persist - The young man has practiced his guitar daily for the pas two years. If he persist with this schedule, he will definitely become a successful musician.

immense - The television program featured an immense whale, spotted in the Atlantic Ocean. The narrator said while the whale's size broke all previous records that had been set.

encompass - These bamboo trees now encompassed the entire house. There is no area around the house where they don't grow.

hue - The beautiful hue of Margaret's dress matches her eyes.

diminish - When someone feels anger at another person, the emotion can be strong in the beginning. However, it should diminish as time passes, so the person begins to calm down.

merge - If two companies are merged with each other, they can control the majority of the market for this particular product.

replication - West Side Story is a modern replication of the story from Romeo and Juliet. However, it uses almost all of the themes from the original play, and West Side Story is set in twentieth-century United States.

draw - The Great Red Spot draws the attention of scientists, especially astronomers, because it is considered the most powerful storm in the entire solar system.

fluctuated - The spot's immense size is clearly one of its notable aspects. While the size of the spot has fluctuated over the centuries, growing and shrinking in width and length, it can still easily encompass the entire Earth within its area.

No matter where you go, the Internet is following you. Almost every portable device is being made with an Internet connection. Most new TVs and many other appliances come with Internet connections as well. The Internet is truly ubiquitous. If something is ubiquitous, __________.

Some people are always bashing the president just like others bashed the one before him. Wouldn't you think that everyone could find something to praise him for, at least once in a while?What does “bashing” mean in the above selection?

Some people are sure that the new health care law will mean better care for everyone. Others argue that the law will mean less care and longer waiting lines for those who need to see doctors. It's a controversy that will not go away soon. A controversy is something that people _______.

Fortunately, the explosion diverted the asteroid from a course that would have sent it hurdling into our planet.To divert is to _______.

Parasitic plants attach themselves to host plants, often to the stems or roots, by means of haustoria, which the parasite uses to make its way into the food channels of the host plant and absorb the nutrients that it needs to survive from the host plant. Hautoria are most likely

Autism is a developmental disorder that is characterized by severe behavioral abnormalities across all primary areas of functioning. Its onset is often early; it generally makes itself known by the age of two and one-half. The word onset on the passage is closest meaning to

Autism is a developmental disorder that is characterized by severe behavioral abnormalities across all primary areas of functioning. Its onset is often early; it generally makes itself known by the age of two and one-half. The word primary in the passage could be best replaced by

Edna Ferber (1887-1968) was a popular American novelist in the first half of the twentieth century. She embarked on her career by working as a newspaper reporter in Wisconsin and soon began writing novels. The phrase embarked on is closest in meaning to

Parasitic plants are plants that survive by using food produced by host plants rather than by producing their own food from the Sun’s energy. Because they do not need sunlight to survive, parasitic plants are generally found in umbrageous areas rather than in areas exposed to direct sunlight. The word umbrageous is closest in meaning to

In 1975, Governor James promised to do something about the high taxes in our state. She didn’t present a tax cut bill to lawmakers until 1985. It took her a decade to keep her promise, but better late than never.How long is a decade?

The La Brea tarpits, located in Hancock Park in the Los Angeles area, have proven to be an extremely fertile source of Ice Age fossils. Apparently, during the period of the Ice Age, the tarpits were covered by shallow pools of water, when animals came there to drink, they got caught in the sticky tar and perished. The word perished is closest in meaning to

The oxidation of exhaust gases is one of the primary sources of the world’s pollution. The brown haze that is poised over some of the world’s largest cities is properly called photochemical smog; it results from chemical reactions that take place in the air, using the energy of sunlight. The phrase take place is closest in meaning to

The production of smog begins when gases are created in the cylinders of vehicle engines. It is there the oxygen and nitrogen gas combine as the fuel burns to form nitric oxide (NO), a colorless gas. The nitric oxide is forced out in the air through the vehicle tailpipe along with the other gases.

The word forced out could best be replaced by

The main conflict in the novel is between a mother who places a high value on work and honor and a son who repudiates his mother's values, instead preferring the easier path to fortune and celebrity. The word "repudiates" is closest in meaning to

When Roosevelt first established the retreat, he called it Shangri-La, which evoked the blissful mountain kingdom in James Hilton's novel Lost Horizon. Later, President Dwight David Eisenhower renamed the location Camp David after his grandson David Eisenhower. The word evoked is closest in meaning to

The black widow is rather distinctive in appearance; it has a shiny globular body, the size and shape of pea, and is marked on its underbelly with a red or yellow spot. The female is considerably more ample than the male, roughly four times on the average. The word "ample" indicates that the spider is

The world’s heaviest flower, a species of rafflesia, is a parasite that flourishes among, and lives off of, the roots of jungle vines. Each of these ponderous blooms can weigh up to 15 pounds (7kg) and can measure up to 3 feet (1m) across. The word ponderous is in closest meaning to

