Many species of insects were wiped _______ when the jungle was cleared.

Correct answer: 'out'

'Wiped out' is the correct idiom here.

• Meaning: 'wiped out' means completely destroyed or eliminated (e.g., species becoming extinct).

• Structure: In the passive voice, 'were wiped out' naturally describes that the species were eliminated as a result of the jungle being cleared.

Why the other words are incorrect:

• 'of' — does not form a valid phrasal verb here; 'wiped of' is ungrammatical.

• 'away' — 'wiped away' is used for removing marks or small things, not for describing extinction of species.

• 'off' — usually refers to removing something from a surface (e.g., 'wipe off'), not eliminating species.

Correct sentence: Many species of insects were wiped out when the jungle was cleared.