Help me please

Julio trabajó como periodista durante mucho tiempo; muy famoso. a. era b. eran c. es d. éramos

Okay so i'm taking an online spanish course (penn foster), and in the study guide, you have to create a bunch of sentences with words you've learned so far. translating, reading, and those kinds of things are fairly easy, but when it comes to making my own sentences, my brain just kinda waltz's away. anyone got any tips?

Los niños a jugaba con carritos en el patio de nuestra casa. b. echaban c jugaban