Decisions under Incomplete Information

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

C1. 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 (dropdown)

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 (dropdown)

   Choose the correct option for each blank.

   Choose the best option for each gap: The organisers of a small outdoor music festival had to book equipment before a reliable weather forecast would be available. The attendance figures support only a 1___ estimate, not a firm forecast. Waiting for certainty may itself 2___ costs. Doing nothing was also a choice with consequences, because suppliers could not hold the same equipment indefinitely.

   Choices for blank 1

   1. definitive
   2. provisional
   3. categorical
   4. conclusive

   Choices for blank 2

   1. recur
   2. concur
   3. incur
   4. occur
   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   provisional

   Blank 2

   incur

   Provisional leaves the estimate open to revision; the other adjectives overstate certainty. Incur costs means become liable for them.

   provisional: Provisional leaves the estimate open to revision; the other adjectives overstate certainty. Incur costs means become liable for them.

   incur: Provisional leaves the estimate open to revision; the other adjectives overstate certainty. Incur costs means become liable for them.

2. Question 2 · Cloze (dropdown)

   Choose the correct option for each blank.

   Choose the best option for each gap: Some arrangements could be altered close to the festival, whereas others required substantial payment in advance. Some uncertainty must be 1___ rather than eliminated before a decision is made. How much is acceptable depends 2___ whether the decision can be reversed. The organisers did not need the same degree of confidence for a reversible choice as for a commitment that would consume the budget.

   Choices for blank 1

   1. eradicated
   2. dispelled
   3. tolerated
   4. eliminated

   Choices for blank 2

   1. to
   2. with
   3. on
   4. at
   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   tolerated

   Blank 2

   on

   Tolerated means accepted despite a difficulty that remains. The contrast explicitly excludes removing uncertainty; depend on introduces the relevant factor.

   tolerated: Tolerated means accepted despite a difficulty that remains. The contrast explicitly excludes removing uncertainty; depend on introduces the relevant factor.

   on: Tolerated means accepted despite a difficulty that remains. The contrast explicitly excludes removing uncertainty; depend on introduces the relevant factor.

3. Question 3 · Cloze (dropdown)

   Choose the correct option for each blank.

   Choose the best option for each gap: They could reserve a smaller stage temporarily, but ordering a specially built structure would leave fewer alternatives. The temporary reservation leaves 1___ for revision. The specially built stage cannot be changed or refunded: that commitment is 2___. The difference concerned what could be changed later, not merely which option looked most attractive at the first meeting.

   Choices for blank 1

   1. scope
   2. prohibition
   3. obligation
   4. liability

   Choices for blank 2

   1. revocable
   2. irreversible
   3. provisional
   4. interim
   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   scope

   Blank 2

   irreversible

   Scope for revision is an opportunity to change a choice. Irreversible contrasts with the explicitly changeable temporary reservation.

   scope: Scope for revision is an opportunity to change a choice. Irreversible contrasts with the explicitly changeable temporary reservation.

   irreversible: Scope for revision is an opportunity to change a choice. Irreversible contrasts with the explicitly changeable temporary reservation.

4. Question 4 · Cloze (dropdown)

   Choose the correct option for each blank.

   Choose the best option for each gap: Booking immediately might waste money if the festival moved indoors; waiting might leave no suitable stage available. The team weighed 1___ the alternatives. Both involved risk and an unpredictable outcome, so neither was 2___. A useful comparison had to include what delay could cost, rather than describing it as the safe absence of action.

   Choices for blank 1

   1. up
   2. out
   3. off
   4. away

   Choices for blank 2

   1. risk-free
   2. uncertain
   3. risky
   4. unpredictable
   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   up

   Blank 2

   risk-free

   Weigh up means evaluate. Risk-free would exclude every risk, contradicting the explicit risks in both options; the other adjectives describe those risks or the uncertain outcome.

   up: Weigh up means evaluate. Risk-free would exclude every risk, contradicting the explicit risks in both options; the other adjectives describe those risks or the uncertain outcome.

   risk-free: Weigh up means evaluate. Risk-free would exclude every risk, contradicting the explicit risks in both options; the other adjectives describe those risks or the uncertain outcome.

