Question

a. external b. incredible c. internal d. remedy e. verdict

\hi, mom,\ francis said. the effort of speaking exhausted him, and he closed his eyes again.

to his mother, these were the best words she had ever heard. the idea that her son was speaking again, after ten weeks in a coma, was (1) _____. he had been gone from this world for so long that it seemed hed never return. those ten weeks had been difficult to endure. whenever ms. king had visited francis at the hospital, he had been completely still. there were no (2) ___ signs that he was thinking or feeling anything. the doctors (3) ___ was that francis would never recover. but ms. king maintained the hope that he still had some (4) _____ life. could he, perhaps, hear her words? could he feel her hand squeezing his? she tried desperately to reach him in any way she could during her daily visits, when she lingered at his bedside for hours.

now, although ms. king knew there was no quick (5) _______ for her sons serious injuries, the simple words \hi, mom\ gave her hope that he could, someday, live a full life again.

Explanation:

1. For (1): The context is that the son speaking after ten weeks in a coma is unbelievable. "incredible" (option B) means impossible to believe, so it fits.
2. For (2): The sentence is about signs that are outward or visible. "external" (option A) refers to outside or visible, so it's the right choice as there were no visible signs of him thinking/feeling.
3. For (3): A doctor's judgment or decision about a patient's condition is a "verdict" (option E) here, as the doctor said he'd never recover.
4. For (4): "internal" (option C) life refers to life within, like his inner life or consciousness, which Ms. King hoped he still had.
5. For (5): A "remedy" (option D) is a cure or solution, and the context is no quick cure for his serious injuries.

Answer:

(1) B. incredible
(2) A. external
(3) E. verdict
(4) C. internal
(5) D. remedy