C2 Proficiency Gapped Text Made Easy (preview)

Reading and Use of English part 6

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While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

C2 PROFICIENCY - GAPPED TEXT MADE EASY Second edition. January 9, 2022 Copyright © 2022 D.Méndez.

Written by D.Méndez. aprendeinglesenleganes.com

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CONTENTS 4.

READING AND USE OF ENGLISH - PART 6 : GAPPED TEXT WHAT IS IT ABOUT? 6.

SINGLE-FITTING AND DOUBLE FITTING PARAGRAPHS 7.

MOST COMMON LINKING WORDS AND PHRASES (LIST) 13. ASKING YOURSELF QUESTIONS TO FIND CLUES 18. GENERAL TIPS TO FIND LINKS 19. QUESTIONS 22. CONTRAST WORDS 29. CONNECTORS OF REASON 33. TIME PHRASES / CHRONOLOGY 37. PROPER NOUNS /SURNAMES 39. PRONOUNS 43. NOUNS /VERBS REPEATED 46. ADDITION/ CONFIRMATION 54. DESCRIPTION / DEFINITION OF STH PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED 60. DEFINING A NOUN 61. EXAMPLE OF SOMETHING PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED 63. INTRODUCING AN EXAMPLE 65. REFERRING BACK TO ONE ,TWO, OR MORE PEOPLE OR THINGS. 69. PARAPHRASING AND SYNONYMS 71. CAUSE AND EFFECT 76. NEGATIVE WORDS REFERRING BACK TO SOMEBODY/SOMETHING 78. ORDINAL AND CARDINAL NUMBERS 82. CONNECTING WORDS WHICH EXPRESS A CONDITION 85. CONNECTING WORDS WHICH EXPRESS SIMILARITY 88. ADVERBS 91. QUOTATION MARKS 94. COMPARISONS 96. REPETITION/CLARIFICATION 100. BEING SPECIFIC TO SHOW DIFFERENTIATION 102. SUBSTITUTION WITH SO

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Reading and Use of English Paper - Part 6 Gapped text In this part, you will be tested on your ability to follow text development and to understand how texts are structured. Part 6 consists of a long text which has had seven paragraphs of equal length removed and placed in jumbled order after the text, together with an eight paragraph which does not fit in any of the gaps. The text is usually from non-fiction sources (including journalism).

This part tests comprehension of text structure, cohesion, coherence, and global meaning. Candidates are required to decide from where in the text each paragraph has been removed. Each paragraph may be used only once, and there is one paragraph that candidates do not need to use.

Candidates need to read the gapped text first in order to gain an overall idea of the structure and the meaning of the text, and to notice carefully the information and ideas before and after each gap as well as throughout the whole of the gapped text. They should then decide which paragraphs fit the gaps, remembering that each letter may only be used once and that there is one paragraph which they will not need to use.

Teaching tips for Reading and Use of English Part 6 1 Students should read the text as a whole, and not focus on each gap separately.

They need to understand that getting an idea of the structure and understanding that development of the theme of the text are both important prerequisites to doing the task.

Students frequently make the wrong choices by selecting an option which fits the text before the gap, and neglecting to check that the text after the gap follows on smoothly.

2 Sometimes students will need to choose carefully between two paragraphs as possible answers and will need practice in making decisions about which is the most logical paragraph to fill the particular gap. Students will need plenty of practice in recognising a wide range of linguistic devices which mark the logical and cohesive development of a text, e.g. words and phrases indicating time, cause and effect, contrasting arguments, paraphrasing of vocabulary, use of pronouns, repetition and the use of verb tenses.

3 Students need to be aware of the dangers of approaching the gapped-text task as an exercise requiring them merely to identify extracts from the text and sections in the text containing the same words, including names and dates. The task is designed to test understanding of the development of ideas, opinion and events rather than the recognition of individual words.

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W

hen it comes to doing the gapped text , there are some techniques that you can use to help you find the right answer in the least amount of time possible. This is what this book is all about. You will find here different techniques explained in detail, to give you some insight into what it is you have to focus on to make the most of your time and find the answers quickly.

