Cloze Tests & Word Usage Short Notes for XAT: Concepts, Formulas, Worked Examples & Practice

Cloze Tests & Word Usage short notes for XAT: 2 study cards covering concepts, formulas, shortcuts and exam traps, plus solved practice questions.

Quick Reference: Cloze Tests and Phrasal Verbs

Cloze Tests — Key Points

Read full passage first
Use three-clue system: grammar plus meaning plus logic
Start with easy blanks
Verify coherence at the end
Do not ignore broader context
Do not choose words that break the tone

Phrasal Verbs — Key Points

Learn as complete units (not word-by-word)
Group by base verb for memorization
Check transitive or intransitive usage
Verify correct prepositions
Do not interpret literally
Do not split inseparable phrasal verbs

High-Frequency Phrasal Verbs

GET: get along, get over, get through, get up
TAKE: take off, take on, take over, take after
PUT: put off, put up with, put forward, put away
TURN: turn down, turn up, turn out, turn over
LOOK: look after, look forward to, look into, look up to

Common Errors to Avoid

Wrong	Right
cope up with	cope with
dispose off	dispose of
good in	good at
many a times	many a time
saw a dream	had a dream

Exam Strategy

Cloze tests: 2 to 3 minutes per passage
Phrasal verb questions: 30 to 45 seconds each
Always eliminate wrong options first
Trust your instinct if it passes all checks

Final Exam Strategy: If You See X, Do Y

If You See X, Do Y

If you see a cloze test passage...
→ Read it completely first. Do not fill anything yet. Identify theme and tone.

If you are stuck on a blank...
→ Skip it and fill easier blanks first. Come back later. Context from other blanks might help.

If you see near-synonym options...
→ Check collocations (which word naturally goes with surrounding words) and tone (formal vs informal).

If you see a phrasal verb error spotting question...
→ Check phrasal verb validity first (correct particle? exists as a unit?), then check other grammar.

If you are unsure about a phrasal verb...
→ Eliminate options with wrong particles or non-existent combinations. Guess from remaining options.

If you see a long cloze passage (8+ blanks)...
→ Do not panic. Break it into 2 to 3 sentence chunks. Tackle each chunk independently.

If time is running out...
→ Focus on blanks where you can eliminate 2 or more options quickly. Make educated guesses for the rest.

If you finish early...
→ Re-read the complete cloze passage to verify coherence. Check if all blanks work together logically.

Time Allocation

Question Type	Time Limit	Strategy
Short cloze (3-4 blanks)	2 minutes	Quick scan, fill immediately
Long cloze (5+ blanks)	3-4 minutes	Read full passage, systematic approach
Phrasal verb error spotting	45 seconds per sentence	Check validity, then grammar
Sentence completion	30 seconds	Context clue → match phrasal verb

Final Tip: In verbal sections, partial attempts are better than no attempts. If you can eliminate even one wrong option, make an educated guess.

Cloze Tests & Word Usage: Solved Questions with Step-by-Step Explanations (2 Problems)

Question 1 · Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning (VALR) MCQ

Read the following passage with three blanks. Which of the following combinations of phrasal verbs is IMPOSSIBLE to fit into the blanks while maintaining both grammatical correctness and the logical flow of the passage?

"The initial public offering was highly anticipated, but the company decided to ____ it at the last minute due to market volatility. Analysts suggested that the management tried to ____ the poor financial health of the firm, but the leaked documents eventually ____ the truth, leading to a severe drop in investor confidence."

A.
put off, gloss over, bring out
B.
call off, brush aside, give away
C.
back out of, sweep under, let on
D.
hold over, play down, point out

Correct Answer:

Step-by-Step Solution

Key idea: This is a "which is impossible" cloze test question focusing on the strict idiomatic and syntactic constraints of phrasal verbs.

Step 1: Analyze the first blank. The company decided to cancel or postpone the IPO. "Put off", "call off", "back out of", and "hold over" can all contextually fit, though "back out of it" is slightly less formal, it is grammatically acceptable.

