15 Open Cloze Practice Questions with Answers | Cambridge C1 Advanced

Open Cloze is Part 2 of the Reading and Use of English paper in Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE). You read a short text with eight gaps and write one word in each gap. It tests your grammar and your knowledge of fixed phrases, linking words, and common word pairs. This post gives you 15 C1 Advanced Open Cloze practice questions with answers. Each text has a worked example (gap 0), and every answer comes with a short note that explains why the word fits. Try each text first, then open the answers to check your work.

Question 1

Softening a Library Book Drop

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).

Returning a library book after closing time should never put it (0) AT risk. At Esten Library, engineer Mina Sol has redesigned the compartment beneath an overnight return slot. In the old box, books could land directly on one (1) ______. The farther a book fell, the greater the force (2) ______ which it struck the pile below. Rather (3) ______ replace the entire return unit, Sol fitted a moving shelf that sinks as books accumulate, so the drop never becomes any deeper (4) ______ necessary.

A fabric lining protects book covers and is attached in sections that can be taken out in order (5) ______ be washed separately. Neither the shelf (6) ______ the lining is allowed to obstruct the locked inner door. Staff empty the compartment before it is completely full, not only to protect the books (7) ______ also to prevent the mechanism from jamming. The result is a system in which every return has much (8) ______ distance to fall.

Question 2

Reading the Wear in Ballet Shoes

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).

The costume room at Norwyn Dance Company, (0) WHOSE shelves hold dozens of similar shoes, treats each pair as individual equipment. (1) ______ is the variation between dancers that two pairs bought on the same day may age quite differently. Dancers judge fit (2) ______ feel, but wardrobe coordinator Lena Vey also records rehearsal surface, hours of use and every repair.

(3) ______ colour nor age alone indicates whether a shoe is ready for the stage. Not (4) ______ a pair has been worn in a full rehearsal does Vey decide whether it should be reserved for performance. Her notes show (5) ______ quickly a sole softens under a particular combination of movement and floor. A pair may remain in the performance box for a week (6) ______ most if its support is changing rapidly. This caution comes (7) ______ a cost, since shoes that remain usable for practice may no longer be suitable for a demanding role. Yet the pattern of wear (8) ______ can reveal useful information. Instead of treating every worn area as damage, Vey reads it as evidence about fit, technique and the conditions in which the shoe has been used.

Question 3

The Clock That Listens at Midnight

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).

Visitors to Merrowfield Station assume (0) THAT its main clock receives a constant stream of instructions. In fact, the clock spends most of the day running on its own quartz mechanism. Not (1) ______ shortly after midnight does its receiver wake and search for the long-wave signal monitored by Calder Wren of the Merrowfield Time Service. The mechanism relies (2) ______ that signal for a precise reference, but it does not stop if reception is poor.

A missed update is far (3) ______ evidence that the clock has failed. It keeps its current estimate rather (4) ______ inventing a correction from incomplete data. When a clean signal arrives, the mechanism compares the transmitted time with (5) ______ it had predicted. Any difference is removed little (6) ______ little, preventing an abrupt jump of the hands. The adjustment is usually too slight (7) ______ passengers to notice. Night-time checking is useful because electrical interference is often lower then, although conditions still vary. No matter (8) ______ patchy reception becomes, the clock can continue independently until the next reliable signal, when its estimate is checked again.

Question 4

Why a Mug Cracks After the Dishwasher

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).

A crack (0) THAT appears after a mug leaves the dishwasher is often blamed on heat alone. At Talmere Ceramics Unit, materials specialist Mira Fost examines the order in which the mug warms and cools, rather (1) ______ treating the highest temperature as the only cause. A flaw may initially be (2) ______ a fine line that it remains invisible while the surface is wet.

Not (3) ______ the mug cools completely does the line become easy to see. The glaze and clay contract at slightly different rates, leaving the surface (4) ______ pressure. A thick handle may also change temperature more slowly than the cup to which it is attached. Mugs already subject (5) ______ small manufacturing stresses are therefore more vulnerable to rapid changes. (6) ______ carefully a dishwasher controls its cycle, a cold worktop can still create a sudden contrast afterwards. (7) ______ is that contrast, rather than washing itself, that may expose an existing weakness. Cracking is far (8) ______ inevitable: suitable clay, even wall thickness and gradual cooling all reduce the risk. The final break merely makes visible a history of stress that began much earlier.

Question 5

Photographing a Mirror Without Seeing the Camera

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).

At Orlin Reflective Studio, (0) WHERE mirrors and polished objects are photographed, the main problem is controlling what the surface reflects. Photographer Fara Kest begins by asking (1) ______ the camera sees from the object's position, not what appears obvious from behind the lens. She moves large pale panels around the object so (2) ______ to create broad, deliberate reflections.

