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.
Lack of Sleep
Doctors have long warned that sleep is essential (0) FOR both physical and mental health. Yet many people continue to cut back on rest, often because they believe they can function well (1) .......... less sleep. In reality, the body and mind suffer more quickly (2) .......... most people expect. After just one poor night, concentration becomes harder and small mistakes are more likely to happen. If this pattern continues, people may find (3) .......... difficult to control their emotions or make sensible decisions. Sleep deprivation also affects the body in ways that are not always obvious. It can weaken the immune system, making it harder to fight (4) .......... illness. In addition, people who regularly sleep too little are more likely to rely (5) .......... sugary snacks or caffeine to stay awake during the day. This may help for a short time, but it does not deal (6) .......... the real problem. Over time, a lack of sleep has been linked to serious health conditions, including heart disease. For this reason, experts advise adults to treat sleep as a necessity rather (7) .......... a luxury. Only by getting enough rest can we perform at our best and reduce the risk (8) .......... long-term harm.
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.