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B2 First multiple-choice cloze: Part 1 practice

B2Reading & Use of English40 questionsUpdated

The B2 First multiple-choice cloze is Part 1 of Reading & Use of English: a short text with gaps and four options for each one. The options are almost always close in meaning, so the item is decided by collocation, by the preposition that follows, or by a fixed phrase. This page drills exactly that, with forty original items.

What this task tests

  • Collocation: which verb, adjective or adverb habitually goes with the noun in the sentence.
  • Fixed phrases such as by accident, in common, no point in, take into account.
  • Phrasal verbs, where the small word after the gap decides which verb is possible.
  • Dependent prepositions after verbs and adjectives: keen on, aimed at, based on, prevent from.
  • Linking words used inside a sentence: despite, although, whereas, even though.
  • Shades of meaning between near-synonyms such as cause, make, do and bring about.
  • Verb patterns: whether an option is followed by an infinitive, an -ing form or a that-clause.
  • Register, since some options are too formal or too informal for the text you are reading.
  • Participle adjectives, where -ed and -ing forms change who is feeling what.
  • Reading speed, because the text has to be understood before any option can be judged.

How to do it

  1. Step 1:

    Read the whole text once before you choose anything

    Thirty seconds of reading tells you the topic and the register. Options that sound wrong for a science article usually are wrong, and you stop treating each gap as an isolated puzzle.

  2. Step 2:

    Read to the end of the sentence, not to the gap

    The words after the gap are the single most useful clue. If one of them is a preposition, the item is almost certainly testing which option takes that preposition.

  3. Step 3:

    Name what is being tested before you choose

    Ask yourself: is this collocation, a phrasal verb, a preposition or a linker? Once you have named it, you know which clue to look at and you stop reading all four options five times.

  4. Step 4:

    Say each option aloud in your head inside the full phrase

    Collocation is stored as sound and habit rather than as a rule. Testing all four in the complete phrase catches the one that is simply never said in English.

  5. Step 5:

    Eliminate on evidence, not on feeling

    Cross off options you can justify rejecting, for example because they need a different preposition or a different verb pattern. If two remain, look again at the words after the gap.

  6. Step 6:

    Check the grammar of the option, not only its meaning

    Two options can mean the same thing and only one can be followed by an infinitive. Prevent takes from plus -ing; stop takes the same pattern; allow takes an object plus to.

  7. Step 7:

    Do not let one hard gap eat the paper

    Mark a guess, put a dot beside the number and move on. Part 1 is worth one mark per item, and the reading parts later carry two marks per question.

  8. Step 8:

    Come back at the end with fresh eyes

    Return to the dotted items after you have read the rest of the paper. The topic is now familiar, and the right collocation often appears immediately.

  9. Step 9:

    Answer every item

    There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so an empty gap is a guaranteed zero. If you are guessing, prefer the option you have actually met in a phrase before.

  10. Step 10:

    Keep it inside ten minutes

    Time the part when you practise. If you cannot finish in ten minutes, the problem is vocabulary depth rather than technique, and collocation revision is what will fix it.

Mistakes that cost marks

  • Not thisThe scheme is aimed to reduce waste.

    ThisThe scheme is aimed at reducing waste.

    Aimed takes at, and at is a preposition, so the verb after it goes into the -ing form.

  • Not thisHe made me a favour.

    ThisHe did me a favour.

    Favour collocates with do, not make. Make and do share the same field of meaning and have to be learned as pairs with their nouns.

  • Not thisDespite of the rain, we went out.

    ThisDespite the rain, we went out.

    In spite of has of; despite does not. Candidates blend the two phrases into one.

  • Not thisThe film has no resemblance with the book.

    ThisThe film bears no resemblance to the book.

    Resemblance takes to, and the fixed verb is bear. Changing one element of a fixed phrase usually loses the mark.

  • Not thisThe law prevents people to park here.

    ThisThe law prevents people from parking here.

    Prevent takes from plus -ing. The infinitive pattern belongs to allow, force and persuade.

  • Not thisI was very boring during the lecture.

    ThisI was very bored during the lecture.

    The -ing adjective describes the thing that causes the feeling; the -ed adjective describes the person who has it.

  • Not thisThe hotel consists 90 rooms.

    ThisThe hotel consists of 90 rooms.

    Consist always takes of. Contain and include take a direct object with no preposition, which is why the four options are hard to tell apart.

Language this task keeps reusing

bear no resemblance to
be completely unlike something
carry out
do or perform a piece of work, for example a survey
have something in common
share an interest or quality with someone
there is no point in
it is useless to do something
take something into account
consider something when deciding
by accident
not deliberately; the opposite of on purpose
call something off
cancel an arranged event
be keen on
like or be enthusiastic about something
aimed at
intended to achieve a particular result
make an effort
try hard to do something
take advantage of
make good use of an opportunity
put up with
tolerate something unpleasant
run the risk of
do something that may have a bad result
come up with
think of an idea or a solution
pay attention to
watch or listen carefully
in the long run
over a long period, in the end

Practice: multiple-choice cloze

40 original questions. The first 10 are open to everyone. Answers are checked in your browser and never sent to us, so you can share this page with a class as it is.

1Complete with one word. It follows ‘bears no’ and is followed by ‘to’.

The film bears noto the novel it is based on.
The council has decided to ___ out a survey of local transport.

3Complete with one preposition.

Her argument was basedfigures collected last year.
There is only a ___ chance that the flight will be cancelled.
Decide whether each statement about Part 1 is true or false.
  • The four options in a Part 1 item are usually close in meaning, so collocation decides the answer.
  • A gap can be part of a phrasal verb, so the word after the gap often decides the answer.
  • It is better to leave an item blank than to guess when you are unsure.
3 to go

6Complete with one verb that collocates with ‘a favour’.

Could youme a favour and post this letter?
___ the heavy rain, the festival went ahead as planned.

8Complete with one noun meaning ‘the duty of answering for something’.

She agreed to takefor the mistake.

9In a Part 1 item you are down to two options and both seem to fit. Describe what you check, in order.

10Complete with one word to make a phrasal verb meaning ‘cancel’.

The open-air concert was calledbecause of the storm.

Keep going

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Frequently asked questions

How long should Part 1 take?

Around eight to ten minutes. It is worth one mark per item, the same as the open cloze, so it does not deserve more time than the reading parts that carry two marks per question.

Is there a penalty for guessing?

No. Marks are given for correct answers only, so an unanswered gap is a guaranteed zero and a guess is not. Always fill every gap.

What is the fastest way to improve at this part?

Keep a collocation notebook rather than a word list. Record the whole phrase you met, for example ‘carry out a survey’, and revise phrases, not single words.

Do I need to understand every word of the text?

No. You need the sense of each sentence containing a gap, plus the general topic. Unknown words elsewhere rarely block an item, and stopping to decode them is what makes candidates run out of time.

Are the options ever different parts of speech?

Very rarely. Almost always the four options fit the slot grammatically, which is exactly why you have to decide on collocation, preposition or verb pattern rather than on grammar alone.

Should I do Part 1 first?

Most candidates do the parts in order, and Part 1 is a gentle warm-up. If Use of English is your strength, doing Parts 1 to 4 quickly first banks marks and leaves a clear run at the longer reading texts.