The Chambered Nautilus
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
1809 to 1894
How to Play Cloze Games
A cloze game is a reading comprehension activity where certain words are removed from a text and you need to fill in the blanks with the correct words. This helps improve vocabulary, reading comprehension, and understanding of context.
Type In Mode
In this mode, you can:
- Type your answers directly into the blank spaces
- Get instant feedback as you type - correct answers show green, incorrect show red
- Use the keyboard for faster input and navigation
- Submit answers to check your overall progress
Drag & Drop Mode
Switch to Drag & Drop mode to:
- Drag words from the word bank and drop them into blank spaces
- Click on words in the bank to automatically fill blanks
- Click on blanks to select or clear them
Game Features
- Word Skip Selector: Choose how frequently words are removed (every 4th, 5th, 6th word, etc.)
- Progress Bar: Shows your completion percentage
- Color Feedback: Green for correct answers, red for incorrect ones
- Audio Player: Listen to the musical arrangement while you play
- Show Missing Words: View all the correct answers if you need help
- Reset Game: Start over with the same poem
- New Game: Get a different random poem
- Print Poem: Print the poem with blanks for offline practice
Winning
When you fill all the blanks correctly, you'll see a congratulations message and confetti animation! The progress bar will show 100% completion.
Tips
- Read the entire poem first to understand the context
- Look for grammatical clues (verb tense, articles, etc.)
- Use the audio player to hear the rhythm and flow
- Start with easier word skip settings (like every 8th word) and work your way up
- Don't be afraid to use "Show Missing Words" if you get stuck!
- Try both Type In and Drag & Drop modes to see which you prefer
Missing Words
This is the ship of pearl, which, poets feign,
the unshadowed main,—
The venturous bark that flings
the sweet summer wind its purpled wings
In gulfs enchanted, where the Siren sings,
And coral reefs lie bare,
the cold sea-maids rise to sun their streaming hair.
webs of living gauze no more unfurl;
Wrecked is ship of pearl!
And every chambered cell,
Where its dreaming life was wont to dwell,
As the frail shaped his growing shell,
Before thee lies revealed,—
irised ceiling rent, its sunless crypt unsealed!
Year after beheld the silent toil
That spread his lustrous coil;
Still, as the spiral grew,
He left the past year’s for the new,
Stole with soft step its shining through,
Built up its idle door,
Stretched in his last-found home, and knew the old no more.
Thanks for heavenly message brought by thee,
Child of the wandering sea,
Cast from her lap, forlorn!
From thy dead lips clearer note is born
Than ever Triton blew from wreathèd horn!
While on mine ear it rings,
Through the caves of thought I hear a voice that sings:—
thee more stately mansions, O my soul,
As the seasons roll!
Leave thy low-vaulted past!
Let each new temple, nobler than the last,
Shut thee from heaven with dome more vast,
Till thou at length art free,
thine outgrown shell by life’s unresting sea!
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