Question

before the dragon could see him, lok tossed a red bead into the water. the river dwindled to a tiny rivulet. lok scooped out the dragon, now no larger than a baby grass snake, and deposited it in his empty rice box. lok shrank the dragon by a asking jing-jing for help. b calling out its name. c throwing a red bead in the water. d plucking a rock from the shore.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the text: "Before the dragon could see him, Lok tossed a red bead into the water. The river dwindled... Lok scooped out the dragon...". Option A: No mention of Jing - jing. Option B: No calling out name. Option C: Matches the action of tossing red bead. Option D: No rock plucking.

Answer:

C. throwing a red bead in the water.