The detour road sign “Despite” lets us know that the teacher’s answer will be in contrast to the efforts of the students.

A useful prediction would be “Despite the valiant efforts of the third-grade students to convince their teacher to let them stay out longer, her answer was firm: Recess would end at 1:15 p.m.” In this case, “firm” means “unyielding.”

Choice (D) unequivocal, or “clear, without exception,” fits well with our prediction of firm or unyielding. (E) absolute, or “certain,” is also a good choice because the teacher’s statement cannot be interpreted. (A) unsure, or “lack of confidence,” does not work well in the sentence because an unsure response would have meant that the students’ efforts were successful. (B) diffident, or "shy and reserved," has a similar meaning to unsure and is incorrect for the same reasons. A response that used answer choice (C) ambiguous, or “unclear,” would indicate that the students had been at least partially successful in their efforts to shake the teacher’s resolve concerning recess. (F) playful, or “joking,” would not indicate anything to the reader about the teacher’s decision. The correct answers are (D) and (E).