CLOZE TEST EXERCISES

1. JILL

Jill was walking to her class slowly. She was worried ______ the History test she would have to ______ that morning. As she was reaching the classroom, a piece of paper suddenly fluttered down and ______ near her feet. As Jill glanced down at the paper, her heart nearly ______ a beat. It was the History test paper complete ______ answers ! Jill's very first thought was not to ______ anyone about what she had found. She would memorize ______ the answers and do extremely ______ in the test. After some hard thinking, however, she knew that it would be a very ______ thing to do. Besides, it would not be ______ to her classmates. In the ______ , Jill returned the paper to her History teacher, Miss James.

"Thanks, Jill. I have been searching high and ______ for it," said the teacher.

"I...I've read all the questions ______, Miss James," Jill confessed.

Miss James ______ her not to worry as she would think of new questions for the test. Jill's _______ sank. She was half hoping that the test ______ be cancelled. Nevertheless, she did her best in the new test later that day.A few days later, the test papers were ______ to the class. Go her pleasant surprise, Jill discovered that she had ______ eighty marks.

"You know something," she told her friends. "I could easily have scored ______ marks if I had cheated on this test. But I wouldn't be as pleased as I am ______ with the eighty marks I obtained."

2.HONEY BEE

The honey bee is a very unusual kind of insect. ______ other insects which live alone, the honey bee lives as a ______ of a community. These bees live ______ in what is known as a bee colony.

The head of the colony is called the queen bee. She is larger than the______ of the bees. Her main task ______ the colony is to lay eggs. Most of the ______ bees are the worker bees. These bees ______ nectar and pollen from flowers. The nectar ______ is carried by the worker bees is deposited on the hive and then converted ______ honey. The worker bees also help look ______ the young bees. as soon as the eggs are ______, the worker bees feed the young bees ______ pollen and nectar. The third type of bee found in the colony is the drone or ______ bee. The main task of ______ a bee is to mate with a new queen.

The queen bee has a life ______ of about three years. ______ this period, she would have ______ more than half a million eggs. ___18___ the queen bee is dying, a new queen would be groomed. This new queen would eventually take ______ the 'duties' of the old queen when the ______ dies.

3.SIGMUND FREUD

Ever since Sigmund Freud, it has been generally believed that ______ childhood, our parents, and ______ our mother, are the ______ important people in our ______. They are the dispensers ______ punishments and goodies. A ______ of the head means we could stay _____ an hour or two beyond our ______ bedtime, or to go on a trip ______ our friends.

Few other adults ever ______ such important part in a child's life as ______ parents. You ______ not have liked Mrs Lim, your form teacher, but she was ______ the ultimate authority during your childhood ______. Teachers may point ______ our mistakes in class, but they do not ______ the continuous authority ______ us that our parents do. What is ______ important is that the authority of the teacher ______ when school is over ______ the day.

4.SATURDAY AFTERNOON

It was a Saturday afternoon. Mr. and Mrs Kerugesu were window shopping at a shopping centre. As they stood outside a boutique, Mr. Kerugesu spotted a shiny new ______ machine.

"Look ! It's ______ of those modern computerized machines that tells your weight and gives you your fortune at the ___3___ time. I think I shall try it," he told his ______.

Mrs Kerugesu, however, was not too keen ______ the idea.

"Let's _____ bother. I don't _____ in fortune telling," she said.

Mr. Kerugesu, however, insisted ______ trying the machine. He was very curious to ______ out his 'fortune'. He stepped on the machine and ______ a fifty cent coin. There was a soft buzzing ______ from the machine. A few seconds ______ , a slip of paper emerged. Mrs. Kerugesu took the slip and ______ it out to her husband :

"Your fortune : You are a clever and ______ person. If you are working, you will become an employee that ______ boss would be proud of. You will become a good leader ______ men. Everyone will listen to you ______ you speak. ______ you lead, everyone will follow."

Mrs. Kerugesu paused ______ breath."It's got your weight _____ too," she added.

5. ALL NIGHT

I could not sleep at all last night. Normally, ______ a hard day of studying, I am exhausted and would fall asleep as soon as my head touches the ______. Last night, however, I did not sleep a ______. It was an especially hot and humid night. ______ I had the fan blowing at me, I was perspiring all ______. I tossed and turned in bed, _____ very uncomfortable.

After an hour or so, I decided to help ______ fall asleep by reading a book. I had heard from friends that reading a dull book can induce ______. I turned on my table lamp and began _____ a chapter from my chemistry text. Sure enough, I began to feel sleepy after ploughing ______ two pages. I hurriedly tossed my book ______ and turned off the light. However, the minute I closed my ______ , my mind was flooded ______ the numerous chemical equations that I had read. I tried to ______ my mind blank but could not do so. I even ______ to counting sheep to make myself sleepy. ______ all my efforts, sleep simply would not come.In the end, I gave up trying to sleep. I sat up in bed and gazed out of my window. ______ dawn was approaching, there were still a few twinkling stars in the sky. In the stillness of the night, only the crickets could be ______. Lulled by the chirping of the crickets, my eyes ______ heavy. However, just as I was about to ______ off, my alarm clock rang. It was time to be up and about.

