GUIDELINES FOR SECTION B (RATIONAL CLOZE)

SECTION B (RATIONAL CLOZE)

- Test on the usage of Grammar – in Paper 1 under Section B (Rational Cloze)
- Given a passage with 8 blanks (Questions 11 – 18)
- Require to fill each blank with one suitable grammar item.
- Given 3 or 4 options (A, B and C or A, B, C and D) for each question. Choose the best answer

Grammar items which are commonly tested in the examination are :
a) tenses
b) articles
c) subject – verb agreement
d) conjunctions
e) prepositions
f) adjectives
g) adverbs
h) pronouns


GUIDELINES
- Allocate only about 10 minutes for this section
- First, read through the whole passage to get the gist.
- While reading, look out for clues that may help you to identify the answers that may be found in the passage.
- Next, look at the context of the blank, that is, the words that come before and after the blank. These words may act as clues to identify the correct answer.
- Check the tenses, subject-verb agreement, parts of speech and vocabulary.
- Choose the best answer from the options A, B and C or A, B, C and D for each blank. Eliminate those options that are clearly incorrect.
- Finally, read through the whole text again to make sure that your answers are grammatically correct and that the passage itself makes sense.

Some tips to remember :
1) ‘do / does / did’ and ‘to’ – always followed by based form of verbs
2) Modal verbs
E.g will / would, shall / should, can / could, may / might, ought to, etc. – always followed
by based form of verbs
3) ‘before’, ‘while’, ‘when’ or ‘after’ – normally followed by present participles (verb + -ing)
4) a) ‘a’ for singular countable nouns that begin with consonant sounds
b) 'an’ for singular countable nouns that begin with vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u) or (silent ‘h’)
c) ‘the’ is used for unique words or words that have already been mentioned.
5) a) Plural forms – they, we, them, us, theirs, etc
b) Singular forms – he, she, it, his, hers, its, etc
6) Subject-verb agreement
a) singular subject takes singular verb
(i) add ‘s’, ‘es’, ‘ies’ to verbs
(ii) use of ‘has’, ‘is’, ‘does’
b) plural subject takes plural verb (including I and You)
(i) takes plural verb – no ‘s’ to verbs
(ii) use of ‘have’, ‘do’, ‘are’, etc .
(iii) but for ‘I’ – use ‘am’, ‘was’

MODEL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 1


Questions 11 – 18 are based on the following text.
n It was a dark ___________ (11) stormy night. We were riding back _______________ (12) supplies from town. We had been travelling for about an hour and it was getting very cold. I shivered and decided to button up ______________ (13) jacket. I looked across at Gary. His face was hidden by his hat. Suddenly, Gary’s horse _____________ (14) a shadow. It sprang sideways and rose on its hind legs. Gary _____________ (15) to the rocky ground. _______________ (16), a flash of lightning split in the dark sky and flashed the image of Gary as he lay crumpled and bleeding _______________ (17) the ground. I went to ______________ (18) aid but as I bent down close to Gary, I could see that he was no longer breathing.


11 A) but B) and C) or D) also
12 A) from B) which C ) with D) that
13 A) my B) its C) I D) his
14 A) see B) seen C) has seen
15 A) fling B) flung C) was flung
16 A) At the moment B) However C) Besides that
17 A) in B) at C) on D) from
18 A) him B) he C) his D) himself