Fill in the blanks and complete the paragraph by choosing suitable expressions from the box given below. (cast a shadow, murmur swept through the room, hush fell over, mind raced back, stormed off, rippled through)
My mother is quite witty, and her sense of humour always lightens stressful moments. Once, at a family dinner, an argument began over a minor issue, and ___, making everyone feel uncomfortable.
a hush fell over
Just as things were getting serious, she made a clever remark and laughter ___ the gathering, making everyone relaxed.
rippled through
The person who started the argument ___.
stormed off
Everyone disapproved of the action and a ___.
murmur swept through the room
My ___ to how my mother had saved other situations like this.
mind raced back
Without her, such moments would have ___ over the gatherings.
cast a shadow
Explanation
(1) The expression 'a hush fell over' fits the context where an uncomfortable silence descends after an argument begins, making everyone feel uncomfortable. (2) The expression 'rippled through' describes laughter spreading gradually through a group of people, which matches the context of the mother's witty remark making everyone relaxed. (3) The expression 'stormed off' means to leave angrily, which fits the context of someone who started an argument leaving in anger after being defused by the mother's wit. (4) The expression 'a murmur swept through the room' describes quiet disapproval or commentary spreading through a gathering, fitting the context of everyone disapproving of the person's angry departure. (5) The expression 'mind raced back' describes remembering or thinking back to past events, fitting the context of recalling how the mother had handled similar situations before. (6) The expression 'cast a shadow' means to create an atmosphere of gloom or unhappiness, fitting the context of how arguments would negatively affect family gatherings without the mother's wit.