Correct Answer: B

Rationale: Choice B is the best supporting detail to follow Maria's topic sentence as it describes the initial planning stages of the holiday celebrations, which aligns with the concept of throwing elaborate holiday celebrations. It sets the stage for the organization and preparation involved in these events, making it a logical progression from the main idea. Choice A is incorrect as it presents a contrasting opinion about holidays that does not support the idea of elaborate celebrations. Choice C provides information about family size but does not directly relate to the process of throwing elaborate holiday celebrations. Choice D talks about post-celebration activities and does not directly support the initial statement about the elaborate celebrations themselves.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The prefix 'circum-' means 'around,' which is the definition most related to 'circumference.' Circumference refers to the boundary that surrounds a circular shape. Choice A, 'Beyond,' is incorrect as it implies going further or exceeding a boundary. Choice B, 'After,' is not related to the concept of surrounding or encircling. Choice D, 'Before,' is also unrelated and denotes something occurring prior to a specific time or event.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: Choice A demonstrates correct punctuation. The sentence uses a colon to introduce a list, which is the most appropriate punctuation in this context. A colon is typically used to signal that a list or explanation follows, making it the suitable choice here. Choices B, C, and D either use a comma, semi-colon, or dash incorrectly to introduce the list, deviating from the standard punctuation rule for listing items. Therefore, they are incorrect in the context of this sentence.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is A: 'Around, surrounding.' The prefix 'circum-' commonly means 'around' or 'surrounding,' as observed in words like circumference (the distance around a circle), circumnavigate (to sail or travel around something), and circumstance (a condition surrounding or related to an event). Choices B, C, and D are incorrect because the shared meaning among these words is related to being around or surrounding, not travel, transport, size, measurement, area, or location.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Option C correctly punctuates the sentence by placing commas after 'Chicago' and 'Illinois' to separate the location details and inserting a comma before 'in 1948' to separate the location from the date. This creates a clear and grammatically correct sentence. Choices A, B, and D incorrectly place the commas, leading to confusion or incorrect grouping of the location and date information.