Sharpen your language skills with contextual word usage tasks designed to enhance cloze test proficiency. This quiz helps learners recognize and choose the most suitable words to complete sentences based on surrounding context clues.
Every morning, Anna _______ a cup of tea before leaving for work.
Explanation: The correct answer is 'drinks' because people commonly have a drink like tea in the morning. The verb 'writes' is not appropriate, as you do not write a cup of tea. 'Drives' and 'draws' also do not logically relate to a cup of tea. Only 'drinks' fits both idiomatically and contextually.
The kitten was so _______ that everyone wanted to take its picture.
Explanation: The word 'cute' best fits the sentence because it explains why everyone would want to take a picture. 'Rough' or 'dull' typically do not invite admiration, and 'empty' does not make sense when describing a kitten. Context clues point to a positive adjective like 'cute.'
James placed his backpack _______ the chair before sitting down.
Explanation: 'Under' is the correct preposition because people often put things beneath objects like chairs. 'Beyond' and 'across' would not fit naturally in this context, and 'outside' is not specific unless mentioned further. The phrase flows best with 'under.'
Sarah can play the piano, _______ she cannot read music yet.
Explanation: 'But' is used to contrast two statements, showing Sarah can play the piano although she can't read music. 'Or' presents alternatives, which doesn't fit here. 'So' indicates a result, not a contrast, and 'if' is conditional, which isn't needed in this context.
The _______ was crowded with people waiting for the next train.
Explanation: A 'platform' at a station is where people wait for trains, making it the correct answer. 'Sentence' relates to grammar, 'season' does not logically connect with waiting for a train, and 'perfume' is not a place. 'Platform' best matches the context.
Littering on the beach can seriously _______ marine life.
Explanation: 'Harm' is the correct answer because littering negatively affects marine life. 'Farm' is unrelated to damaging, 'charm' means to attract or be pleasant, and 'warm' is about temperature. Only 'harm' matches the context of a negative impact.
The movie started at seven o’clock, so we arrived twenty minutes _______.
Explanation: Arriving 'early' means you get there before the movie starts, which aligns with the scenario. 'Long' and 'quick' are not used to describe arrival time, and 'late' would indicate missing part of the movie, which does not match the logic of the sentence.
He did not _______ the answer to the riddle.
Explanation: 'Know' is the correct verb form for this sentence as used with 'did not.' 'Now' is a different word with a separate meaning, and 'knew' is the past tense not used after 'did not.' 'New' is unrelated, so 'know' fits grammatically and contextually.
Maria finished her homework _______ so she could play outside.
Explanation: The context implies that Maria hurried with her homework for extra playtime, so 'quickly' is correct. 'Quietly' describes volume, not speed. 'Likely' is not an adverb of manner relevant here, and 'slowly' would not match someone eager to finish fast.
The children watched as _______ teacher demonstrated the experiment.
Explanation: 'Their' is the possessive pronoun for something belonging to 'the children,' so it is correct. 'They're' means 'they are' and does not fit the sentence. 'There' refers to a place, and 'the' does not show possession. 'Their' fits best in the context.