Use of English

Level C1

Part 1 - Multiple Choice

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For Questions 1-8, read the text below and decide which answer best fits each gap.

Corporate Communication

In modern organisations, effective communication is often regarded as the (0) CORNERSTONE of long-term success. Even companies with highly skilled staff can run into difficulty if messages are poorly expressed or key decisions are not properly (1) .......... to the people concerned. In many cases, problems arise not because employees lack ability, but because expectations have not been clearly (2) .......... from the outset. A capable manager knows that good communication is not simply about giving instructions; it also involves listening carefully and responding (3) .......... to feedback. In addition, the language used in business settings must be appropriate to the situation. A proposal may fail to make an impact if it is too vague, while an email that sounds overly direct may (4) .......... offence where none was intended. For this reason, professionals are often advised to (5) .......... their wording before sending important messages. This is especially true when dealing with clients, where one poorly chosen phrase can (6) .......... an otherwise productive relationship. Ultimately, organisations that communicate well are better placed to build trust, resolve conflict and (7) .......... on new opportunities. In a competitive market, that ability can give them a clear (8) .......... over their rivals.

What to do

In this part, you read a text with eight gaps and choose the best word from four options to fit each gap.

Nothing prepares you for this test better than reading.

Read a lot. Candidates who often read in English (for work, for fun) find this part of the test manageable, while those who never read tend to find it very hard.

If you are 100% sure that two of the 4 choices are completely identical, then neither can be the answer. There is always only one word that fits grammatically and has the right meaning.

Usually the correct option will be part of a fixed phrase or collocation, a phrasal verb, a connector or the only word that fits grammatically in the gap.

Strategy

  1. Read the title and the whole text quickly to understand its general meaning before you attempt the task.
  2. Check the words before and after the gap.
  3. Choose the best option.
  4. When you have finished, read the text again with the words inserted to check that it makes sense.

Instructions

For Questions 1-8, read the text below and decide which answer best fits each gap.

Exercise Details

Author

Mario Ayad

@mario-ayad

User Prompt

"Business English"

Tone: Professional
Level: C1

Created on:

Jun 19, 2026

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