Both are great ways to help improve your vocabulary and spelling. However I would suggest frequent reading to familiarize yourself with the words.
Answer:
Instead (C)
Explanation:
Because he is doing something than what he usually does, so INSTEAD of using headphones he listens to ocean waves. Hope this helps!
Annotating is the closest technique in the process of close reading.
Annotating the process of writing detailed notes around said paragraph. It doesn't just mean to take notes, you could also be highlighting or underlining some terms. I can't clearly describe it because you can practically do anything here.
If you do a Google search for the definition of annotation, you get...
<em>"a</em><span><em> note of explanation or comment added to a text or diagram."</em></span>
Hello!
A claim is a sentence proving your point (or your side of the argument).
Hope this helps!
-peachimin