A. adolescenceB. anticipateC. easesD. emergingE. exceedsF. fascinatingG. financiallyH. identifyI. identityJ. independentlyK. obligationL. optimisticM. positiveN. stableO. typicalWho is an “adult”? Many would (1)_______ having completed schooling, working steadily, living (2)_______ of one’s parents, marrying, and having children as the markers of adulthood, traditionally achieved between the late teens and the early thirties. However, compared with their parents’ generation, young people today are taking longer to complete their schooling, to settle into steady employment, to establish their own households, to get married, and to fulfil the (3)_______ to raise children. The psychologist Jeffrey Arnett describes the phase of life for those now between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five as a period of relative independence from social roles and expectations. As such, (4)_______ adulthood provides some younger people, especially those who have access to parental resources and supports into their twenties, with new opportunities for exploring their (5)_______, particularly in the areas of work, love, and worldviews. Those who do not have resources, however, (6)_______ problems. Many observers have thought about the factors that have made the transition from (7)_______ to adulthood more complex and variable. Some believe that industrialization, improved health, and increased life expectancies have changed the (8)_______ life sequences of the early twentieth century. Others think that the rising cost of housing in some parts of the country explains why young people are increasingly likely to live with their parents. Still others suggest that because this generation’s parents has fewer children, they are able to provide support that (9)_______ the needs of each child, allowing their children to prolong their dependence and lengthening the time it takes them to complete their education and find (10)_______ employment and independent living arrangements.