English

RAPID FILLERS
GATE ACADEMY
THALAYOLAPARAMBU

Cloze Test
Some of the examinations test your word power as well as your
understanding through a short passage with several blanks. This
is known as Cloze Test.
We call this section rapid fillers because you are encountered
with one blank after another rapidly.
In order to tackle it you should note a couple of points:
(i) Read the passage once before you start filling up the blanks.
A general idea of the passage is very important. Note that the filler
should be in the proper context of the entire passage, and not fit
merely for individual blanks.
(ii) Once you have read the passage, fill up the blanks wherever
you find it easy.
For example. if blank 1 is confusing, skip it and go on to blank 2.
Having tilled blank 2, you may easily get the clue to blank 1.
In this respect, a cloze test is like a crossword puzzle the
more you solve, the easier it is to solve the rest.
Let us now move on to exercises.

Exercise 1. Directions : Given below is a passage in which missing

words are represented by numbered blanks. Below the passage,
against each number are suggested five choices, only one of which fits
the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate choice in each case.
Almost everything about the Shroud of Turin is (1).. by mystery - its age, its
authenticity and the identity of the bearded man with deep-set eyes whose image
is ..(2).. on the 14-foot length of yellowing linen, still believed by many Catholics to
be the burial (3). of Jesus.
Now to add to the(4)., there is also the mystery of the fire that through the 17thcentury Baroque chapel built to(6) the shroud and that spread(7) the upper
floors of the neighbouring Royal Palace on the night of April 12. The shroud itself was
saved but the chapel was (8), just weeks before the scaffolding was to come down
after a three-year restoration.
Whether it dates back to the Middle Ages, as carbon testing done on tiny(9). of
the shroud concluded in 1988, or to the time of Jesus, the centuries-old (10).. With
the shroud has only increased since the fire.
1. 1) covered 2) expelled 3) painted 4) flanked 5) surrounded
2. 1) soiled 2) photographed 3) reflected 4) imprinted 5) adhered
3. 1) grave. 2) mound 3) rite 4) song 5) cloth
4. 1) legend 2) story 3) fable 4) fiction 5) fuel
5. 1) ripped . 2) devastated 3) annihilated 4) exonerated 5) pervaded
6. 1) shelter 2) reside 3) refuge 4) relish 5) house
7. l)over 2) about 3) aside 4) into 5) out
8. 1) gutted 2) inflamed 3) drowned 4) attacked 5) invaded
9. 1) pieces 2) rags 3) swatches 4) samples 5) models
10. 1) fascination 2) attachment 3) affection 4) affectation 5) expectation

Exercise- I
Answers and explanations
I. 5; The phrase that immediately comes to your mind is shrouded by
mystery. However, in absence of this word, surrounded is the best choice.
2. 4; In which form would you find the image on a linen (cloth).
Obviously, in print. In other words, the image is imprinted.
3. 5; What is still believed ... to be the burial ..3..? The Shroud of Turin or
the yellowing linen. Obviously, a shroud or a piece of linen is a cloth.
4. 1: (5) simply makes no sense. (3) and (4) imply that the story is false. But
it may he true because everything about the Shroud is surrounded by
mystery.
5. 1 The preposition through gives the clue. The fire ripped through the
chapel implies that it made a quick rush throughout the chapel.
6. 5: (1) is used in the sense of giving refuge. Now, a shroud is not a refugee.
On the other hand, house is the verb used for a building (or container)
where something is located.
7. 4: The spreading is a movement from the ground floor to the (inside of
the) upper floors. Hence, into.
8. 1: When something is destroyed by fire, we say that it has been gutted. It
is obvious that the word should be an antonym of saved.
9. 3: When you do a testing, you use small pieces as samples. But sample is a
general word. If it is a piece of cloth, we call it a swatch.
10. 1: The shroud is a mystery and people are fascinated by mysteries.
That is, they think of them as wonderful!

