A Puzzling History

C1 Advanced · Multiple Choice Cloze · Cambridge Ready original exercise

For questions 1–8, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap. There is an example at the beginning.

slab

block

sheet

lump

took

held

picked

caught

fixture

fitting

figure

fixation

economical

reasonable

affordable

inexpensive

lift

elevate

ascend

soar

evasion

escapism

avoidance

retreat

called

taken

picked

brought

rival

oppose

contest

fight

The jigsaw puzzle (0) ___ life not as a toy but as a teaching aid. In the 1760s, a London mapmaker pasted a map of the world onto a thin (1) ___ of wood and cut around the borders of each country, so that children could learn geography by putting the pieces back together. The idea quickly (2) ___ on, and 'dissected maps', as they were known, became a (3) ___ in wealthy households. For more than a century, however, puzzles remained a luxury, since each piece had to be cut by hand. Only with the introduction of cardboard and mechanical cutting did they become (4) ___ to ordinary families. Their popularity has tended to (5) ___ in hard times. During periods of economic depression, a cheap puzzle offered hours of (6) ___ for the whole family, and sales have (7) ___ up again in recent years as people look for ways to switch off from their screens. Enthusiasts claim that there is nothing to (8) ___ the moment the final piece clicks into place.

A Puzzling History

began

opened

founded

launched

Available as a free printable PDF worksheet with an optional answer key.

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