Use of English - Multiple Choice
C1
Cambridge English C1 Exam
For questions 1-8, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap. Click the gaps to type your answer.
First Impressions of China
Anyone visiting China for the first time is likely to be (0) TAKEN aback by the sheer scale of everything. Cities seem to stretch far beyond the horizon, and even a quick trip to buy noodles can (1) .......... into a full adventure. One minute you are confidently following a map; the next, you are (2) .......... up in a market where nobody appears remotely surprised by your confusion. Yet this is precisely part of the charm. China has a remarkable capacity to (3) .......... visitors with moments that are both bewildering and delightful. Of course, it helps to keep an open mind. Customs may differ, meals may arrive in an order that leaves you wondering whether dessert has (4) .......... before dinner, and train stations can test your ability to remain calm under pressure. Even so, most travellers soon (5) .......... on to the rhythm of daily life and begin to enjoy the unpredictability. A stranger may go out of their way to help, a quiet street may suddenly (6) .......... into a festival, and an ordinary walk can provide stories for years. In the end, visiting China is less about sticking rigidly to a plan and more about being willing to (7) .......... with the unexpected. Do that, and you will almost certainly come (8) .......... with memories far better than anything in your guidebook.
About Use of English Multiple Choice — Cambridge English C1
This is a Cambridge English C1 Use of English Multiple Choice exercise. Read the text and decide which word — A, B, C or D — best fits each of the 8 gaps.
Multiple Choice questions test your vocabulary in context: collocations, phrasal verbs, linking words and words with similar but slightly different meanings. Practising C1 exercises like this builds the instinct to choose the right option quickly in the real exam.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many questions does this C1 Multiple Choice exercise have?
It has 8 gaps, and each gap gives you four options (A–D) to choose from.
What does Cambridge Use of English Multiple Choice test?
It focuses on vocabulary in context — collocations, phrasal verbs, fixed phrases and words that look similar but are not interchangeable.
How can I get better at Multiple Choice?
Read widely, learn words together with the words they combine with, and always read the whole sentence — including the words after the gap — before choosing your answer.
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What to do
In this part, you read a text with eight gaps and choose the best word from four options to fit each gap.
Nothing prepares you for this test better than reading.
Read a lot. Candidates who often read in English (for work, for fun) find this part of the test manageable, while those who never read tend to find it very hard.
If you are 100% sure that two of the 4 choices are completely identical, then neither can be the answer. There is always only one word that fits grammatically and has the right meaning.
Usually the correct option will be part of a fixed phrase or collocation, a phrasal verb, a connector or the only word that fits grammatically in the gap.
Strategy
- Read the title and the whole text quickly to understand its general meaning before you attempt the task.
- Check the words before and after the gap.
- Choose the best option.
- When you have finished, read the text again with the words inserted to check that it makes sense.