Cloze paragraph is nothing but the combination of ‘Reading comprehension’ and ‘Fill in the blanks’ topics. We can expect a good number of questions from cloze paragraph in SSC exams. The weightage and complexity of this topic will vary in accordance with the type and standard of examination. Easy to moderate type questions will be asked in SSC CHSL and clerical exams and the difficulty level may increase for Degree based examinations like SSC CGL. Good vocabulary and grammar skills are required to solve these questions. Practice cloze paragraphs regularly to get an idea about structural words and other words that appear more often in the examinations.
Model Questions
Directions (Qs. 1 - 10): In the following passage there are blanks, each of which has been numbered from 1 to 10. These numbers are printed below the passage and against each number, four words are suggested and only one word fits the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate word in all the cases.
This is not a normal business cycle; the monetary policy will be a lot less effective in the future; investment returns will be very low. These have come to be widely held views, but there is little understanding as to why they are true. I have a simple ...... (1) ...... for looking at how the economic machine works that helps shine some light. It has three parts. First, there are three main forces that drive all economies: 1) productivity; 2) the short-term debt cycle, or business cycle, running every five to ten years; and 3) the long-term debt cycle, over 50 to 75 years. Most people don't ...... (2) ...... understand the long-term debt cycle because it comes along so infrequently. But this is the most important force behind what is happening now. Second, there are three ...... (3) ......, that markets ...... (4) ...... towards: 1) debt growth has to be in line with the income growth that services those debts; 2) economic operating rates and inflation rates can't be too high or too low for long; and 3) the projected returns of ...... (5) ...... have to be above those of bonds, which in turn have to be above those of cash by appropriate risk ...... (6) ....... Without such risk premiums, the transmission mechanisms of capital won'twork and the economy will grind to a halt. In the years ahead, the capital markets' ...... (7) ...... mechanism will work more poorly than in the past, as interest rates can't be lowered and risk premiums of other investments are low. Most people have never experienced this before and don't understand how this will cause low returns, more debt monetization and a "pushing on a string" situation for monetary policy. Third, there are two levers that policy-makers can use to bring about these equilibriums: 1) monetary policy, and 2) fiscal policy. With monetary policy becoming relatively ...... (8) ......, it's important for these two to be co-ordinated. Yet the current state of political ...... (9) ...... around the world makes effective ...... (10) ...... hard to imagine.
1. a) template b) cognizability
c) limpidness d) explicability
2. a) distinctness b) decipherability c) lucidity d) adequately
3. a) equilibriums b) lopsided
c) shortcoming d) disproportion
4. a) underneath b) loamy
c) gravitate d) gravid
5. a) subjacent b) fecund
c) equities d) procreant
6. a) subsidiary b) ferocious
c) abundant d) premiums
7. a) arable b) transmission
c) obtain d) actuation
8. a) corner b) procure
c) latch on to d) impotent
9. a) predicament b) induction
c) fragmentation d) acquire
10. a) detriment b) possess
c) annex d) coordination
Explanations
1. In para 1, after ‘simple’ (adjective), the next word coming should be a noun. From the given options the noun ‘template’ means ‘apattern’ of something and the word suits for the sentence here because the author is trying to understand something in a particular manner here in the passage. We need good vocabulary skills to solve this question in this method. There is an alternative method available to solve this question. As we need a noun to fill the blank, the options (b) and (d) will be eliminated because they are adjectives. Limpidness (noun), means clear/ transparent, is also inappropriate to the context. So, (a) is the correct answer.
2. In paragraph 2, in between ‘don’t’ and ‘understand’, an adverb should be placed because, an adverb only will modify the verb ‘understand’ here. Options (a), (b) and (c) are nouns, so they got eliminated. Option ‘d’ (adequately), an adverb, which means ‘fully/ completely’ suits appropriatelyto the sentence. So, (d) is the correct answer.
