A sentence has been given with a blank to be filled with an appropriate word. Choose the correct alternative.

His heart pounded as he checked his rearview mirror and saw only the dark ______ of highway.

stretch

The correct word to fill in the blank is stretch.

The sentence is about someone who is driving down a dark highway and is feeling scared. The word "stretch" conveys the idea of a long, unbroken expanse of road. This is what the driver sees in his rearview mirror, and it makes him feel even more scared.

The other options are incorrect.

• Vitality means energy or liveliness. It does not make sense to say that the driver saw only the dark vitality of highway.
• Trench means a long, narrow ditch. It does not make sense to say that the driver saw only the dark trench of highway.
• Emancipation means freedom from slavery or oppression. It does not make sense to say that the driver saw only the dark emancipation of highway.