Select the word or phrase that makes this sentence grammatically correct: 'The development committee ____ a bargain with the city planners.'

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The correct answer is 'C: struck.' In this context, the correct verb form should be 'struck' as it is the past tense form of 'strike.' Therefore, the correct sentence should read: 'The development committee struck a bargain with the city planners.' Choice A, 'striked,' is incorrect as 'strike' is an irregular verb, and the past tense is 'struck' rather than 'striked.' Choice B, 'stroke,' is incorrect as it is not the correct past tense form of 'strike' in this context. Choice D, 'strike,' is incorrect as it is the base form of the verb and does not fit the sentence structure requiring a past tense verb.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: In this sentence, the correct choice is 'swam,' which is the past tense of 'swim.' Therefore, 'swam' correctly completes the sentence: 'Theo was in great shape; he swam all the way back to the pier.' 'Swimmed' is not a valid past tense form of 'swim,' 'swum' is the past participle form and doesn't fit the context, and 'swim' is the base form of the verb and is not suitable in this case.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: 'Spent' is the correct past tense of 'spend.' In this sentence, the action of spending time in the studio already happened while Steve was an apprentice, requiring the past tense 'spent.' 'Spends' is present tense, 'spended' is not a valid word, and 'spend' is present tense without matching the past context of the sentence.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is 'amount.' In this context, 'amount' is used to describe the intensity or level of pain, which is an uncountable noun. 'Frequency' (B) refers to how often something occurs, 'number' (C) is used for countable objects, and 'amplitude' (D) is typically used in the context of sound or waves, not pain.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Failed to generate a rationale of 500+ characters after 5 retries.