Question

read this excerpt from oliver twist by charles dickens, and identify the meaning of the words in bold based on their context.
it chanced one morning, while olivers affairs were in this auspicious and comfortable state, that mr. gamfield, chimney - sweep, went his way down the high street, deeply cogitating in his mind his ways and means of paying certain arrears of rent, for which his landlord had become rather pressing. mr. gamfields most sanguine estimate of his finances could not raise them within full five pounds of the desired amount; and, in a species of arithmetical desperation, he was alternately cudgelling his brains and his donkey, when passing the workhouse, his eyes encountered the bill on the gate.
\wo - o!\ said mr. gamfield to the donkey.
the donkey was in a state of profound abstraction: wondering, probably, whether he was destined to be regaled with a cabbage - stalk or two when he had disposed of the two sacks of soot with which the little cart was laden; so, without noticing the word of command, he jogged onward.
rewarded inventing straining punished contemplating
yelling belittling beating confronted
cogitating

cudgelling

regaled

Explanation:

1. For "cogitating": The context describes Mr. Gamfield thinking about ways to pay rent, so the matching synonym is "contemplating" which means thinking deeply.
2. For "cudgelling": The text says he does this to his brains (straining to think) and his donkey; the closest match is "straining" for his mental effort, which fits the context of desperate arithmetic thinking, and the physical action aligns with the sense of forcing effort.
3. For "regaled": The donkey wonders if it will get cabbage-stalks after its work, so "rewarded" fits, as the cabbage-stalks would be a reward for completing the task.

Answer:

cogitating → contemplating
cudgelling → straining
regaled → rewarded