Read the passage. Then answer the questions that follow.
Excerpt from “The Chase” by Kim Hill
1 Michael and Adam ran swiftly through the overgrown brush that edged the forest behind their house. The crunch of the forest ground was underfoot, while the whoosh of quickly passing wind whizzed in their ears. Ducking branches and leaping over ravines, the boys seemed to fly over the ground. Their sneakers and the cuffs of their jeans were already muddy, and the chase had only started five minutes ago. Adam held the leash firmly in one nimble hand, while Michael repeatedly yelled, “Sam! SAM! Come here!”
2 It was the third time this week Sam had escaped the confines of the fenced-in yard. Michael, Adam’s younger brother, had left the gate open the first two times. This time Sam had dug a small hole under the fence and squeezed through. Once Sam got out, he was unstoppable. Like a racehorse released from the gate, Sam ran at breakneck speed. The boys could barely keep up. They could see him in the distance, running through a clearing in the center of the woods—a blur of golden-red fur flashing in the sunlight.
3 “There he is, Mike!” Adam yelled. “Try throwing those dog biscuits you have in your pocket at him to get him to come to us, and I’ll put the leash on.” Michael threw a couple of the biscuits out, saying Sam’s name a little softer now. “Come on, Sam. Here, boy.” Sam stopped and looked up, sniffing the air. The boys were only a few feet away now, closing in fast. “Throw him some more,” Adam commanded. As Michael reached into his pocket for more doggie treats, a noise distracted him. Sam was looking intently at something behind the boys, with his ears up, his nose twitching wildly.
4 Looking behind them, Michael and Adam saw the massive bear at the same time. Dark and strong, the black bear stood at the edge of the clearing only fifteen or twenty feet away, its beady eyes settling on the boys. Pawing at the ground, the bear’s claws dug into the hard earth, leaving deep red gouges. Never taking its eyes off the boys, the bear lifted its snout and began to sniff the air. Trying to
catch the boys’ scent to see if they were friend or foe.
5 Michael and Adam stood very still. Staring at the bear, they neither moved nor spoke, paralyzed by fear and unsure of what to do next. All their years of living in the woods, they had never encountered a bear. And he was so close. The bear watched the boys closely, looking almost curious. Opening its large mouth, the bear grunted several times, then let out a low growling, grumbling sound. Michael whispered through clenched teeth, barely moving his mouth, “What should we do?”
6 Adam whispered back, “Stay still. Maybe it’ll leave.”
7 The bear grew silent. The boys and the bear stared at one another in the sudden stillness of the forest.
8 A loud bark broke the silence. Sam let loose with one bark after another, “Woof! Woof! Woof!” running toward the bear, barking loudly. The bear backed up slowly, as Sam skirted around it, circling and barking. Lifting one massive paw, the bear struck out at Sam. But Sam moved quickly, dodging the blow. The bear continued to back up, Sam pushing him further and further away from the boys, until both he and the bear were out of sight, and all the boys could hear was Sam’s frantic barking in the distance.
Which meaning is the best definition of ravine as it is used in paragraph 1?