3. The first sentence in 3rd paragraph starts with ‘Second, there are three ...’. As per the sentence, after the numeral adjective (three) here, the suitable parts of speech that suits the blank should be a noun. ‘Lopsided’, an adjective which means ‘with one side lower or smaller than the other’ got eliminated. ‘Shortcoming’ (noun), which means ‘a fault or failure to meet a certain standard’ doesn’t suit the sentence and got eliminated. The word ‘disproportion’ is also a noun which means ‘an instance of being out of proportion with something else’. According to the author, there are ‘three types of some forces that are bringing the markets to an equilibrium state. ‘Equilibriums’, which means the opposite forces those bring a system to stability’ (refer para 3) suits appropriately in the blank. So, (a) is the correct choice.
4. By reading the complete sentence (3rd para 1st sentence), we can understand that there are three equilibriums that markets are attracted to. So, the word ‘gravitate’ which means ‘move towards something’ is appropriate here. The other words ‘underneath’, ‘loamy’, and ‘gravid’ which have the meanings ‘situated directly below something else’, ‘relating to a fertile soil of clay and sand containing humus’, and ‘full of meaning or a specified quality’ respectively does not fit in the sentence. So, option (c) is the correct choice.
5. In the sentence (refer para 3), the author is discussing about the returns of something(given in the blank). So, the word should be a noun. Options (b) and (d) are adjectives related to reproduction. Option (a) is an adjective regarding placement of something (‘adjacent’means ‘next to something’ and ‘subjacent’ means ‘situated below something’). The remaining option ‘Equities’ is a noun. As per the sentence, ‘the projected returns of equities’ suits best to the sentence. So, option (c) is the correct choice.
6. In the sentence (refer para 3), the author is discussing about equity shares. ‘Premiums’ is a word we use frequently in equity shares topic, which means ‘an amount to be paid fora contract of insurance’. No other word from the given options suits better than that word in the sentence, as the meanings of the other given words ‘subsidiary’, ‘ferocious’, and ‘abundant’ are ‘a company controlled by a holding company’, ‘savagely fierce, cruel or violent’, and ‘available in large quantities’ respectively. So, option (d) is the correct choice.
7. The meanings of the given options are:
Arable: suitable for growing crops.
Transmission: An action or process of transmitting something to another.
Obtain: to get/ acquire something.
Actuation: The action of causing a device to operate.
As per the passage, the word ‘transmission’ suits better to the sentence, because the author is talking about the process of capi al mechanism in the coming years, in the passage. So, option (b) is the correct choice.
8. In the sentence (refer para 4), according to the author, monetary policy and fiscal policy are two levers of equilibrium. That means if one lever is ‘productive’, another lever should be ‘non-productive’ to attain equilibrium. So, the required answer should be a opposite word to ‘productive’. Also, as per the author,‘monetary policy’ is not performing well. ‘Pushing on a string’ is a metaphor that describe the limits of monetary policy and the impotence of central banks (refer para-3 last sentence). From the given options, the word ‘impotent’ which gives the meaning of ‘nonproductive’ suits best for the sentence. So, (d) is the correct option.
9. Meanings of the given options are:
Predicament: A difficult, unpleasant, or embarrassing situation.
Induction: A formal introduction to a new job.
Fragmentation: The process of breaking something into pieces.
Acquire: Get something new.
According to the author (refer para 4), the current political system, worldwide, has broken into different groups and this state of uncertainty has made the world nations hard to co-ordinate each other. From the given options, the word ‘fragmentation’ suits best to represent the meaning of the sentence. So, option (c) is the correct choice.
10. Meanings of the given options are:
Detriment: The state of being harmed or damaged.
Possess: Having something or own something. Annex: Add something as an extra or subordinate art, especially to a document.
Coordination: Cooperative effort resulting in an effective relationship.
According to the author (refer para 4), the current political system worldwide has broken into different groups and this state of uncertainty has made the world nations hard to coordinate each other. So, (d) is the correctanswer.
