Cloze Test: A Step-by-Step Method With Practice
Most blanks are decided by grammar and the sentences around them, not by hard vocabulary.
A cloze test is a short passage with words removed. For each gap you pick the option that fits both the grammar of the sentence and the meaning of the whole passage.
It looks like a vocabulary test, but most gaps are decided by grammar and by the sentences around the blank. This page gives a method you can repeat, then one original passage with five blanks and a reason for every answer.
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Cloze Test Variants
The passage format stays the same. What changes is what you are asked to do with each blank.
- Single word fill
- Choose one word from four or five options for each blank.
- Phrase fill
- The gap takes a short phrase, so the option must fit the sentence's structure, not just its meaning.
- Replacement
- A word in the passage is marked. Decide whether it fits or which option should replace it; "no replacement needed" is often an option.
- Multiple fillers
- More than one option may fit a blank, and you choose the combination that works.
The Method
- 1
Read the whole passage once before touching a blank
You need the topic and the writer's direction. A blank in line two is often explained by line four.
- 2
Decide what kind of word the blank needs
Noun, verb, adjective, adverb or connector. Words after "by", "of" or "for" are usually nouns or -ing forms.
- 3
Check grammar: tense, number and the word that follows
"Saving depends on", not "saving depend on". Prepositions after the blank often lock the answer.
- 4
Check meaning against the sentences on either side
Connectors like "but", "because" and "yet" tell you whether the blank continues the idea or turns it around.
- 5
Read the finished passage again
If any sentence sounds forced, revisit that blank before you move on.
Practice Passage
Small savings matter more than most people think. A daily cup of tea that costs ₹20 adds up to over ₹7,000 in a year. (1) ____ this money is moved into a recurring deposit, it starts to earn interest. The habit is (2) ____ to build in the first month, because the money feels too small to bother with. Yet people who stick with it often find that the routine matters more than the (3) ____. Banks have made this easier by (4) ____ automatic transfers on a fixed date. Once the transfer is set, saving no longer (5) ____ on willpower.
Reading, cloze and para jumbles in the exam style. No signup.
Practice Questions with Answers
Choose the best option for each blank, then read the reason.
- 1
Practice question 1: (a) Unless (b) If (c) Although (d) Despite
Answer: (b) If. The sentence sets a condition and its result: if the money is moved, it earns interest. "Unless" reverses the meaning. "Although" and "Despite" signal a contrast, and there is none here.
- 2
Practice question 2: (a) easiest (b) hardest (c) hardly (d) harden
Answer: (b) hardest. The reason that follows ("the money feels too small to bother with") describes a difficulty, so "easiest" contradicts it. "Hardly" is an adverb and "harden" is a verb; neither fits after "is ... to build".
- 3
Practice question 3: (a) amount (b) account (c) discount (d) accountant
Answer: (a) amount. The passage contrasts the habit with the size of the money, which was described as "too small". The other options look similar but do not continue that idea.
- 4
Practice question 4: (a) offering (b) offered (c) offer (d) offers
Answer: (a) offering. A verb after the preposition "by" takes the -ing form: "by offering".
- 5
Practice question 5: (a) depend (b) depends (c) depending (d) depended
Answer: (b) depends. The subject "saving" is singular and the passage is in the present tense, so "depends". "Depend on" is also the fixed pairing that the word "on" after the blank confirms.
Common Traps
- check_circleFilling blanks one sentence at a time. A word can fit its sentence and still clash with the passage.
- check_circleIgnoring connectors. "Yet", "because" and "although" decide the direction of the blank.
- check_circleChoosing the most impressive word. The plain word that fits grammar and meaning wins.
- check_circleLook-alike options. "Amount" and "account" differ by two letters; read each option fully.
- check_circleMissing the word after the blank. A following preposition often settles the answer.
How IBPS PO Tests the Cloze Test
The IBPS PO syllabus lists "Cloze Test (New Pattern: Phrase/Word-based)" under English Language. That section appears in both phases: 30 questions for 30 marks in prelims, and 40 questions for 20 marks in mains.
Questions are multiple choice and are set on one passage, so a single misread of the topic can cost several answers at once. That is why the first step of the method is to read the whole passage before you answer anything.
FAQs
What is a cloze test in bank exams?expand_more
A passage with several words removed. For each blank you choose the option that fits the grammar of the sentence and the meaning of the passage.
How do I solve cloze test questions faster?expand_more
Read the full passage first, decide what part of speech each blank needs, and use the word just after the blank to lock grammar. Most options fall away at the grammar check.
What is the new pattern cloze test?expand_more
The IBPS PO syllabus describes it as phrase or word based, so a blank may need a short phrase instead of a single word. Practise both forms, along with the replacement variant described above.
Is vocabulary enough to score in a cloze test?expand_more
No. Many blanks are decided by tense, agreement, prepositions and connectors. Vocabulary helps, but grammar and passage meaning settle most answers.
Next steps
Take a full IBPS PO mock testThe whole syllabus, timed and scored, in one sitting.