English Quiz 2017 – Cloze Test – Set 2

Directions (Q. 1-7): 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.

With fairy lights up in shopping centres and crackers on offer in supermarkets, Britain is already _____(1) up for Christmas. In this tough economic climate, many retailers are hoping the festive season will be a chance for the public to _____(2) their financial difficulties. And, for some companies, the millions of Britons now struggling to make ends meet are an early Christmas present. As banks stop lending and _____(3) eats away at the pay packets of those lucky enough to still be in work, the past year has seen an _____(4) in high-cost credit lending in the UK. Payday loan companies and hire purchase stores now _____(5) town centres around Britain, offering astronomical interest rates on loans to those who have few other options to _____(6) their outgoings. Last year, the payday loan sector was worth £1.7 bn, a fivefold increase in the past few years. The pace of expansion is _____(7) too. Between April and May this year alone, there was a 58 per cent rise in the number of people applying for a payday loan via moneysupermarket.com.

1. 1) paying 2) sweeping 3) fuming 4) gearing 5) giving

2. 1) overcome 2) forget 3) sustain 4) endure 5) minimise

3. 1) interest 2) taxing 3) inflation 4) spending 5) expenditure

4. 1) explosion 2) invasion 3) exploitation 4) epidemic 5) abstination

5. 1) open 2) escalate 3) enshrine 4) cater 5) dominate

6. 1) check 2) reduce 3) liberate 4) cover 5) enhance

7. 1) accelerating 2) sharpening 3) regulating 4) falling 5) evolving

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