Use of English Part 2
The Cambridge B2 part 2 open cloze exercise asks you to complete gaps in a text. On this page we will talk about how it works and what you need to do.
What do I have to do in the Cambridge B2 part 2 exercise?
Instructions
For questions 9-18 read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only one word in each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).
Write your answers IN CAPITAL LETTERS on the separate answer sheet.
| 0 | ALTHOUGH |
Fast Food in History
_________(0) taverns and coffee houses were popular places to meet and share beverages in the 17th century, the idea of eating out ___ (9) fun didn’t take off in Western society ______ (10) the late 18th century.
While McDonald’s was the first restaurant to ______ (11) the assembly-line system, some people think of White Castle as the first fast-food chain. White Castle _______(12) founded in 1921 in Wichita, Kansas. At the time, _______(13) people considered the burgers sold at fairs, circuses, lunch counters and carts to be low-quality.
White Castle’s founders decided to change ________(14) the public saw hamburgers. They built their restaurants so that customers could see the food ________ (15) prepared. They painted the buildings white and even chose a name that suggested cleanliness. White Castle was ________(16) popular in the American East and Midwest, but its success helped to give hamburger meat a _______ (17) better reputation nationwide. As a result, White Castle played an important part ______ (18) the early development of the fast food industry.
How to do the open cloze exercise
In this exercise you need to put a single word in each gap. You cannot use contractions as they count as two words. There are no nouns or basic adjective forms in the task although we can find comparatives and some adverb forms.
There are a number of steps you can use to complete the exercise.
- Always read each sentence completely as this can give you some clues about the missing word.
- Look at the commas in the text, especially those before and after any gap. Some words follow or are followed by commas
- Look at words immediately before and after the gaps for clues about the type of word. The word than for example suggests you may need a comparative form
Doing it better!
The open cloze exercise can be a challenging exercise, as it is not always easy to see exactly what the word is. In some cases more than one option may be possible which makes the task a little less difficult.
Read the full text
Sometimes when we read a text we can instantly see the missing words because our minds fills the gaps for us. It also helps to give us some context for the missing words.
Create a list of possible option words
A possible list of words is too long but you can prepare a sample set of words in groups to remind you of the types of words to look for. Lists of words like pronouns, linking words, and prepositions could make thinking of the right word easier for you.
Read as much as you can
In your preparation for the exam try to read as much as you can. Apart from helping you feel more comfortable with reading tasks it will also help you see the missing words in this exercise.
Completed Part 2 Answer
Fast Food in History
_________(0) taverns and coffee houses were popular places to meet and share beverages in the 17th century, the idea of eating out for (9) fun didn’t take off in Western society until/till (10) the late 18th century.
While McDonald’s was the first restaurant to use/have (11) the assembly-line system, some people think of White Castle as the first fast-food chain. White Castle was (12) founded in 1921 in Wichita, Kansas. At the time, many/most (13) people considered the burgers sold at fairs, circuses, lunch counters and carts to be low-quality.
White Castle’s founders decided to change how (14) the public saw hamburgers. They built their restaurants so that customers could see the food being (15) prepared. They painted the buildings white and even chose a name that suggested cleanliness. White Castle was very/really/quite (16) popular in the American East and Midwest, but its success helped to give hamburger meat a far/much (17) better reputation nationwide. As a result, White Castle played an important part in (18) the early development of the fast food industry.
For more Part 2 exercises take a look at our Cambridge First Exam Practice Tests course.
Final thoughts
The Part 2 open cloze exercise can be very challenging but candidates need to to try to identity as many options as they can. To do this you should have a strategy and some of the ideas we have suggested here may be helpful to you. You can find some more ideas on our B2 Use of English Part 2 post.
Part 1
Put a word in each gap by choosing the best option from the four multiple choice answers.
Part 3
Change the form of the word given at the end of a line to create a new word.
Part 4
Write a new sentence, with the same meaning as the example, by using the keyword given.