Use of English PRO

Documentaries and Opinion

Documentaries are often praised (0) FOR making complex issues easier to understand, but their influence goes far beyond education. A well-made film can shape public opinion (1) .......... presenting facts, interviews and images in a powerful sequence. Viewers may feel that they are simply receiving information, when in fact they are also being guided towards a particular interpretation. This does not mean that documentaries are necessarily dishonest. Many are based (2) .......... careful research and give voice to people who might otherwise go unheard. However, the director still decides what to include and what to leave (3) .......... . As a result, audiences may come away with a strong impression of an issue without being aware of how selective the process has been. For this reason, it is worth asking not only what a documentary says, but also how it says (4) .......... . Music, editing and camera angles can all affect (5) .......... we respond emotionally. Even when two films deal with the same subject, they may lead viewers (6) .......... very different conclusions. In the end, documentaries can encourage debate, but they should also be watched (7) .......... a critical mind, so that people think for themselves rather (8) .......... accepting every message unquestioningly.

About Use of English Open Cloze — Cambridge English B2

In this Cambridge English B2 Use of English Open Cloze exercise you read a short text and think of the one word that best fits each of the 8 gaps.

Open Cloze tests grammar and common fixed expressions — articles, prepositions, pronouns, auxiliary verbs and linking words. Only one word goes in each gap, and it is usually a small grammatical word rather than vocabulary.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many gaps are in this B2 Open Cloze exercise?

There are 8 gaps, and you must write exactly one word in each.

What kind of words go in the gaps?

Usually grammatical words: prepositions, articles, pronouns, auxiliaries, relative pronouns and parts of fixed phrases.

What is the best strategy for Open Cloze?

Read the whole text first for meaning, then look closely at the words around each gap — the answer almost always depends on the immediate grammar.

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What to do

This part consists of a short text with a series of gaps. There are no words from which to choose the answers, candidates have to think of a word which fits the gap correctly.

Errors in punctuation are ignored, although spelling must be correct.

Contractions (e.g. don’t, we’ve, won’t) count as two words. However, can’t is a contraction of cannot, which is one word.

Sometimes, there is more than one correct answer. Cambridge will always account for this and all options will be accepted. However, you should not write more than one answer.

Don't spend time in a word you don't know. Wasting time on this activity might cost you points later in the exam because you won’t have enough time to do other tasks well.

Strategy

  1. Read the title and the whole text so that you understand what it is about.
  2. Read the whole sentence in which the gap occurs, to look for clues as to what kind of word you need.
  3. Check the words before and after each gap and look for grammatical collocations.
  4. Remember you must write only one word.
  5. You are never required to write a contraction. If you think the answer is a contraction, it must be wrong, so think again.
  6. Read the whole text through once you have completed it to make sure you have not missed any connectors, plurals or negatives.