Jim told his father he was studying, but he wasn't. He _____ to his father.

• A. Lied
• B. Told
• C. Admitted
• D. Boasted

Answer: (A)

Deception about a claimed action is the idea here. The sentence sets up a contradiction: he told his father he was studying, but the truth is he wasn't. The best fit is lied, meaning to tell something untrue. So “lied to his father” communicates that he made a false statement about his studying. The other options don’t fit as well: “told” is neutral and doesn’t imply falsehood; “admitted” would mean confessing the truth, which goes against the idea of lying; “boasted” would imply bragging, which isn’t indicated by the context.