Use of English - Open Cloze
C2
Cambridge English C2 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.
Sustainable Transport
For cities seeking cleaner air and greater efficiency, sustainable transport has (0) BECOME a central concern. The term refers not only to public transport systems, but also to cycling, walking and shared mobility, all of which can reduce dependence (1) .......... private cars. What makes such alternatives especially attractive is that they benefit not just the environment but society as a whole: fewer vehicles on the road often result (2) .......... lower noise levels, safer streets and improved public health. In many urban areas, however, people remain reluctant to change long-established habits, even when the advantages are clear. One reason is that they are so used (3) .......... the convenience of driving that they find it hard to imagine travelling any other way. Yet where governments invest seriously in reliable networks, residents are more likely to switch, provided services are frequent and affordable. The result is not merely a reduction in emissions, but also cities in (4) .......... people spend less time stuck in traffic. Sustainable transport can also strengthen local economies, as money once spent (5) .......... fuel is redirected towards local businesses. Little wonder, then, that experts insist (6) .......... it should form part of any long-term urban strategy. Without such measures, cities may struggle to cope (7) .......... growing populations and rising demand, whereas those that act early stand to benefit the (8) ...........
About Use of English Open Cloze — Cambridge English C2
In this Cambridge English C2 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 C2 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.