Dis-Cloze-ing A PSLE Comprehension Cloze
Based on our review of the past three comprehension cloze passages, there appears to be an emphasis on the testing of verbs and collocations. A collocation is two or more words that are frequently used together. In truth, it is quite difficult to strictly place a tested item under a single classification.
E.g. … improve/increase over time
The above phrase can be classified as a verb and/or collocation. Students are likely to have seen these words frequently used together in this specific arrangement in other subjects such as Science.
We have provided a breakdown of the tested items in each of the Comprehension Cloze passages that appeared in PSLE 2015, 2016 and 2017. The primary purpose is to give you a better picture on the key types of items being tested. We hope you find it useful.
| PSLE 2015 | Informational text on the relationship between human |
| Adverb | According to … |
| Phrasal verb | …relied on… |
| Relative pronoun | …or what we know as |
| Verb | …provide humans with… …recover from their illnesses (collocative phrase) …improve over time (collocative phrase) …has become less common… …responsibility to ensure that they are treated well |
| Preposition | …valued for their strength …relationship that exists between humans and animals |
| Idioms/Collocations | …make use of these animals’ physical power …over long distances |
| Abstract noun | …ability to find their… …sense of direction to find… (collocative phrase) |
| PSLE 2016 | Informational text on the Army Ants |
| Adverb | …contrary to the popular belief of… |
| Phrasal verb | …diet is mainly made up of … …usually look upon ants as… |
| Pronoun - Demonstrative | …to those of their fellow ants |
| Verb | …powerful jaws that resemble scissors …are not spared from these predators One problem…is that a lot of food… (subject-verb agreement) …to replace her… …rid your house of… …leave your house… |
| Preposition | NIL |
| Idioms/Collocations | …one thing they have in common… …many times the size of… …as many as …be on the move in search of… |
| Abstract noun | …in an attempt to search for… (collocative phrase) |
| PSLE 2017 | Informational text on the brushing of teeth |
| Adverb | NIL |
| Phrasal verb | …to look out for… |
| Pronoun | NIL |
| Verb | …you have chosen a good toothbrush… …should refrain from… …to adhere to a routine… (collocative phrase) …lasts two to three minutes… (collocative phrase) …you follow this tip… |
| Preposition | NIL |
| Idioms/Collocations | …how much time do you spend on it? ...far from uncommon …if not even more… …no matter how good a toothbrush is… …so rather than…we should… …gets trapped between… |
| Abstract noun | …in a conscientious manner… …resist the temptation… |
| *Connector | …whether it is an electric toothbrush or a … |
For practices on more comprehension cloze passages, please visit
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