Pearl Diving
EXPENSE.
FARM
PROVIDE
STRONG
COAST
DEEP
EQUIP
FORTUNATE
BREATHE
WEALTH
TRADE
For hundreds of years, the most (0)
and precious pearls in the world
were found in the Persian Gulf. In the early 1900s, the land in this area was very dry
and (25) ... was extremely difficult. People of the region used to trade
pearls in exchange for food, water and other (26) . In the mid-1900s,
India's economy began to (27)
As most pearl buyers came from
India, the demand for pearls began to grow. Many Persian families settled
permanently in the (28) villages of the Gulf in order to take advantage
of the booming pearl market.
Divers often risked their lives. They would dive to (29)
of 40 meters
and remain underwater for up to two minutes all without the use of special diving
(30)
When they found an oyster they would open it up with a knife to
see if it had a pear inside. (31)
not all oysters produce pearls. Divers
often had to make thirty dives in one day to find enough. When they ran out of
(32)they were pulled to the surface by a rope. At the end of a
pearl-diving season. Some divers would become (33)
enough to buy their own boat, thus becoming pearl (34)
​

Pearl Diving is the activity of searching for pearls in the Persian Gulf. The passage mentions several words related to the activity of pearl diving, such as "expense," "farm," "provide," "strong," "coast," "deep," "equip," "fortunate," "breathe," "wealth," and "trade." Let's go through each question and answer it step by step:

0. The word in the passage meaning "cost" is ___________.
Answer: The word is "expense." The passage states that finding pearls in the Persian Gulf was an expensive and challenging task.

25. The missing word is most likely to mean the opposite of "wet."
Answer: The missing word is "dry." The passage mentions that the land in the area was very dry, making pearl diving difficult.

26. The word in the passage meaning "things."
Answer: The word is "provide." In the context of the passage, people used to trade their pearls in exchange for food, water, and other necessities.

27. The word in the passage meaning "increased."
Answer: The word is "grow." The passage mentions that India's economy began to grow, resulting in an increased demand for pearls.

28. The missing word is most likely to mean "small towns."
Answer: The missing word is "villages." The passage states that many Persian families settled permanently in the villages of the Gulf to take advantage of the booming pearl market.

29. The word in the passage meaning "reached a depth of."
Answer: The word is "deep." Divers would dive to a depth of 40 meters to search for oysters with pearls.

30. The missing word is most likely to mean "equipment."
Answer: The missing word is "equip." The passage mentions that divers were able to dive without the use of special diving equipment.

31. The word in the passage meaning "although."
Answer: The word is "although." The passage states that not all oysters produce pearls, implying that divers had to search many oysters before finding a pearl.

32. The missing word is most likely to mean "stones."
Answer: The missing word is "wealth." When divers ran out of wealth or pearls, they were pulled to the surface by a rope.

33. The word in the passage meaning "fortunate" or "lucky."
Answer: The word is "fortunate." Some divers became fortunate enough to buy their own boat after the pearl-diving season.

34. The word in the passage meaning "sellers" or "merchants"
Answer: The word is "trade." The passage mentions that some divers became wealthy enough to buy their own boats, thus becoming pearl traders.

By going through the passage and understanding the context of each word or phrase, we can find the appropriate meanings for the missing or specified words.