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Zadanie 6 — Fill each gap with one word

Read the text below. Complete each gap (6.1.–6.10.) with one word to create a coherent and grammatically correct text. Full spelling accuracy is required.

Passage 1: The Story of Poutine

Poutine is one of Canada’s most beloved dishes, but its origins are surprisingly humble. The dish is said to 6.1. _______ been created in rural Quebec in the late 1950s. A customer at a small restaurant asked 6.2. _______ cheese curds to be added to his order of French fries, and the owner reportedly replied that it would make “une maudite poutine” — 6.3. _______ roughly translates as “a terrible mess.”

Despite 6.4. _______ humble beginnings, poutine has risen from a simple street food to a dish served in fine dining restaurants 6.5. _______ the country. The classic version consists 6.6. _______ three ingredients: crispy French fries, fresh cheese curds, and hot gravy. Modern variations, 6.7. _______, can include everything from pulled pork to lobster.

What makes poutine special is the way the cheese curds react 6.8. _______ the hot gravy — they soften but do not melt completely, creating a distinctive squeaky texture. 6.9. _______ you have never tried poutine, it is well worth seeking 6.10. _______ on your next visit to Canada.

Show answers
6.1. have
Perfect infinitive: 'is said to have been created’ — passive reported speech pattern
6.2. for
Verb + preposition: 'asked for something to be done’
6.3. which
Relative pronoun referring to the whole clause: 'which roughly translates as’
6.4. its
Possessive determiner: 'despite its humble beginnings’ (belonging to poutine)
6.5. across
Preposition of extent: 'across the country’ = throughout the entire country
6.6. of
Fixed collocation: 'consists of’ = is made up of
6.7. however
Conjunctive adverb showing contrast: 'Modern variations, however, can include...'
6.8. to
Verb + preposition: 'react to’ = respond to
6.9. If
Conditional conjunction: 'If you have never tried...'
6.10. out
Phrasal verb: 'seeking out’ = searching for and finding

Passage 2: Vegemite: Australia’s Most Divisive Spread

There are 6.1. _______ foods in the world that divide opinion quite like Vegemite. This dark brown spread, 6.2. _______ from yeast extract, has been a breakfast staple in Australian homes 6.3. _______ it was first produced in 1923.

The story of Vegemite began 6.4. _______ Melbourne scientist Dr Cyril Callister was looking for a way to make use of the yeast 6.5. _______ over from beer production. The result was a thick, salty paste with an intense umami flavour. Australians who grow 6.6. _______ eating it on toast tend to love it, while visitors from overseas are often put 6.7. _______ by its strong taste.

The key to enjoying Vegemite, according 6.8. _______ Australians, is to spread it very thinly on buttered toast — not in thick layers as one 6.9. _______ do with jam or peanut butter. It can also be added to soups and stews to give 6.10. _______ extra depth of flavour.

Show answers
6.1. few
Quantifier: 'few foods’ = not many foods. 'There are few foods that...' is a formal construction.
6.2. made
Past participle in reduced relative clause: 'made from yeast extract’ = 'which is made from’
6.3. since
Conjunction of time: 'since it was first produced’ = from the time when
6.4. when
Temporal conjunction: 'began when Dr Callister was looking for...'
6.5. left
Past participle: 'yeast left over’ = remaining, surplus yeast
6.6. up
Phrasal verb: 'grow up’ = develop from child to adult
6.7. off
Phrasal verb: 'put off by’ = discouraged or repelled by
6.8. to
Fixed phrase: 'according to’ = as stated by
6.9. would
Modal verb: 'as one would do’ = as someone typically does (hypothetical)
6.10. them
Object pronoun: 'give them extra depth’ — 'them’ refers to soups and stews

Passage 3: America’s Melting-Pot Menu

American cuisine is widely regarded 6.1. _______ the youngest and most diverse in the world. Its traditional dishes were not created by a single culture — 6.2. _______ evolved over centuries through contributions from Native Americans, European settlers, African slaves, and Asian immigrants, who all brought their own ingredients and cooking methods 6.3. _______ survive in a new land. The result is a complex mix of culinary traditions unlike anything found elsewhere.

Many of America’s most iconic foods have their roots in other cultures. Apple pie, 6.4. _______ is widely seen as a symbol of the American dream, actually represents a fusion of European baking techniques and local ingredients. Cornbread owes 6.5. _______ existence to the Native Americans who first introduced corn to the settlers. Deep-dish pizza, based 6.6. _______ the classic Italian recipe, became a Chicago speciality, and macaroni and cheese 6.7. _______ adapted from European pasta dishes before turning into one of the nation’s most beloved comfort foods.

Although Americans are united by their love of these classic dishes, each region has developed its 6.8. _______ culinary identity. The South is known 6.9. _______ slow-cooked barbecue ribs and fried chicken, 6.10. _______ the Northeast serves clam chowder and fresh lobster from the Atlantic coast. In the Southwest, Mexican and American traditions have blended to create Tex-Mex, and hot dogs remain a staple at sports events and backyard barbecues across the entire country.

