Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

When the ______________ thief attempted to ________________ with the jewels, he bumped his head on a security camera and was knocked unconscious.

Choose the word or set of words that, when inserted into the sentence, best completes the sentence.

Dark, __________ clouds appeared suddenly on the horizon, and soon the sea began to __________ wildly.

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

The students looked back at the professor with ___________ stares. She would have preferred that they __________ her in any conversation whatsoever instead of seeming so disinterested.

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

The frustration seemed to ____________ through the entire crowd, for all of the people gathered were quite ____________ with the speaker’s negative tone.

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

The philosopher _______________ an odd theory about reality, holding that everything was a(n) ____________ shadow, ready to fade away at any moment.

The master thief's partners in crime thought him a very __________ individual because he would only __________ his plan to them, keeping the details to himself.

Adapted from The Frontier in American History, by Frederick Jackson Turner

But the larger part of what has been distinctive and valuable in America's contribution to the history of the human spirit has been due to this nation's peculiar experience in extending its type of frontier into new regions—and in creating peaceful societies with new ideals in the successive vast and differing geographic provinces which together make up the United States. Directly or indirectly these experiences shaped the life of both the Eastern and Western States, and even reacted upon the Old World, influencing the direction of its thought and progress. This experience has been fundamental in the economic, political, and social characteristics of the American people and in their conceptions of their destiny.

Writing at the close of 1796, the French minister to the United States, M. Adet, reported to his government that Jefferson could not be relied on to be devoted to French interests, and he added that "Jefferson, I say, is American, and by that name, he cannot be sincerely our friend. An American is the born enemy of all European peoples." Obviously erroneous as are these words, there was an element of truth in them. If we would understand this element of truth, we must study the transforming influence of the American wilderness, remote from Europe, and by its resources and its free opportunities affording the conditions under which a new people, with new social and political types and ideals, could arise to play its own part in the world, and to influence Europe.

The author would describe the frontier as __________.

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

The family awoke in the middle of the night to ______________ black smoke _______________ their home; it filled their lungs and left a sharp taste in their mouths.

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

The __________ texture of the airline pillow irritated Angela’s face and made her long flight all the more vexatious.

"A Short History of Recent Zoos" by Will Floyd

Throughout the twentieth century, zoos underwent large-scale transformations. Before World War I, zoos were small parts of larger municipal parks, and featured sparse cages with little room for their inhabitants. This model held sway until mid-century, with many zoos struggling to remain open during the Great Depression and World War II. The successful zoos survived through making themselves cheap family entertainment. In the 1960s, zoos began to change in drastic ways. With the growing strength of environmental and animal rights movements, the public clamored for more naturalistic and spacious environments in which the animals could live.

The most emblematic of these transformations was the development of the Los Angeles Zoo. In 1966, the cramped and antiquated zoo used grants from the city government to move to a brand-new facility. Although the zoo moved just two miles away, the new location was exponentially bigger, and it featured fresh landscapes that resembled the animals’ natural habitats, instead of dilapidated cages. As the Los Angeles Zoo developed, it was able to work on preservation and conservation efforts for endangered species. New educational programs also became key elements of the Zoo’s mission. Now the old Zoo’s cages stand as ruins and reminders of what past generations saw when they visited years ago.

The author would suggest a new zoo should __________.