Regina pleaded with her son to ........ the habit of smoking.

Analyze the question: The sentence needs a phrasal verb that fits with "the habit of smoking." Regina is begging her son to stop or give up the habit.

Explain the concept: This question tests phrasal verbs with "come." Here are the meanings of the options:

• come out: to become known, to emerge, or to be published (e.g., "The results came out yesterday.")
• come over: to visit someone, or to affect someone suddenly (e.g., "Come over to my house.")
• come off: to become detached, to succeed, or to happen (e.g., "The button came off.")
• come from: to originate from a place (e.g., "She comes from Enugu.")

Work through it: The sentence needs the meaning "stop or give up the habit."

• "Come out the habit of smoking" is not idiomatic.
• "Come over the habit" does not mean quitting. Strictly, "get over" means to recover from something, not "come over."
• "Come from the habit" makes no sense.
• "Come off" is the closest fit. "Come off" can mean to leave or stop doing something, as in "come off drugs" or "come off a habit."

The sentence is not perfect, because the usual natural phrases are "give up," "break," or "kick" the habit. Among the options given, "come off" is the best fit, since it conveys leaving or abandoning the habit.

Answer: C. come off

Tip: For phrasal verb questions, first decide the meaning the sentence needs (here, "stop"), then eliminate options that mean something else, such as origin ("come from") or visiting ("come over"). Also remember that "come off" can mean "stop using or taking" something, as in "come off alcohol."