What is "cloze test"

n. a test for diagnosing reading ability; words are deleted from a prose passage and the reader is required to fill in the blanks [syn: cloze procedure]

A cloze test (also cloze deletion test) is an exercise, test, or assessment consisting of a portion of text with certain words removed (cloze text), where the participant is asked to replace the missing words. Cloze tests require the ability to understand context and vocabulary in order to identify the correct words or type of words that belong in the deleted passages of a text. This exercise is commonly administered for the assessment of native and second language learning and instruction.

The word cloze is derived from closure in Gestalt theory. The exercise was first described by W.L. Taylor in 1953.