Use of English - Open Cloze
B2
Cambridge English B2 Exam
For questions 1-8, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only one word in each gap. Click the gaps to type your answer.
Steve Jobs and Apple
Steve Jobs is (0) BEST known for his role in shaping modern consumer technology. In the 1970s, he helped start Apple, a company that would later become one of the most valuable (1) .......... the world. Although Jobs was often described as demanding, many colleagues said he had a rare ability to focus (2) .......... what truly mattered to users. After internal conflicts, he left Apple, but he did not stay away (3) .......... innovation. He founded NeXT and also became involved with Pixar, (4) .......... went on to transform animated films. When Jobs returned to Apple in the late 1990s, the company was struggling, and it was unclear (5) .......... it could recover. However, under his leadership Apple introduced products that changed everyday habits, including the iPod and later the iPhone. Jobs insisted that design and technology should work together, rather (6) .......... competing. His presentations were famous for their simplicity, and he could make complex ideas sound (7) .......... they were obvious. Even after his death, his influence remains strong, and many entrepreneurs still look (8) .......... his career for inspiration.
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
- Read the title and the whole text so that you understand what it is about.
- Read the whole sentence in which the gap occurs, to look for clues as to what kind of word you need.
- Check the words before and after each gap and look for grammatical collocations.
- Remember you must write only one word.
- You are never required to write a contraction. If you think the answer is a contraction, it must be wrong, so think again.
- Read the whole text through once you have completed it to make sure you have not missed any connectors, plurals or negatives.