Use of English - Multiple Choice
C2
Cambridge English C2 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.
Language and Necessity
Some commentators have recently (0) CLAIMED that English is no longer the indispensable global tool it was once assumed to be. Their argument is not entirely without (1) .........., since advances in translation software and the growing economic influence of non-English-speaking regions have indeed altered the linguistic landscape. In certain sectors, people can now (2) .......... by perfectly well using only their first language, particularly when digital platforms instantly mediate communication. Even so, the conclusion that English is simply not needed at all does not fully (3) .......... up to scrutiny. Much depends on what is meant by 'needed'. If the term is taken in its narrowest sense, then yes, countless individuals manage to live, work and socialise without ever acquiring more than a few phrases. Yet in academia, diplomacy and international business, English still tends to (4) .......... as a shared medium when no other common language is available. It also confers access to a vast body of research, media and professional networks. To dismiss it outright is therefore to (5) .......... the point. The more balanced view is that English is no longer the sole gateway to opportunity, but neither has it become wholly (6) ........... Its role has shifted rather than vanished, and its usefulness varies according to context, ambition and geography. In that (7) .........., the debate is less about necessity in the absolute and more about degrees of advantage. Claims to the contrary should therefore be treated with a certain amount of (8) .......... .
About Use of English Multiple Choice — Cambridge English C2
This is a Cambridge English C2 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 C2 exercises like this builds the instinct to choose the right option quickly in the real exam.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many questions does this C2 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.