Question

read the paragraph below. then select the underlined word that is a verb used in the indicative mood.

during the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth centuries, japan had no army. (imagining a country without an army!) so, to protect their estates, japans powerful families hired warriors. these japanese warriors were called samurai, a word that can be translated to mean \those who serve.\ the samurai were highly skilled as warriors. they were also extremely loyal to the families they served. if the samurai were around today, however, they would be out of a job. japan now has an army.

Explanation:

The indicative mood is used to state facts or real statements.

• "Imagining" is a gerund, not a finite verb in indicative mood.
• "hired" states a real historical fact, using indicative mood.
• "skilled" is an adjective here, not a verb.
• "were" is used in a conditional (counterfactual) sentence, which is subjunctive mood.

Answer:

hired