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Rising Pop Star

Olivia Rodrigo’s rise to global fame looks sudden from the outside, but her career has been building for years. Before she was filling arenas, she was better known as an actor on Disney productions, learning how to perform for the camera and the stage at the same time. (1) .......... When her debut single ‘drivers license’ appeared online, it spread at extraordinary speed. People who had never heard of her before shared it on social media, and within days it was being discussed as if it were a major cultural event. (2) .......... Soon afterwards, Rodrigo released more singles that confirmed she was not a one-hit wonder. Songs like ‘deja vu’ and ‘good 4 u’ showed different sides of her style, moving from soft storytelling to sharper, guitar-driven energy. (3) .......... One reason her music connects with so many listeners is the way it captures teenage emotions without sounding childish. Even when she describes very specific scenes, the feelings behind them are easy to recognise. (4) .......... Of course, intense attention has a downside. Being discussed constantly online can turn private experiences into public debates, and young artists often feel pressure to explain themselves. (5) .......... Another interesting part of Rodrigo’s story is how quickly she has been accepted into the wider music industry. Awards, magazine covers and high-profile festival performances arrived early in her career, and her team has had to make careful choices about what to do next. (6) .......... Whether you are a long-time fan or someone who only knows one chorus, her success raises a broader question: what do audiences want from pop music today? For many listeners, the answer seems to be a voice that feels both personal and confident.

About Reading Missing Paragraphs — Cambridge English B2

This Cambridge English B2 Reading Missing Paragraphs exercise removes several paragraphs from a text. For each gap, choose the paragraph that best fits; there may be extra paragraphs you do not need.

It tests your understanding of text structure and how larger sections of a text connect in terms of topic, reference and logical progression.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Reading Missing Paragraphs?

Paragraphs are removed from a text and you must place the correct paragraph in each gap, with some extra paragraphs left over.

What does it test?

How well you follow the structure and argument of a longer text and recognise links between paragraphs.

Any tips for Missing Paragraphs?

Track the topic and any references at the end of one paragraph and the start of the next — the right paragraph continues the idea smoothly.

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What to do

In this part, you have to choose the correct paragraph to fill each gap from a list. There is one extra paragraph you do not need.

This part of the exam tests your understanding of how a text is organised and, in particular, how paragraphs relate to each other.

Underline the names of people, organisations or places. Also, underline reference words such as ‘this’, ‘it’, ‘there’, etc. They will help you see connections between sentences and paragraphs.

Sometimes there won’t be a clue in the sentence immediately before or after the gap.

You really do need to read the whole text to get its meaning – sometimes the ‘clue’ is the entire paragraph.

Strategy

  1. Read the main text through first to get an idea of what it is about and how the writer develops his or her subject matter.
  2. Use clues in the paragraphs before and after the gaps to help you choose the ones that fit.
  3. Clues may lie in the grammar, punctuation and/or vocabulary.
  4. Try to guess the sort of information that might be missing.
  5. Check any phrases/short sentences which you have not used to see if they could fit in the gap.
  6. When you have finished the task, read through the completed text to make sure it makes sense.