Overview

Cloze, or fill-in-the-blank, questions are some of Membean's hardest training questions. Students initially answer fewer than 1 in 4 questions of this type correctly. Over time this ratio improves. This article will explain what to expect from Cloze questions. 

Answering Cloze Questions

When you receive a Cloze question, don't panic! Missing these questions is okay; in fact, as long as you take the time to review the correct answer and study the Word Page, missing questions is good for your memory.

Instead of panicking

1. Read the sentence or look at the image to identify available context clues. 
2. Look at the hint provided on the page. 
3. Take a moment and try to remember the word. If you do, type it in! 
4. If you can't recall it, and you are answering a definition or context Cloze question, select Another hint. 
5. If you still cannot recall the word, select I'm Not Sure. 

When you answer a Cloze question, you only have to type three letters. The primary purpose of these questions is to make you recall the word from memory, and getting three letters correct is enough to demonstrate that you know it. Once you type three letters correctly, the rest of the word will autofill and your answer will be marked as correct. 

If you mistype one letter of the word, then the Check Spelling notification will appear along with the incorrect and correct spelling. If you see this notification, the question is still considered correct. 

If you get the Cloze question wrong, the correct answer will autofill and your answer will be marked as incorrect. Your wrong answer is removed; it is replaced by the correct one. This gives you the opportunity to review the answer before proceeding to the Word Page.

Definition Cloze Questions

Definition Cloze questions require you to remember a word given its definition. The definition provided is written in a complete sentence and generally matches the one given on the word's Membean page.

All definition Cloze questions have:

1. A student-friendly definition written in a complete sentence.

2. The first letter of the target word.

3. A quick definition of the target word.

4. The option to reveal the second letter of the target word.

Image Cloze Questions

Image Cloze questions encourage you to associate the target word with a related image. Connecting your words with images is a powerful way to strengthen your understanding and memory of the word. 

All image Cloze questions have: 

1. A carefully selected image that matches the one found on the Word Page for the target word.
2. The first letter of the target word. 
3. The quick glance definition of the target word. 

Context Cloze Questions

Context Cloze questions require you to retrieve the target word from memory based on the context clues in a sentence. When students initially encounter a context Cloze question, they sometimes feel as though there are not enough context clues to pick the right word. However, with practice, they discover that there are multiple clues distributed on the question page.

All context Cloze questions have: 

1. Context clues embedded in the sentence. In the example above, the clues "old dog," "growing older," and "limp with arthritis" all point to the process of aging.
2. The first letter of the target word.
3. The quick glance definition. 
4. The option to reveal the second letter of the target word.

A Good Cloze Philosophy

Be prepared to get Cloze questions incorrect, as most students do get them wrong initially. Cloze questions are NOT tested on quizzes, but nevertheless they are very important in training. They strengthen your ability to recall your words more so than multiple choice questions, so they make it more likely that your Membean words will make it into your personal vocabulary. Treat Cloze questions like a challenging game; pay attention to them and you'll see that the words you answer correctly will show up in your writing.