4.1. Sentence and Note Completion
Fill a gap in a sentence or a note with the exact word from the passage, inside the word limit, one step at a time.
Complete the sentences below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
- 7Beavers were hunted partly for 7, a substance produced by their scent glands.
- 8The peak flow leaving the dams was on average about 8 lower than the flow arriving.
- 9Farmers were compensated for any 9 that the dams caused.
The short version
You fill a gap in a sentence or a line of notes with a word taken from the passage.
The instruction gives a word limit. An answer over it scores nothing, even when it is right.
Copy the word exactly as the passage spells it. Do not change its form.
Sentence gaps follow the order of the passage. Note gaps usually do, but not always.
What you have to do
The test shows sentences, or short notes under headings, each with a gap. You type a word or short phrase from the passage in each gap. The instruction above the group gives a word limit, such as ONE WORD ONLY or NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER. Sentence gaps follow passage order, so answer 8 sits below answer 7. Note gaps usually do, but not always. Spelling and length are both marked, so copy the passage.
What a word limit means
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER means up to two words, or a number, or both. 12 June and ticket office both pass. The counts as a word, so the ticket office fails. A hyphenated word such as cast-iron counts as one. Any answer over the limit scores nothing, however right the words are.
Step by step
- 1Read the gap sentence first, not the passage
Read the whole sentence with the gap in it, and check the word limit shown above the group. The words either side of the gap come from the passage in changed form. They will lead you to the right line. Do not open the passage yet.
- 2Decide what kind of word fits
Look at the grammar around the gap. After the or a you need a noun. After in you may need a year or a place. After made of you need a material. Say the kind to yourself: a place, a date, a person. You are not guessing the word, you are narrowing what could fit.
- 3Scan for the anchor, then read the whole line
Pick the word in the sentence least likely to be reworded: a name, a number, a date, an unusual noun. Run your eye down the passage for it. Expect the other words to change, so paid for may appear as funded. When you land, read the whole sentence there, not just the words around the anchor.
- 4Test the word before you type it
Put your word into the gap and read the sentence in your head. It must fit the grammar, say what the passage says, and sit inside the limit. Rule out any word the gap sentence already gives you, because you cannot use it twice. Then copy the spelling from the passage.
- 5If you cannot find it
Look just below your last answer, because the gaps usually run in passage order. If it is still missing after a minute, type the best word of the right kind from that part of the passage. Then move on. An empty box is always wrong, and a guess of the right kind is sometimes right.
ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER. *The cable car opened in ______ and replaced an older railway to the hotel.*
Kind of word: after *in*, a year. Anchor: *cable car* and *hotel*, because names and unusual nouns survive rewording. Line found: *The cable car, running since 1931, took over from a funicular that had carried guests to the summit hotel from 1904.* Two years sit in the line. The gap asks when the cable car opened, and *running since 1931* is the cable car. *1904* is the older railway. Test: *opened in 1931*, a number, inside the limit. Type 1931.
Every gap goes the same way: kind of word, anchor, line, test, type.
Quiz time5 questions
Each question gives you the one or two sentences the gap is answered from. Practise the judgement, not the searching.
Decide the kind of word
ONE WORD ONLY from the extract. Ask what kind of word must follow made of before you look.
Read thisThe tower was built from local granite because bricks shipped from the mainland cracked in the first winter.
The tower was made of because bricks did not survive the cold.
Write no more than 1 word.
Scan for the anchor, expect new words
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the extract. Pick the word least likely to change, then read the whole line.
Read thisBefore the light was automated, supplies reached the keepers by boat once a fortnight, and in rough weather a basket was winched up from the deck.
Supplies arrived every by boat.
Write no more than 2 words.
Right word, too long
ONE WORD ONLY from the extract. The passage gives you two words. Decide which one the gap needs.
Read thisVisitors now climb the 142 steps to the lamp room, but the outer gallery is closed to anyone under twelve.
Children under twelve may not go onto the .
Write no more than 1 word.
The word is already there
ONE WORD ONLY from the extract. Look at the word just before the gap before you copy anything.
Read thisThe keepers' cottages were sold in 1990 and the larger one is let as a holiday house from April to October.
Since 1990 the bigger cottage has been used as a holiday .
Write no more than 1 word.
When you cannot find it
ONE WORD ONLY. You have a minute left and the words either side of the gap are not in the passage. This is the only line about noise in that part. Type the best word of the right kind.
Read thisFog signals were tested every Thursday at noon, and the cottage windows were fitted with thicker glass to cut the noise.
The windows were given heavier to reduce the sound of the signal.
Write no more than 1 word.
Try a full set
Below is a notice with three notes to complete, set as the test sets them. Work the five steps in order: read the note, decide the kind of word, scan for the anchor, test the word against the limit, then type it. Each note has a heading, and the answer sits under that heading in the notice.
Kelp Lane Seed Library will reopen on Tuesday 7 May after a month of shelf repairs. The Saturday swap (09.30-12.00) will not run in April. Members may still collect pre-ordered packets from the harbour office on weekday mornings, 08.00-10.00. Bring your membership card. The office will not issue new cards until the library reopens. Returns: unused seed must be left in the wooden box by the pontoon, not at the cafe. Packets that have been opened will be composted and will not count towards your next swap. The advice session on saving tomato seed has moved from the library to St Jude's Hall on Wednesday 24 April, 18.30. Book a seat by calling 01632 555 018 before Sunday 21 April. Do not leave a message on the library phone; that line is disconnected until May. Refunds for April locker hire will be posted, not handed out at the harbour office. If you have not received a letter by 15 May, email seeds@kelplane.org.
| Heading | You complete |
|---|---|
| Reopens | Reopens: Tuesday ______ May |
| Pre-ordered packets | Members pick up reserved packets at the ______ office |
| Returns | Returns: unused seed goes in the wooden ______ next to the pontoon |
ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each gap. Use the passage above.
The full set4 questions
Reopens
ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER. Use the passage above. Heading: Reopens.
Reopens: Tuesday May
Write no more than 1 word.
Collect packets
ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER. Heading: Pre-ordered packets.
Members pick up reserved packets at the office
Write no more than 1 word.
Returns
ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER. Heading: Returns.
Returns: unused seed goes in the wooden next to the pontoon
Write no more than 1 word.
Which answer breaks the limit?
ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER. Heading: Returns (wooden ______ by the pontoon). Three candidates gave these answers. Choose the one a marker rejects on length alone, before checking whether it is even right.
Which sentence contains the error?
Tips
- Decide the kind of word before you look
A name, a date, a place or a material. You are not guessing the word, you are narrowing what could possibly fit, and that makes the line easier to spot.
- Words already in the sentence are not answers
If the note has wooden, the gap wants the noun after it. Repeating that word wastes your word limit.
- The heading is a boundary
A word can be in the passage and still be wrong, because it belongs under a different heading. Answer from the right part of the text, not just the right text.
Recap
Read the gap sentence, decide the kind of word, then scan for the anchor.
Test the word: right grammar, right meaning, inside the limit, not already in the sentence.
Copy the spelling from the passage, and never leave a box empty.
Next: the same skill on a summary paragraph, including the version with a word list.