the passage and answer the given question.

Happy is the man who …(i)… the habit of reading when he is young. He has secured a lifelong source of …(ii)…, instruction and inspiration. So long as he has his beloved books he need …(iii)… feel lonely. He always has a pleasant …(iv)… of leisure moments. He is the …(v)… of wealth more precious than gold. …(vi)… indeed is the man who does not read and …(vii)… is his life. …(viii)… gives the highest kind of pleasure. When we are …(ix)… it is a healthy recreation to lose …(x)… in the company of books.

  1. full

  2. vacuum

  3. empty

  4. deep
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The phrase describes the life of a non-reader as lacking substance or meaning. 'Empty' perfectly captures this idea of a void or absence of fulfillment. 'Full' would mean the opposite - a life full of meaning. 'Vacuum' is a noun but the sentence structure needs an adjective. 'Deep' doesn't convey the sense of emptiness the author intends.

Multiple choice

Fill in the blank (viii) with the help of the given alternatives.

Directions: In the given question, some of the words have been left out. First read the passage and answer the given question.

Happy is the man who …(i)… the habit of reading when he is young. He has secured a lifelong source of …(ii)…, instruction and inspiration. So long as he has his beloved books he need …(iii)… feel lonely. He always has a pleasant …(iv)… of leisure moments. He is the …(v)… of wealth more precious than gold. …(vi)… indeed is the man who does not read and …(vii)… is his life. …(viii)… gives the highest kind of pleasure. When we are …(ix)… it is a healthy recreation to lose …(x)… in the company of books.

  1. writing

  2. speaking

  3. listening

  4. reading
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The entire passage celebrates reading as a source of pleasure and wisdom. 'Reading' directly answers what gives 'the highest kind of pleasure' in the context. The other options - writing, speaking, and listening - are communication skills but aren't the focus of this passage about the joys of reading.

Multiple choice

Fill blank (iii).

Directions: Read the following passage having some numbered blanks.

It was as black in the closet as old blood. They had ____(i)____ me in and locked the door. I breathed heavily through my nose, fighting desperately to ____(ii)____ calm. I tried counting to ten on every intake of breath and to eight as I released each one slowly into the darkness. Luckily for me, they had pulled the gag so tightly into my open mouth that my nostrils were left ____(iii)____ and I was able to draw in one slow lungful after another of the stale, musty air. I tried hooking my fingernails under the silk scarf that ____(iv)____ my hands behind me, but since I always bit them to the quick, there was nothing to catch. Jolly good luck then, that I'd remembered to put my fingertips together, using them as ten firm little bases to press my palms ____(v)____ as they had pulled the knots tight.

 

  1. bare

  2. unobstructed

  3. unhampered

  4. empty

  5. vacant
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation
  1. bare – Something unconcealed or unadorned is bare.
    1. unobstructed – Something left without blocking to make it easy to pass is to leave it unobstructed. In this case, his nose was left uncovered so that he could breathe easily. 3. unhampered – Something that can proceed without interference is unhampered. 4. empty – Something that contains nothing is empty.
Multiple choice

Fill blank (v).

Directions: Read the following passage having some numbered blanks.

It was as black in the closet as old blood. They had ____(i)____ me in and locked the door. I breathed heavily through my nose, fighting desperately to ____(ii)____ calm. I tried counting to ten on every intake of breath and to eight as I released each one slowly into the darkness. Luckily for me, they had pulled the gag so tightly into my open mouth that my nostrils were left ____(iii)____ and I was able to draw in one slow lungful after another of the stale, musty air. I tried hooking my fingernails under the silk scarf that ____(iv)____ my hands behind me, but since I always bit them to the quick, there was nothing to catch. Jolly good luck then, that I'd remembered to put my fingertips together, using them as ten firm little bases to press my palms ____(v)____ as they had pulled the knots tight.

 

  1. aloof

  2. loose

  3. ahead

  4. apart

  5. alongside
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation
  1. aloof – Someone reserved or reticent is aloof.
    1. loose – Something free from restraints is loose. 3. ahead - It means something in front of someone. 4. apart – Something separate is apart. In this context, his palms were apart or away from each other.
Multiple choice

Fill blank (ii).

Directions: Read the following passage having some numbered blanks.

It was as black in the closet as old blood. They had ____(i)____ me in and locked the door. I breathed heavily through my nose, fighting desperately to ____(ii)____ calm. I tried counting to ten on every intake of breath and to eight as I released each one slowly into the darkness. Luckily for me, they had pulled the gag so tightly into my open mouth that my nostrils were left ____(iii)____ and I was able to draw in one slow lungful after another of the stale, musty air. I tried hooking my fingernails under the silk scarf that ____(iv)____ my hands behind me, but since I always bit them to the quick, there was nothing to catch. Jolly good luck then, that I'd remembered to put my fingertips together, using them as ten firm little bases to press my palms ____(v)____ as they had pulled the knots tight.

 

  1. endure

  2. persevere

  3. survive

  4. remain

  5. persist
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation
  1. endure – To endure is to bear hardship.
    1. persevere – To persevere is to continue with a specified work. 3. survive – To survive is to continue to live. 4. remain – To remain is to continue in the same specified state. This is correct in this context as the protagonist wants to stay calm inspite of being locked in the closet. This means that the protagonist tries not to become frightened or lose his cool.
Multiple choice

Fill blank (iv).

Directions: Read the following passage having some numbered blanks.

