Had it not been (9) .......... a chance conversation between two neighbours, the sound walks might never have been organised. No sooner (10) .......... the first walks been advertised than local residents began suggesting routes of their own. The organisers ask people to describe not only what they hear, but also (11) .......... a particular sound affects them. Anyone (12) .......... assumes that city noise is simply a matter of volume is likely to be surprised by the range of responses.
Rather (13) .......... viewing sound as an unavoidable background feature, the project treats it as evidence of how a place is used. Some participants find the exercise uncomfortable (14) .......... it makes them notice how little control they have over their surroundings. The walks do not claim to produce a single verdict, (15) .......... do they offer a simple solution to every complaint. Instead, each observation, however fleeting, is treated (16) .......... potentially valuable.
Before each walk, participants are invited to remember a sound that marks the beginning or end of their day. Afterwards, the group compares these memories with the recordings, which helps prevent the discussion from becoming a simple list of annoyances. Several have said that the exercise changes what they notice on the journey home.
Had it not been (9) .......... a chance conversation between two neighbours, the sound walks might never have been organised. No sooner (10) .......... the first walks been advertised than local residents began suggesting routes of their own. The organisers ask people to describe not only what they hear, but also (11) .......... a particular sound affects them. Anyone (12) .......... assumes that city noise is simply a matter of volume is likely to be surprised by the range of responses.
Rather (13) .......... viewing sound as an unavoidable background feature, the project treats it as evidence of how a place is used. Some participants find the exercise uncomfortable (14) .......... it makes them notice how little control they have over their surroundings. The walks do not claim to produce a single verdict, (15) .......... do they offer a simple solution to every complaint. Instead, each observation, however fleeting, is treated (16) .......... potentially valuable.
Before each walk, participants are invited to remember a sound that marks the beginning or end of their day. Afterwards, the group compares these memories with the recordings, which helps prevent the discussion from becoming a simple list of annoyances. Several have said that the exercise changes what they notice on the journey home.
Question 9
Exam guide & reading text▾
What a walk can reveal — Part 2: Open Cloze
"What a walk can reveal" 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.
Had it not been (9) .......... a chance conversation between two neighbours, the sound walks might never have been organised. No sooner (10) .......... the first walks been advertised than local residents began suggesting routes of their own. The organisers ask people to describe not only what they hear, but also (11) .......... a particular sound affects them. Anyone (12) .......... assumes that city noise is simply a matter of volume is likely to be surprised by the range of responses.
Rather (13) .......... viewing sound as an unavoidable background feature, the project treats it as evidence of how a place is used. Some participants find the exercise uncomfortable (14) .......... it makes them notice how little control they have over their surroundings. The walks do not claim to produce a single verdict, (15) .......... do they offer a simple solution to every complaint. Instead, each observation, however fleeting, is treated (16) .......... potentially valuable.
Before each walk, participants are invited to remember a sound that marks the beginning or end of their day. Afterwards, the group compares these memories with the recordings, which helps prevent the discussion from becoming a simple list of annoyances. Several have said that the exercise changes what they notice on the journey home.