The Dust Bowl was a period of severe drought that plagued the Great Plains of the US during the 1930s. During this time, dust storms ______blank over 100 million acres of land. They even reached as far east as New York City.

Food and the sensation of taste are central to Monique Truong’s novels. In The Book of Salt, for example, the exiled character of Bình connects to his native Saigon through the food he prepares, while in Bitter in the Mouth, the character of Linda ______blank a form of synesthesia whereby the words she hears evoke tastes.

In the 2011 documentary The Barber of Birmingham, civil rights activist James Armstrong recounts how his barbershop in Birmingham, Alabama, ______blank as a political hub for members of the Black community during the 1950s.

In a rural area along the border between Oklahoma and Texas, amateur astronomers gather each year to observe the night sky at the Okie-Tex Star Party. Like most star parties, Okie-Tex takes place in an area with low light pollution, ______blank dark skies and ideal stargazing conditions.

Former First Lady of the United States Eleanor Roosevelt and Indian activist and educator Hansa Mehta were instrumental in drafting the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document that ______blank the basic freedoms to which all people are entitled.

The classic children’s board game Chutes and Ladders is a version of an ancient Nepalese game, Paramapada Sopanapata. In both games, players encounter “good” or “bad” spaces while traveling along a path; landing on one of the good spaces ______blank a player to skip ahead and arrive closer to the end goal.

Zydeco music originated in the French Creole community of southwest Louisiana. One instrument that gives zydeco its unique sound is the vest frottoir. The vest frottoir ______blank a wearable washboard that is played by rubbing spoons or bottle openers against it.

The alga species Chlorella vulgaris is very efficient at making oxygen. For this reason, scientists are currently exploring ways to use this species in space. C. vulgaris might be used, for example, to build future biological air exchange systems that ______blank oxygen for astronauts.