Directions:(1-5) Fill in the blanks with an appropriate word.

1.Industrial America is a product of the decades succeeding the Civil War; yet even in 1865 we were a large manufacturing nation. The leading characteristic of our industries, as compared with present conditions, was that they were individualized. Nearly all had ______ (1) _______ the household stage, the factory system had gained a/an _______ (2) ______ in nearly every line, even the corporation had made its appearance, yet small-scale production _________ (3) ______ in practically every field. In the decade preceding the War, vans were still making regular trips through New England and the Middle States, leaving at farmhouses bundles of straw plait, which the members of the household fashioned into hats. The farmers’ wives and daughters still __________ (4) _______ the family income by working on goods for city dealers in ready-made clothing. We can still see in Massachusetts rural towns the little shoe shops in which the predecessors of the existing factory workers soled and heeled the shoes which shod our armies in the early days of the Civil War. Every city and town had its own slaughter house; New York had more than two hundred; what is now Fifth Avenue was frequently ________ (5) ________ by large droves of cattle, and great stockyards occupied territory which is now used for beautiful clubs, railroad stations, hotels, and the highest class of retail establishments.

Ans:3
On reading the paragraph, we understand that the industries developed from the household stage. Hence, the word ‘outgrown’ fits the blank correctly.

2.Industrial America is a product of the decades succeeding the Civil War; yet even in 1865 we were a large manufacturing nation. The leading characteristic of our industries, as compared with present conditions, was that they were individualized. Nearly all had ______ (1) _______ the household stage, the factory system had gained a/an _______ (2) ______ in nearly every line, even the corporation had made its appearance, yet small-scale production _________ (3) ______ in practically every field. In the decade preceding the War, vans were still making regular trips through New England and the Middle States, leaving at farmhouses bundles of straw plait, which the members of the household fashioned into hats. The farmers’ wives and daughters still __________ (4) _______ the family income by working on goods for city dealers in ready-made clothing. We can still see in Massachusetts rural towns the little shoe shops in which the predecessors of the existing factory workers soled and heeled the shoes which shod our armies in the early days of the Civil War. Every city and town had its own slaughter house; New York had more than two hundred; what is now Fifth Avenue was frequently ________ (5) ________ by large droves of cattle, and great stockyards occupied territory which is now used for beautiful clubs, railroad stations, hotels, and the highest class of retail establishments.

Ans:2
The blank should be filled with a word which expresses the meaning that the factory system had its influence on every line. This is conveyed in the lines preceding and succeeding the blank. Hence, the blank should be filled with the word ‘foothold’.

3.Industrial America is a product of the decades succeeding the Civil War; yet even in 1865 we were a large manufacturing nation. The leading characteristic of our industries, as compared with present conditions, was that they were individualized. Nearly all had ______ (1) _______ the household stage, the factory system had gained a/an _______ (2) ______ in nearly every line, even the corporation had made its appearance, yet small-scale production _________ (3) ______ in practically every field. In the decade preceding the War, vans were still making regular trips through New England and the Middle States, leaving at farmhouses bundles of straw plait, which the members of the household fashioned into hats. The farmers’ wives and daughters still __________ (4) _______ the family income by working on goods for city dealers in ready-made clothing. We can still see in Massachusetts rural towns the little shoe shops in which the predecessors of the existing factory workers soled and heeled the shoes which shod our armies in the early days of the Civil War. Every city and town had its own slaughter house; New York had more than two hundred; what is now Fifth Avenue was frequently ________ (5) ________ by large droves of cattle, and great stockyards occupied territory which is now used for beautiful clubs, railroad stations, hotels, and the highest class of retail establishments.

Ans:5
The word ‘yet’ gives us an indication that though the factory system was ubiquitous, small-scale production still survived in every field. The word ‘prevailed’ conveys this exact meaning. Hence, option E is the correct answer.