The aim is to make the surface neither dark (3) ______ featureless. Its shape is revealed by means (4) ______ gradual changes from light to shade. A small black card may show not (5) ______ an edge but also the direction in which a curve turns. Kest changes the angle at (6) ______ each panel faces the object, checking the effect after every movement. Only then (7) ______ she decide whether the camera itself can be hidden behind an opening in the panels. Dust and fingerprints are removed at the end because early polishing would be repeated after every adjustment. This method preserves details that would (8) ______ disappear into a single bright reflection and produces an image that explains the object's form without revealing the improvised room around it.

Question 6

When a Shopping Trolley Pulls Sideways

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).

At Farsett Trolley Depot, returned shopping trolleys, (0) WHICH may look identical, are tested before going back into service. (1) ______ carefully a shopper steers, a trolley with one resistant wheel will pull towards that corner. Technician Milo Kade explains that the fault is often a matter (2) ______ friction rather than a bent frame. Thread or grit can stop a small wheel turning, so it slides (3) ______ than rotating freely.

(4) ______ the test floor uneven, every trolley would drift in a similar direction. Kade therefore pushes each one across two level surfaces. This separates (5) ______ seems like poor steering from a fault that can be repeated. He marks each wheel before cleaning it (6) ______ that any improvement can be linked to a specific intervention. A complete castor assembly is never replaced (7) ______ first checking its axle and fixing. Sometimes cleaning is enough; elsewhere, a worn bearing must be changed. (8) ______ the cause, the repaired trolley is tested again under a small load. The aim is not to make every wheel silent, but to ensure that the trolley responds predictably when a shopper changes direction.

Question 7

Painting Lines Beneath an Ice Rink

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).

At Ormere Ice Centre, the lines (0) WHICH guide players are painted long (1) ______ the final skating surface is ready. Technician Dorin Saye first freezes a shallow base and adds the markings by means (2) ______ water-based paint. The surface must be neither wet (3) ______ rough when the colour is applied.

Not (4) ______ a thin sealing layer has frozen does Saye add the remaining water. The paint then lies out (5) ______ reach of blades rather than on top of the ice, where they could damage it. Measurements matter because (6) ______ appears straight from the stand may not align with the goal when viewed at ice level. Soon (7) ______ the upper layers have been built, correcting a line would require removing a substantial area of ice. Saye therefore checks each position from several fixed points and photographs the result. The upper layers are kept clear so (8) ______ the markings remain visible, even as the rink surface is repeatedly scraped and renewed above them. What spectators see as a simple line is actually protected within a carefully layered floor.

Question 8

Why Runway Lights Need Direction

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).

The approach lights checked by the Brackenmere Approach-Light Unit, (0) WHICH form a pattern before the runway, are brighter than most street lamps. Their purpose, however, is not so much to illuminate the ground (1) ______ to create a clear line for approaching pilots. The lights must be visible from (2) ______ an aircraft is expected to descend. A beam aimed only slightly differently (3) ______ its neighbours may seem weak even when the lamp itself is working normally.

Technician Imogen Vale therefore checks not only brightness but also the direction in (4) ______ each beam points. At no stage (5) ______ a lamp adjusted by eye alone. It is aligned with an instrument so (6) ______ repeated readings agree before its cover is secured. Should one unit fall out of line, the surrounding lights cannot make (7) ______ for the error, because the pattern depends on regular spacing and equal apparent intensity. Each lamp must do exactly (8) ______ is required from its particular position. To somebody standing beside the runway, the adjustment may appear unnecessarily precise; to a pilot viewing the lights from the intended angle, that precision is what makes the whole arrangement readable.

Question 9

Reading the Wind with Wool Tufts

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).

At Sablewick Flight Laboratory, where small aircraft components are tested, engineers use short lengths of wool to make moving air visible. The tufts are attached (0) TO the surface of a model wing before the fan is switched on. Each thread aligns (1) ______ the local flow, so its movement gives Dr Iona Keswick an immediate picture of conditions close to the surface. Their value lies not in measuring speed but in showing (2) ______ the air remains smooth or begins to separate from the wing.

Hardly (3) ______ the fan reached test speed when the first irregular movements appeared. Rather (4) ______ relying solely on figures from pressure sensors, Keswick filmed the threads at high speed. At a critical angle, some tufts lifted while (5) ______ nearby continued to lie flat. The contrast was so distinct (6) ______ the boundary between stable and disturbed flow could be marked frame by frame. To an untrained observer, the motion might look anything (7) ______ random. For the team, however, each change has a precise meaning. What the engineers need to establish is (8) ______ separation begins, because that location can reveal whether a small alteration to the wing will improve control.

Question 10

Getting Air Bubbles Out of Chocolate

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).

Chocolate takes on the surface of whatever mould it is poured (0) INTO. At Orwick Chocolate Room, chocolatier Elian Fenn pays close attention to the moment filled moulds reach the cooling table. Chocolate must be warm enough to flow, but not (1) ______ hot that its finished surface loses its shine. Once filled, each mould is tapped gently in order (2) ______ bring trapped air to the top. Too much force would do little (3) ______ than splash chocolate onto the rim. Any bubbles that reach the surface are dealt (4) ______ before the chocolate begins to set.

