Fill in the Blanks

When a word is missing from a sentence, the meaning is lost and the true purpose of the statement cannot be understood. The missing word can be any of the following: a noun, pronoun, verb, article, adverb, verb, etc. Identifying the most effective word to complete the blank and complete the sentence in a meaningful manner is tested with fill-in-the-blank questions. To put it another way, this test tests your understanding of words in a context. Two patterns can be defined, one with a single blank and another with two or more blanks. When there are two or more blanks in a sentence, the missing words are usually closely related to one another. Questions with fill-in-the-blank answers are different from other types of questions in that they demand recall. The learning process for multiple choice, true-false, and matching all relies on recognition, as all responses are provided to the student, and he or she must choose the correct response. However, fill-in-the-blank questions require learners to produce a concept and are an even deeper way of testing learners’ knowledge of individual terms and concepts. 

APPROACH TO SOLVE FILL IN THE BLANKS TYPE QUESTIONS:

Some strategies can be applied to understand the meaning and structure of the statement. By doing so, you can determine the most effective way of filling in the blank. 

•         Paying attention to the words before and after the blank. Thus, you will be able to pick words that are associated with each other, otherwise called collocations (a word combination that is closely related to another word). 

–          For example:

1. a)     The Indian High Commission in Canada has not so far made available information on expenses __ for the PM’s security.

 -Options: 1. Got, 2. Met, 3. Incurred, 4. Done.

Answer: Incurred.

Analyzing the word expenses before the blank provides a close relation with the word incurred, making it the best fit for the blank.

1. b)     Fifteen districts may be reeling__ drought but the state government is readying to spurge around 20 cr on celebrating Chief Minister’s 10 years in office.

-Options: 1. Under, 2. On, 3. In, 4. For

Answer:  Under.

By analyzing the word before and after the blank i.e. reeling and drought simultaneously, reeling under means suffering and suffering can be related to the word drought, indicating under the best fit for the blank.

•         Use context clues to help in the interpretation of the text. Pay attention to key words contained within the context. Identification of clues within the context that help determine the best fit for the blank.

–          For example:

1. a) They work hard not because of the __, but due to their inner urge.

– Options: 1.Incentive, 2.Motivation, 3. Desire, 4. Intention.

Answer: Incentive. 

By applying the context clue method, inner urge is closely related to Motivation, Desire, and Intention. The presence of the word not in the sentence gives us a clue that the answer should oppose the other clue inner urge, making incentive the best fit for the blank.

1. b) In spite of giving repeated instructions, she __ the same mistakes.

-Options: 1. Exhibits, 2. Commits, 3. Detects, 4. Corrects

Answer: Commits

Through the context clue method, in spite can be detected as a clue within the statement. Commits fit the best fit for the blank as regardless of the instructions given she makes the same mistakes.

•         Checking whether the sentence has a positive or negative connotation. When something has a positive connotation, it will evoke warm emotions. Something with a negative connotation will at the same time make someone feel less than pleasant. 

–          For example:

1. a) Woah! Ray is here and he’s a ___ when talking.

-Options: 1. Chatter, 2. Conversationalist, 3. Annoying, 4. Reticent.

Answer: Conversationalist.

The Woah! in the sentence gives the idea that it has a positive connotation. Options other than conversationalist carry a negative tone, making it the best fit for the blank.

FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH SUITABLE PREPOSITIONS:

Generally, a preposition is a word or group of words used before a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase in order to indicate direction, time, place, location, or spatial relationship. Prepositions in English are idiomatic and include words such as “in,” “at,” “on,” and “of.”

•         Prepositions are always followed by nouns and pronouns. The noun that follows the preposition is called the object. It is important to note that verbs cannot be prepositional objects.

Examples:

1. a) You can call me __  lunch time.

-Options: 1. In, 2. On, 3. For, 4. At.

Answer: At.

The preposition at is used for the exact time (lunch time) provided.

1. b) London is very beautiful __ winter.

-Options: 1. On, 2. At, 3. In, 4. Since.

Answer: In

The preposition in is used for something that lasts for a longer period of time (winter).

1. c) What did your family do __ the weekend.

-Options: 1.In, 2. For, 3. At, 4. On.

Answer: On

The preposition on is used for a particular day, weekend or a holiday.

CONCLUSION:

It is essential to enrich one’s vocabulary and know the grammatical rules by heart to be able to fill in the blanks with contextual correct words.  Fill in the Blank questions are designed to encourage students to apply their existing knowledge. They test the learners’ cognitive skills and their knowledge of vocabulary.