4.Industrial America is a product of the decades succeeding the Civil War; yet even in 1865 we were a large manufacturing nation. The leading characteristic of our industries, as compared with present conditions, was that they were individualized. Nearly all had ______ (1) _______ the household stage, the factory system had gained a/an _______ (2) ______ in nearly every line, even the corporation had made its appearance, yet small-scale production _________ (3) ______ in practically every field. In the decade preceding the War, vans were still making regular trips through New England and the Middle States, leaving at farmhouses bundles of straw plait, which the members of the household fashioned into hats. The farmers’ wives and daughters still __________ (4) _______ the family income by working on goods for city dealers in ready-made clothing. We can still see in Massachusetts rural towns the little shoe shops in which the predecessors of the existing factory workers soled and heeled the shoes which shod our armies in the early days of the Civil War. Every city and town had its own slaughter house; New York had more than two hundred; what is now Fifth Avenue was frequently ________ (5) ________ by large droves of cattle, and great stockyards occupied territory which is now used for beautiful clubs, railroad stations, hotels, and the highest class of retail establishments.

Ans:1
On reading the sentence containing the blank, we understand that the wives and daughters added to the family income. Hence, the word ‘supplemented’, which means ‘to add’ should come in place of the blank. Option A is the correct answer.

5.Industrial America is a product of the decades succeeding the Civil War; yet even in 1865 we were a large manufacturing nation. The leading characteristic of our industries, as compared with present conditions, was that they were individualized. Nearly all had ______ (1) _______ the household stage, the factory system had gained a/an _______ (2) ______ in nearly every line, even the corporation had made its appearance, yet small-scale production _________ (3) ______ in practically every field. In the decade preceding the War, vans were still making regular trips through New England and the Middle States, leaving at farmhouses bundles of straw plait, which the members of the household fashioned into hats. The farmers’ wives and daughters still __________ (4) _______ the family income by working on goods for city dealers in ready-made clothing. We can still see in Massachusetts rural towns the little shoe shops in which the predecessors of the existing factory workers soled and heeled the shoes which shod our armies in the early days of the Civil War. Every city and town had its own slaughter house; New York had more than two hundred; what is now Fifth Avenue was frequently ________ (5) ________ by large droves of cattle, and great stockyards occupied territory which is now used for beautiful clubs, railroad stations, hotels, and the highest class of retail establishments.

Ans:3
The word should describe the action caused by the cattle. The word ‘visited’ does not go with ‘cattle’. Only the word ‘encumbered’, which means ‘to restrict the free movement’, fits the blank correctly. Option C is the correct answer.

Directions:(6-10) Fill in the blanks with an appropriate word.

6.Luxemburg in 1815 was not merely severed from the Netherlands; it, as a sovereign grand-duchy, was made a state of the Germanic confederation. By virtue of the exchange _________ (6) _______ by the treaty of 1839, the _________ (7) ________ portion of Limburg became a state of the confederation. But with the revision of the Dutch constitution, which in 1840 followed the final separation of Holland and Belgium, by the wish of the king his duchy of Limburg was included in the new Fundamental Law, and thus became practically a Dutch province. The Limburgers had thus a strange and ________ (8) _________ position. They had to pay taxes, to furnish military contingents and to send deputies to two different sovereign authorities. This state of things continued with more or less _________ (9) ________, until the victory of Prussia over Austria in 1866 led to the _________ (10) _______ of the Germanic confederation. At the conference of London, 1867, Luxemburg was declared to be an independent state, whose neutrality was guaranteed by the Great Powers, while Limburg became an integral portion of the kingdom of the Netherlands.

Ans:3
On reading the sentences before and after the blank we understand that the exchange was facilitated by the treaty. Hence, the word ‘sanctioned’ fits the blank correctly and expresses the same meaning. Option C is the correct answer.

7.Luxemburg in 1815 was not merely severed from the Netherlands; it, as a sovereign grand-duchy, was made a state of the Germanic confederation. By virtue of the exchange _________ (6) _______ by the treaty of 1839, the _________ (7) ________ portion of Limburg became a state of the confederation. But with the revision of the Dutch constitution, which in 1840 followed the final separation of Holland and Belgium, by the wish of the king his duchy of Limburg was included in the new Fundamental Law, and thus became practically a Dutch province. The Limburgers had thus a strange and ________ (8) _________ position. They had to pay taxes, to furnish military contingents and to send deputies to two different sovereign authorities. This state of things continued with more or less _________ (9) ________, until the victory of Prussia over Austria in 1866 led to the _________ (10) _______ of the Germanic confederation. At the conference of London, 1867, Luxemburg was declared to be an independent state, whose neutrality was guaranteed by the Great Powers, while Limburg became an integral portion of the kingdom of the Netherlands.