Exercise 2
In Turkey, Asia blends with Europe. A(1) between Muslim
Central Asia and Christian Europe, the political and economic (2)
.lie in the Turkish leaders ability to (3)the unique geographic
and geopolitical clout. The country is a founder-member of the postwar, Western military (4) NATO, in which it .(5) the biggest
army of hail a million (6). Though a Muslim country, it has a
unique and strong .(7) heritage. The educated elite look (8)
Western Europe rather than the Islamic . East for their intellectual
and cultural (9)..a (10).. set by the founder of modern Turkey,
Mustafa Kamal Ataturk, who died in 1938.
1. 1) bridge 2) rift 3) buffer 4) bone of contention 5) spectre
2. 1) favours 2) implications manoeuvres 4) advantages . 5) expertise
3. 1) exchange 2) exploit 3) explore 4) revoke 5) embellish
4. 1) group 2) regiment 3) alliance 4) battalion 5) power
5. 1) collects 2) enumerates 3) employs 4) maintains 5) organises
6. 1) troops 2) policemen 3) children 4) Christians 5) elites
7. 1) religious 2) secular 3) national 4) fundamental 5) patriotic
8. 1) for 2) towards 3) at 4) within 5)out
9. 1) solace 2) criticism 3 beacon 4) identity 5) entity
10. 1) theory 2) practice 3) precedent 4) term 5) trend

Exercise- 2
Answers and explanations
I. 1; If you read the entire passage, you get the idea that Turkey unites both
Muslim Central Asian and Christian European characteristics. Besides,
note the word blends in the very first sentence.
2. 4; Turkeys unique geographic position puts it in a better position than
others. In other words, the country has advantages.
3. 2; In order to gain advantage, you must know how to exploit your potential.
4. 3: Turkey is a member of NATO. This implies there are other countries as
well. When countries join one another for a military purpose, we call it an
alliance.
5. 4; Turkey maintains an army that is, it provides the soldiers with money
and other things that they need.
6. 1; An army consists of troops.
7. 2; If it is a Muslim country, it should be religious. That is, it should have
Islam as its religion. But in spite of (though) this, it has a secular
(antonym of religious) heritage. This secular heritage is described in the
last sentence of the passage.
8. 2; If you look to(wards) someone for something, you expect or hope that he
will provide it.
9. 4; Your identity is the characteristics you have that distinguish you from
others. The educated elite look towards Western Europe for intellectual
and cultural charecteristics.
10. 5; A precedent is followed at certain times whereas a trend is continuous.
So the former refers to events while the latter is used for processes.

Exercise 3

The Comedy of Errors is a good place to start for anyone who wishes
to.(1).the.(2). world of Shakespeare. Relatively(3) by social
criticism, philosophy or even characterization of any great (4), the
(5). of the two Antipholuses and Dromios ac transparent enough
and funny enough for everyone to enjoy as.(6) audiences in
Calcutta, Delhi and other cities showed when the Royal Shakespeare
Society.(7). The play in India recently. What the play does is show
us how important pure fun. laughter and comedy are to the human.
(8) . We need to be able to laugh to remain.(9) to remain human in
an utterly (10) world.
1. 1) travel 2) reveal 3) seal (4) eradicate 5) enter
2. 1)attractive 2) gloomy 3) 3) ribald 4) extraneous 5) entrancing
3. 1) unsullied 2) free (3) undeterred 4) underplayed 5) unburdened
4. 1) merit 2) personage3) degree 4) magnitude 5) complexity
5. 1) antics 2 ) clothes 3) lenses 4) activities25) mirrors
6. 1) appreciative 2) unkind 3) insensitive 4) bizarre 5) exclusive
7. 1) acted 2) rendered 3) scripted 4) performed 5) endeared
8. 1) predicament 2) mechanism 3) paraphernalia 4) endeavour 5) destiny
9. 1) healthy 2) functional 3) true 4) sane 5) hilarious
10. 1) critical 2) faithless 3) nocturnal 4) homely 5) crazy

Exercise 3 (Answer key)

1. 5; The word start gives us the clue. When you enter a world of
something at a particular point, you start from there.
2. 5; The passage is full of praise for Shakespeares play. Besides, we are told
about fun, laughter and comedy. From these we conclude that the world
of Shakespeare must be entrancing full of delight and wonder, and thus
having a perfect grip on our attention.
3. 5; When we are concerned with enjoyment, social criticism etc.,
becomes a burden. Unburdened by these, the merit of the play is enhanced.
4. 5; What deprives us of fun? The complexity of characterisation.
5. 1: Among the given choices, what can be enjoyed? Obviously, antics. Antics
are funny, silly, unusual ways of behaving.
6. 1; The audiences showed that they enjoyed the play. In other words,
they appreciated it. So, they were appreciative.
7. 4; A play is staged, enacted or performed. True, it is also scripted, but a
group, (here Royal Shakespeare Society) performs it.
8. 1; A predicamement is an unpleasant situation that is difficult to get out
of. When thus trapped, fun is all the more necessary. Why? The reason is
given in the last sentence of the passage
9. If you laugh, you remain both healthy and sane. So it is either (1) or (4).
Let us see if Blank 10 can help.*
10. 5; Note that Blanks 9 and 10 are inter-related. So we look for a choice
which is related to healthy or sane. Now, crazy is the only such word. Go back
to Blank 9.
* 9. 4; Crazy is the antonym of sane. So we select (4) and reject (1).

