Brutus: what a blunt fellow is this grown to be! he was quick mettle when he went to school. blunt – adj. not smart. mettle – n. wit; intelligence. which statement paraphrases this excerpt best? this guy is really smart, just like he was when he was in school! this man has gone to blacksmith school and has become very dull. this man has gone to school but should not have done because he is just a blacksmith. this man, who was smart in school, has grown up to be unintelligent.

The statement that paraphrases this excerpt best is "This man, who was smart in school, has grown up to be unintelligent."

Explanation:

The objective of paraphrasing a sentence is to make it easier to read and keep the same message with different words and different structure, some elements can be changed or omitted as long as they do not affect the general message. Some words have similar meanings, but in the paraphrased sentence are clearer, for example, blunt fellow = unintelligent, quick mettle = smart.

" animal is healthy and eternally gratefully that you provided him with a warm home." and "the health and well-being of our animal friends is what is at stake here."