Answer:
were
Explanation:
It already happened, therefore you use were.
<span>A dissenter, especially in the realm of politics, can show resilience at many times, but especially when the authority in question tries to silence ...</span><span>
</span>
I might be wrong, but I think the error is the way they spelled okay. When you are writing in an essay or any other forms of writing, I think you’re supposed to spell the word out instead of abbreviating it.
I hope this helps :)
