I believe that it makes this sentence less depressing, if Joe is sad about losing his job. So he used to work as an insurance underwriter for 20 years, but has now left his job to be a freelance journalist. However, this job is obviously not going so well because he is "between assignments." This means that he is not currently writing anything, and is embarrassed to put it that way.
The answer is not d. The correct answer should be B.
Explanation:
If I'm wrong please tell me .Also please do not use the answer option to ask a question, it is a waste and there is a place to ask questions without using it.
