What is the best word to replace "said"

One of the best ways to increase tolerance when communicating with those from other cultures is to practice empathy, which refers to

To choose a good persuasive essay topic, begin with a big idea, narrow it down, and a. then narrow it down more; it is impossible to have a topic that is too narrow. b. do some research to see what you should write about c. specify-ask a question you want answered in your argument

Which of the following would not be a good supporting sentence for an example paragraph with the following topic sentence?