Ans:2
On reading the sentences in the passage, we understand that the blank should be filled with a word which means ‘annexed’. Hence, the word ‘ceded’ fits the blank. Option B fits the blank correctly.

8.Luxemburg in 1815 was not merely severed from the Netherlands; it, as a sovereign grand-duchy, was made a state of the Germanic confederation. By virtue of the exchange _________ (6) _______ by the treaty of 1839, the _________ (7) ________ portion of Limburg became a state of the confederation. But with the revision of the Dutch constitution, which in 1840 followed the final separation of Holland and Belgium, by the wish of the king his duchy of Limburg was included in the new Fundamental Law, and thus became practically a Dutch province. The Limburgers had thus a strange and ________ (8) _________ position. They had to pay taxes, to furnish military contingents and to send deputies to two different sovereign authorities. This state of things continued with more or less _________ (9) ________, until the victory of Prussia over Austria in 1866 led to the _________ (10) _______ of the Germanic confederation. At the conference of London, 1867, Luxemburg was declared to be an independent state, whose neutrality was guaranteed by the Great Powers, while Limburg became an integral portion of the kingdom of the Netherlands.

Ans:5
The blank is ‘They had a strange and _____________ position. “ On reading the sentences after the blank, we see that they had a confusing situation. Thus, the word ‘ambiguous’ fits the blank. Option E is the correct answer.

9.Luxemburg in 1815 was not merely severed from the Netherlands; it, as a sovereign grand-duchy, was made a state of the Germanic confederation. By virtue of the exchange _________ (6) _______ by the treaty of 1839, the _________ (7) ________ portion of Limburg became a state of the confederation. But with the revision of the Dutch constitution, which in 1840 followed the final separation of Holland and Belgium, by the wish of the king his duchy of Limburg was included in the new Fundamental Law, and thus became practically a Dutch province. The Limburgers had thus a strange and ________ (8) _________ position. They had to pay taxes, to furnish military contingents and to send deputies to two different sovereign authorities. This state of things continued with more or less _________ (9) ________, until the victory of Prussia over Austria in 1866 led to the _________ (10) _______ of the Germanic confederation. At the conference of London, 1867, Luxemburg was declared to be an independent state, whose neutrality was guaranteed by the Great Powers, while Limburg became an integral portion of the kingdom of the Netherlands.

Ans:1
On reading the sentences before and after the blank we understand that the state of things, though not smooth continued until the Prussian victory. Hence, the word ‘friction’ fits the blank correctly.

10.Luxemburg in 1815 was not merely severed from the Netherlands; it, as a sovereign grand-duchy, was made a state of the Germanic confederation. By virtue of the exchange _________ (6) _______ by the treaty of 1839, the _________ (7) ________ portion of Limburg became a state of the confederation. But with the revision of the Dutch constitution, which in 1840 followed the final separation of Holland and Belgium, by the wish of the king his duchy of Limburg was included in the new Fundamental Law, and thus became practically a Dutch province. The Limburgers had thus a strange and ________ (8) _________ position. They had to pay taxes, to furnish military contingents and to send deputies to two different sovereign authorities. This state of things continued with more or less _________ (9) ________, until the victory of Prussia over Austria in 1866 led to the _________ (10) _______ of the Germanic confederation. At the conference of London, 1867, Luxemburg was declared to be an independent state, whose neutrality was guaranteed by the Great Powers, while Limburg became an integral portion of the kingdom of the Netherlands.

Ans:4
On reading the sentences after the blank, we see that the German Confederation was broken and Luxemburg was granted independence. Hence, the word ‘dissolution’ fits the blank correctly. Option D is the correct answer.

1 thought on “Cloze Test in English For Competitive Exams”

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