G1 — Fill in the blanks and cloze
Adapted from L&T/lt-prep-library/topics/V5-fill-in-the-blanks-and-cloze.md; verified in that library's QA. §1 and §10 are regenerated for Infosys from data/weightage.json; §2 gains an Infosys evidence table; §3–§9 are the source text unchanged, so "observed" in the worked examples refers to the source paper.
1. Why this topic matters here
Expect about 2.9 questions and 5.8 marks on this topic (about 7.8% of the 75 scored marks). It sits in English Grammar: 5 questions, 10 marks, 10 minutes. Tier 1, 0.8 hours to reach reliable recall, confidence Medium.
4 questions on this topic are in the observed Infosys pool (O29, O30, O31, O32), from 1 source. They are listed in §2 and solved in ../question-banks/QB-99-OBSERVED-POOL.md.
Why the tier: expected marks per study hour, weighted by confidence, is 5.83 against a paper average of 1.84 (../data/analysis-tables.md §6). Every section has its own cut-off, so a zero here costs the whole section's chance, not only these marks. There is no calculator. Negative marking: none reported.
2. Exactly what gets asked
What Infosys asked
| ID | Source date | What was asked |
|---|---|---|
| O29 | 2020-09-22 | Fill the blank after "raises transaction costs and ___ in the economy" |
| O30 | 2020-09-22 | Fill the blank: majority of emotional and physical problems ___ the stresses of life |
| O31 | 2020-09-22 | Fill the blank: music retailing relies on walk-ins and ___ |
| O32 | 2020-09-22 | Fill the blank: what has happened since is a ___ of fortune |
The pattern notes below come from the library this file was adapted from. Any frequency or "observed paper" remark in them describes that source paper, not Infosys. The Infosys evidence is the table above.
| Sub-pattern | How it appears | Roughly how often |
|---|---|---|
| Single-blank sentence, grammar decided | One blank, usually a verb form, pronoun, or article. Sentence is 15-30 words. | ~35% of topic items |
| Preposition / collocation blank | Blank is a preposition or particle after a fixed verb or adjective ("comply ___"). | ~20% |
| Connector / discourse-marker blank | Blank joins two clauses; answer decided by contrast, cause, or addition. | ~15% |
| Vocabulary-in-context blank | Blank is a content word; all four options are the same part of speech. | ~15% |
| Double blank in one sentence | Two blanks, one sentence. Options pair words; eliminate on the easier blank first. | ~10% |
| Cloze passage | 3-6 blanks in a short passage, each independently answered. | ~5% |
Cloze looks intimidating but is not: in almost every case each blank is answerable from its own sentence. Treat a cloze as a stack of single-blank questions and ignore the passage's overall meaning until a blank forces you to use it.
3. Concept notes
3.1 The one-minute method
Work in this fixed order. Do not deviate; the order is the whole trick.
- Find the blank's job. Is it a verb, a preposition, a connector, or a content word? The options usually agree on part of speech, but the sentence tells you which one fits.
- Find the subject or the anchor. For a verb blank, locate the true subject. For a preposition blank, locate the verb or adjective the preposition attaches to.
- Predict before you look. Cover the options, say the word you expect, then match.
- Eliminate on the hardest constraint first. Collocation and grammar eliminate faster than meaning.
- Take the first grammatically clean answer and move. With no negative marking there is no reason to linger past one clean pass.
3.2 Rule 1 — Subject-verb agreement
Find the subject, ignore everything between the subject and the verb.
- The box of chocolates is on the table. ("of chocolates" is not the subject.)
- Each of the students has a book. ("each" is singular.)
- Neither of the answers is correct. ("neither" is singular alone.)
- Neither the manager nor the engineers were informed. (with nor, the verb agrees with the nearer subject.)
Memorise the singular-only set: each, every, either, neither, anyone, everyone, someone, nobody, one, much, little. Memorise the plural-only set: both, few, many, several. Memorise the context-dependent set: all, some, none, most, half — controlled by the noun after of, or counted as singular when the noun is uncountable.
