Question
A. Tough Talk
Growing up, Joey often felt that his big sister Carla found fault with everything he did. It seemed to Joey that Carla was (1) of even the smallest mistakes he made and that her reactions to his errors were over-the-top and (2). For example, she would scold him angrily for leaving a tiny drop of toothpaste in the bathroom sink or for not folding the napkins when he set the table. In (3), Joey finally asked Carla why she was so mean to him. "Mean?" Carla asked, surprised. She thought a moment and said, "Some people point out faults to be mean; others point them out to help someone, because they care. I fall into that second (4). But maybe I've been scolding you too much; I'm sorry about that."
After their talk, they both transformed their (5) (e)s. Carla became gentler when she pointed out a mistake, and Joey tried to remember that his sister cared about him and believed he could do better.