IV. Fill in the blank with a suitable word. Can pets and their owners ‘become more alike over time’? Pets and their owners are just like married couples and they get (1) .......................... alike over time, a psychologist claimed yesterday. Prof Richard Wiseman asked almost 2,500 people to complete online questionnaires (2) .......................... their characters and those of their pets. He found that many dog lovers, cat owners and (3) .......................... reptile keepers said they shared many of the same traits – (4) .......................... as happiness, intelligence, independence and a (5) .......................... of humour – as their pets. BT – Updatepower – Week 14 (6SCN) – September 2021 But he also discovered that the longer an animal had been with (6) ..............................owner, the more likely it was to have picked (7) .............................. their characteristics. Prof Wiseman said, “For years owners have insisted their pets have (8) .............................. unique personality. This work suggests they might be right, but it also reveals that people’s pets are a reflection of themselves.” He (9) .............................. on to say: “It’s like with married couples. They grow to look (10) .............................. each other and have similar personalities. It’s possible we are seeing a similar effect.