1. C. The defendant lied.
The court does not care if he stuttered or made a grammatical error. These are not important when it comes to trial. However, a lie about his whereabouts is a problem. The lie could be that he said he forgot where he was but we don't know that until we know what he said when he misspoke.
2. breathtaking
The word that needs to be included is one that shows awe or amazement. Of the options, breathtaking is the only word that gives the reader a sense of wonder, awe and amazement.
3. B. It compares the number of New York commuters to an insect invasion
Locusts travel in large swarms. It's used to give the image of all the people that arrive in the city, especially the subways and trains, the "swarm" out of the station exits heading to work. They then like a swarm return to the stations and are dropped off in smaller spats at their residences.