Show answers
6.1. as
Fixed collocation: 'regarded as’ = considered to be
6.2. they
Subject pronoun referring back to 'dishes’
6.3. to
Infinitive of purpose: 'brought methods to survive’ = in order to survive
6.4. which
Relative pronoun in non-defining clause (comma + 'which’; 'that’ cannot be used here)
6.5. its
Possessive determiner: 'owes its existence’ (belonging to cornbread)
6.6. on
Fixed collocation: 'based on’ = derived from (also accepted: upon)
6.7. was
Passive auxiliary: 'was adapted from’ (past passive voice)
6.8. own
Emphasising determiner: 'its own culinary identity’ = a distinct, unique identity
6.9. for
Fixed collocation: 'known for’ = famous for
6.10. while
Contrastive conjunction: 'The South is known for X, while the Northeast serves Y’ (also accepted: whereas)

Passage 4: Measurement Confusion: When Recipes Cross Borders

When Aroha, a young student from New Zealand, moved to the United States for a year abroad, she quickly discovered that following a recipe was not as straightforward as she 6.1. _______ expected. Back home, she had often baked her grandmother’s pavlova — a classic dessert 6.2. _______ origins lie in the long-standing rivalry between Australia and New Zealand over which country invented it. In her New Zealand kitchen, she measured 6.3. _______ single ingredient in grams or millilitres, and always set the oven in degrees Celsius.

Her American host family’s kitchen, 6.4. _______ everything was measured in cups, tablespoons, and degrees Fahrenheit, felt like a completely different world. 6.5. _______ both countries use English, their measurement systems have very little in common. A standard cup in the United States holds about 237 millilitres, while a metric cup — used in New Zealand and Australia — holds 250. The difference may not seem like 6.6. _______, but in baking, even a small error can ruin the final result.

The confusion does not stop there. 6.7. _______ who travel between Britain and the United States often discover that a British pint contains 20 fluid ounces, whereas the American 6.8. _______ has only 16. This means that a recipe asking for “a pint of milk” will produce a different result depending 6.9. _______ which country you are in. Aroha therefore learned to double-check every measurement before she started cooking; 6.10. _______, she risked ending up with a flat pavlova or an overly sweet pumpkin pie.

Show answers
6.1. had
Past perfect auxiliary: 'as she had expected’ — past perfect for action before another past event
6.2. whose
Possessive relative pronoun: 'a dessert whose origins lie in’ — possession within a relative clause
6.3. every
Determiner in fixed collocation: 'every single ingredient’ — 'every single’ is a fixed emphatic phrase
6.4. where
Relative adverb: 'kitchen, where everything was measured’ — non-defining relative clause of place
6.5. Although
Concessive conjunction: 'Although both countries use English’ — introduces a concession (also accepted: Though)
6.6. much
Quantifier as pronoun: 'may not seem like much’ — indefinite pronoun meaning 'a lot’
6.7. Those
Demonstrative pronoun: 'Those who travel’ — plural verb 'discover’ requires a plural subject
6.8. one
Substitute pronoun: 'the American one’ — replaces 'pint’ to avoid repetition
6.9. on
Preposition in collocation: 'depending on’ — fixed collocation (also accepted: upon)
6.10. otherwise
Linking adverb: 'otherwise, she risked’ — signals consequence of not doing the preceding action

Passage 5: Canada’s Sugar Shack Season

Every spring, thousands of Canadian families head to the countryside to visit sugar shacks — or “cabanes à sucre,” as 6.1. _______ are known in Quebec. These rustic wooden buildings have 6.2. _______ welcoming visitors for well over two centuries and remain a cherished part of the country’s food culture.

The experience revolves around maple syrup in all 6.3. _______ forms. Visitors sit at long communal tables and enjoy 6.4. _______ enormous meal of baked beans, smoked ham, crêpes, and omelettes — every dish drizzled generously with freshly made syrup. Some families visit the same sugar shack year 6.5. _______ year, turning it into a beloved tradition.

The real highlight, 6.6. _______, takes place outdoors. Tire sur la neige — literally “pulling on snow” — is made 6.7. _______ pouring boiling-hot maple syrup directly onto a bed of clean snow. 6.8. _______ the syrup hits the frozen surface, it quickly thickens into a soft, chewy candy that can be rolled onto a wooden stick. The taste is unlike 6.9. _______ else — pure maple sweetness with a hint of cold crunch.

Sugar shacks were once simple working buildings 6.10. _______ farmers boiled sap to produce syrup. Today, many have become tourist attractions, but the centuries-old process remains essentially unchanged.

Show answers
6.1. they
Subject pronoun: 'as they are known’ — refers back to 'sugar shacks.'
6.2. been
Present perfect progressive: 'have been welcoming’ — auxiliary completing the continuous tense.
6.3. its
Possessive determiner: 'in all its forms’ — refers to 'maple syrup.'
6.4. an
Indefinite article: 'an enormous meal’ — 'enormous’ begins with a vowel sound.
6.5. after
Fixed expression: 'year after year’ — means repeatedly, every year.
6.6. however
Linking adverb: 'the real highlight, however’ — signals contrast between the indoor meal and outdoor activity.
6.7. by
Preposition of method: 'is made by pouring’ — 'by + -ing’ describes how something is done.
6.8. As
Temporal conjunction: 'As the syrup hits’ — describes two things happening simultaneously. (also accepted: When)
6.9. anything
Pronoun: 'unlike anything else’ — indefinite pronoun in a comparative construction.
6.10. where
Relative adverb: 'buildings where farmers boiled’ — defines the type of building.