Exercise 4
Our independence in 1947 was born against the(1). of the great
Bengal famine of 1942-43. Speaking at Noakhali in 1946, Gandhiji
(2). that the first and .(3).duty of independent India is to (4)
. an environment which (5).every Indian to earn his or her
daily.(6)... Gandhiji was against making people beggars and that is
why he stressed the need for (7).. to earn rather than give(8)
food on .(9). of charity and (10)..
1. 1) milieu 2) border 3) backdrop 4) barrenness 5) fecundity
2. 1) witnessed 2) deliberated 3) acceded 4) pulverized 5)
emphasized
3. 1) last 2) second 3) foremost 4) freest 5) final
4. 1) create 2) sustain 3) conserve 4)pollute 5) avoid
5. 1) helps 2) enables 3) protects 4) subsidises 5) allies
6. 1) meal 2) living 3) livelihood 4) existance 5) bread
7. 1) methods 2) policies 3) opportunities 4) activities 5) strategies
8. 1) up 2) in 3) off 4) away 5) back
9. 1) grounds 2) rules 3) systems 4) considerations 5) effects
10. 1) generation 2) nutrition 3) deficiency 4) patronage 5) competition

Exercise 4 (Answer key)

1. 3; If A happens against the backdrop of B, it means B is the general situation in
which event A happens.
2. 5: Since Gandhiji was speking, he must have stated something. Only emphasized,
among the given choices, gives this sense of statement to emphasis means to claw
with emphasis.
3. 3; The phrase first and foremost is used to emphasize the utmost importance of
something. So the first and foremost duty is the duty above all others (other duties).
4. 1; Note that the speech is being made when the country is about to be independent.
So an environment needs to be formed anew. In other words, it should be created.
5. Let us go to Blank 6 first and then come back.
6. 5; If you earn your daily bread doing something, it is your source of livelihood.
5. 2; Now that we have the rest of the sentence, it is easy to fill up this blank. Enabled is
preferred to helped because the last sentence clearly shows that Gandhiji rejected
charity., etc. He desired that every Indian should become able to earn.
7. 3: How do you make someone able to do something? The best way is to provide
opportunities.
8. 4; Among the given choices, only give away gives the sense of doling out charity.
9. 4; (1) is rejected because grounds sounds more as pertaining to reason whereas
charity has emotions involved.
10. 4; Again, charity gives us a clue.

Exercise 5
The Delhi Electric Supply Undertakings annual losses on account of power (1) is a
whopping Rs 1460 crore, Rs 4 crore daily, power experts estimate. Delhis transmission
and distribution (T&D) losses, at 50 per cent, is the highest in the country. But T&D
losses .(2)from technical .(3).is a mere 10 per cent. The remaining 40 per cent
constitutes nothing but ..(4) theft of power committed in many (5)ways.
Contrary to common belief, hutment dwellers are not the biggest offenders. in fact, the
power stolen by them by tapping lines is .(6).compared to industries and offices
that draw (7) power in bulk. There are instances nationwide of big business centres
helping themselves to free power. Because power theft is so damn easy. Just .(8).a
hook on the transmission lines and you have a connection. A brick ensures that the line
is .(9).down and that you are the sole beneficiary. Its apparent that only linemen
could have helped in the pilferage with the .(10).. of their superiors.
1. 1) generation 2) consumption 3) distribution 4) pilferage 5) leakage
2. 1) rising 2) emanated 3) risen 4) emanating 5) causing
3. 1) bottlenecks 2) troubles 3) mistakes 4) errors 5) degrees
4. 1) brazen 2) open 3) serious 4) ingenuous 5) faulty
5. 1) clever 2) futile 3) tremendous 4) ingenious 5) obvious
6. 1) tiny 2) considerable 3) impetuous 4) miniscule 5) gigantic
7. 1) illegal 2) unauthorised 3) criminal 4) governmental 5) sacramental
8. 1) fasten 2) connect 3) tie 4) fix 5) catch
9. 1) scaled . 2) weighed 3) petered 4) committed 5) obtained
10. 1) absence 2) perspicacity 3) command 4) temerity 5) connivance

