261. It dissolves, transports, and precipitates many chemical compounds and is constantly modifying the face of the Earth. Evaporated from the oceans, water vapor forms clouds, some of which are transported by wind over the continents.
The word "modifying" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) changing
(B) traveling
(C) describing
(D) destroying
262. This last figure shows the importance of the ocean as the principal reservoir of the hydrosphere but also the rapidity of water transport on the continents.
The word "rapidity" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) significance
(B) method
(C) swiftness
(D) reliability
263. The erosion of the continents thus results from two closely linked and interdependent processes, chemical erosion and mechanical erosion. Their respective interactions and efficiency depend on different factors.
The word "efficiency" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) relationship
(B) growth
(C) influence
(D) effectiveness
264. Among the species of seabirds that use the windswept cliffs of the Atlantic coast of Canada in the summer to mate, lay eggs, and rear their young are common murres, Atlantic puffins, black-legged kittiwakes, and northern gannets.
The word "rear" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) visit
(B) watch
(C) reverse
(D) raise
265. The advantage of nesting on cliffs is the immunity it gives from foxes, which cannot scale the sheer rocks, and from ravens and other species of gulls, which have difficulty in landing on narrow ledges to steal eggs.
The word "scale" is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) climb
(B) avoid
(C) approach
(D) measure
