The storyteller's ______ anecdotes earned her the ______ attention of the crowd.

• A. poignant. .abrasive
• B. moribund. .lucid
• C. meandering. .distracted
• D. pointed. .spellbound
• E. compelling. .rapt

Here my friend, about whose madness I now saw, or fancied that I saw, certain indications of method,
removed the peg which marked the spot where the beetle fell, to a spot about three inches to the
westward of its former position. Taking, now, the tape measure from the nearest point of the trunk to the
peg, as before, and continuing the extension in a straight line to the distance of fifty feet, a spot was
indicated, removed, by several yards, from the point at which we had been digging. Around the new
position a circle, somewhat larger than in the former instance, was now described, and we again set to
work with the spades. I was dreadfully weary, but, scarcely understanding what had occasioned the
change in my thoughts, I felt no longer any great aversion from the labor imposed. I had become most
unaccountably interested--nay, even excited. Perhaps there was something, amid all the extravagant
demeanor of Legrand-some air of forethought, or of deliberation, which impressed me. I dug eagerly, and
now and then caught myself actually looking, with something that very much resembled expectation, for
the fancied treasure, the vision of which had demented my unfortunate companion. At a period when such
vagaries of thought most fully possessed me, and when we had been at work perhaps an hour and a half,
we were again interrupted by the violent howlings of the dog. His uneasiness, in the first instance, had
been, evidently, but the result of playfulness or caprice, but he now assumed a bitter and serious tone.
Upon Jupiter's again attempting to muzzle him, he made furious resistance, and, leaping into the hole,
tore up the mould frantically with his claws. In a few seconds he had uncovered a mass of human bones,
forming two complete skeletons, intermingled with several buttons of metal, and what appeared to be the
dust of decayed woolen. One or two strokes of a spade upturned the blade of a large Spanish knife, and,
as we dug farther, three or four loose pieces of gold and silver coin came to light.
At sight of these the joy of Jupiter could scarcely be restrained, but the countenance of his master wore an
air of extreme disappointment he urged us, however, to continue our exertions, and the words were hardly
uttered when I stumbled and fell forward, having caught the toe of my boot in a large ring of iron that lay
half buried in the loose earth.
We now worked in earnest, and never did I pass ten minutes of more intense excitement. During his
interval we had fairly unearthed an oblong chest of wood, which, from its perfect preservation and
wonderful hardness, had plainly been subjected to some mineralizing process--perhaps that of the
Bi-chloride of Mercury. This box was three feet and a half long, three feet broad, and two and a half feet
deep. It was firmly secured by bands of wrought iron, riveted, and forming a kind of open trelliswork over
the whole. On each side of the chest, near the top, were three rings of iron--six in all--by means of which a
firm hold could be obtained by six persons. Our utmost united endeavors served only to disturb the coffer
very slightly in its bed. We at once saw the impossibility of removing so great a weight. Luckily, the sole
fastenings of the lid consisted of two sliding bolts. These we drew back trembling and panting with anxiety.
In an instant, a treasure of incalculable value lay gleaming before us. As the rays of the lanterns fell within
the pit, there flashed upwards a glow and a glare, from a confused heap of gold and of jewels, that
absolutely dazzled our eyes.
I shall not pretend to describe the feelings with which I gazed. Amazement was, of course, predominant.
Legrand appeared exhausted with excitement, and spoke very few words. Jupiter's countenance wore, for
some minutes, as deadly a pallor as it is possible, in nature of things, for any negro's visage to assume.
He seemed stupefied thunder stricken. Presently he fell upon his knees in the pit, and, burying his naked
arms up to the elbows in gold, let them there remain, as if enjoying the luxury of a bath.
It became necessary, at last, that I should arouse both master and valet to the expediency of removing the
treasure. It was growing late, and it behooved us to make exertion, that we might get every thing housed
before daylight. It was difficult to say what should be done, and much time was spent in deliberation--so
confused were the ideas of all. We, finally, lightened the box by removing two thirds of its contents, when
we were enabled, with some trouble, to raise it from the hole. The articles taken out were deposited
among the brambles, and the dog left to guard them, with strict orders from Jupiter neither, upon any
pretence, to stir from the spot, nor to open his mouth until our return.
The sentence "Perhaps there was something, amid all the extravagant demeanor of Legrand--some air of
forethought, or of deliberation, which impressed me" (2nd paragraph) is best an example of

• A. characterization
• B. aside
• C. foreshadowing
• D. cause and effect
• E. figurative language

The kangaroo species ______ in the new environment where there was an abundant supply of food and
a(n) ______ of predators.

• A. exploded. .abundance
• B. flagged. .absence
• C. stagnated. .excess
• D. flourished. .dearth
• E. bolstered. .paucity

The spring is fairly with us now. Outside my laboratory window the great chestnut-tree is all covered with
the big, glutinous, gummy buds, some of which have already begun to break into little green shuttlecocks.
As you walk down the lanes you are conscious of the rich, silent forces of nature working all around you.
The wet earth smells fruitful and luscious. Green shoots are peeping out everywhere. The twigs are stiff
with their sap; and the moist, heavy English air is laden with a faintly resinous perfume. Buds in the
hedges, lambs beneath them--everywhere the work of reproduction going forward!
I can see it without, and I can feel it within. We also have our spring when the little arterioles dilate, the
lymph flows in a brisker stream, the glands work harder, winnowing and straining. Every year nature
readjusts the whole machine. I can feel the ferment in my blood at this very moment, and as the cool
sunshine pours through my window I could dance about in it like a gnat. So I should, only that Charles
Sadler would rush upstairs to know what the matter was. Besides, I must remember that I am Professor
Gilroy. An old professor may afford to be natural, but when fortune has given one of the first chairs in the
university to a man of four-and-thirty he must try and act the part consistently.
In 1st paragraph, the word "lambs" is an example of which device?

• A. flashback
• B. allusion
• C. foreshadowing
• D. metaphor
• E. simile