Exercise 5 (Answer key)

1. 4; If you read the passage, it becomes cIer that it describes the theft of power.
2. Let us tackle Blank 3 first.
3. 1; We say technical faults. Among the gives choices, bottlenecks fits best. ;
bottleneck is a situation that stops a process or activity from progressing.
2. 4; Basically, we have three choices: rise, cause, emanate. Of these, cause eliminated because it is not followed by the preposition from. Rise gives a
sense of upward movement a meaning that does not fit here. [Note: D not
confuse rise with arise, which is a synonym of emanate.] If something emanates
from somewhere, it comes from there. Now, since T&D losses is the agent (not
the object) of emanate, we use the present participle.
4. 1; Brazen open + no qualms.
5. 4; (1) is rejected because clever is usually an appreciative word.
6. 4: Obvious from the sentence that precedes it. (I) is rejected because tiny
means extremely small. [Note: We should avoid using words that give
extreme meanings unless it is definite.]
7. 2; The power is unaurhorised; the act (of theft) is illegal.
8. 1; When you fasten A on B, you make the two firmly fixed.
9. 2; The brick acts as a weight.
10. 5; If A connives with B, they work together secretly for some wrong or illegal
purpose.

Exercise 6
From the concept of God,(1), as a logical (2). the concept of destiny.
It is(3) the human mind that the Creator has, while creating the entire
creation of which the human. (4). is one-, (5) manner of .(6).not
only every single detail of the activities in the life of that creation, but also
about the death of the entity in its given form and the manner in which it will
be brought about. The human mind, because of its (7).. thinks itself to be
the best thing God created. Man does not bother to.(8).. that, according to
his own finding, energy of the entire universe from galaxies to the smallest
particle of photons is one and all different objects in the universe and life
are only (9)(10). and forms.
1. 1)starts 2) ensues 3) to 4) science 5) originates
2. 1) approach 2) pressure 3) conclusion 4) corollary 5) threat
3. 1) supposed 2) assumed 3) presumed 4) expected 5) assessed
4. 1) being 2) species 3) body. 4) nature 5) instinct
5. 1) laid 2) invented 3) prescribed 4) extended 5) determine
6. 1) programming 2) dice-playing 3) government 4) planning 5) policy-making
7. 1) superiority 2) capability 3) ego 4) self 5) vain
8. 1) rethink 4) demand 2) recommend 3) consider 5) contemplate
9. 1) some 2) multiple 3) concrete 4) different 5) human
10. 1) hues 2) subjects3) cultures 4) manifestations 5) culminations

Exercise 6 (Answer key)

1. 5) originates
If you simplify the sentence structure, the task
becomes easy: The concept of destiny ..1.. from the
concept of God.
2. 4) corollary ; If A is the corollary of B, A is a statement,
concept, or course of action naturally follows from B.
3. 3) presumed
4. 2) species
5.5) determine
6. 1) programming
7. 3) ego
8. 3) consider
9. 4) different
10. 4) manifestations

Ex.7: Directions (Q. 01 to 10): In the following passage there are blanks,
each of which has been numbered. These numbers are, printed below the
passage and against each, five words are suggested, one of which fits
the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate word in each case.

One rainy day, while driving me home from school, my father stopped to offer a frail old man a lift. Though he was headed in
the opposite (1)..., my father insisted. By the time we (2)... home it was late and I was tired and ...(3)... with my father. That
night, my father ...(4)... me a bedtime story as usual. A ..(5)... Emperor was once asked Sire, while you... (6)... rich and
powerful, teacher doesnt even (7)... a piece of land yet you visit him, ...(8)... dont you summon him to court ? The Emperor...
(9)... and said, You are mistaken, my teacher is (10)... than l am. My land can be lost in a war but he possesses knowledge
which can never be stolen. The old man was my teacher. My father concluded, I have never forgotten the lesson my father
taught me that day.

