One Word Substitution

The word in the passage that can replace the expression 'cruel and wicked' is

Directions: Read the passage and answer the given question.

Returning home after a decade-and-half abroad, our ge­ography master remained incurably addicted to foreign ways and ideas for years after landing here. He would forever stick to his theory of Africans suffering from a curse inflicted on them by the Almighty God for some heinous sins committed centuries ago. He would, in support of this theory ask listen­ers, “Why would our mosquito inflict deadly malaria on us whereas the British mosquito does not bite? Why aren't there poisonous snakes in Britain whereas here most snakes are deadly? Why should the deadly sickle cell disease be peculiar to the black race?”

Of course, he would hardly wait for answers to these and similar questions before jumping to the same inevitable con­clusion. However, he met his match one day when a new student joined the class and heard the litany we were used to. The new boy calmly said. "Sir, I happened to know a few white men who suffer from the sickle cell disease: some are Italians and some are Spanish. The mosquito is equally deadly in India, South East Asian countries and South America. The United States and some other South American countries have their deadly snakes. And, sir, I know many white folks; some of them British, who would prefer our brilliant sunshine to their horribly cold winter." And he sat down.

I had never, before that day, seen our master so con­sumed with anger. He directed a burning look at the poor boy who had no answer to this new battle. Without as much as saying a single word, the master stalked out of the classroom. Needless to say, our anger was turned on the new boy, who had decided to rock the boat without taking the time to sound the water. A delegation was sent to the master to apologise to him. He was appeased. But we all noticed something rather unusual thereafter; never again did he dwell on the issue of Africans being the accursed people.

Which of the following words would best replace the word ‘snatches’ as used in the passage?

Directions: Read the following passage carefully and answer the related question.

I was sitting on the other side and as the train was standing still, I still could hear snatches (1) of their conversation when nobody was passing between us. The tradesman began by saying he was going to his estate (2) which was only one station farther on; then, as usual, the conversation turned to price and trade, and they spoke of the state of business in Moscow and then of the Nizhny Novgorod fair. The clerk began to relate how a wealthy merchant, known to both of them, had gone on a spree (3) at the fair. But the old man interrupted (4) him by telling him of the origins he had been at in former times (5) in Kunavin fair. He evidently prided himself on the part he had played in them and recounted (6) with pleasure how he and some aquintainces (7) together  with the merchant they had been speaking of, had once got drunk in Kunavinand and played such a trick that he had to tell of it in a whisper. The clerk’s roar of laughter filled the whole carriage, the old man laughed also, berring (8) two yellow teeth.

Which of the following best improves sentence 1?

Directions for questions:
The following passage is an early draft of an essay. Some parts of the passage need to be rewritten.
Read the passage and select the best answers for the questions that follow. Some questions are about particular sentences or parts of sentences and ask you to improve sentence structure or word choice. Other questions ask to consider organization and development. In choosing answers, follow the requirements of standard written English.