Cambridge University may end handwritten exams

The world-renowned Cambridge University is (1) ____ abolishing handwritten exams after 800 years. University officials may ask students to type their exam answers (2) ____ a computer rather than use a pen. The move (3) ____ complaints from examination markers who say they are finding test papers increasingly illegible (4) ____ to poor handwriting. Academics say today's students primarily use laptops in lectures and tutorials (5) ____ of pens. Students are losing the ability to write by hand. One academic said asking students to hand-write exams actually causes them physical difficulties. The muscles in their hand are not used to writing extensively for prolonged (6) ____ of two to three hours.

A Cambridge University lecturer, Dr Sarah Pearsall, told Britain's 'Daily Telegraph' newspaper that handwriting was becoming a "lost (7) ____". She said: "Twenty years ago, students (8) ____ [wrote] by hand several hours a day, but now they write virtually nothing by hand, except exams." She added: "We have been concerned for years about the (9) ____ handwriting problem. There has definitely been a downward (10) ____. It is difficult for both the students and the examiners as it is harder and harder to read these [exam] scripts." Dr Pearsall says some students' handwriting is (11) ____ illegible that they had to return to the university over the summer to read their answers (12) ____ loud to examiners who could not read their writing.

Which of these words go in the above text?

1. (a)     considers     (b)     consideration     (c)     considerate     (d)     considering    
2. (a)     of     (b)     to     (c)     in     (d)     on    
3. (a)     afters     (b)     follows     (c)     replaces     (d)     succeeds    
4. (a)     because     (b)     owes     (c)     due     (d)     causes    
5. (a)     prefer     (b)     rather     (c)     instead     (d)     rely    
6. (a)     periods     (b)     period     (c)     periodical     (d)     periodicals    
7. (a)     knack     (b)     art     (c)     know-how     (d)     skillful    
8. (a)     routinely     (b)     routines     (c)     routine     (d)     routes    
9. (a)     reclining     (b)     declining     (c)     inclining     (d)     clinging    
10. (a)     blend     (b)     bland     (c)     trend     (d)     gland    
11. (a)     such     (b)     then     (c)     so     (d)     though    
12. (a)     as     (b)     to     (c)     up     (d)     out