Directions (9-13): In each of the following questions one sentence has been given. Each sentence has two blanks. From the options given below the sentence, pick the pair of words that fits into both the blanks respectively to make the sentence contextually meaningful and mark the letter corresponding to it as your answer.

The boy scouts _______________ in the courtyard to unfurl the flag and _____________it up the pole.

The correct option is gathered, hoist.

Let us analyze the sentence step-by-step to choose the most appropriate pair of words for the blanks:

1. Analyzing the First Blank:
The context refers to "boy scouts" coming together in a location ("in the courtyard") for an organized ceremony (unfurling the flag).
- gathered means assembled or brought together in one place, which fits perfectly contextually and grammatically in the past tense.
- squandered means wasted (money/time), which makes no sense here.
- raised would mean lifted, which is logically incorrect for coming together in a courtyard.
- wandering is in the continuous participle form (-ing), which does not fit the simple past verb structure required here.

2. Analyzing the Second Blank:
The second part of the sentence refers to raising the flag up the pole after unfurling it ("to unfurl... and _____________ it up the pole").
- The infinitive marker "to" applies to both verbs in the parallel structure: "to unfurl... and [to] hoist".
- hoist means to raise or lift something heavy or a flag into position using ropes or mechanical means, making it the precise technical term for pulling a flag up a pole.
- let does not convey raising the flag.
- raise is grammatically possible, but its paired word in Option B ("raised") failed the first blank requirement.
- pull requires a preposition like "pull it up", but "hoist" is specifically tailored to flag-raising rituals.

Therefore, the word pair gathered, hoist makes the sentence completely meaningful and grammatically correct:

"The boy scouts gathered in the courtyard to unfurl the flag and hoist it up the pole."