TASK DEFINITION: In this task, you will be presented with a passage and have to answer a question based on your understanding of the events inferred from the passage. Try to find the best answer that is most likely to fill in "_". Note that the URLs in the text have been replaced with [Link].
PROBLEM: A Japanese newspaper has unearthed previously secret audio suggesting that government armed forces in Algeria attacked al-Qaeda hostage-takers with abandon in January 2013, killing dozens of captives despite an apparent promise not to interfere with the terrorists and pleas from foreign governments to safeguard the innocents. The news outlet Nikkan-Gendai published the shocking revelation on December 5, contradicting one line of thought that suggested the terrorists killed their own hostages as they came under fire from the Algerian army. A Japanese government-certified translator has provided DailyMail.com with an exclusive copy of the news report in English, headlined: 'The truth regarding the Algeria Hostage crisis has been verified by audio information.'Al-Qaeda offshoot group took hundreds of hostages during a 2013 attack on an Algerian natural gas facilityFour-day standoff ended when Algeria's army attacked the militants, killing dozens of innocentsAudio recordings obtained by a Japanese newspaper indicate the Algerian special forces were aware they were targeting cars carrying hostagesIn one audio intercept, a terrorist complains that 'the army has violated the pledge ... [and] struck the vehicles carrying the hostages and our friends'Initial reports had suggested that the terrorists may have killed their hostages as their master plan fell apart in a hail of gunfire 
 Question:Overall, 685 _ workers and 107 foreigners were set free.

SOLUTION: Algeria

PROBLEM: A Facebook prank in which a man trolls his racist, xenophobic, and homophobic 'friend' by commenting on every single one of the guy's posts and calling him out for his ignorant views has taken the internet by storm - likely because everyone can relate to seeing these types of comments in their news feeds. In the amusing series of exchanges, which the man behind the hoax have admitted he made up to mock the current political firestorm among conservatives and liberals, a user named 'Robert Graves' relentlessly baits his ultra-conservative friend, 'Brendan Sullivan', by repeatedly mocking his offensive posts. 'Can't believe Kim Davis story has disappeared. She stood up for what she believed in. But now gay marriage has been forced upon this great nation,' Brendan wrote in one post, to which Robert responded: 'Why do you care so much? Worrying about what a couple of gay dudes do in the privacy of their own homes in about the gayest thing a guy can do.'A user named 'Robert Graves' relentlessly baited his ultra-conservative friend, 'Brendan Sullivan', by repeatedly mocking his offensive postsTheir fake exchanges caused a stir on the internet because nearly everyone can relate to having an ignorant Facebook friend like 'Brendan'The prankster came clean about the hoax today, saying he fabricated it to make fun of the political firestorm between liberals and conservatives 
 Question:I must say, that is a grading scale like no other I have seen before,' wrote _.

SOLUTION: Robert Graves

PROBLEM: Washington (CNN) As German Chancellor Angela Merkel prepared to bid President Barack Obama farewell in November, a reporter asked her to describe her sentiments about watching her American partner of eight years be replaced by Donald Trump. Standing in the German Chancellery on a drizzly Berlin afternoon, the notoriously restrained Merkel -- who became Obama's closest global friend only to see him replaced by a man who lambasted her on the campaign trail -- drew on her stolid pragmatism. "Out goes the president, and a new one comes in," she said. RELATED: Looming snowstorm delays Trump-Merkel meeting On Friday, Merkel presses ahead with the new, arriving in Washington for her first face-to-face encounter with Trump after months of preparation and one postponement due to snow. Analysts and White House officials alike say Friday's sit-down will be Trump's most important meeting with a foreign leader since the Republican businessman took office in January.Officials in both capitals said the goal was to build a functional working relationshipLast month Merkel met Vice President Mike Pence in Munich 
 Question:A deft politician with a nearly unmatched ability to forge relationships with unpredictable counterparts, Merkel has watched _'s campaign speeches and closely monitored his public remarks since taking office, according to someone close to her in Berlin.

SOLUTION:
Donald Trump