6.SKY

The sky was getting darker by the minute and strong wind was ______ across the field. Soon, ______ of water were falling down ______ the overcast sky.Peter did not ______ the rain at all. It was ______ than playing under the hot ______. He liked the ______ of rain on his face and the cold sensation ______ it soaked through his football jersey.His team had been _____ hard for the tournament. It had been two years ______ they last won the Inter-Constituency Football Cup. Last year, in the game ______ Rockingham, their team had lost ______ just one goal. They were determined to win the Cup back this year.

"Goal !"

His team had ______ again. Peter wanted to ______ the next goal. If only he could get _____ the two defenders, he would be able to ______ the ball into the goal easily.He did not ______ to score his goal because the rain was pouring too ______ and the field was getting too wet. As the boys ended their game and walked ______ the field, Peter sneezed. he felt and unpleasant tingle of coldness running ______ his body.

7. RED INDIANS

The Red Indians were waiting for the arrival ______ the bison. The beasts, ______ come only once a year, are a good ______ of meat and hide. The Red Indians needed these to ______ the cold, bitter winter.

Tikki, the young boy, was chosen to look ______ for the herd's arrival. Every day, he would run to the _____ of the hill to see if he could spot them ______ the vast horizon.

One night, _____ he was sleeping, the ground shook violently and his bag of arrows fell _____ from its hook on the wall. Tikki rushed out of his wigwam and ______ a strong gust of wind and dust gush ______ him. Shouting excitedly, he ran to the ______ wigwams and woke everyone ______ . A big fire was immediately ______ and the Red Indians danced ______ it, giving praises to their God ______ had, at last, sent ______ their food and clothing of animal hide. The next morning, ______ the warrior were assigned to hunt ______ the beasts which were grazing ______ the river.

8. CHINATOWN

If you walk down Chinatown today, you ______ see that the most prominent building ______ is Chinatown Point. It stands ______ as the most modern building there. Years ago, however, the old storehouses along the street were the ______ of activity.______ the Chinese New Year season, stalls selling all kinds of goods, lined the street in Chinatown. Goods ______ from food to clothes, flowers to household provisions. These stalls were ______ late into the night and hundreds of ______ would brave the crowd to do their new year ______. It was a hot and noisy affair, but one could feel the festive ______ in the air amidst the crowd. The ________ exciting day for shopping was New Year's Eve ______. As midnight approached, ______ of goods were drastically reduced. This was because the stallholders wanted to sell ______ their goods quickly so that they could go home to ______ the new year. It was also at ______ time that the crowd was ______ its thickest.In the early 1980s, the Urban Renewal Authority decided that the roadside stalls ______ to go for hygiene ______. Thus, shopping ______ the stars in Chinatown has become a mere memory for many people.

9.LOUIS BRAILLE

Louis Braille was born in the nineteenth century. When he was three years old, a tragic accident at his father's workshop left ______ permanently blind. ______ a young boy, Louis was hardworking and intelligent. His teachers suggested that he should be enrolled ______ the National Institute for Blind Youths. At that time, this was the only school ______ the blind in France.

At the institute, Louis was eager to ______ to read and write. To his great disappointment, the few ______ he found at the institute used railed letters. This method of reading was difficult for the blind, who had to feel slowly ______ letter. By the time they ______ the end of a sentence, they had forgotten what the ______ was about !

Louis wanted to develop an ______ reading system for the blind. His idea of such a system ______ from Charles Barbier, a French army officer. Barbier had invented a system called 'Night Writing', which was ______ up of dots and dashes. Soldiers used this system to ______ with one another during the night. Louis adapted this system for his own ______ . He got ______ of the dashes and produced a simpler system ______ on dots. For example, 'A' is represented _____ a single dot. Many blind students found this system ______ easier to use.

This ______ to be known as the 'Braille' system. Today, millions of ______ people are able to read, thanks to the work of a dedicated, young blind man.

10. POLUTION

Many rivers and lakes around the world are polluted. The discharge of ______ materials by factories and households ______ pollution to rivers and lakes. The Rhine River in Europe and the Great Lakes in North America ______ good examples of a river and lakes that are polluted. Their ______ cannot be drunk.The ______ thing is happening to the sea. In ______ instance, certain factories in Japan dumped industrial waste ______ the sea. Many people suffered ______ lead or mercury poisoning _____ eating fish caught in such polluted waters. Pollution in certain areas of the sea ______ now reaching dangerous levels. Many ships discharge their waste materials ______ unwanted engine oil into the sea. These wastes ______ lead and mercury which are poisonous. Sometimes, accidents ______ oil tankers can cause oil to be discharged into the sea and ______ the beach.In ______ to discharge from factories and sewers, pollution can also come about as a _______ of politics. Individuals ______ want power deliberately place the living things in the sea ______ risk. In a recent example, many barrels of oil were deliberately ______ into the Gulf to ______ ships and soldiers from attacking the annexed shores of Kuwait.

