A Salty History, Guess the Missing Word, 3rd. Grade, Mr. Hills

Please choose the word that best fits in the sentence.

A Salty History
Did you know that salt is a ( 1 ) that forms in the ground? The salt that is removed from salt mines is a rock called “halite.” You are really sprinkling tiny ( 2 ) on your food when you use a salt shaker. You can also get salt from seawater. The ocean’s salt is very pure. Many people think it tastes better than ( 3 ) salt. Mmmm. Which salt do you prefer?
Do we need salt? Yes, we do. Our cells need salt to stay alive. As a matter of fact, salt makes up nearly one percent of our body’s blood and ( 4 ). Salt is used to preserve foods because it kills germs. Salt is also used to make ( 5 ), soap, and other items. One kind of salt is used in popular ice-cream ( 6 ).
Poland’s famous salt mines ( 7 ) very unusual. For hundreds of years, miners have dug salt from beneath the ( 8 ) surface. They have carved elegant rooms and beautiful ( 9 ) from solid salt. Curious tourists visit to ( 10 ) see the miner’s statues. Wow! Would you ( 11 ) to see them?
Across the ages and around the world, salt has been valued very highly. It was important and hard to obtain. If you had salt, you could easily ( 12 ) trade it for other items. The ancient ( 13 ) soldiers’ wages were paid in ( 14 ). Their word for “salt” was “sal.” That is where our word “salary” comes from. Gee, would you like to get paid in salt? In many places, salt is still a ( 15 ) of friendship.