Nobody can predict (9) .......... a neglected object will later prove valuable. The task is not so much to restore each manual to pristine condition (10) .......... to understand what it can reveal. Anyone (11) .......... has tried to follow an old set of instructions knows that the language can be unexpectedly precise in some places and strangely vague in others.
The more evidence accumulates, (12) .......... harder it becomes to decide which details are typical. Even (13) .......... a part seems trivial, it may help explain how a device was used. Had a crucial page not (14) .......... preserved by chance, an entire sequence of repairs might have been lost. The project values uncertainty, rather (15) .......... presenting every interpretation as final. Ultimately, (16) .......... matters is not whether every answer is found, but whether the right questions are asked.
Volunteers are often tempted to search for a single correct interpretation, especially when a diagram looks complete. However, a missing measurement or altered illustration can change the meaning of an entire procedure. Discussing rival possibilities is therefore part of the work, not a sign that the archive has failed. The notes remain open to revision as new material arrives. New evidence is welcomed, rather than treated as a threat.
Nobody can predict (9) .......... a neglected object will later prove valuable. The task is not so much to restore each manual to pristine condition (10) .......... to understand what it can reveal. Anyone (11) .......... has tried to follow an old set of instructions knows that the language can be unexpectedly precise in some places and strangely vague in others.
The more evidence accumulates, (12) .......... harder it becomes to decide which details are typical. Even (13) .......... a part seems trivial, it may help explain how a device was used. Had a crucial page not (14) .......... preserved by chance, an entire sequence of repairs might have been lost. The project values uncertainty, rather (15) .......... presenting every interpretation as final. Ultimately, (16) .......... matters is not whether every answer is found, but whether the right questions are asked.
Volunteers are often tempted to search for a single correct interpretation, especially when a diagram looks complete. However, a missing measurement or altered illustration can change the meaning of an entire procedure. Discussing rival possibilities is therefore part of the work, not a sign that the archive has failed. The notes remain open to revision as new material arrives. New evidence is welcomed, rather than treated as a threat.
Question 9
Exam guide & reading text▾
Objects and their afterlives — Part 2: Open Cloze
"Objects and their afterlives" 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.
Nobody can predict (9) .......... a neglected object will later prove valuable. The task is not so much to restore each manual to pristine condition (10) .......... to understand what it can reveal. Anyone (11) .......... has tried to follow an old set of instructions knows that the language can be unexpectedly precise in some places and strangely vague in others.
The more evidence accumulates, (12) .......... harder it becomes to decide which details are typical. Even (13) .......... a part seems trivial, it may help explain how a device was used. Had a crucial page not (14) .......... preserved by chance, an entire sequence of repairs might have been lost. The project values uncertainty, rather (15) .......... presenting every interpretation as final. Ultimately, (16) .......... matters is not whether every answer is found, but whether the right questions are asked.
Volunteers are often tempted to search for a single correct interpretation, especially when a diagram looks complete. However, a missing measurement or altered illustration can change the meaning of an entire procedure. Discussing rival possibilities is therefore part of the work, not a sign that the archive has failed. The notes remain open to revision as new material arrives. New evidence is welcomed, rather than treated as a threat.