11. KARATE

Karate is more than just an ______ of self-defence in ______ of trouble. It builds character and ______ its exponents in shape.In karate, individuals learn to ______ their minds and bodies, replacing aggression ______ tolerance, and pride with humility. They also ______ that fighting is always the ______ resort in solving a ______. Karate instils ______ iron-clad discipline, tutoring ______ to stretch their tolerance and humility ______ levels beyond their normal sphere ______ experience. ______ the discipline, an exponent ______ learns, one

cannot master the martial art.Unfortunately, there are ______ misconceptions about karate. Most of this misunderstanding ______ from the violent shows ______ television or on the big screen. ______ to all these movies, karate has now become misused ______ a lack of understanding of ______ basic principles.

12.MATCHSTIKES

"Would you like to buy a box of matchsticks, mister ?" the little girl asked. The man ______ she approached did not even ______ to answer her. He shuffled ______ in his great coat, eager to get home ______ his cosy fireplace.The girl was shivering _____ the cold. It had been ______ continuously for the past two days. The girl's shoes, ______ were already thin were thoroughly soaked. Yet, her sweet, angelic ______ did not lose ______ innocent smile. It only made her ______ more pathetic when she knitted her brows sometimes. Her feet ______ sore with painful chilblains.

Someone shouted, "Watch ______, girl !"

It was too ______ ! The coach ws going too fast and the ______ had not seen her earlier. There was barely enough ______ for the little girl to take a step back. In her hurry to get to ______, the basket of matchsticks fell ______ the snow.She ______ them up, wet and dirty from a puddle of melted snow. The matchstick couldn't be used now. as she began to make her way ______, she realised that she had lost ______ of her shoes in the snow.

13.HAKIN

The day after the flimsy hut was completed, Hakim found work as a qualified mason. His daily income was eight dollars. ______ employer was a contractor who was ______ a canal. Meanwhile, Zati worked on ______ foothills. cutting grass which she sold ______ fodder for cattle. She usually sold ______ to the shopkeepers at the bazaar. ______ her bundle of grass weighing anything ______ to fifty kilograms and which she _____ to carry for between ten ______ fourteen kilometers, she received three dollars. ______ the eleven dollars, the family of four lived in comparative comfort, for food was plentiful and cheap. For the first time in their lives they were able to afford one meat meal a month.

14.MIDNIGHT

It was midnight when the last guest left. I sighed heavily as I looked around. The living room was ______ of cigarette smell and stale perfume. As I looked around, I ______ wet patches of spilt beer on my best Persian carpet. My antique vases were totally smashed. They had even ______ my antique oak tables as ashtrays. These guests of ______ had done their best to destroy my expensively decorated living room ! What a night this had turned ______ to be.I shook my head. The mess would ______ hours to clear. Getting ______ of the smell would require days. My housekeeper would had resigned ______ the spot if she saw the mess. i had to do ______ fast. I could not afford to lose her ______ she is the best cook I ______ ever had.I had no choice. I went to the bookshelf, took ______ the book 'The Evolution of Man' by Charles Darwin and pressed on the wall behind ______ . A small hole in the wall appeared ______ my right. I reached ______ and took out a long object. Then I waved it in the ______. The room started to clean itself ______ . Even the antique vases started fitting themselves ______ so well that one could not tell they had been ______. As you might have guessed by ______, the long object is a wand, and I am what they call a witch.

15.FURNITURE

All the furniture ______ still intact in the living room. The chairs, the table and the sofa were covered with big white sheets. In the far corner, covered with a thick ______ of dust, stood an old-fashioned grandfather's clock. According ______ a neighborhood legend, it had stopped ______ exactly at the same time ______ the owner had died.

"Just ______ the ghost stories I often hear," Lily thought, and giggled nervously. It didn't seem ______ funny, though, as when she was ______ her group of friends out in the warm sunshine. Here, _____ the cold wind seemed to blow right ____ one's bones, it was a different story._____ she froze. There was no outlet for the wind to ______ the house! Furthermore, there was no ______, so the fans could not have been working. Fear filled her heart. It seemed to ______ faster, ______ just like the ticking of a clock ... a big grandfather clock. Lily ______ very slowly to look at the clock in the corner. It was ______ very loudly!Lily screamed and ran out of the ______. A ghostly laugh, mixed ______ the cry of the wind, ______ her hasty escape.