This part of the reading test is not difficult, if you know what to look for. If you don’t, you can easily spend more than 20 minutes looking for the answers. And as we all know, time is of the essence in the Cambridge exams because the clock is ticking.

Read the whole text. Read all the paragraphs.

Then pay special attention to the sentences before and after the gap - a lot of the most important information will be there. You don't have to start with the first gap - always start with the one you think is going to be easiest and leave the hardest ones till later.

The first answer you choose will be a 1 in 7 chance, but the last one is 1 in 2.

But be careful! Sometimes there won't be a clue in the sentence immediately before or after the gap. In that case, you will need to read the whole paragraph to get its meaning - sometimes the 'clue' is the entire paragraph.

GAPPED TEXT STEP BY STEP: A) Read the title to find out what the text is about and skim through it for general understanding.

B) Read the beginning and end of every paragraph and underline all contrast, reason, purpose and addition links, etc., such as but, therefore, as a result, moreover, instead, what’s more, etc.

These links are clues that will help you find the previous or following paragraph that connects with the one you are working on.

C) Ask yourself questions.

For example: He came from Thailand and brought it with him.

Questions: Who is he? What did he bring from Thailand?

D) Highlight all proper nouns that you come across within the paragraph.

E) Look for parts in the paragraphs where they give examples of something and where they define (give a name to) something.

F) If you find any questions, look for the answers to these questions.

G) Highlight all pronouns.

H) Make sure that the other answers are incorrect.

IMPORTANT

After you have chosen your answer, check all the other options again against the text to make sure they are not correct.

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MOST COMMON LINKING WORDS AND PHRASES

They link back to something in the previous paragraph or forward to something in the following paragraph, as the case may be. YOU NEED TO DECIDE WHAT THEY LINK TO.

Above all : most importantly.

Above all, I'd like to thank my family.

Above all, I'd say I value kindness.

Absolutely :

Used to express and emphasize one’s assent or agreement: ‘Did they give you a free hand when you joined the band?’ ‘Absolutely!’

Accordingly : In a way that is suitable or right for the When we receive your instructions we will act accordingly.

She's an expert in her field, and is paid accordingly.

situation:

Actually : used for emphasizing what is really true or what really happened

I need to talk to the person who actually made the application.

We’ve spoken on the phone but we’ve never actually met.

There’s a big difference between saying you’ll do something and actually doing it.

After all :

1) despite earlier problems or doubts: The rain has stopped, so the game will go ahead after all.

2) used to add information that shows that what you have just said is true: I do like her - after all, she is my sister.

All the more : even more than before

Several publishers rejected her book, but that just made her all the more determined.

Also : used for adding another fact or idea to what you have already said

Khaled is a keen photographer who also loves to paint.

The electric drill can also be used as a screwdriver.

Not only is it a comfortable and stylish hotel, it’s also a popular meeting place.

Although :

used for introducing a statement that makes your main statement seem surprising Although he’s got a good job now, he still complains.

She used to call me ‘Tiny’, although I was at least as tall as she was.

Davidson fought bravely, and although badly wounded, he refused to surrender

Another : one more person or thing of the same type as before There’s another news programme at ten o’clock.

Peter’s mum is expecting another baby in June.

‘These sandwiches are delicious.’ ‘Would you like another?’

As a consequence/in consequence : used for saying that one thing is the result of another She has lived in France, and as a consequence speaks French fluently.

Scientists think it is unlikely that any species will actually become extinct as a consequence of the oil spill.

As a result : A thing that is caused or produced by something else; a consequence or outcome.

The tower collapsed as a result of safety violations Profits have declined as a result of the recent drop in sales.

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GENERAL TIPS TO FIND LINKS WORD REPEATED IN BOTH PARAGRAPH :

NOUNS (PROPER NOUNS, SURNAMES , COMMON NOUNS) VERBS REPEATED (SAME TENSE OR FORM) VERB FORM : know, knew, known VERB TENSE : Past tense, future tense, past perfect tense, etc.

