Is pitching a verb, participle, or gerund?

Which is the most effective paraphrase of the passage "six benches were left empty in every ship that evening when we pulled away from death. and this new grief we bore with us to sea: our precious lives we had, but not our friends" - the odyssey

Which most closely describes the author's use of historical information for the novel white fang? consider both texts provided. the author included details and descriptions of the dogs that match the historical details provided. b) the author changed the historical facts about early sled dogs to fit the needs of his plot and setting. c) the author changed the description and age of the dogs, which was necessary for his main character to develop bonds with the dogs. d) the author included historically accurate details of the dogs' working conditions, but the dogs he describes in his story are alaskan huskies.

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.