Question

the young engineer appeared at his best as host. the responsibility of seeing that a half - dozen others were amused and contented set well upon him; and as course followed course, and the wines changed, and the candles left the rest of the room in darkness and threwed only the table and the faces around it, they all became rapidly more merry and the conversation intimately familiar. they ____ themselves.

• enjoyed
• criticized
• educated
• represented

Explanation:

The context describes a merry and familiar conversation at a gathering. The phrase "____ themselves" needs a verb that fits the positive, enjoyable mood. "Enjoyed" (as in "enjoyed themselves") is a common phrase meaning to have a good time, which matches the merry atmosphere. "Criticized" has a negative tone, "educated" is unrelated to the social, merry context, and "represented" doesn't fit the meaning of having a good time.

Answer:

A. enjoyed