Directions: In the following passage, some of the words have been left out. First, read the passage over and try to understand what it is about. Then, fill blank (3) with the help of the alternatives given.

Mr. Keesing, the old fogey who teaches math, was mad at me because I talked so much. After (1) ________ warnings, he assigned me extra homework. An essay on the subject, "A Chatterbox". I'd worry about that later, I decided. I jotted down the assignment in my notebook, tucked it in my bag and (2) ________ to keep quiet. That evening, after I'd finished the rest of my homework, the note about the essay caught my eye. I began (3) _________ about the subject while chewing the tip of my fountain pen. Anyone could ramble on and leave big spaces between the words, but the trick was to come up with (4) _________ arguments to prove the necessity of talking. I thought and thought, and suddenly I had an idea. I wrote the three pages Mr. Keesing had assigned me and was satisfied. I argued that talking is a female trait and that I would do my best to keep it under control, but that I would never be able to break myself of the (5) _________, since my mother talked as much as I did, if not more, and that there's not much you can do about inherited traits.