Question

complete the text with the correct pair of words.
frank and elise are apt to argue about politics. when ____ being particularly combative, brandon tries to ____ the tension with a bit of humor.
options:
theyre... diffuse
theyre... defuse
their... defuse
their... diffuse

Explanation:

1. For the first blank: We need a contraction of "they are" to refer to Frank and Elise being combative. "They're" is the correct contraction of "they are", while "their" is a possessive pronoun, which does not fit grammatically here.
2. For the second blank: The context requires a word meaning to reduce or ease tension. "Defuse" means to reduce the danger or tension of a situation, while "diffuse" means to spread out or scatter, which does not match the intended meaning.

Answer:

they're . . . defuse