GRAMMATICAL PERSON REPEATED If the writer uses the grammatical 1st, 2nd or 3rd person before the gap , it will usually continue using the same person after the gap.  1st person (I, we) , 2nd person (you) , 3rd person (he, she, it, they) In the example below , we can see that the words children and vaccines appear in both paragraphs. We can also notice that the first person plural (we) has been used in both the paragraph before the gap and in paragraph G. NOTE : This is a general rule. Sometimes you will come across the same words in both paragraphs and they may have been put there on purpose as distractors. The topic of the paragraphs before and after the gap has to connect logically and has to flow. So make sure that this is the case.

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QUESTIONS

Whenever we come across a question within the paragraph. We need to look for the answer to this question. The answer is usually and assertion of some kind and like in the examples below, sometimes it contains a noun or pronoun that links it back or forward to the question.

It is more common to find questions at the end of a paragraph , but we can also see them at the beginning referring back to the previous paragraph (see example 3).

EXAMPLE 1

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CONTRAST WORDS

Actually, although, as opposed to, but, conversely, despite (the fact that), even so, even though, having said that, however, in fact, In spite of, nevertheless, notwithstanding, on the contrary, on the one hand...on the other hand..., rather than, really, regardless, that said, whereas, while, yet.

All these words, as the title of this page suggests, are used to show a contrast.

Therefore, they will be placed between two opposite or contrasting reasons or opinions.

EXAMPLE 1 : HOWEVER

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EXAMPLE 3 : YET

Yet as a conjunction means "but" or "however". We use it to introduce a contrast or to introduce a fact that is surprising after what we have just said.If what comes after yet is something negative, it means that what came before was something positive, and vice versa. Yet introduces the contrast between the two.

In this example, there is a link between the statement “today vaccines save the lives of some 3 million ... and trained personnel.” in the paragraph before the gap and the contrasting or surprising fact in paragraph H “there aare tens of millionsa who do no sharee in these tbenefits”. These benefits refers back to “effective healthysystems,i adequate vaccinationa suppliestand trained healthypersonnel.”

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EXAMPLE 5 : IN FACT In fact can be used as a connector of contrast to emphasize that the truth about a situation is the opposite of what has been mentioned.

In this example, there is a link between “they think we can see what they are dreaming or thinking” in the paragraph before the gap and “in fact, the laboratory’s interest is more physical” in paragraph G. An example of what is meant by more physical is given further down in paragraph G : the subjects are asked to drive, which is more physical than dreaming or thinking.

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PRONOUNS

Always highlight pronouns before and after the gaps.

Pronouns are often used to refer to a noun that has already been mentioned.

Whenever we find a pronoun at the end of a paragraph or after a gap , we need to look for the place in either the previous or following paragraph to find what or who that pronoun refers to.

Most commonly used pronouns : he, she, they, we,them, us, me, her, him, you, mine, his, hers, ours, theirs, the , a , an, it, this, that, those.

EXAMPLE 1 : THIS

In this example, the removed paragraph F contains the demonstrative pronoun “this”, which is the clue to find the previous paragraph. What does “it” refer back to?

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EXAMPLE 4 : THESE

These is a pronoun that is used to refer to a plural noun that has already been mentioned. In this example, there is a link between “the engineers run through a series of tests” in paragraph B and “Once these have been completed” in the paragraph after gap 40. “These” refers back to that series of tests. Once is used in the paragraph after gap 40 as a conjunction meaning ‘as soon as’ or ‘after’ the tests have been completed.

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ADDITION/CONFIRMATION

And, too, more, also, as well , as well as , not only ...but also, besides, in addition to , moreover, furthermore, what´s more, indeed, apart from , in fact.

Addition/confirmation words are used to add information to something or to confirm what we are already discussing. Therefore, whenever we find one of these words at the beginning or at the end of a paragraph, it means that we need to search into the previous or following paragraph to find the rest of the ideas or reason that the author is presenting.