1. (A) route (B) manner (C) direction (U) side (E) way

2. (A) left (B) arrived (C) return (D) gone (E]) reach

3. (A) complained (B) annoying (C) hungry (D) upset (E]) worried

4. (A) taught (B) described (C) told (D) reads (E) related

5. (A) greedy (B) honest (C) foolish (D) mighty (E) cruel

6. (A) are (B) being (C) were (D) so (E]) seem

7. (A) own (B) earn (C) acquire (D) possessed (E) has

8. (A) however (B) but (C) instead (D) when (E) why

9. (A) shouted (B) silent (C) thinks (D) smiled (E) prayed

10. (A) powerful (B) wise (C) wealthy (D) stronger (E]) richer

Answers: 1.c 2.b 3.a 4.c 5.d 6.a 7.a 8.e 9.d 10.e

Ex.8: Directions for Questions 26 to 35: In the following passage there are
blanks, each of which has been numbered. These numbers are printed below
the passage and against each, five words are suggested, one of which fits the
blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate word in each case.
It is a pity that we do not have good books on banking written by Indian authors (26) to the steady
growth of literature on the subject in other countries especially, the J.K. whose banking laws and (27) are
very much akin to those of our country. And students studying in our universities and the millions of bank
employees appearing or various banking examinations have to depend (28) on books written by foreign
authors. As these books mainly real with the problems of banking industry of foreign countries the (29) of
the banking scene in India and the various legal (30) and banking procedures remains very weak. To (31)
the bank employees and the university students no have opted for (32) courses in banking with different
aspects of theory and practice of banking we should have good and (33) text books. The book under
review, writ ten by experienced and (34) banker, on banking law based on reading Indian cases, will be
found very useful by students banking as a (35) guide to the principles of banking law.

26. (1) corresponding 2) following (3) emphasize (4) correcting (5) paving.
27. (1) products (2) notes(3) initiatives(4) procedures(5) processes
28. (1) upon(2) still(3) rarely(4) until(5 slightly
29. (1) core(2) application(3) understanding(4) knowledge(5) purpose
30. (1) aspects (2) experts(3) books(4) loops(5) lapses
31. (1) saddle(2) decorate (3) promote (4) load (5) equip
32. (1) expensive(2) tough (3) detailed (4) specialised (5) optional
33. (1) voluminous (2) many (3) seasoned (4) shining (5) authentic
34. (1) qualified (2) rich (3) merchant (4) desired (5) authentic (5) consulting
35. (1) powerful (2) ready (3)comprehensive (4) prescribed (5) learned

:
Ans.1
:
: Ans.2Ans.4
: Ans.3
: Ans. 1
: Ans. 5
: Ans.4
: Ans.5
:
Ans.1
:

Ex.9: Directions for Questions 41 to 50: In the following passage there are
blanks, each of which has been numbered. These numbers are printed below
the passage and against each, five words are suggested, one of which fits
the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate word in each case.
Once upon a time, there was a huge tree on the (41) of a river. The tree made
a comfortable home for the family of birds who had built their nests on its
branch. The birds were living there happily as the tree with its widespread
branches provided (42) to them from scorching sun and heavy rains. One day,
when the (43). was overcast, it rained very heavily. Some monkeys, who were
playing nearby the tree, got (44] and ran for shelter under the tree. All of
them were (45) with cold. When the birds saw the monkeys in a pitiable
condition, one of the birds said, O Monkeys! If we can, build our nest with
small beaks, then why cant you? By Gods grace. you have two hands and
two legs. Why dont you make a nice shelter for yourselves? On hearing this,
the monkeys got (46) and swore to teach the birds a lesson. They said to
themselves. These birds are not afraid of the rain or of cold wind. They are
living comfortably that is why they are (47) us like this. Let the rain stop,
: rain stopped, the
well show them how to build home.. As soon as the
monkeys (48) up the tree and (49) the nests of the birds,
Ans.3
: Ans.They also broke the
birds eggs and threw, the young ones down. The poor
birds flew here and
1: Ans.5
: Ans.2that they
there in misery. They were full of (50) for their words and realized
should not have given advice that was not asked for. Advice: should
Ans. 4only be
: Ans. 3
given to the learned, the wise and those who ask for it.
41. (1) waters (2) middle (3) bank (4) bottom (5) inside : Ans.5
: Ans.2
42. (1) shelter (2) house (3) habitat (4) filter (5) fruits
43; (1) tree (2) birds 3. rain. (4) river (5) sky
:
44. (1) shocked (2) drenched (3) drowned (4) flooded (5) Ans.4
:immersed

The End