My husband was a 1. ?

Explanation

Correct Answer: senator

The base word Senate refers to the legislative body itself. However, the sentence describes Barack Obama’s specific job title as an individual member of that body, requiring the noun form used for a person.

(SENATE), but somehow people seemed to want to vault right over that. Instead, everyone was keen to know whether he would make a run for president in 2008. There was no shaking the question. Every 2. ?

Explanation

Correct Answer: reporter

The verb report needs to be converted into an agent noun (describing a person). In the context of journalism and asking questions for news, a reporter is the correct term for the individual performing the action.

(REPORT) asked it. Nearly every person who approached him on the street asked it. My colleagues at the hospital would stand in my doorway and 3. ?

Explanation

Correct Answer: casually

The word modifies the verb phrase drop the question. To describe the manner in which her colleagues asked questions – meaning in a relaxed, informal, or offhand way – the adverbial suffix -ly is used.

(CASE) drop the question, probing for some bit of early news. Even Malia, who was six and a half on the day she put on a pink velvet dress and stood next to Barack as he was sworn in to the Senate by Dick Cheney, wanted to know. Unlike many of the others, though, our first grader was wise enough to sense how 4. ?

Explanation

Correct Answer: premature

While maturity is a noun, the sentence requires an adjective to describe the situation (it). The prefix pre- is added to indicate that the idea of a presidential run was happening before it was ready or too early.

(MATURITY) it all seemed.

“Daddy, are you gonna try to be president?” she’d asked. “Don’t you think maybe you should be vice president or something first?”

I was with Malia on this matter. As a 5. ?

Explanation

Correct Answer: lifelong

This acts as a compound adjective modifying the noun pragmatist. It describes a characteristic that has lasted for the duration of Michelle Obama’s entire life.

(LIFE) pragmatist, I would always counsel a slow approach, the 6. ?

Explanation

Correct Answer: methodical

This modifies the noun phrase checking of boxes. The noun method is changed to an adjective to describe a process that is systematic, orderly, and careful.

(METHOD) checking of boxes. I was a natural-born fan of the long and judicious wait. In this regard, I felt better anytime I heard Barack pushing back at his 7. ?

Explanation

Correct Answer: inquisitors

The verb inquire (to ask) must become a plural noun representing the people asking the questions. Inquisitors implies a sense of persistent or intense questioning, which fits the probing nature of the crowds.

(INQUIRE) with an aw-shucks kind of modesty, batting away questions about the 8. ?

Explanation

Correct Answer: presidency

While president refers to the person, presidency refers to the office, the function, or the political state. He was batting away questions about the office itself and the prospect of holding that position.

(PRESIDENT), saying that the only thing he was planning was to put his head down and work hard in the Senate. He often reminded people that he was just a low-ranking member of the minority party, a backbench player if there ever was one. And, he would sometimes add, he had two kids he needed to raise.