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.
Career Mentors
Many successful professionals say that a mentor played an important part (0) IN their career development. A mentor is usually someone with more experience, (1) .......... can offer advice, encouragement and honest feedback. For people at the start of their working lives, this kind of support can make it easier to deal (2) .......... uncertainty and to learn from mistakes. Good mentors do not simply tell others what to do; they help them think (3) .......... problems more clearly and make better decisions. In addition, mentors often introduce younger colleagues (4) .......... useful contacts and new opportunities. This can be especially valuable in competitive fields, where knowing how to present yourself is just as important as having technical ability. A mentor may also help someone recognise strengths that they were not aware (5) .......... before. As a result, mentees often become more confident and willing to take (6) .......... new challenges. However, mentoring is not a one-way process. Experienced workers can learn from younger colleagues too, particularly when it comes to new technology or changing workplace habits. The best mentoring relationships are based (7) .......... trust, respect and regular communication. Without these qualities, it is difficult for either person to benefit fully (8) .......... the experience.
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.