Step 2: Analyze the second blank. The management tried to minimize or hide the poor financial health. "Gloss over", "brush aside", "sweep under", and "play down" all carry this meaning.

Step 3: Analyze the syntactic constraint of the second blank. "Sweep under" is part of the fixed idiom "sweep under the rug" or "sweep under the carpet". It cannot directly take an abstract object like "the poor financial health". You cannot "sweep under an issue"; you must "sweep an issue under the rug". This makes Option C grammatically impossible.

Step 4: Analyze the third blank for Option C. "Let on" means to reveal a secret, but it is intransitive or used with "about" (e.g., "let on about the truth"). It cannot take a direct object like "the truth". This provides a second fatal grammatical flaw in Option C.

Step 5: Verify other options. Option A ("put off", "gloss over", "bring out"), Option B ("call off", "brush aside", "give away"), and Option D ("hold over", "play down", "point out") all use phrasal verbs that correctly accept the objects provided in the passage.

Answer: C

Question 2 · Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning (VALR) MSQ

Which of the following sentences use the phrasal verb correctly in terms of both meaning and grammatical structure? (Select ALL that apply)

A) The board decided to call the meeting off due to the sudden strike.

B) The new regulations will cut down on unnecessary expenditures, but they cannot do away them entirely.

C) She looks up to her mentor, but she does not look up to him when he gives impractical advice.

D) After hours of negotiation, the two parties finally came around our point of view.

E) The manager tried to brush the complaints aside, but the union refused to put up with such negligence.

A.
The board decided to call the meeting off due to the sudden strike.
B.
The new regulations will cut down on unnecessary expenditures, but they cannot do away them entirely.
C.
She looks up to her mentor, but she does not look up to him when he gives impractical advice.
D.
After hours of negotiation, the two parties finally came around our point of view.
E.
The manager tried to brush the complaints aside, but the union refused to put up with such negligence.

Correct Answer:

["A","C","E"]

Step-by-Step Solution

Key idea: This is a multiple-select question testing the grammatical structure (separability and required prepositions) of phrasal verbs.

Step 1: Analyze Option A. "Call off" is a separable transitive phrasal verb. "Call the meeting off" is grammatically correct.

Step 2: Analyze Option B. "Do away with" is an inseparable phrasal verb requiring the preposition "with". "Do away them" is incorrect; it must be "do away with them".

Step 3: Analyze Option C. "Look up to" is an inseparable transitive phrasal verb. "Look up to him" is correct. Splitting it or omitting "to" would be wrong.

Step 4: Analyze Option D. "Come around" (or "come round") meaning to be persuaded requires the preposition "to" when followed by an object ("our point of view"). "Came around our point of view" is incorrect; it must be "came around to our point of view".

Step 5: Analyze Option E. "Brush aside" is separable ("brush the complaints aside" is correct). "Put up with" is inseparable and correctly used ("put up with such negligence").

Answer: A, C, E

More short notes in this unit

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Cloze Tests & Word Usage Short Notes for XAT: Concepts, Formulas, Worked Examples & Practice

Cloze Tests & Word Usage short notes for XAT: 2 study cards covering concepts, formulas, shortcuts and exam traps, plus solved practice questions.

A question from this chapter

Question 1

Read the following passage with three blanks. Which of the following combinations of phrasal verbs is IMPOSSIBLE to fit into the blanks while maintaining both grammatical correctness and the logical flow of the passage? "The initial public offering was highly anticipated, but the company decided to ____ it at the last minute due to market volatility. Analysts suggested that the management tried to ____ the poor financial health of the firm, but the leaked documents eventually ____ the truth, leading to a severe drop in investor confidence."

Question 2

Which of the following sentences use the phrasal verb correctly in terms of both meaning and grammatical structure? (Select ALL that apply) A) The board decided to call the meeting off due to the sudden strike. B) The new regulations will cut down on unnecessary expenditures, but they cannot do away them entirely. C) She looks up to her mentor, but she does not look up to him when he gives impractical advice. D) After hours of negotiation, the two parties finally came around our point of view. E) The manager tried to brush the complaints aside, but the union refused to put up with such negligence.

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