Use of English PRO

Serena Williams

For many observers, the (0) DEFINING feature of Serena Williams's career was not merely the number of titles she won, but the way she repeatedly altered the terms on which women's tennis was discussed. From the moment she first (1) .......... onto the professional scene, she was seen as an athlete of unusual force and conviction. Yet reducing her success to power alone would be misleading, since her game also (2) .......... on tactical intelligence, resilience and an extraordinary capacity to recover from setbacks. Over the years, she faced injuries, scrutiny and periods in which critics were quick to (3) .......... her off, only for her to return and prove them mistaken. Her achievements, however, extend beyond sport. She became a cultural figure whose influence (4) .......... far beyond the court, helping to reshape conversations about race, gender and representation in elite athletics. Even opponents who challenged her most fiercely often spoke of the respect her presence (5) .......... on the game. By the time she moved away from full-time competition, she had already (6) .......... her place among the greatest athletes of any era. What makes her legacy especially compelling is that it cannot be measured solely in trophies; it also lies in the standards she set and the barriers she helped (7) .......... down. In that sense, her career did not simply entertain spectators; it (8) .......... a broader reimagining of what excellence in sport could look like.

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

  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.