3.3 Rule 2 — Prepositions and fixed collocations
Prepositions cannot be reasoned out. Learn them as chunks.
| Chunk | Meaning cue |
|---|---|
| comply with | follow a rule |
| comprise / consist of | made up of |
| composed of | made up of |
| differ from (thing) / differ with (person) | comparison |
| superior to / inferior to | comparison, never "than" |
| prefer X to Y | choice, never "than" |
| deprived of / accused of / capable of | fixed |
| responsible for / famous for / suited for | fixed |
| good at / proficient in / expert in | skill |
| depend on / rely on / insist on | fixed |
| aware of / afraid of / guilty of | fixed |
| married to / similar to / prefer to | fixed |
| abide by / comply with / conform to | rule-following |
| cater to / adapt to / refer to | fixed |
| angry with (person) / angry at (thing) | target |
The high-yield entries are comply with, superior to, prefer to, capable of, responsible for, consist of, depend on, aware of. These recur across placement papers almost annually.
3.4 Rule 3 — Connectors and discourse markers
The connector must match the logical relation between the clauses. Identify the relation, then pick.
| Relation | Connectors |
|---|---|
| Contrast | but, yet, however, nevertheless, although, though, whereas, while |
| Cause | because, since, as, therefore, hence, consequently, thus |
| Addition | and, moreover, furthermore, besides, in addition |
| Condition | if, unless, provided that, in case |
| Result | so, so that, therefore, as a result |
| Concession | although, even though, despite, in spite of, notwithstanding |
Two traps here. First, although/though take a clause; despite/in spite of take a noun or gerund, never a clause. Second, unless already means "if not", so never write "unless you do not". You will fail unless you do not study is wrong; You will fail unless you study is correct.
3.5 Rule 4 — Parallelism
Items joined by and, or, but, not only...but also, either...or, neither...nor must have the same grammatical shape.
- She likes reading, writing, and swimming. (three gerunds — correct)
- She likes to read and writing. (infinitive then gerund — wrong)
- Not only did he finish the report but he also presented it. (clause with clause — correct)
When a blank sits inside a list, match the shape of the other list items. This solves the blank without any vocabulary knowledge.
3.6 Rule 5 — Pronoun agreement and case
The pronoun must match the noun it replaces in number and person.
- Every student must bring his or her ID. ("every student" is singular.)
- Between you and me, this is wrong. (object case after a preposition.)
- It is she who called. (predicate nominative after "is".)
- The committee has given its report. (collective noun takes singular.)
If the blank is a pronoun, count the referent first. Singular referent, singular pronoun.
3.7 Rule 6 — Tense and time markers
Time words in the sentence fix the tense.
| Time marker | Tense demanded |
|---|---|
| yesterday, last year, in 1999, ago | simple past |
| since, for (with ongoing), already, just, yet | present perfect |
| by the time / before (past reference) | past perfect |
| now, at the moment | present continuous |
| tomorrow, next week | simple future |
| always, usually, generally, every day | simple present |
He has completed the project last week is wrong because "last week" forces simple past: He completed the project last week.
3.8 Rule 7 — Vocabulary in context, the fast way
When all four options are content words of the same part of speech, the sentence almost always contains a signal word that tilts the meaning positive or negative.
- A contrast signal (but, however, despite) means the blank opposes the tone of the other clause.
- A cause signal (because, since, therefore) means the blank supports the other clause's tone.
- A degree signal (extremely, slightly, completely) tells you how strong the word must be.
Also assign a charge to each option: positive, negative, or neutral. Eliminate all options whose charge contradicts the sentence. This frequently halves the options in five seconds.
3.9 Rule 8 — Articles and quantity words
- a before consonant sounds, an before vowel sounds, decided by sound not spelling: a university, an hour, a European, an MBA.
- few / a few — countable; a few means "some" (positive), few means "hardly any" (negative).
- little / a little — uncountable, same positive/negative split.
- the few, the little — means "all that there is".
- much / many — much with uncountable, many with countable.
- less / fewer — less with uncountable, fewer with countable.
3.10 Double blanks
Answer the blank you are surest of first, then eliminate every option pair that fails there. Never try to solve both blanks simultaneously. With four options you usually have four pairs, and one clean elimination on either blank cuts the field in half or better.
4. Must-memorise block
Singular-only: each, every, either, neither, anyone, everyone, someone, nobody, one, much, little. Plural-only: both, few, many, several.
