Cloze Connectors: Contrast, Concession and Condition
During the PAU exam in Zaragoza, a candidate is completing a cloze text about cycling in the city. The text reads: 'Zaragoza has built more than 120 kilometres of bike lanes in the last decade. (1), the number of accidents involving cyclists has not fallen. (2) the high cost of the project, the city council plans to extend the network.' For gap (1), the options are: However / Therefore / Moreover / Despite. For gap (2): Despite / Although / However / Because. The candidate knows 'however' contrasts and 'therefore' concludes, but is unsure because the first sentence is positive and the second is negative. For gap (2), she hesitates between 'Despite' and 'Although' because both express concession. She has 3 minutes left and must also check a third gap: 'Cyclists must use lights at night, ___ they can be fined.' Options: otherwise / unless / in case.
1. Choose the connector for gap (1) and explain the logical relation.
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However. The first sentence reports a positive development (more bike lanes); the second reports an unexpected negative result (accidents have not fallen). 'However' signals contrast between those two ideas. 'Therefore' would wrongly suggest that the lack of reduction is a consequence of building the lanes. 'Moreover' adds similar information, not a contrast. 'Despite' is a preposition and cannot stand alone before a comma and a full clause; it would need a noun phrase. The PAU cloze tests the difference between sentence adverbs and prepositions, so check the grammatical slot as well as the meaning.
2. Choose the connector for gap (2) and explain the grammatical difference between 'Despite' and 'Although'.
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Despite. The gap is followed by the noun phrase 'the high cost of the project'. 'Despite' is a preposition and takes a noun phrase: 'Despite the high cost, the council plans...'. 'Although' is a conjunction and needs a full clause: 'Although the project is expensive, the council plans...'. 'However' is a sentence adverb and would need punctuation and a complete clause. 'Because' expresses cause, but the sentence expresses concession: the council plans to extend the network even though it is expensive. In the exam, identify what follows the gap before choosing the connector.
3. Choose the connector for gap (3) and explain why the other options are illogical.
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Otherwise. 'Cyclists must use lights at night, otherwise they can be fined' means 'if they do not use lights, they can be fined'. 'Unless' would mean 'except if they can be fined', which is illogical. 'In case' means 'as a precaution' and would require a different structure, for example 'Cyclists should carry lights in case they are stopped'. 'Otherwise' is the only option that expresses the consequence of not following the rule. The PAU often tests 'otherwise' because Spanish students confuse it with 'unless'; remember that 'otherwise' = 'if not'.