Part 2

For questions 9-16, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only one word in each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0). In the exam, write your answers IN CAPITAL LETTERS on the separate answer sheet.

Example: AMONG

Training a cat

A commonly held idea 0 _____ people is that cats are difficult, or even impossible, to train a cat. They are believed to be too proud or independent, and they respond poorly to 9 attempts at teaching them something, so this indeed might be a bigger challenge 10 training a dog. Is there any particular technique worth knowing?

Training a cat is not much 11 from training any other animal, whether it is a dog or a bird. The most important aspect is so-called positive reinforcement – if your cat performs the action you want them 12 , you should give them a treat – a bite of their favourite food will do. Another tip is to keep your training sessions fairly brief, as cats have a rather short attention span and 13 they get easily distracted. Ultimately, no training will be successful 14 patience from you, so be ready to repeat the same thing over and over until your pet establishes a pattern.

One good example is litter training. Most cats are usually smart 15 to do their business in the litter box without having to be taught to do so. If they haven’t figured this 16 themselves, you can put them in the litter box after they have eaten and pet them lightly.

Click to download this FCE Use of English Part 2 Worksheet in PDF.

For this task: Answers with explanations