Why We Watch

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.

To anyone with no interest in sport, there is something faintly absurd (0) ___ the sight of grown adults weeping over a football match. After (1) ___ , the players are strangers, most of (2) ___ the fans will never meet, and the result has no bearing (3) ___ their daily lives. Yet for millions of people, supporting a team is bound (4) ___ with their sense of who they are. Many inherited their loyalty from a parent or grandparent, and the idea of changing clubs is simply (5) ___ of the question, however badly the team may be playing. Researchers suggest that a sense of belonging is (6) ___ makes the experience so intense. Watching alongside thousands of others, fans feel part of something larger than themselves, and a defeat shared with a whole stadium is somehow easier to bear (7) ___ one suffered alone. Seen in this light, the tears of a heartbroken fan seem far (8) ___ absurd than they might at first appear.

Why We Watch

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

More C1 Advanced Open Cloze practice · All C1 Advanced practice