PSLE Comprehension Cloze 1: The School Fair
This passage helps you practise finding the clue that decides each blank. Fill in every blank before you open any answers. Read the whole sentence each time.
This is a short warm-up with 7 blanks. The real PSLE passage has 15 blanks, but it tests the same skill.
The passage
Every year, our school holds a fun fair to raise money for charity. This year, the fair was even more exciting (1) _______ the weather was perfect. Stalls lined the field, each one selling something different, (2) _______ food, games, and handmade crafts.
My friends and I ran a drinks stall. At first, business was slow, (3) _______ we did not lose hope. We made a colourful sign and called out to passers-by, and soon a long queue (4) _______ formed in front of us. By noon, we (5) _______ sold almost everything.
When the fair finally ended, we were exhausted (6) _______ happy. We had raised more money than any other stall, and best of all, every cent would go to (7) _______ who needed it. It was a day none of us would forget.
Check your answers
Blank 1: reveal answer
Answer: because. The perfect weather made the fair exciting. You need a word that gives a reason.
Blank 2: reveal answer
Answer: including (or such as). Food, games and crafts are examples of the different things sold. You need a word that introduces examples.
Blank 3: reveal answer
Answer: but (or yet). Business was slow, but they did not lose hope. The two ideas go against each other, so you need a contrast word.
Blank 4: reveal answer
Answer: had. Look at the word "formed" after the blank. "Had formed" shows the queue built up during the morning.
Blank 5: reveal answer
Answer: had. This follows the same pattern. "By noon, we had sold almost everything" shows the selling was done before noon.
Blank 6: reveal answer
Answer: but (or yet). "Exhausted" and "happy" are opposite feelings. A contrast word joins them.
Blank 7: reveal answer
Answer: those (or people). The blank means the people the charity helps. "Those who needed it" fits best.
Check the harder blanks
Blank (2): choose the word that fits: '...selling something different, ___ food, games, and handmade crafts.'
Show answer & explanation
Answer: (B) including
The correct answer is (B) 'including'. Food, games and crafts are examples of the different things sold. You need a word that introduces examples. (A) 'although' shows contrast, and there is no contrast here. (C) 'because' gives a reason, and nothing here is a reason. (D) 'instead' means one thing replaces another, which does not fit a list of things sold.
Blank (4): choose the word that fits: '...soon a long queue ___ formed in front of us.'
Show answer & explanation
Answer: (C) had
The correct answer is (C) 'had'. The story is told in the past tense. 'Had formed' shows the queue built up during the morning, before noon. (A) 'has' and (B) 'have' belong with the present, so they do not fit a past story. (D) 'having' cannot be the main verb here.
Blank (7): choose the word that fits: '...every cent would go to ___ who needed it.'
Show answer & explanation
Answer: (B) those
The correct answer is (B) 'those'. It means the people who needed help, as in 'those who needed it'. (A) 'them' cannot be followed by 'who needed it' in this sentence. (C) 'whom' is used as an object and cannot start this phrase. (D) 'which' is for things, not people.
What to take away
Blanks 1, 3 and 6 each depend on how the two halves of the sentence connect. Ask yourself: do these two ideas agree, or do they go against each other?
| If the ideas… | Try words like |
|---|---|
| agree, or one causes the other | and, so, because |
| go against each other | but, yet, although |
This one question helps with many cloze blanks.
Back to Comprehension Cloze · Next: Practice 2