1. When Maya called her insurance provider after a minor car accident in Mississauga, the agent explained that she first needed to pay a certain amount herself before the company would cover the rest of the repair costs. The amount the customer pays at the beginning of a claim is called the:

2. A landlord in Toronto told a prospective tenant that the apartment would be available only if the applicant could provide proof of income, references, and a deposit. In this situation, the landlord was trying to make sure the applicant would be a reliable:

3. During a meeting at work, Daniel disagreed with his manager's proposal, but he chose his words carefully so that he sounded thoughtful rather than confrontational. His colleague later said, 'You handled that very well—you were firm, but still ____.'

4. A bank adviser told a new client not to keep all of her money in one company’s stock because if that company performed badly, she could lose too much at once. The adviser was recommending that she ____ her investments.

5. When the heating stopped working in the middle of winter, the tenant emailed the property manager immediately and asked for the issue to be dealt with as soon as possible. In a formal message, the tenant would most naturally write, 'I would appreciate your ____ attention to this matter.'

6. Nina accepted a job offer, but before signing the contract she read every section closely, especially the part explaining what would happen if either side ended the employment early. She was paying particular attention to the ____ terms.

7. At a family gathering, an uncle kept asking very personal questions about how much money people earned and whether they had any debts. Afterwards, one of the cousins said, 'He really has no sense of ____.'

8. A customer bought a phone plan after the salesperson promised there would be no extra monthly charges. When the first bill arrived, however, several service fees had been added. The customer felt the advertising had been:

9. At work, Priya sent a draft report to her supervisor with a note saying that the numbers on the final page still needed to be checked. By doing this, she was making it clear that the document was not yet:

10. A real estate agent told buyers that a certain neighbourhood had become more desirable because it was close to transit, schools, and new shops. She said that these factors were likely to increase property values over time. In this context, 'desirable' is closest in meaning to:

11. After reviewing her monthly bank statement, Elena noticed a charge she did not recognize. Since she had never approved the transaction, she contacted the bank to ____ it.

12. The manager did not reject the proposal immediately. Instead, he said the team should collect more data, compare costs, and revisit the idea next quarter. His response was best described as:

13. When Jamal was shopping for a mortgage, one lender offered a lower introductory rate, but the contract included penalties that would apply if he paid off the loan early. He realized that the offer sounded attractive at first, but the long-term conditions were less:

14. During a condo board discussion, several residents complained that they had not been informed in advance about a major fee increase. One owner said the board should have been more ____ and shared the financial details earlier.

15. In a performance review, a supervisor wrote that an employee was highly competent but needed to contribute more during team discussions instead of waiting to be asked for input. The supervisor was suggesting that the employee should be more:

16. A friend advised Lucas not to sign the used-car agreement immediately because the seller kept pressuring him to decide on the spot. 'Any time someone rushes you like that,' she said, 'it's wise to proceed with ____.'

17. A small business owner received an email that looked as though it had come from her bank, asking her to click a link and confirm her account details. Because the message was fake and designed to steal information, it was an example of a:

18. At the end of the interview, the hiring manager said, 'We’re speaking with several strong candidates, and we’ll be in touch once we’ve made our decision.' This statement most likely means that the company has not yet:

19. When the city announced road construction near the office, the company sent staff an email recommending that they allow extra travel time and consider public transit. The purpose of the email was mainly to:

20. Sofia wanted to decline an invitation from a client without damaging the professional relationship. In a business email, the most appropriate wording would be: 'Thank you for the invitation; however, I won’t be able to attend due to a prior ____.'