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Exam guide & reading text

The Price of Free DeliveryPart 2: Open Cloze

"The Price of Free Delivery" 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

Free delivery can make an online purchase feel easier to justify, even when the item itself was not planned. The appeal depends (9) .......... the impression that there is no final cost still to come. Buyers (10) .......... compare several websites (11) .......... not always notice a delivery charge until late in the process, and may assume it is unfair (12) .......... it is clearly stated before payment. This expectation grows as retailers compete by promising speed as well as convenience. A small fee can become (13) .......... reason to abandon a basket, particularly when it seems unrelated (14) .......... the value of the item. Sellers sometimes respond with offers (15) .......... as a minimum order, but these can encourage people to buy more (16) .......... they intended.