Which word could best replace the underlined word as it is used in the paragraph?

my cousin brent is an ambitious salesman. he sells dental supplies to dentists. my mother buys supplies from him, too. our bathroom is stocked full with toothbrushes, a variety of toothpastes, floss, and every kind of tool to clean your teeth. our family probably has the cleanest teeth in town.

a.
unmotivated

b.
easy

c.
established

d.
aspiring

which word is an antonym of the underlined word in the paragraph?

i can’t believe my parents let my little brother get a pet snake. snakes have always given me the creeps. he keeps that awful creature in a cage in his room, and sometimes i have to go in there to gather his laundry. i abhor looking at that thing as it slithers around a branch in its cage.

a.
boast

b.
adore

c.
despise

d.
squirm

which sentences correctly use the word groom?

choose all answers that are correct.

a.
the rider likes to groom his horse so much, the animal's coat gleams.

b.
grandma hester used a groom to sweep the leaves from the front porch.

c.
our cat likes to groom himself in the patch of sunshine on the porch.

d.
the groom was a nervous wreck on his wedding day.

which word could best replace either of the underlined words in the paragraph?

whenever i’m upset about something, my mother is very kind to me. her sensitivity when i’m feeling low. she always shows compassion for people who are going through a tough time. she’ll spend a lot of time talking to them until they feel better.

a.
attempts

b.
regard

c.
understanding

d.
skill

look at the underlined word in the paragraph.

which sentence best shows the meaning of this word?

my mother came up with the best tactic for unwanted mealtime calls. she answers the phone and tells the caller, "just a minute." then she lays the phone in the middle of the table and leads us in a poetry recitation. "works every time," she says when we hear the beep on the other end.

a.
my cousin announced he was hungry and bought a hotdog from a street vendor.

b.
my brother took forever to make his move when we were playing chess.

c.
my dad was bouncing the baby, and she spit up on his best shirt.

d.
on the spur of the moment, we dashed out to get ice cream.