I wanna say that your answer is B. Let me know if you get it right!
The word prodigy applies to Waverly due to her being especially good at chess, or whatever it was she does. Her mother's point of view on prodigy is being the best she can be, and the term applies to her mother by not being quite as smart as her daughter.
D the whales were close to becoming extinct
The action or activity of gathering information about consumers' needs and preferences