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Exam guide & reading text

The Value of an Unfinished SketchPart 2: Open Cloze

"The Value of an Unfinished Sketch" targets the Open Cloze (Part 2) of the Cambridge C1 Proficiency exam. Unlike Part 1, no options are provided — you must supply single words (articles, prepositions, auxiliaries, pronouns, conjunctions or discourse markers) that complete the text grammatically and logically. Scan each gap for the grammatical slot it occupies: is it linking clauses, marking reference, or completing a fixed structure? Small words carry heavy weight at C2 level.

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Reading text

An unfinished sketch can reveal choices that a polished image hides. Artists often leave early marks (9) .......... the page because they show where an idea changed direction. A line that seems awkward at first may later become essential (10) .......... the final composition. This is not because roughness (11) .......... always more expressive than skill, but because it records a moment when the artist had to decide what to keep. (12) .......... viewers see only the final version, they may assume that every detail appeared fully formed. Yet a sketch can offer (13) .......... more honest account (14) .......... the process, including hesitation and revision. It also invites us (15) .......... ask questions about what was possible at each stage, not just (16) .......... was eventually chosen.