DIRECTIONS: In the passage below, certain phrases are underlined and numbered <x>. The question will present alternatives for the underlined part. In most cases, you are to choose the one that best expresses the idea, makes the statement appropriate for standard written English, or is worded most consistently with the style and tone of the passage as a whole. If you think the original version is the best, choose "NO CHANGE".

DIRECTIONS: In the passage below, certain phrases are underlined and numbered <x>. The question will present alternatives for the underlined part. In most cases, you are to choose the one that best expresses the idea, makes the statement appropriate for standard written English, or is worded most consistently with the style and tone of the passage as a whole. If you think the original version is the best, choose "NO CHANGE".

Annie Smith Peck

[§1] Since a hundred years, <1> the highest mountains in South America have lured climbers from all over the world. But until 1908, Peru’s Mt. Huascaran resisted the efforts of all those who attempted to reach its summit. One mountaineer, Annie Smith Peck, vowed to overcome the obstacles and be the first to the top of Mt. Huascaran. In order to succeed, she would have to organize expeditions C deal with reluctant companions Csurvive bad weather, and <2> climb steep cliffs of ice and rock.

[§2] Peck was born in the United States in 1850. Although she didn’t start mountain climbing until she was in her thirties, it <3> soon became clear that she had found her life’s work. A natural mountaineer, Peck was soon setting records on expeditions in North America and Europe. She traveled to Bolivia in 1903 and found Mount Huascaran, which had yet to be surmounted, a challenge she simply could not resist. <4>

[§3] (1) Peck mounted four expeditions and made five attempts before she finally conquered Mt. Huascaran. (2) Between those expeditions, Peck returned to the United States to raise money. (3) She received help from many scientific organizations, including the Museum of Natural History. (4) The Museum had also supported Admiral Peary on his trip to the North Pole. (5) Still, Peck struggled at least as much to raise money as she did climbing <5> her beloved mountains.

[§4] In 1908, Peck scraped together the funds for yet another expedition to Mt. Huascaran. This time, she hired two Swiss guides to assist <6> her with the climb. On their first trip up the mountain’s slopes, one of the guides became ill, and the entire team was forced to turn back even though they were very close to the top. Being so close to success was very frustrating for Peck, who could not even prove how close they had come because she had accidentally brought the wrong kind of film and was unable to photograph the climb.

[§5] The team rested for a few days, the guide recovered, and on August 28th, they set off again. The climb was extremely difficult. Steps had to be cut <7>one by one into the steep ice; snow bridges and crevasses had to be carefully crossed. The weather was so cold that everyone suffered from frostbite. When Peck and her two guides were just a short distance from the top, they stopped to determine the exact height of the mountain.

[§6] At that moment, one of the guides took advantage of Peck’s distraction and climbed the few remaining feet to the summit so that he was the first to reach the peak.

What a jerk! <8>Although Peck was understandably angry, she <9> focused on the triumph of achieving her goal: standing at last on the top of Mt. Huascaran.

<4>:
A . NO CHANGE
B . an irresistible challenge
C . and just had to climb it
D . the one mountain she just had to climb to the top of

View Answer

Answer: B

Explanation:

This is the most concise and appropriate version.