It was as black in the closet as old blood. They had ____(i)____ me in and locked the door. I breathed heavily through my nose, fighting desperately to ____(ii)____ calm. I tried counting to ten on every intake of breath and to eight as I released each one slowly into the darkness. Luckily for me, they had pulled the gag so tightly into my open mouth that my nostrils were left ____(iii)____ and I was able to draw in one slow lungful after another of the stale, musty air. I tried hooking my fingernails under the silk scarf that ____(iv)____ my hands behind me, but since I always bit them to the quick, there was nothing to catch. Jolly good luck then, that I'd remembered to put my fingertips together, using them as ten firm little bases to press my palms ____(v)____ as they had pulled the knots tight.

 

  1. enslave

  2. bound

  3. coerced

  4. bent

  5. barricaded
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation
  1. enslave - To make a slave of someone is to enslave them.
    1. bound – To tie something is to bind it. In this case, the protagonist is tied and bound. This is the correct answer. 3. coerced – To dominate someone by force is to coerce them. 4. bent – Something curved or crooked is bent.
Multiple choice

Fill blank (i).

Directions: Read the following passage having some numbered blanks.

It was as black in the closet as old blood. They had ____(i)____ me in and locked the door. I breathed heavily through my nose, fighting desperately to ____(ii)____ calm. I tried counting to ten on every intake of breath and to eight as I released each one slowly into the darkness. Luckily for me, they had pulled the gag so tightly into my open mouth that my nostrils were left ____(iii)____ and I was able to draw in one slow lungful after another of the stale, musty air. I tried hooking my fingernails under the silk scarf that ____(iv)____ my hands behind me, but since I always bit them to the quick, there was nothing to catch. Jolly good luck then, that I'd remembered to put my fingertips together, using them as ten firm little bases to press my palms ____(v)____ as they had pulled the knots tight.

 

  1. crammed

  2. assembled

  3. shoved

  4. herded

  5. packed
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation
  1. crammed – To fill something with force, so that it holds more than its capacity, is called cramming it.
    1. assembled – To bring people together in one place is to assemble them. 3. shoved – To push from behind with force is being shoved. This is the correct answer in this context as the protagonist has been locked inside a closet. 4. herded – To lead someone towards a place is to herd them.
Multiple choice

Fill in the blank (ii).

Directions: Read the following passage having some numbered blanks.

Of all the countless things my son and I learned from the professor, the meaning of the square root was ____(i)____ the most important. No doubt he would have been bothered by my use of the word countless — too sloppy, for he believed that the very origins of the universe could be explained in the exact language of numbers — but I don't know how ____(ii)____ to put it. He taught us about enormous prime numbers with more than a hundred thousand places and the largest number of all, which was used in mathematical proofs and was in the 'Guinness Book of Records' and about the idea of something beyond infinity. As ____(iii)____ as all this was, it could never match the experience of simply spending time with the professor. I ____(iv)____ when he taught us about the spell cast by placing numbers under this square root sign. It was a rainy evening in early April. My son's schoolbag ____(v)____ abandoned on the rug; the light in the professor's study was dim. Outside the window, the blossoms on the apricot tree were heavy with rain.

  1. further

  2. more

  3. added

  4. else

  5. different
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation
  1. 'Further' means 'at a greater distance'.
    1. 'More' means 'something in addition to something'. 3. 'Added' means 'to say something further'. 4. 'Else' means 'to say something using a different word'.
Multiple choice

Fill in the blank (i).

Directions: Read the following passage having some numbered blanks.

Of all the countless things my son and I learned from the professor, the meaning of the square root was ____(i)____ the most important. No doubt he would have been bothered by my use of the word countless — too sloppy, for he believed that the very origins of the universe could be explained in the exact language of numbers — but I don't know how ____(ii)____ to put it. He taught us about enormous prime numbers with more than a hundred thousand places and the largest number of all, which was used in mathematical proofs and was in the 'Guinness Book of Records' and about the idea of something beyond infinity. As ____(iii)____ as all this was, it could never match the experience of simply spending time with the professor. I ____(iv)____ when he taught us about the spell cast by placing numbers under this square root sign. It was a rainy evening in early April. My son's schoolbag ____(v)____ abandoned on the rug; the light in the professor's study was dim. Outside the window, the blossoms on the apricot tree were heavy with rain.

  1. amid

  2. among

  3. along

  4. during

  5. beside
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation
  1. 'Amid' means 'in the middle of or surrounded by something'.
    1. 'Among' means 'in a group or a number of similar things'. 3. 'Along' means 'during a course of event'.  4. 'During' means 'through the duration of something'. 
Multiple choice

Fill in the blank (iii).

Directions: Read the following passage having some numbered blanks.

Of all the countless things my son and I learned from the professor, the meaning of the square root was ____(i)____ the most important. No doubt he would have been bothered by my use of the word countless — too sloppy, for he believed that the very origins of the universe could be explained in the exact language of numbers — but I don't know how ____(ii)____ to put it. He taught us about enormous prime numbers with more than a hundred thousand places and the largest number of all, which was used in mathematical proofs and was in the 'Guinness Book of Records' and about the idea of something beyond infinity. As ____(iii)____ as all this was, it could never match the experience of simply spending time with the professor. I ____(iv)____ when he taught us about the spell cast by placing numbers under this square root sign. It was a rainy evening in early April. My son's schoolbag ____(v)____ abandoned on the rug; the light in the professor's study was dim. Outside the window, the blossoms on the apricot tree were heavy with rain.

  1. interesting

  2. alluring

  3. amazing

  4. enchanting

  5. delightful
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation
  1. 'Interesting' means 'something engaging or exciting'.
    1. 'Alluring' means 'someone attractive'. 3. 'Amazing' means 'something that causes a great surprise or wonder'. 4. 'Enchanting' means 'something charming and captivating'.