Answer:
a) turn to activate
Explanation:
We can infer the meaning of the word from the context of this excerpt.
So, the emperor received a parcel containing a mechanical bird. After windidng the bird up, it could sing and move. This means the bird was activated in some kind of way.
Winding up something is a way of activating a toy, a clock or a mechanical device by turning the handle.
Notice that this verb is written in passive voice and in past tense "wind up - wound up".
"Wound" can also mean an injury, as a noun. This means that these two words are heteronyms; they are spelled the same, but have different meanings and are pronounced differently.
The answer is A. sewing.
A gerund is a verb that has -ing at the end of it, so sewing is the correct answer! Although gerunds use verbs, they can also work as nouns, like it does here.
