Hi! The answer would be option <em>D, papers.</em>
Explanation:
The sentence is telling us that linda has a desk with piles of books and something else. Option D here is what makes the most sense cause "papers" would add to the list of things Linda has in her desk.
Option A and D could fit but we can assume that if Linda has her desk piled with things, her desk is messy, so it'd be redundant. Option B doesn't fit quite well because of the word "with" since theres another connctor already in place ("and").
The phrase that indicated a lost in thought feel is the "Midnight shakes the memory". It means that his train of thought is going double time in the dark or at night.
