Use of English PRO

The Sharing Economy

The (0) RISE of the sharing economy has been swift, and it has changed the way many people think about ownership. Instead of buying a car, some city dwellers now (1) .......... on car-sharing schemes; instead of booking a hotel, they rent a spare room from a stranger. Supporters argue that this model makes better use of resources and can (2) .......... costs for consumers. However, the sector has not grown without controversy. Traditional businesses complain that platforms are able to (3) .......... regulations that others must follow, while local authorities struggle to keep (4) .......... with rapid expansion. In some cities, short-term rentals have been blamed for pushing up rents, as landlords (5) .......... to more profitable tourist lets. Even so, it would be wrong to dismiss the sharing economy as a passing trend. For many users, the appeal lies in convenience and the sense of community it can (6) .......... about. Yet trust remains crucial: if reviews are manipulated or customer service is slow to (7) .......... in, confidence can quickly evaporate. Looking ahead, the challenge will be to strike a balance between innovation and accountability, so that growth does not come (8) .......... of fairness.

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.