Cloze Passage: Collocation, Cohesion and Word Class
What is being tested
The cloze is not a vocabulary quiz in isolation. Each blank sits in a sentence, and the sentence sits in a paragraph. You must satisfy three levels at once: grammar (is the word class and form right?), collocation (does it combine naturally with its neighbours?), and cohesion (does the logic match the surrounding sentences?).
Concepts you must control
- Fixed collocations: make a decision, take measures, raise awareness, play a role, a sharp rise, deeply concerned.
- Near-synonyms: increase/expand/extend/enlarge are not interchangeable; check the object.
- Connector meaning: however, besides, therefore, otherwise, in case, as long as - each sets a precise relation.
- Verb patterns: some words need to + do, some doing, some a that-clause.
- Register: a formal article rarely uses slangy verbs.
Traps
- The option that fits grammatically but reverses the logic (choosing therefore where the sentence actually contrasts).
- A word that collocates with a different noun than the one in the text.
- Repetition temptation: the passage already used this word, so it must be right - often it is the distractor.
- Ignoring the second half of a long sentence, where the deciding clue sits.
Worked example
"The museum was free to enter; ____, visitors were asked to book ahead." A. therefore B. however C. besides D. otherwise Free entry and compulsory booking are not a cause-effect pair, so A fails. C would add a similar point, not a qualification. D would need a conditional before it. The sentence contrasts expectation with a rule: B.
Rule of thumb
Before looking at the options, read the whole passage once for gist and predict your own word for each blank - then pick the option closest to your prediction.