Collocations: comply with, superior to, inferior to, prefer to, capable of, responsible for, consist of, depend on, aware of, accused of, deprived of, good at, married to, similar to, differ from, abide by, conform to, angry with (person), angry at (thing).
Contrast connectors: but, yet, however, nevertheless, although, though, whereas, while, despite, in spite of. Cause: because, since, as, therefore, hence, consequently, thus. Addition: and, moreover, furthermore, besides, in addition. Condition: if, unless, provided that, in case.
despite / in spite of + noun or gerund. although / though + clause.
Time markers: yesterday/last week/ago → simple past. since/already/yet/just → present perfect. before/by the time → past perfect.
Prefix charge: un-, in-, im-, il-, ir-, dis-, mis-, non- = negative.
5. Worked examples
Example 1. The committee, after long deliberation, ____ its decision public. a) have made b) has made c) have been making d) are making
Working: subject is committee, a collective noun → singular. "after long deliberation" is a completed past act best expressed as present perfect. Only has made is singular and perfect. Options (a), (c), (d) are all plural. Answer: (b). Fast method: check number first; it kills three options instantly.
Example 2. The new recruits were asked to comply ____ the safety regulations at all times. a) to b) with c) for d) by
Working: comply takes with. This is pure recall — there is no reasoning route. (d) "by" is the near-miss distractor because abide by is also correct, but the verb here is comply. Answer: (b). Slow method (reading for meaning) gives no signal at all; only the collocation table answers this.
Example 3. ____ the heavy rain, the inspection team completed the site audit on schedule. a) Although b) Because of c) Despite d) However
Working: the two halves contrast — rain should have delayed the audit but did not. So a contrast connector is needed. "Although" takes a clause, but what follows is the noun phrase "the heavy rain" → Although is grammatically wrong. "Despite" takes a noun phrase → correct. "Because of" gives cause, which reverses the logic. "However" is an adverb and cannot open this clause. Answer: (c).
Example 4. The auditor found that the records were so ____ that no reliable conclusion could be drawn. a) meticulous b) incomplete c) transparent d) redundant
Working: assign charge. "No reliable conclusion could be drawn" is negative. Option (a) meticulous is positive; (c) transparent is positive; (d) redundant is negative but means "surplus, unnecessary", which does not explain an unreliable conclusion. (b) incomplete is negative and explains it. Answer: (b). The charge filter alone removes two options in five seconds.
Example 5. Neither the project manager nor the site engineers ____ able to explain the delay. a) was b) is c) were d) has been
Working: with neither...nor, the verb agrees with the nearer subject. The nearer subject is site engineers → plural → were. Answer: (c). The trap is treating the whole "neither...nor" construction as singular. Slow method: re-reading for meaning gives no signal, because both readings sound acceptable.
6. Traps and gotchas
| Trap | Why it catches people | How to avoid it |
|---|---|---|
| Subject buried under a prepositional phrase | "The box of chocolates are..." sounds fine when read quickly | Delete everything between subject and verb, then re-read |
| "neither...nor" treated as singular | The eye lands on "neither" and stops there | With nor/or, the verb follows the nearer subject |
| Confusing comply with / abide by | Both mean "follow a rule"; the verb decides | Memorise the pair as chunks, not as meanings |
| "superior than" | Comparative "than" is the default instinct | Superiors and inferiors take to, always |
| despite + clause | "Despite he was late" feels natural | despite/in spite of take a noun or gerund only |
| unless + not | "Unless you don't study" seems emphatic | unless already means "if not"; never add not |
| Over-reading a cloze passage | Time lost re-reading the whole passage per blank | Answer each blank from its own sentence |
| A grammatically fine but wrong-charge word | "Meticulous" is a real word and sounds good | Assign positive/negative charge before matching meaning |
| last week with present perfect | "has completed last week" sounds acceptable | Any past time marker forces simple past |
| Solving both blanks of a double blank at once | Both behave plausibly, so you freeze | Fix the easier blank, eliminate pairs, then decide |
7. Practice questions
1. Each of the candidates ____ required to submit two photographs. a) are b) is c) were d) have been
2. The engineers were praised for being proficient ____ structural analysis. a) at b) with c) on d) in
3. She has been working on this design ____ 2024. a) for b) in c) from d) since
4. ____ he was unwell, he attended the review meeting. a) Although b) Despite c) Because d) Therefore
5. The report was ____ by the fact that several pages were missing. a) undermined b) corroborated c) enhanced d) validated
6. Fewer ____ were reported this quarter than in the previous one. a) pollution b) damage c) accidents d) rainfall
7. Not only did the team meet the deadline, ____ it also came in under budget. a) and b) so c) but d) or
8. The manager asked that the draft ____ before the client meeting. a) is revised b) be revised c) will be revised d) revises
9. His explanation was so ____ that even the juniors understood the algorithm immediately. a) abstruse b) tedious c) lucid d) ambiguous
10. The vendor was accused ____ supplying substandard components. a) for b) of c) with d) to
11. Although the prototype was expensive to build, it proved ____ in the field trials, outlasting every competing model. a) durable b) redundant c) fragile d) obsolete
12. ____ the schedule was tight and the budget limited, the team delivered without compromising on safety standards. a) Because b) Unless c) Whereas d) Even though
ANSWER KEY
1. b — "Each" is singular-only, so the verb must be singular: is. Options a, c, d are all plural forms.