EXAMPLE 1 : INDEED

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EXAMPLE 3 : WHAT’S MORE What's more is used to add more reasons to what has already been said. Therefore, if what comes after what's more is a negative statement (something that expresses negativity), it should be preceded by a negative idea. In the removed paragraph H, what’s more is followed by “the hustle they develop as they struggle to keep up with... has produced a restless anxious way of engaging with the world.” which is clearly something negative or bad (struggle, restless anxious way of...).

For that reason, we have to find another negative idea/fact in the previous paragraph to link it with, which in this case is "such people have been drawn into digital message addiction because...".

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EXAMPLE 7 : OTHER THAN THAT Other than that means apart from/except for something that has already been mentioned.

In this example, there is a link between “the cows munching the grass and the sheep roaming over a distant hillside” in the paragraph before the gap and ““other than that, there was ... peace and quiet” in paragraph B. We could rephrase the two sentences like this, e.g.: other than the cows munching the grass and the sheep roaming over a distant hillside, there was just peace and quiet.

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EXAMPLE 3 In this example, the paragraph after the gapped defines something mentioned in the previous paragraph as “popularity”, which links with “ it has been adapted for use in most of all the world’s languages, ... The list of countries ... is very long.” in paragraph F. This is clearly a description of how popular the Braille system has become.

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EXAMPLE 6

DEFINITION-DESCRIPTION

Unlike the other five examples above, which show cases of description-definition (in which the description comes first), this example shows a case of definition-description (in which the definition comes first). Although this case is less common than the description-definition, it also comes up in many gapped text exercises.

In this example, there is a link between “a demographic and ... shift in urban America” in the paragraph before gap 38 and “People were cashing in the saving bonds...” in paragraph C, which is a description of how the demographic and cultural shift happened.

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DEFINING A NOUN

Once again, we are going to link a definition to something. This time, we are going to link it to a noun. As the example below shows, we can come across a noun of some kind which will be defined somewhere in another paragraph. It is our job to find that paragraph. For example, if read something like “he had climbed the Everest 21 times”, it could be followed by a definition such as “that mountain attracted so many mountaineers” which contains a definition of Everest as “that mountain”.

In this example, there is a link between the plural noun “discs of silicon” in paragraph A and the way it is defined in the paragraph after the gap “these simple devices”, which uses devices ( another plural noun) to refer back to “discs of silicon”.

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EXAMPLE 2 : FOR INSTANCE For instance is used to introduce an example or examples of something or someone previously mentioned.

In this example, there is a link between “anomalies “ there is further progress to be made in shifting attitudes.” in the paragraph before gap 38 and “for instance, in schools, churches, ...” in paragraph E, which introduces examples of where there is further progress to be made.

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REFERRING BACK TO ONE ,TWO, OR MORE PEOPLE OR THINGS There are some words and phrases that are used to refer back to one, two or more people or things previously mentioned.

They are usually found at the beginning of a paragraph to refer back to someone mentioned in the paragraph before that one. Some of these words or phrases are : both, either, either way, the former, the latter, the first (one), the first two, the last (one), the last two, the last three, etc.

EXAMPLE 1 : THE FORMER

The former refers to the first of two people, things or options previously mentioned.

In the example below, there is a link between “EMAS and ISO 14001 are complementary systems” in the paragraph before the gap and “But the former is more rigorous ...” in paragraph A , which refers back to the first of the two system mentions, i.e. EMAS.

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aprendeinglesenleganes.com

Reading and Use of English part 6 This book has been written to help students prepare for part 6 of the Reading and Use of English paper of the Cambridge English C2 Proficiency examination, i.e. the gapped text task.

It will show you how to approach the test in a different and more effective way. You will learn many techniques and strategies that are not taught anywhere else. The kinds of things that are learnt by doing dozens of gapped text exercises and analyzing the whys and hows of every answer.

If you want to master doing gapped text exercises, this book is for you.

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