Correct Response: C. The passage includes multiple instances of the adjective hard and the verb break, each with a different meaning. This would pose challenges for English language learners because they must learn to associate each meaning with a particular context. A is incorrect because high-frequency words are not more likely to have difficult pronunciations than less frequently used words. B is incorrect because the text does not include a large number of academic (Tier Two or Tier Three) words. Finally, D is incorrect because, although the passage includes a few figures of speech, such as broke his heart and took it hard, they are used sparingly rather than frequently in the passage.
