Which phrase from the paragraph best the reader understand the meaning of the underlined sentence?

for a couple of years, beverly put out food for the cat next door. she thought her neighbors didn’t feed their cat enough or pay much attention to it. even though the neighbors had moved a few weeks before, beverly continued to put food out. she found it hard to change her behavior, but she told herself, “old habits die hard.”

a.
continued to put food out

b.
pay much attention to it

c.
had moved a few weeks before

d.
hard to change her behavior

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the miracle worker themeswilliam gibson

themes and meanings

(comprehensive guide to drama)

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there are two central themes in  the miracle worker: that the human spirit can triumph over even the most daunting of disabilities and that a dedicated teacher can transform the lives of those with whom he or she comes into contact. these inspirational themes have long been personified in the widely known true-life relationship between helen keller and annie sullivan, but  the miracle worker  also dramatizes collateral issues that extend beyond the particular case. underlying helen’s process of learning basic principles of what annie terms “obedience” (decorum, etiquette, and hygiene), there are more universal lessons of self-governance—the inculcation of self-restraint instead of willfulness, the development of self-discipline instead of self-indulgence. only when these lessons have been mastered can helen begin to acquire language—which, annie says, “is to the mind more than light is to the eye.”

it is believed to be alfred, lord himself