Review the item:
Rachel __________ the telephone receiver on the table and returned to the sci-fi novel that she had left on the couch. The poor solicitor at the other end read five more minutes of spiel before realizing that no one was listening.

Rachel put the telephone receiver on the table. Thus, you need a form of lay. Since the sentence is past tense, you need the simple past form.

Consult the table below or review the rules.

Infinitive Definition Simple
Present
Simple
Past
Past
Participle
Present
Participle
to lay to put something down lay(s) laid laid laying
to lie to rest or recline lie(s) lay lain lying

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