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.
Saving Species
Protecting endangered species is often presented as a simple matter of passing stricter laws, but the reality is far more complex. Many animals are threatened not only by hunting but (0) ALSO by habitat loss, pollution and climate change, all of which interact (1) .......... ways that are difficult to predict. Conservationists may succeed in protecting one area, only to find that the species migrates beyond it or depends (2) .......... another ecosystem that remains unprotected. In addition, local communities are sometimes expected to bear the costs of conservation, even though they may gain little (3) .......... it. If people are prevented from farming, fishing or building, they may come to see endangered species as obstacles rather (4) .......... natural treasures. This is why long-term success depends not only on science, but (5) .......... public support and economic planning. Another difficulty lies in the fact that some species reproduce so slowly that, even when threats are reduced, recovery takes years. By the time action is taken, numbers may have fallen (6) .......... low for the population to survive without human intervention. In such cases, experts must decide whether to focus (7) .......... breeding programmes, habitat restoration, or stricter enforcement. What is clear, however, is that without coordinated action, many species may disappear before we are able to learn enough (8) .......... save them.
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.