The key to solving this problem is the word "before." The correct answer must reflect something that someone would logically do before going on a trip. "Before" means something like earlier than, prior, in preparation for. So, the correct answer is " . . . he packed his suitcase." The other answer choices are either nonsensical or reflect something someone might do "after" a trip.

You will notice that the answer choices here are all very similar. They differ in the conjunction used and whether or not they are positive. The conjunctions "yet," "however," and "although" are all incorrect because they are used to change the meaning of a sentence, not continue the meaning of the sentence. The correct answer is the one that contains the word "nor." "Nor" is used in place of "or" when you want to continue a negative statement. So,  for example, "I do not like chips, nor do I like french fries." 

You will notice again here that the answer choices are all very similar. They only really differ in the conjunction used. You can eliminate "even if" because it does not make sense in this context. If the correct answer was "even if" the sentence would have to read "It is possible to achieve anything even if you do not work hard enough." "Despite," "however," and "in spite of" can be eliminated for the same reason. So, the correct answer is " . . . if you work hard enough."

To solve this problem you need to consider the meaning of the word "although." It is a hard word to define, but it means something like even though this first thing is true, this second and opposite thing is also true. So, even though the author has three dogs they " . . . actually prefer cats." The other answer choices are illogical or would only make sense without the word "although."

The key to solving this problem is the conjunction "even though." "Even though" means something like "although" or "in spite of the fact" so you know that the second part of the sentence must describe how the author was prevented from enjoying the steak in spite of themselves. The correct answer then is " . . . I could not eat anymore." All the other answer choices would make sense if the phrase "even though" was not included. 

The use of the conjunction "despite" tells you that the information in the second part of the sentence must be somehow opposite or surprising when related to the first part of the sentence. So, the subjects have different beliefs, but, despite this, " . . . the two girls were best friends." The other answer choices would all make sense if the word "despite" was replaced by "Because of . . . " 

The use of the word "but" suggests that whilst things are looking better now, they once were not. "But" is used to change the direction and meaning of a sentence. As in, "I want to go out, but I can't find my shoes." So, the correct answer is "She has suffered tremendously . . . " If it helps "suffered" means experienced pain and "tremendously" means deeply or intensely.

You will have noticed that these answer choices are all fairly similar. The only major difference between them is that they use different conjunctions. To solve this problem, then, you need to determine which of these conjunctions fits best. The correct answer is " . . . so he called the police." If the subject saw a crime being committed it makes sense that he would call the police. All the other answer choices are either nonsensical or would only make sense if the subject did not call the police. Additionally, "observed" means witnessed, saw.

The use of the conjunction "but" tells you that the information in the second part of the sentence must be somehow opposite or in direct contrast with the information in the first part of the sentence. All of these answer choices would be better matched with "and" except " . . . they still loved each other."

To solve this problem you simply need to determine which of these conjunctions makes sense in the context of this sentence. A "conjunction" is a word that links two parts of a sentence together. Simple examples of conjunctions include "and," "but," "yet," "however," and "because." In this example only the conjunction "and" makes sense as all the other conjunctions (except because) imply that the author would have no pets.