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: D

Rationale: The correct answer is 'avoid.' The sentence requires a verb that means to stay away from something, making 'avoid' the appropriate choice. 'Evading' means avoiding or escaping something by deceit or cleverness, which is not the intended meaning here. 'Despite' is a preposition showing contrast, and 'not' is an adverb negating a verb or making it negative, so they do not fit the sentence structure.

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: 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: B

Rationale: 'Badly' is the correct adverb to modify 'danced'. In this context, 'badly' is used to describe the manner in which the student danced, indicating that her dancing performance was not good, contrasting with her singing ability. 'Poorly' (choice C) is also an adverb, but 'badly' is more commonly used in this context to describe performance in an artistic or skill-based activity. Choice D, 'poorer,' is incorrect as it is the comparative form of 'poor,' not the appropriate adverb to describe how she danced.