Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 26 to 30.

Imaginary friends in early childhood

     Many children have an imaginary friend – that is a friend they have invented. It was once thought that only children (26) _______ had difficulty in creating relationships with others had imaginary friends. In fact, having an imaginary friend is probably a common aspect of a normal childhood (27) _______ many children with lots of real friends also have an imaginary friend. The imaginary friend may help some children cope with emotional difficulties, but for (28) _______, having an imaginary friend is just fun.    

     There is no firm evidence to say that having an imaginary friend (29) _______ us anything about what a child will be like in the future. One (30) _______ of research, though, has suggested that adults who once had imaginary friends may be more creative than those who did not.