SF Prep
15 General English — Common Notes 🕒 Updated 2026-10-16
Common Notes SSC CGL · CHSL · Police · Bank · Railway Chapter 15

📄 Cloze Test

A passage with 5-10 blanks. Grammar, vocabulary and the passage's flow are tested together.

📑 Topics on this page (Jump to Topic):
1. Step-by-step Approach 2. Types of Clues 3. Practice MCQs

📌 1. Step-by-step Approach

  • 1. Read the whole passage once, skipping the blanks — understand the topic and tone.
  • 2. Read 1-2 sentences around each blank; check grammar (article, preposition, tense) first.
  • 3. Then meaning: which word fits the flow? Watch the linkers (however, therefore).
  • 4. Fill easy blanks first; hard ones get easier with more context.
  • 5. Finally, re-read the full passage.

📌 2. Types of Clues

ClueHow to spotExample
GrammarPreposition/article after the blankHe was ___ of the danger. → aware (aware of)
CollocationFixed pair___ a vital role → play
Contrastbut, although, howeverAlthough rich, he lived ___ → simply
TonePositive or negative passageA pollution passage takes words like "harmful", "alarming"
⚠️ Exam Traps:
  • If two options fit grammatically, check collocation and tone; the "nearly right" word is the biggest trap.

📌 3. Practice MCQs

📝 Practice MCQs (prepared by SF Prep — not PYQs)
Q1. In the following passage, choose the most appropriate word for the blank: Trees play a ______ role in keeping our environment clean. Practice
(A) minor
(B) vital
(C) useless
(D) harmful
Correct answer: (B) vital
Explanation: Collocation 'play a vital role'; positive tone.
Q2. In the following passage, choose the most appropriate word for the blank: Trees absorb carbon dioxide and ______ oxygen into the air. Practice
(A) consume
(B) absorb
(C) release
(D) destroy
Correct answer: (C) release
Explanation: They take in CO2 and give out oxygen → release.
Q3. In the following passage, choose the most appropriate word for the blank: Despite these benefits, forests are being cut down at an ______ rate. Practice
(A) alarming
(B) pleasing
(C) ordinary
(D) slow
Correct answer: (A) alarming
Explanation: 'Despite these benefits' → negative tone → alarming.
Q4. In the following passage, choose the most appropriate word for the blank: If this continues, future generations will ______ the consequences. Practice
(A) enjoy
(B) suffer
(C) ignore
(D) welcome
Correct answer: (B) suffer
Explanation: Negative consequences → suffer.
Q5. In the following passage, choose the most appropriate word for the blank: Regular exercise keeps the body fit and the mind ______. Practice
(A) dull
(B) tired
(C) weak
(D) alert
Correct answer: (D) alert
Explanation: Positive passage; fit body and alert mind.
Q6. In the following passage, choose the most appropriate word for the blank: Many people, ______, find it difficult to spare time for exercise. Practice
(A) however
(B) therefore
(C) moreover
(D) thus
Correct answer: (A) however
Explanation: Contrast with the previous sentence (exercise is good) → however.
Q7. In the following passage, choose the most appropriate word for the blank: Even a short walk every day can make a big ______ to one's health. Practice
(A) differ
(B) different
(C) difference
(D) differently
Correct answer: (C) difference
Explanation: A noun is needed after 'a big' → difference.
Q8. In the following passage, choose the most appropriate word for the blank: The internet has made it possible to ______ with people across the world instantly. Practice
(A) communication
(B) communicate
(C) communicative
(D) commune
Correct answer: (B) communicate
Explanation: A verb is needed after 'to' → communicate.
Q9. In the following passage, choose the most appropriate word for the blank: However, excessive use of social media can lead ______ anxiety and loneliness. Practice
(A) for
(B) into
(C) to
(D) at
Correct answer: (C) to
Explanation: Lead to = result in.
Q10. In the following passage, choose the most appropriate word for the blank: Experts advise that children should be ______ from spending too many hours on screens. Practice
(A) encouraged
(B) promoted
(C) allowed
(D) discouraged
Correct answer: (D) discouraged
Explanation: The advice is against the habit → discouraged.
Q11. In the following passage, choose the most appropriate word for the blank: The farmer worked hard ______ the scorching sun to save his crops. Practice
(A) under
(B) over
(C) above
(D) into
Correct answer: (A) under
Explanation: Fixed phrase: under the sun.
Q12. In the following passage, choose the most appropriate word for the blank: Water is a precious resource, yet we often ______ it carelessly. Practice
(A) save
(B) conserve
(C) waste
(D) preserve
Correct answer: (C) waste
Explanation: 'yet' signals contrast → waste.
Q13. In the following passage, choose the most appropriate word for the blank: Rainwater harvesting is a simple and ______ way to conserve water. Practice
(A) effective
(B) useless
(C) costly
(D) harmful
Correct answer: (A) effective
Explanation: Positive context → effective.
Q14. In the following passage, choose the most appropriate word for the blank: Books are our best friends; they never ______ us. Practice
(A) help
(B) follow
(C) teach
(D) desert
Correct answer: (D) desert
Explanation: Best friends never leave us → desert.
Q15. In the following passage, choose the most appropriate word for the blank: Reading not only increases our knowledge ______ also improves our vocabulary. Practice
(A) and
(B) but
(C) or
(D) yet
Correct answer: (B) but
Explanation: Not only … but also.
Q16. In the following passage, choose the most appropriate word for the blank: The old man had been ______ for years, so the villagers were surprised to see him walking briskly. Practice
(A) healthy
(B) active
(C) energetic
(D) ailing
Correct answer: (D) ailing
Explanation: 'Surprised' implies contrast → he had been ill → ailing.
Q17. In the following passage, choose the most appropriate word for the blank: The success of a democracy ______ on the active participation of its citizens. Practice
(A) rely
(B) depends
(C) based
(D) stands
Correct answer: (B) depends
Explanation: Depends on; singular subject → depends.
Q18. In the following passage, choose the most appropriate word for the blank: Voting is not merely a right but also a ______ of every citizen. Practice
(A) luxury
(B) burden
(C) duty
(D) choice
Correct answer: (C) duty
Explanation: Right but also a duty — standard pairing.
Q19. In the following passage, choose the most appropriate word for the blank: The scientist's discovery was so ______ that it changed the course of medicine. Practice
(A) remarkable
(B) ordinary
(C) trivial
(D) minor
Correct answer: (A) remarkable
Explanation: 'Changed the course' → remarkable.
Q20. In the following passage, choose the most appropriate word for the blank: Honesty is the best ______, as the old proverb says. Practice
(A) politics
(B) policy
(C) police
(D) polish
Correct answer: (B) policy
Explanation: Proverb: Honesty is the best policy.

📝 Practice questions

General English — Practice MCQs Ch 15: Cloze Test
📝 Test this chapter Practice questions

Practice MCQs prepared by SF Prep (not PYQs). Rules checked against standard grammar references.