1. To Reduce (E). Make less; decrease.
2. Exorbitant (D). Much more than reasonable.
3. To cull (B). To collect something from different places.
4. Showcase (A).Good qualities of someone or something.
5. To eliminate (C).To get rid of something that is not wanted or needed.
Answer:
I'd imagine the correct answer is<em> the third one</em>, "The story illustrates that growing up can be a painful experience".
Explanation:
Well, numbers 2 and 4 just explain the story's setting, they don't really demonstrate the story's main theme or lesson. Number 1 is, like, super vague as well. Like, it could be describing a million different stories. Number 3, however, <u>displays the story's main theme</u> and has a statement that <u>can be backed up with evidence</u> from that story. So, the sentence that best shows a strong thesis statement is the third statement.
