Cloze procedures have several uses: (a) to determine the readability of a passage, (b) to test a student’s reading ability for placement, and (c) to teach comprehension strategies or review content knowledge. Our primary purpose here is to understand how the cloze test can be used to determine the readability of a text or an estimate of how competently a student can read a given text. One of the assessments mentioned in chapter 3 is the use of a cloze passage. After reading chapter three, you would have learned what a cloze passage is as one of the assessment tools  and the components of a cloze test.

Question 1. Practice filling in the cloze passage with appropriate words. What insight   can you deduce from   doing this exercise as a teacher?

CLOZE PASSAGE

There is really nothing mysterious about groundwater. We just can’t see 1_____like we can see a pond, a stream, or the 2______. This water collects below 3___ earth’s surface in aquifers, 4____between soil and rock particles.  It is also found in cracks  and crevices and inside 5_____ rocks.

The top surface 6___groundwater is called the 7____table. When the water 8____ is high enough, 9______comes to the surface naturally in 10____, lakes, ponds and rivers, and it can 11____ be brought to the surface by 12____ wells. But the top level 13____the groundwater (the water table) is usually 14______. Groundwater is a vital15______ of the water cycle and 16____ replenished by rainfall. The 17____of   groundwater in different 18____ of the world vary, and the amount at any one place can change due to 19_____ drought, heavy withdrawal for human use, or other factors. Groundwater quality is generally 20_____than that of surface 21____ because it is not as readily 22____to pollution sources. Also, the 23_____of groundwater through various 24_____ of soil and rock filters out 25_____ impurities. However, some groundwater can be polluted by pesticides, chemicals, landfill leachate, and other materials that seep into groundwater supplies.