11. The range of the New York canal system was still further extended when the states of Ohio and Indiana, inspired by the success of the Erie Canal, provided water connections between Lake Erie and the Ohio River.

　　The word "extended" is closest in meaning to which of following?

　　(A) increased

　　(B) constructed

　　(C) deepened

　　(D) measured

　　12. The answer lay in a resource that unknowing Americans had trampled underfoot in their haste to cross the "Great American Desert" to reach lands that sometimes proved barren. In the eastern parts of the United States, the preferred grass for forage was a cultivated plant.

　　The word "barren" is closest in meaning to which of following?

　　(A) lonely

　　(B) dangerous

　　(C) uncomfortable

　　(D) infertile

　　13. In the eastern parts of the United States, the preferred grass for forage was a cultivated plant. It grew well with enough rain, then when cut and stored it would cure and become nourishing hay for winter feed.

　　The word "preferred" is closest in meaning to which of following?

　　(A) ordinary

　　(B) available

　　(C) required

　　(D) favored

　　14. They were not juicy like the cultivated eastern grasses, but had short, hard stems.

　　The word "hard" is closest in meaning to which of following?

　　(A) firm

　　(B) severe

　　(C) difficult

　　(D) bitter

　　15. Nevertheless, most domestic architecture of the first three-quarters of the eighteenth century displays a wide divergence of taste and freedom of application of the rules laid down in these books.

　　The word "divergence" is closest in meaning to which of following?

　　(A) description

　　(B) development

　　(C) difference

　　(D) display

　　16. New England still favored wood, though brick houses became common in Boston and other towns, where the danger of fire gave an impetus to the use of more durable material. A few houses in New England were built of stone, but only in Pennsylvania and adjacent areas was stone widely used in dwellings.

　　The word "durable" is closest in meaning to which of following?

　　(A) attractive

　　(B) expensive

　　(C) refined

　　(D) long-lasting

　　The word "dwelling" is closest in meaning to which of following?

　　(A) houses

　　(B) towns

　　(C) outbuildings

　　(D) rural areas

　　17. Doorways were larger and more decorative. Fireplaces became decorative features of rooms. Walls were made of plaster or wood, sometimes elaborately paneled.

　　The word "elaborately" is closest in meaning to which of following?

　　(A) done in great detail

　　(B) put together carefully

　　(C) using many colors

　　(D) reinforced structurally

　　18. Whereas schooling has a certain predictability, education quite often produces surprises. A chance conversation with stranger may lead a person to discover how little is known of other religions. People are engaged in education from infancy on.

　　The word "chance" is closest in meaning to which of following?

　　(A) unplanned

　　(B) unusual

　　(C) lengthy

　　(D) lively

　　19. Education, then, is a very broad, inclusive term. It is should be an integral part of one's entire life.

　　The word "integral" is closest in meaning to which of following?

　　(A) an equitable

　　(B) a profitable

　　(C) a pleasant

　　(D) an essential

　　20. For example, the edge of the Pacific Ocean has been called the "Ring of Fire" because so many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes happen there. Before the 1960's, geologists could not explain why active volcanoes and strong earthquakes were concentrated in that region.

　　The word "concentrated" is closest in meaning to which of following?

　　(A) allowed

　　(B)clustered

　　(C) exploded

　　(D) strengthened