Practice Tests: Open Cloze | C2 Proficient (CPE)
Part 2 of the C2 Proficient (CPE) Paper is called ‘Open Cloze‘. You read a text with eight gaps and choose the best word from four options to fit each gap. This part consists of a short text with eight gaps. Unlike Part 1, there are no choices for what word you need. You must use your knowledge to fill the gap with the correct word.
Essential Tips:
- Read the whole text for gist before you attempt the task. It is important to notice if negative ideas are expressed, or where there is antithesis or contrast.
- Think about the type of word that is missing. Most gapped words form part of the grammatical structure of a sentence, but some may form part of a phrasal verb or a fixed phrase.
- Check the words before and after the gap carefully, Remember, the gapped word must fit into the meaning of the text as a whole. Sometimes a gapped word will affect the development of the text, so be careful.
- When the gapped word is a quantifier, think about whether it is positive or negative. When it is a connector, does it introduce a supporting point or a contrasting one?
- Once you have completed the task, read through the text again to make sure it makes sense. Check your spelling: marks are not awarded for misspelt words.
C2 Proficient (CPE) Open Cloze: Tests
Read the text and choose the correct answer. Click on a gap and a choice of words will appear.
Can the Earth keep up with human consumption?
The long-term consequences of rising consumption have already been demonstrated empirically. In an experiment in sustainability, four intrepid ‘bioneers’ were sealed in Biosphere 2, a massive airtight structure covering 1.25 hectares of the Arizona desert. After two years, the occupants quit due to the inability of the ecosystems to sustain human life and returned to Biosphere 1: Earth.
The experiment clearly shows that 1.25 hectares provide far from enough resources for four people. The average Briton requires about five hectares to support their lifestyle, a North American twice that, whereas the average Mexican gets by on less than half the UK level. The problem is that we only have so much land to share out. The planet’s 10 billion hectares sound a lot until|unless one considers the size of the population and the fact that it is going to rise. By 2050, space per global citizen will have reduced to one hectare.
More nations will be approaching US consumption levels in years to come and previous data suggests that at least four additional Earths will be needed to sustain such a level. unlike the inhabitants of Biosphere 2, when Biosphere 1 fails, we will have nowhere else to go.
Retail therapy
For many people, ‘retail therapy’ offers the ultimate salvation from the stresses of modern living. But a major new study now suggests that for millions of people, binge shopping is no longer an emotional cure-all. if anything, it may make you feel worse. ‘For significant numbers, dissatisfaction is now part of the shopping process; said Lucy Purdy of analysts Publicis, which carried out the nationwide study. ‘Shopping offers a short-term buzz, and, as a society, we now recognize this and we’re getting fed up with short-term emotions.’ The Publicis researchers said retailers should tailor their marketing more carefully so that shoppers don’t feel that they are being tricked into making unnecessary purchases.
The psychologist Oliver lames said: ‘We’re now seeing a generation which has been brought up to believe that the pursuit of status and wealth is the route to fulfilment, which has turned out to be manifestly not true. In fact, how rich you are has no bearing whatsoever on your mental health or well-being.’
The world about us
Pressure groups such as Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth have done a considerable amount to change the attitude of the general public towards environmental problems. However, their once strident voices of protest now sound far from being extreme, and politicians from all parts of the world have begun to realize that global warming is a very real problem which they are having to address|take much more seriously now than they ever did in the past. Nevertheless, this is not the time to be complacent because unless radical practical measures are put in place quickly, in years to come, the situation will only get worse. unlike the way things were in the past, from now on we will not be able to get by on our current reserves of energy sources and we will have to look elsewhere for substitutes.
FCE, CAE, CPE
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C2 Proficient (CPE) Open Cloze: Tips & Strategy
Strategy:
- Read the whole text for gist before you attempt the task. It is important to notice if negative ideas are expressed, or where there is antithesis or contrast.
- Think about the type of word that is missing. Most gapped words form part of the grammatical structure of a sentence, but some may form part of a phrasal verb or a fixed phrase.
- You are never required to write a contraction. If you think the answer is a contraction, it must be wrong, so think again.
- Check the words before and after the gap carefully. Remember, the gapped word must fit into the meaning of the text as a whole. Sometimes a gapped word will affect the development of the text, so be careful.
- When the gapped word is a quantifier, think about whether it is positive or negative. When it is a connector, does it introduce a supporting point or a contrasting one?
- Once you have completed the task, read through the text again to make sure it makes sense. Check your spelling: marks are not awarded for misspelt words.
Tips:
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.
The spelling must be correct to get a mark in the exam.