Were it not (9) .......... the patience of a handful of volunteers, the school would not be able to run after dark. Students (10) .......... observations are especially detailed are encouraged to share them with the rest of the group. Far (11) .......... being a matter of simply looking upwards, astronomy requires people to notice patterns over time.
Not until beginners have spent several evenings outside (12) .......... they realise how much the eye can learn to detect. Some participants behave as (13) .......... they were already experts, but the most useful discussions often begin with a basic question. No matter (14) .......... carefully an observation is recorded, it may still need to be checked. The aim is to determine (15) .......... a genuine pattern has emerged. Not only (16) .......... participants learn to use the telescope; they also become more patient observers.
Volunteers keep a shared notebook in which they record cloud cover, equipment problems and the questions raised by beginners. These notes make it easier to separate a one-off impression from a pattern worth investigating. They also remind experienced members that confidence is not the same as accuracy. Every entry can be discussed again with the group at the following session.
Were it not (9) .......... the patience of a handful of volunteers, the school would not be able to run after dark. Students (10) .......... observations are especially detailed are encouraged to share them with the rest of the group. Far (11) .......... being a matter of simply looking upwards, astronomy requires people to notice patterns over time.
Not until beginners have spent several evenings outside (12) .......... they realise how much the eye can learn to detect. Some participants behave as (13) .......... they were already experts, but the most useful discussions often begin with a basic question. No matter (14) .......... carefully an observation is recorded, it may still need to be checked. The aim is to determine (15) .......... a genuine pattern has emerged. Not only (16) .......... participants learn to use the telescope; they also become more patient observers.
Volunteers keep a shared notebook in which they record cloud cover, equipment problems and the questions raised by beginners. These notes make it easier to separate a one-off impression from a pattern worth investigating. They also remind experienced members that confidence is not the same as accuracy. Every entry can be discussed again with the group at the following session.
Question 9
Exam guide & reading text▾
Learning to observe — Part 2: Open Cloze
"Learning to observe" 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.
Were it not (9) .......... the patience of a handful of volunteers, the school would not be able to run after dark. Students (10) .......... observations are especially detailed are encouraged to share them with the rest of the group. Far (11) .......... being a matter of simply looking upwards, astronomy requires people to notice patterns over time.
Not until beginners have spent several evenings outside (12) .......... they realise how much the eye can learn to detect. Some participants behave as (13) .......... they were already experts, but the most useful discussions often begin with a basic question. No matter (14) .......... carefully an observation is recorded, it may still need to be checked. The aim is to determine (15) .......... a genuine pattern has emerged. Not only (16) .......... participants learn to use the telescope; they also become more patient observers.
Volunteers keep a shared notebook in which they record cloud cover, equipment problems and the questions raised by beginners. These notes make it easier to separate a one-off impression from a pattern worth investigating. They also remind experienced members that confidence is not the same as accuracy. Every entry can be discussed again with the group at the following session.