Question

this question is similar to ones you will find on reading challenges.
the national hockey league’s first two games were played on december 19, 1917. but the question of which was actually the first game would remain unanswered for a century. one game—between the montreal canadiens and the ottawa senators—started at 8:30 p.m. but no one could find or remember the start time of the game between the montreal wanderers and the toronto arenas. finally, in 2017, a newspaper ad was found. it set the start time of the wanderers/arenas game at 8:15 p.m. it confirmed montreal’s 10–9 victory over toronto as the first official nhl game.
before 2017, there were ______ stories about the first hockey game.

a humbling

b conflicting

c insulting

d encouraging

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the context. Before 2017, the start time of one game (Montreal Wanderers vs Toronto Arenas) was unknown, while another game (Montreal Canadiens vs Ottawa Senators) had a known start time. This created uncertainty about which was the first game, meaning the stories about the first game were conflicting (differing or inconsistent). "Humbling" means making someone modest, "insulting" is offensive, and "encouraging" is inspiring—none fit the context of conflicting accounts about the first game.

Answer:

B. conflicting