My <u><em>hunch</em></u> turned out to be correct that evening... The answer is letter B. The word <em>feeling</em> is the only substitute from the alternatives that has the same meaning of the word <em>hunch </em>and can help the reader understand the meaning of the paragraph. The words guessed, bounded and daydreamed are not nouns.
A closeness to the coast is usually seen as a good thing: it's combined with good trade possibilities, which are beneficial to a country.
I think that the best answer is <span>a) <span>A landlocked area hampers trade with other countries and therefore stifles the economy.
it does mean more farming land, but this might not be more attractive than trade routes. </span></span>
The wage will increase. Hope this helps :)