Here is the item:
Professor Ayer __________ several deep breaths to keep from exploding at Jerry, whose excuse for missing yet another class was that Grandma had died—for the fifth time in one semester!

The blank requires the past tense of take, an irregular verb. You chose took, the correct form. Nice work, grammar brain!

Verb Simple
Present
Simple
Past
Past
Participle
take take(s) took taken

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