Showing innocence or childlike simplicity.

• A. innocuous
• B. insipid
• C. ingenuous
• D. ingenious

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is choosing a word that captures a sense of innocence or childlike simplicity in how someone presents themselves or speaks. Ingenuous describes someone who is sincere, frank, and honest, often naively so, without any deceit or craftiness. It conveys a natural, unpretentious openness that fits the notion of innocence or straightforward simplicity.

Other options miss that nuance. Innocuous means harmless or inoffensive, not about a person’s innocence or candor. Insipid means dull or flavorless, again not about innocence. Ingenious means clever and inventive, which is the opposite of ingenuous in suggesting sophistication and skill rather than naïveté.

So the word that best fits “showing innocence or childlike simplicity” is ingenuous.