Thunderstorms that result in tornadoes are referred as supercells. Not all thunderstorms create tornadoes, but they do increase the risk, especially when other conditions, such as a cold front or low-level converging winds are also present. The word they refers to

A tornado is fed by warm, moist air in the atmosphere. The more warm, moist air there is, the longer the tornado can last. This phase of the tornado is referred to as its "mature" stage and can last from a few minutes to well over an hour. The word its refers to

Since smartphones have combined the tasks of previously separate devices into one exceptionally efficient product, their appeal to consumers cannot be overestimated. The word their refers to

When colonists from Europe traveled across the Atlantic to explore the New World, they never imagined what they would find, nor did they envision the devastation suffered by the native tribes of Americas because of diseases that they carried with them. The word "them" refers to

Horatio Algers, Jr. (1832-1899) was the author of more than 100 books for boys in the second half of nineteenth century; book that focused on the theme of success coming to those who work hard to achieve it. The word it refers to

As an author, Alger established a recurring theme in virtually all of his stories. Typically, he wrote about the poor and homeless children of the slums of New York City, seeing them as unfortunate pawns of the society, who, if only given the opportunity, could improve their lot. The word them refers to

Though his writing style was characterized by simplicity and repetition, it was at first well received by his target audience; his books were enormously popular, selling millions of copies well into the first few decades of the twentieth century. The word it refers to

Coral colonies require a series of complicated events and circumstances to develop into the characteristically intricate reef structures for which they are known. The word they refers to

The inhabitants of the Americas were separated from Asia, Africa, and Europe by rising oceans following the Ice Ages, and, as a result, they were isolated by means of this watery barrier from numerous virulent epidemic diseases that had developed across the Ocean, such as measles, smallpox, pneumonia and malaria. The word they in paragraph 2 refers to

Eventually, compassionate Europeans educated the native people and assisted them in finding better ways to combat the fatal infection, but not before the vast majority of them had been wiped out. The word them refers to

The La Brea tarpits, located in Hancock Park in the Los Angeles area, have proven to be an extremely fertile source of Ice Age fossils. Apparently, during the period of the Ice Age, the tarpits were covered by shallow pools of water, when animals came there to drink, they got caught in the sticky tar and perished. The word they refers to ...

Most chromium compounds have brightly colored hues, and as a result they are widely used as coloring agents, or pigments, in paints. In addition to having a pleasing color, a paint must protect the surface to which it is applied and be easy to apply in a thin, uniform coat. The word they refers to

Most chromium compounds have brightly colored hues, and as a result they are widely used as coloring agents, or pigments, in paints. In addition to having a pleasing color, a paint must protect the surface to which it is applied and be easy to apply in a thin, uniform coat. The word it refers to

Carnivorous plants, such as the sundew and the Venus-flytrap, are generally found in humid areas where there is an inadequate supply of nitrogen in the soil. In order to survive these plants have developed mechanisms to trap insects within their foliage. They have digestive fluids to obtain the necessary nitrogen from the insects. The pronoun "They" refers to

The United States does not have a national university, but the idea has been around for quite some time. George Washington first recommended the idea to Congress; he even selected an actual site in Washington, D.C. and then left an endowment for the proposed national university in his will. The word "he" refers to

Camp David, in a wooded mountain area about 70 miles from Washington, D.C., is where the president goes to find solitude. It consists of living space for the president, the first family, and the presidential staff as well as sporting and recreational facilities. The word "it" refers to

When Roosevelt first established the retreat, he called it Shangri-La, which evoked the blissful mountain kingdom in James Hilton's novel Lost Horizon. Later, President Dwight David Eisenhower renamed the location Camp David after his grandson David Eisenhower. The pronoun he refers to

When Roosevelt first established the retreat, he called it Shangri-La, which evoked the blissful mountain kingdom in James Hilton's novel Lost Horizon. Later, President Dwight David Eisenhower renamed the location Camp David after his grandson David Eisenhower. The pronoun his refers to

So while modern feature phones may still be behind in terms of capabilities of their smartphone contemporaries, they may in fact be more advanced than smartphones of just a few years ago. The word they refers to

For example, Angry Birds, one of the most popular apps on the market when it was created, was a game first devised for the Apple iPhone. Its enormous fame led to versions being devised for other smartphone operating systems, and then for other devices, such as computers and gaming consoles. The word "Its" refers to

The tar not only trapped the animals, leading to their death, but it also served as a remarkably effective preserve, allowing near-perfect skeletons to remain hidden until the present era. The word it refers to

Economic contact between Native Americans and Europeans can be traced back to the English and French fishermen off the coast of Canada in the 1500s. They traded guns and other weapons for beaver fur. The word "they" refers to

Pre-Columbian Americans had a relatively disease-free environment but also lacked the antibodies needed to protect them from bacteria and viruses brought to America by European explorers and colonist. The word "them" refers to