North to Alaska

1. The idea of an Alaska Highway had been under consideration for years. The start of World War II __________

the United States government into finally acting.

2. Building the Alaska Highway would be a big job. The construction crew of troops and civilian workers ___________

all their energy to complete the task.

3. Japanese forces occupied three islands in the Aleutian chain. The United States was not prepared to _________

control of the Alaskan mainland to Japan and therefore took steps to prevent it.

• cede

• cedes

• ceded

• ceding

4. Without the highway, there was no way to defend Alaska. Faced with that possibility, the cost of building the highway was almost ____________ .

5. The highway would need to be built over Canada’s soft, swampy land. This difficulty had at first seemed ___________ but now needed to be surmounted.

6. Canada’s agreement was crucial to the building of the highway. Its territory is

______________ to both Alaska and the lower forty-eight states.

7. Many people worked together to complete the 1,442-mile Alaska Highway in record time. It certainly did not __________ out of nowhere.

• material

• materialize

• materializes

• materiales

8. Those responsible for the highway knew that building it would not be easy. Twenty thousand military and civilian workers were needed to __________the plan.

9. Extreme cold was the great enemy during wintertime construction. During the summer months, the workers were _______

by hordes of mosquitoes.

10. Highway planners quickly determined the best path to take. A(n) _________ route would best avoid obstacles.