Back to Clay

C1 Advanced · Open Cloze · Cambridge Ready original exercise

For questions 1–8, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only one word in each gap. There is an example at the beginning.

Pottery classes, (0) ___ once struggled to fill their places, now have long waiting lists. Part of the credit must go (1) ___ a popular television series in which amateur potters compete against one (2) ___ . But many students say they were drawn to the craft by a desire to get (3) ___ from screens. Working with clay demands total concentration: it is all (4) ___ impossible to check your phone with wet, muddy hands. Beginners are often taken aback by how difficult it is. A pot that looks perfect on the wheel may collapse without warning, or crack in the kiln (5) ___ to a tiny air bubble trapped inside the clay. Teachers insist that frustration is part (6) ___ parcel of learning the craft. In a culture obsessed with instant results, there is something deeply satisfying about a skill (7) ___ takes years to master and cannot be hurried. Few students, it must be said, will ever produce anything worth selling. Yet (8) ___ lopsided their first bowls may be, hardly any of them would dream of parting with them. They are, after all, the work of their own hands.

Back to Clay

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

More C1 Advanced Open Cloze practice · All C1 Advanced practice