Cloze Procedure

"The word cloze is related to the concept of closure, the human tendency to complete a partly finished pattern, to pick out key words and rely on language repetition in English discourse. The theory originated in Gestalt psychology and assumes that in figuring out the missing word, the mind goes through a process of sampling, predicting, testing, and confirming the appropriate word choice."

("Assessment Report, Communications Discipline", by Roslyn Dixon, Communications Assessment Coordinator, Douglas College, June 1, 1989)

"There is controversy regarding the use of cloze procedure in determining the readability of written materials. This controversy is based on the fact that cloze is a subjective evaluation that mirrors the language ability and background of information of the person taking the test."

(Annette T. Rabin, "Determining Difficulty Levels of Text Written in Languages Other than English" in Zakaluk and Samuels, p.46-76)

From a section entitled "What is Cloze procedure?" at http://www.gopdg.com/plainlanguage/readability.html