Please help I’m so grateful for anyone taking there time to answer!

When i was four years old, my dad and i a tree in our front yard. it was a tiny, fragile sapling. he promised me that it would grow tall and strong, but he said that i had to be patient. until i turned 18 years old, dad and i it every year on my birthday. choose the words that correctly fill in the blanks.

Ato of . it be a , is as an . it be a ,in - as a . , it be an , is by to as a , , or an .. (s)of : 12345

Plz asap read this sentence from paragraph 3 of the article. the boys and girls are merely asked to obtain the signatures of ten friends or relatives. how does the word "merely" affect the meaning of the sentence? a- it suggests that asking people to subscribe to the washington times is something negative. b- it implies that obtaining ten signatures is not a requirement for receiving a prize. c- it downplays the fact that to win the prize, children must ask people to subscribe to the washington times. d- it emphasizes that children receive the prize only if they obtain ten signatures.