Cloze and Sentence Completion Set 5
Cloze and Sentence Completion Set 5 focuses on questions where several options are near-synonyms that differ mainly in strength or degree, mildly annoyed compared with utterly furious, and on cloze passages where a gap must match an intensifying word already present elsewhere in the sentence, such as "absolutely" or "slightly". Choosing an option that is grammatically and broadly synonymous is not enough; the correct answer must also match the exact degree of feeling the rest of the sentence signals.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Scan the sentence for an intensifier or degree word, extremely, slightly, utterly, mildly, completely, that signals how strong the missing word needs to be.
- Rank the given options from mildest to strongest before choosing, rather than picking the first one that seems roughly right.
- Match the ranked options to the intensifier found in the sentence: a sentence using "utterly" or "completely" needs the strongest option, while "slightly" or "a little" needs the mildest.
- Watch for a sentence with no explicit intensifier but strong context clues instead, a description of extreme events, and rank the options against that context.
- In a cloze passage, treat the whole passage's tone as a guide: a calm, understated passage will keep choosing milder words throughout, while a dramatic passage will keep choosing stronger ones.
- After choosing, substitute the word back into the sentence and check it does not clash with an intensifier already there, since "extremely annoyed" fits but "extremely furious" sounds odd because "furious" is already at full strength.
Worked example
Choose the best word to complete the sentence: "After hearing the news, Priya was utterly (1)_______." A) content B) ecstatic C) pleased
- Identify the intensifier already in the sentence, "utterly", which signals the strongest possible degree.
- Rank the options by strength: "content" is mild, a calm satisfaction, "pleased" is moderate, and "ecstatic" is extreme, overjoyed.
- Match the ranking to the intensifier: "utterly" needs the strongest option, since "utterly content" or "utterly pleased" sound weaker than the word "utterly" implies.
- Confirm "ecstatic" pairs naturally with "utterly": "utterly ecstatic" is a common, natural-sounding intensified phrase.
- Final answer: B) ecstatic.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1"The lecture was (1)_______ boring." Choose the word matching "utterly": A) mildly B) somewhat C) excruciatinglyShow answer
Answer: C) excruciatingly
Q2"The children were (1)_______ upset when the trip was cancelled." Choose the word matching "slightly": A) devastated B) disappointed C) heartbrokenShow answer
Answer: B) disappointed
Q3Cloze: "The storm raged all night, and by morning the whole coastline was (1)_______ flooded." Word bank: partly, completely, faintly.Show answer
Answer: completely (the dramatic build-up, "raged all night", needs the strongest word).
Q4"She was (1)_______ terrified of spiders." Choose the word matching "absolutely": A) a little B) somewhat C) petrifiedShow answer
Answer: C) petrified
Q5Rank these three words for anger from mildest to strongest: furious, irritated, angry.Show answer
Answer: irritated, angry, furious
Q6"The team's performance was (1)_______ disappointing, given how well they had trained." Choose the best word: A) mildly B) bitterly C) somewhatShow answer
Answer: B) bitterly (the context, "given how well they had trained", signals a strong disappointment).
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a 11+ exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Complete the passage using the word bank, matching each gap to how strong the described feeling needs to be. Word bank: faintly, utterly, thoroughly. "When the results were announced, Sam felt (1)_______ amazed, since he had (2)_______ expected to fail. His sister, watching from the crowd, was only (3)_______ surprised, having quietly believed in him the whole time." (5 marks)
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Explain why simply choosing a word that is roughly a synonym is not always enough to answer a sentence completion question correctly, using the idea of degree or intensity as part of your answer. (3 marks)
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Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the cloze and sentence completion set 5 worksheet pack - 15 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
This topic is chapter 31 of 11+ English Workbook 3, the whole course as one free printable PDF.
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