16.GHOST STORY

You must have heard of many ghost stories, but have you heard of this ______ from Japan ? The story ______ like this; one moonlit night, a man was walking home along the river ______ he saw a woman ______ on the bridge. He could not see her ______ because she was sitting with her back ______ him. However, he could see that she was crying ______ hysterically that her whole body was shaking. The man felt ______ for her. when he went ______ to comfort her, she suddenly ______ around. To his horror, the man I ______ that she had no eyes, no nose and no mouth ______ her face ! ______ a while the man stood frozen. Then he turned and ran away as ___ as he could until he ______ to the nearest inn.Once ______, he began to stammer out what he had seen, for he was trembling ______ fear. The

proprietor of the inn, who had been bending ______ to clean the tables, straightened ______ and asked him, "Did she look ______ this ?" His face, too, was egg-like.The man fainted !

17. LEFT HANDED

About one ______ of ten people is left-handed. As the ______ of the population is right-handed, the left-handed person may face problems in ______ his every day activities. For example, the left-handed person may have difficulties ______ objects that are made for right-handed people. These objects ______ can-openers, scissors and certain musical instruments.Why are some people left-handed ? One theory for ______ is that our body is 'asymmetrical'. This ______ that both halves of our bodies are not _____ the same. For example, your right foot may be slightly larger than your left _____. Your right hand may be different in appearance ______ your left. This kind of 'asymmetry' takes ___11___ throughout the entire body.When we come ______ the brain, there is a left half and a right half as ______. These ______ halves have very different functions. The left half of the brain deals ______ logical functions such as reading and writing. The right half, on the other ______, helps us to think creatively. For people who are right-handed, it is the left side of the brain ______ predominates. For left-handed people, however, the reverse is ______. For them, ______ is the right side of the brain that is dominant. Thus, such people would tend to use the left side of their bodies in ______ they do.

18.FAMILY LADDER

Do you know that your place ______ the family ladder may have certain effects on the sort ______ person you grow up to ______ ? You maybe the ______ child, the eldest, youngest or middle one; you may be the youngest of three boys or ______ eldest girl with a younger brother _____ sister. All the different ______ of relationships will ______ helped to make you the _____ you are. The number of years ______ your siblings and ______ also helps to shape your character.Knowing such details about your best friend or loved one could also ______ you about the type of friend or partner he needs. For example, a boy with a younger sister would normally get ______ much better with a girl ______ has an older brother than ______ a girl who has a younger brother. Similarly, ______ your girlfriend is the oldest in her family, she would probably be more than a ____ domineering.Fortunately ______ all of us, family psychology is not totally accurate. There are always ______ to the rule. Most important of all, we should always judge ______ according to who they are, not the relatives they have.

19.CHESS

There is probably ______ game in the world as fascinating and as complex as chess. ______ as the 'royal game' , this game and its variations have been played ______ many centuries. It may well ______ the oldest game in the world.Where ______ this game originate from ? Some people have the ______ that the game probably originated from Persia. This is because the word 'chess' is derived ______ the Persian word `shah' which means 'king'. However, ______ have argued that it could have been started by the Buddhists in India. According to

Buddhist belief, any kind of killing is ______ wrong and sinful. Thus, chess was actually invented ______ a substitute of war! No one, however, ______ the exact origin of the game.The individual chess pieces too have _____ several changes. In ancient ______, the king could be captured and the game could ______ continue. This would not be ______ in today's game. The piece ______ has undergone the most changes is the queen. Today, the queen is ______ as the most powerful piece in the game. In fact, when you ______ your queen, you feel as if you have lost the game ______ Back in the old days, however, the queen was the weakest piece on the ______ It could ____ move one square at a time.Today, chess is well-known ______ the world. Thousands of books have been ______ about this game. Many people, young and ______, also take ______ in chess tournaments.

20. BUTTERFLIES

Butterflies have ingenious ways of protecting ______ from their enemies. One variety, ______ as the monarch, gives out body juices that make _____ taste horrible to its ___4___, the butterfly feeders. Another variety, the viceroy, has come to ______ like the monarch through a ______ of change called natural selection. Birds sometimes _____ it for a monarch and stay away from it.The Chryxus artic, another butterfly, ______ the darkness of its wings according to the kind of rock it rests on to ______ with the surroundings. Some butterflies resemble dead leaves when they lie _____, making it ______ for birds to spot them. Some shut their wings tightly to ______ their colorful wings. The underside of the butterflies, which is ______ a dull color, fades ____ the surroundings.Perhaps, the most interesting camouflage is ______ of the owl butterfly. It has a pattern on its wings that ______ the eyes of the owl. Some birds ______ it because they think it is an owl! Even the butterfly larvae have ______ of protecting themselves; some ______ spikes on their bodies and others give off a bad smell ______ they are disturbed!