Use of English PRO

A Family Trip

Family holidays often reveal more about people than everyday life does. On one recent trip, our family set (0) OFF before dawn, each of us carrying far too many bags and opinions. My sister, who always takes great pride in her appearance, had packed clothes (1) .......... for three different climates, despite the fact that we were only going away for a week. My father, by contrast, insisted on travelling light and kept (2) .......... fun at the rest of us for bringing what he called 'half the house'. As the journey went on, conversation never seemed to dry (3) .......... . We moved from discussing old family stories to arguing about where to stop for lunch. Food, in fact, became the main topic by midday, with everyone putting (4) .......... a different suggestion. My mother wanted somewhere traditional, while my brother was in favour of trying a place recommended by a friend. In the end, we came (5) .......... a small roadside restaurant that none of us had noticed before. The meal was so good that even my father, who is usually very hard to please, admitted it had lived (6) .......... to expectations. By the time we finally reached our destination, we were tired but cheerful, and all the minor disagreements had been put (7) .......... us. It was one of those journeys that reminded me how much family life, like travel itself, depends (8) .......... patience, humour and a good meal.

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

  1. Read the title and the whole text quickly to understand its general meaning before you attempt the task.
  2. Check the words before and after the gap.
  3. Choose the best option.
  4. When you have finished, read the text again with the words inserted to check that it makes sense.