2. d — Proficient takes in: proficient in structural analysis. "At" attaches to good, not proficient.
3. d — "Since" is used with a point in time (2024) in the present perfect continuous; "for" needs a duration.
4. a — A contrast plus a full clause ("he was unwell") requires Although; Despite cannot take a clause.
5. a — Missing pages damage a report's credibility, so the verb must be negative: undermined. Enhanced and validated are the opposite; corroborated means supported.
6. c — Fewer goes with countable nouns; "accidents" is countable. Damage, pollution, and rainfall are uncountable and take less.
7. c — Not only ... but also is the fixed correlative pair; the blank must be but.
8. b — After verbs of demand and request (ask, demand, insist, suggest), the that-clause takes the base form: be revised.
9. c — The result clause "even the juniors understood immediately" is positive, so the blank must be positive: lucid. Abstruse and ambiguous mean unclear; tedious means boring.
10. b — Accused takes of: accused of supplying. This is a fixed collocation.
11. a — "Outlasting every competing model" is strongly positive, so the blank must be positive: durable. Fragile, redundant, and obsolete all contradict the result clause.
12. d — The clause concedes two difficulties and then reports success, so a concession connector is needed. Even though takes a clause and fits; whereas marks contrast between two different subjects; because and unless give the wrong logic.
Answer spread: b, c, b, b, c, a, c, b, b, c, c, d — four b's, five c's, one a, one d. Rewrite the distribution below before use to balance the letters properly.
8. Resources
- Selecting Words - Verbal Ability Questions and Answers — https://www.indiabix.com/verbal-ability/selecting-words/ — MCQ set with options, answers and explanations (verified).
- Closet Test - Verbal Ability Questions and Answers — https://www.indiabix.com/verbal-ability/closet-test/ — MCQ set with options, answers and explanations (verified).
- Subject-Verb Agreement Rules — https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/subject-verb-agreement/ — page content not classified - read it before relying on it.
- English Grammar : Learn Rules of Grammar and Basics — https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/english-grammar/ — tutorial / notes - not a question bank.
- dictionary.cambridge.org — https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/ — could not be checked by me (blocks automated access) - open it yourself before relying on it.
9. Self-check
- Can you state the singular-only and plural-only determiner sets from memory?
- Can you name fifteen verb-plus-preposition collocations without pausing?
- Do you know why despite and although cannot be swapped?
- Can you apply the charge filter (positive/negative) to four same-part-of-speech options in under ten seconds?
- Can you solve a double-blank by fixing one blank and eliminating option pairs?
- Do you know the time markers that force simple past, present perfect, and past perfect?
If you answered yes to five or six, stop studying this topic and spend the hour on reading comprehension instead.
10. Sources
Teaching content (§3–§9) is adapted from L&T/lt-prep-library/topics/V5-fill-in-the-blanks-and-cloze.md, which lists its own sources and was verified in that library's QA. Infosys evidence for this file: observed questions O29, O30, O31, O32 in ../data/questions-observed.csv; section structure and marks in ../research/03-pattern-synthesis.md §1; weightage, tier and hours in ../data/weightage.json (code G1). Confidence Medium. Nothing in this file is a published Infosys syllabus.