009. Thousands of tons were extracted before 1875, when it was first noticed that the tar contained fossil remains. Major excavations were undertaken that established the significance of this remarkable site.

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

(A) predicted

(B) announced

(C) corrected

(D) observed

010. Since then, over 100 tons of fossils, 1.5 million from vertebrates, 2.5 million from invertebrates, have been recovered, often in densely concentrated tangled masses.

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

(A) buried beneath

(B) twisted together

(C) quickly formed

(D) easily dated

011. The asphalt at La Brea seeps to the surface, especially in the summer, and forms shallow puddles that would often have been concealed by leaves and dust.

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

(A) highlighted

(B) covered

(C) transformed

(D) contaminated

012. The ocean bottom --- a region nearly 2. 5 times greater than the total land area of the Earth --- is a vast frontier that even today is largely unexplored and uncharted, until about a century ago, the deep-ocean floor was completely inaccessible, hidden beneath waters averaging over 3,600 meters deep.

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

(A) unrecognizable

(B) unreachable

(C) unusable

(D) unsafe

009 D

010 B

011 B

012 B