Rethinking Everyday Transport

Study the questions and tasks

Work through the material below, or start the interactive practice above to complete an attempt. Try the exercises before opening any answer or transcript sections, then use them to review your work.

Practice level

B2. Try this level if you can follow the instructions and understand most of the language; choose an earlier level if you need more support.

Question formats

Cloze (text)

How to approach this practice

Read the complete context. Check both the meaning and the grammar, including word forms, collocations and links between sentences.

1. Question 1 · Cloze (text)

   Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.

   Use introduce and encourage: The city's transport plan began with the observation that many car journeys covered distances people could cycle. The city has 1___ (introduce) safer cycle routes with the aim of 2___ (encourage) short journeys by bike. The new routes connected ordinary destinations rather than serving only people who cycled for leisure.

   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   introduced

   Blank 2

   encouraging

   Has takes introduced; aim of takes an ing form.

2. Question 2 · Cloze (text)

   Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.

   Use one word per gap: Changing the street layout affected groups of residents in different ways, so public responses were mixed. Some residents objected 1___ losing parking spaces. Others argued that the benefits outweighed the 2___. The consultation needed to consider a genuine cost rather than dismiss every objection as resistance to change.

   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   to

   Blank 2

   disadvantages / disadvantage

   Object to takes an ing form; outweigh compares benefits with disadvantages.

3. Question 3 · Cloze (text)

   Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.

   Use appropriate forms of the capitalised words: Lower fares addressed one barrier to public transport, but price was not the only difficulty residents faced. The bus service became less 1___ (EXPENSE), but it was still not 2___ (ACCESS) to everyone. Some stops were hard to reach, and a cheaper ticket did not solve that problem.

   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   expensive

   Blank 2

   accessible

   Both gaps require adjectives describing the service.

4. Question 4 · Cloze (text)

   Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.

   Use one word per gap: The council did not expect people to change their habits simply because the plan asked them to. The changes were intended to reduce reliance 1___ cars. Their success depended 2___ regular and reliable alternatives. An alternative had to be available when residents actually needed to travel, not just at quieter times of day.

   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   on / upon

   Blank 2

   on / upon

   Reliance on and depend on both identify what is relied upon.

5. Question 5 · Cloze (text)

   Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.

   Use take and argue: Residents said that a plan based on average journey times could overlook particular difficulties on their streets. The council was accused of not 1___ (take) local needs seriously. It responded by 2___ (argue) that the plan had been revised. The disagreement concerned whose experience had been considered, as well as whether the final policy was useful.

   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   taking

   Blank 2

   arguing

   Of and by are prepositions requiring ing forms.

6. Question 6 · Cloze (text)

   Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.

   Use one word per gap: The council proceeded after changing some details, while retaining a formal opportunity to reconsider the results. Despite the initial criticism, the scheme came into 1___ in May. It remains subject 2___ an annual review. The review would examine the effects of the scheme rather than treat the opening day as the end of the process.

   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   effect

   Blank 2

   to

   Come into effect means begin operating; subject to marks the review condition.

7. Question 7 · Cloze (text)

   Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.

   Use compare and reliable: A simple before-and-after count could be misleading if the roads were measured in different weather or at different times. In order to make a fair 1___ (compare), researchers checked the 2___ (reliable) of the traffic counts. Checking the method mattered as much as collecting a larger number of observations.

   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   comparison

   Blank 2

   reliability

   Both gaps require nouns after a fair and the.

8. Question 8 · Cloze (text)

   Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.

   Use one word per gap: The first city-wide figures suggested a positive change, but the researchers also examined individual districts. On the whole, cycling has increased. This does not necessarily mean, 1___, that every neighbourhood has benefited 2___ the changes. A broad improvement should not hide a smaller area where the new arrangements worked less well.

   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   however / nevertheless / nonetheless

   Blank 2

   from

   However qualifies the general conclusion; benefit from identifies the source of advantage.

What to review next

Explain why each answer fits the meaning and structure. Record useful phrases and write a new example using each pattern you found difficult.

A focused practice result shows how you did on these tasks. Use several activities across skills to decide what to study next; one practice score does not certify an overall CEFR level.