With his sub-four minute mile Bannister broke a psychological barrier, and inspired thousands of others to attempt to overcome seemingly ____ hurdles.

All good comic writers use humor to ____, not to side-step the problems of human behavior.

The game of chess is an example of a ___ information system: the pieces sit inertly on the board until the players move them according to known rules.

An artist’s preliminary sketches are often a ____of a subject; on the basis of these sketches the artist makes a decision on his or her approach to the final painting.

Taking antibiotics for a viral infection may, it is true, be ____ ; however, in certain cases a course of these drugs can actually ward off opportunistic bacterial infections.

The revolution in art has not lost its steam; it ____ on as fiercely as ever.

Each occupation has its own ____ ; bankers, lawyers and computer professionals, for example, all use among themselves language which outsiders have difficulty following.

____ by nature, Jones spoke very little even to his own family members.

Many people at that time believed that spices help preserve food; however, Hall found that many marketed spices were ____ bacteria, moulds and yeasts.

Unwilling to admit that they had been in error, the researchers tried to ____ their case with more data obtained from dubious sources.