5. Question 5 · Cloze (dropdown)

   Choose the correct option for each blank.

   Choose the best option for each gap: The attendance forecast depended on travel conditions and the competing events scheduled for the same weekend. The forecast gives a lower and an upper estimate: it is a 1___, not a guarantee. Its value lies in 2___ discussion. Using several plausible figures helped the organisers discuss consequences without pretending to know exactly how many tickets would sell.

   Choices for blank 1

   1. range
   2. pledge
   3. promise
   4. assurance

   Choices for blank 2

   1. informing
   2. informed
   3. inform
   4. to inform
   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   range

   Blank 2

   informing

   A range gives an interval rather than a promised outcome. Lies in takes the ing-form informing.

   range: A range gives an interval rather than a promised outcome. Lies in takes the ing-form informing.

   informing: A range gives an interval rather than a promised outcome. Lies in takes the ing-form informing.

6. Question 6 · Cloze (dropdown)

   Choose the correct option for each blank.

   Choose the best option for each gap: During the planning meeting, several volunteers listened without committing themselves to either proposed site. It would be 1___ to count silence as unanimous support. Several participants had not announced a view: they had 2___ judgement. The chair invited their views explicitly instead of counting every person who had remained quiet as a supporter.

   Choices for blank 1

   1. premature
   2. prudent
   3. perceptive
   4. judicious

   Choices for blank 2

   1. withheld
   2. voiced
   3. retracted
   4. endorsed
   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   premature

   Blank 2

   withheld

   Premature describes a conclusion reached before sufficient grounds exist. Withheld means not yet expressed; retracted would require a previously stated judgement.

   premature: Premature describes a conclusion reached before sufficient grounds exist. Withheld means not yet expressed; retracted would require a previously stated judgement.

   withheld: Premature describes a conclusion reached before sufficient grounds exist. Withheld means not yet expressed; retracted would require a previously stated judgement.

7. Question 7 · Cloze (dropdown)

   Choose the correct option for each blank.

   Choose the best option for each gap: When the team chose the smaller site, it kept a written account of the assumptions about attendance and access. The record should make the assumptions 1___ rather than leave them unstated. That clarity makes later review more 2___, instead of a superficial ritual. That record would make it possible to assess the reasoning later without inventing explanations after the outcome was known.

   Choices for blank 1

   1. implicit
   2. tacit
   3. explicit
   4. unspoken

   Choices for blank 2

   1. perfunctory
   2. ritualistic
   3. meaningful
   4. superficial
   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   explicit

   Blank 2

   meaningful

   Explicit means clearly stated. Meaningful describes a review that can examine the actual reasons rather than merely repeat a procedure.

   explicit: Explicit means clearly stated. Meaningful describes a review that can examine the actual reasons rather than merely repeat a procedure.

   meaningful: Explicit means clearly stated. Meaningful describes a review that can examine the actual reasons rather than merely repeat a procedure.

8. Question 8 · Cloze (dropdown)

   Choose the correct option for each blank.

   Choose the best option for each gap: The festival eventually went well, although a fortunate change in the weather contributed to that result. Good judgement is not 1___ to perfect prediction. It recognises limits while remaining 2___ to new evidence. The organisers could learn from their decision without claiming that good judgement had made every part of the outcome predictable.

   Choices for blank 1

   1. equivalence
   2. equivalently
   3. equation
   4. equivalent

   Choices for blank 2

   1. resistant
   2. oblivious
   3. indifferent
   4. receptive
   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   equivalent

   Blank 2

   receptive

   Equivalent to means the same in value or meaning. Receptive to means willing to consider evidence, which the stated approach requires.

   equivalent: Equivalent to means the same in value or meaning. Receptive to means willing to consider evidence, which the stated approach requires.

   receptive: Equivalent to means the same in value or meaning. Receptive to means willing to consider evidence, which the stated approach requires.

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.