Because the centre cools more slowly (5) ______ the edges, every mould is kept level; (6) ______, one side of a piece may become thicker than the other. Fenn moves a tray only when its shine begins to fade, (7) ______ which point the chocolate is starting to contract. The pieces remain in their moulds for as (8) ______ as necessary, since releasing them early can leave fingerprints or broken corners.

Question 11

Why Pianos Dislike Sudden Heating

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).

At Elsen Piano Rooms, technician Rhea Marden cares for instruments (0) WHOSE wooden parts respond continually to the surrounding air. She records (1) ______ much the indoor humidity changes when heating is switched on after a cold weekend. Wood may respond (2) ______ gradually (3) ______ the change goes unnoticed at first, but a sustained dry period can alter several components at once.

Small movements in the soundboard can translate (4) ______ changes in pitch and tone. No (5) ______ important than the average humidity is the speed at which it changes. (6) ______ it not for the restraint provided by the frame, some movements would be larger, yet that restraint can also concentrate stress. Marden therefore adjusts room conditions gradually (7) ______ means of a monitored humidity system. She tunes an instrument only after it has settled, rather (8) ______ immediately after a sharp environmental change. The aim is not to keep every wooden part motionless, which is impossible, but to prevent repeated extremes from shortening the instrument's useful life.

Question 12

Renewing Trail Marks Without Filling the View

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).

Painted symbols are among the simplest (0) WAYS of guiding walkers along a path. At the Torvale Path Team, Ivo Renn plans the renewal of small painted markers on a rocky hillside. Staff keep a record (1) ______ the exact colour and size of each symbol so that new marks do not differ noticeably (2) ______ older ones. Before any repainting takes place, the stone is left to dry, regardless (3) ______ whether this means returning on another day. Only paint approved (4) ______ use on porous stone is selected. A coating that fails to soak (5) ______ the surface may form a brittle skin instead of bonding with it.

Markers are spaced so that a walker can see one (6) ______ the next at a confusing turn, but not across every open stretch. Care is also taken not to add (7) ______ many symbols that the route begins to resemble a road. By matching the existing marks and limiting their number, the team makes the path easier to follow without turning the landscape (8) ______ a row of signs.

Question 13

The Invisible Door on a Refrigerated Display

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).

The open refrigerated cabinet in the Aster Row Cold-Air Study, (0) WHICH appears to have no front door, is protected by a carefully shaped stream of air. The system is far (1) ______ simply blowing cold air into the room. Air is directed downwards in (2) ______ a way that it forms a narrow boundary between the food and the warmer aisle.

Were the flow (3) ______ become uneven, warm air could enter through the weakest point. No sooner (4) ______ that air crossed the boundary than moisture would begin to condense inside the cabinet. Engineer Meera Holt therefore checks not only the speed of the stream (5) ______ also its direction at several heights. The purpose is to preserve a stable boundary rather (6) ______ chill the space in front of the shelves. A harmless mist allows Holt to see (7) ______ or not the stream remains continuous when customers reach inside. The adjustment neither interrupts cooling (8) ______ creates a sudden draught that shoppers would notice. The invisible door is effective precisely because it is controlled as a complete moving surface, not as a supply of cold air alone.

Question 14

Mapping the Coolest Route

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).

The Harrowfen Shade Atlas, (0) WHICH began as a volunteer survey, helps pedestrians compare summer walking routes. As well (1) ______ recording air temperature, surveyors note the height of buildings, the position of trees and the time at which each street receives direct sun. The comfort of a route can depend (2) ______ details that an ordinary map leaves out, including the extent to (3) ______ a wall reflects heat onto the pavement.

Conditions can change so quickly (4) ______ a route mapped in May may feel quite different in August. Little (5) ______ project coordinator Kesi Morrow expect the angle of the sun to matter as much as the number of trees. Volunteers therefore repeat measurements and keep alternative streets in view in (6) ______ a shaded path becomes temporarily inaccessible. The atlas does not claim to identify one perfect route regardless (7) ______ the weather. Instead, it presents observations such (8) ______ the likely duration of shade and the availability of places to rest. Users can then decide whether a slightly longer walk offers a worthwhile improvement in comfort.

Question 15

Keeping a Revolving Dining Room on Track

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).

The dining room examined by the North Quay Rotation Survey, (0) WHICH completes one turn in just over an hour, moves too slowly for most guests to notice. The floor turns so gently (1) ______ a glass of water remains undisturbed. No matter (2) ______ smooth the movement feels, however, the circular platform must be checked for sideways drift.

Rather (3) ______ driving the outer edge directly, the motor turns a central ring. Guide wheels beneath the floor prevent the wider platform (4) ______ wandering away from its intended path. Only if one of those wheels begins to wear unevenly (5) ______ the gap at the perimeter start to change. Engineer Elias Morn subtracts each measurement (6) ______ a fixed reference recorded when the floor was first aligned. Small differences are expected after a busy evening; what matters is (7) ______ or not they grow in the same direction over several days. If adjustment is needed, it is made little (8) ______ little so that one correction does not shift the load onto another wheel. The diners see a continuous view, while the mechanism below is managed through a sequence of very small comparisons.