Use of English - Open Cloze
C1
Cambridge English C1 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.
Youth and Change
Youth movements have long played (0) AN important role in shaping public debate and pushing societies towards reform. In many countries, young people have been at the forefront of campaigns aimed (1) .......... improving education, protecting the environment and challenging political injustice. What often sets such movements apart is not merely the age of their members, but the speed (2) .......... which they adapt to new circumstances and communicate their message. In the past, youth activism depended heavily (3) .......... face-to-face meetings, printed leaflets and local networks. Today, however, digital platforms allow ideas to spread rapidly, making it easier for campaigns to gain support far (4) .......... their original communities. This does not mean that online action alone is enough; lasting change usually depends (5) .......... sustained effort, clear goals and the ability to persuade others. Many youth movements succeed because they appeal not only to emotion but also to a sense of shared responsibility. They remind older generations that social progress rarely comes (6) .......... pressure from below. Whether campaigning for equal rights or climate action, young activists often force institutions to respond to issues that might otherwise be put (7) .......... indefinitely. It is through such persistence that they can bring (8) .......... meaningful social change.
About Use of English Open Cloze — Cambridge English C1
In this Cambridge English C1 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 C1 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.