When we looked up, we … the plane some miles away?

Analyze the question: The sentence needs a past-tense verb that means "saw" or "spotted" something in the distance. This is a test of homophones/words that sound alike but differ in meaning.

Explain the concept: Four words sound similar here:

• site (noun): a place or location, e.g. "a building site." As a verb it is rare, and it is not in the past tense.
• cited (verb): quoted or mentioned as evidence, e.g. "He cited a law."
• sited (verb): placed or located somewhere, e.g. "The school was sited near the river."
• sighted (verb): saw or spotted something, usually at a distance, e.g. "The sailors sighted land."

Step-by-step solution:

1. The sentence is in the past tense ("we looked up"), so the gap needs a past-tense verb.
2. That rules out A (site), which is a base form or noun.
3. The meaning is that we saw the plane far away. Cited means "quoted," so B is wrong. Sited means "positioned," so C is wrong.
4. Sighted means "saw or spotted," and it fits perfectly: "When we looked up, we sighted the plane some miles away."

Correct answer: D. sighted

Tip: Link sight with seeing because both have the letters "sigh" and "eyes." If the sentence is about seeing something, choose sight/sighted. Link cite with citation (quoting), and site with location.