Multiple choice

Fill blank (xi).

Directions: The following passage has some numbered blanks.

Naval architects never (i) ___ that a ship is unsinkable, but the sinking of the passenger-and-car ferry Estonia in the Baltic surely (ii) ____ have never (iii) ____. It was well (iv) ____ and carefully maintained. It carried the proper number of lifeboats. It (v) ____ thoroughly inspected on the day of its (vi) ____ voyage. Yet hours later, the Estonia rolled over and sank in a cold, stormy night. It went down so (vii) ____ that most of those (viii) ____, caught in their dark, flooding cabins, (ix) _____ no chance to save themselves. Of those who managed to (x) ____ overboard, only 139 survived. The rest died of (xi) _____ before the rescuers could pluck them from the cold sea.

  1. chilblains

  2. frostnip

  3. hypothermia

  4. frostbite

  5. chills

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Hypothermia is a potentially dangerous drop in body temperature, usually caused by prolonged exposure to cold temperatures. In this context the people on the ferry died due to hypothermia, as the body temperatures dropped due to exposure to the cold water.