Shakespeare was the man who invented the word invention. :D why ask?
The words the author chooses to use in a passage can change the whole tone and feeling of the story in many different ways, or add depth and detail to the story.
Proper nouns are names of people, places, rivers, etc. So, having that in mind, the correct answers are A) Fred, because that is the name of a human, and D) Colorado River, because that is the name of a river.